8-ball Rat said:
Don,
Are you looking to get into a cue that hits like a BlueGrass...but costs less than one? If so, I would suggest looking into Cory Barnhart. He makes a great cue, and the ones I've had (3, total) played similar to a BlueGrass (I've owned 3 of those, too).
If not, I would suggest you stick with a BlueGrass cue. You can get a PJ BlueGrass for somewhere between 800-1000, depending on number of shafts and overall condition. They play awesome.
You could find the kind of hit you like in either one of those.
Hope this helps.
Mark
Thanks for the reply, Mark. I'm kind of fussy about the looks of a cue. I tend to like plain janes more anyway, so the cost discussion is kind of moot. Suffice it to say that although I admire BG craftsmanship, I haven't seen anything I'd really like to own, and the wait time is pretty long (or no new orders?) from what I understand.
As I said, I'm new to custom cues (although I have been doing my research thus far). As much as anything, I'm asking this question to learn about what's out there. If I can narrow my focus to cues that have a comparable shaft stiffness to BG, then I can look at those cue makers to see if their design work and cost suits me.
As for Cory Barnhart, I have also had an opportunity to hit some balls with one. I didn't care for the taper. My bridge hand was constantly being interfered with by the shaft (this happened occasionally with the BG too, but only with longer bridges when my hand actually reached the transition point in the taper). Not to say that the CB didn't have the right hit - I just didn't like the taper.
Of course that brings the discussion about stiffness to a new level when you want to find a taper that feels right in your hand - even for long bridges - and at the same time has the right stiffness. That's what I'm trying to figure out at this stage of my personal pool development. That's why I asked for specifics about modified euro or pro TAPER when recommending cues with a similar STIFFNESS to BG.
Any other suggestions? I'm an information hound, so I'd like to hear any and all recommendations anyone has with regard to comparable shaft stiffness to Blue Grass. Thanks again for the input.
Don