richard black cue

You have some good taste their my friend. To answer your question they are good for both. As a player his stainless jointed cues hit damn solid. IMHO Richard also makes one hell of a shaft. But then again this is a maker who admired Balabushka's style and design and still patterns his basic customs in that style. However Richard Black is also one of the finest original custom creators today coming up with wicked cue designs. His functional art is gobbled up by collectors. Be ready for cost. He won't start up his lathe for less than $1500.00 minimum. But a Black cue is also like your Gus's, Berry's, Jerry's, and George's. They age like fine wine. I had a Richard Black from 1981 that hit and played lights out. Then sadly stolen Gladly though replaced! I am not to sure how many years Richard is going to continue though. I think he is getting close to that retirement age which would be a great loss to think no more Black cues. Visit his website and email him. He responds rather quickly and works with you one on one with your design. I believ,e but don't quote me on it, if you spend more than $2500 on a cue it comes in a Whitten/Richard Black Case. Mine did and when it showed it was a magical day like a kid on Christmas morning! I can still remember the smell of the leather and clear coat mmmmmmm Anyway you won't go wrong buying a Black.

ymiryang said:

thanks for you reply my friend. i bought a personal whitten case already and like it so much.
i am thinking to get a simple points cue(maybe 4 or 5 points) as my normally playing cue, i am using a josey sneaky pete now, it is a good cue but i feel a little bit hard feeling with shooting this cue, how do you think RB cue shot?

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Blacks with stainless hit pretty hard so you may want a ivory$$ or derlin joint which Richard can do. That will you give a softer hit. He also can make your shafts with ivory ferrules to add some softness. Mine is 5/16-14 Stainless steel piloted joint and my shafts have ivory ferrules and it is just amazing. Sometimes I use a Predator 314 shaft on it but I really like the stock shafts. There is a sweet fire 4 pointer on ebay right now from a fellow AZer that looks really sweet and I bet plays awsome. If you just search Richard Black on the forums here you will find it.

Richard Black

I own a couple of Richard Black cues.
The older one "1985" is REALLY a great player.
I let a guy use it one day that I was playing and eventually took it from him and said "this is like getting shot with your own gun"
He kept trying to buy it and recently picked up a similar one.
I may trade him something for it

Here's a couple of pics
They aren't too fancy but great cues

I have owned 2 of Richard's cues. They are great investments. I profited from the sale of the first one and have actually been called several times to sell the second for big profit. (They will have to pry it from my cold dead hands...)

As for playability, his cues are among the very best I have ever used. The one note I would make to qualify that statement, however, is that you must use Richard's tip. Mr. Black turns repairs around very quickly. If I so much as need a new tip, the shaft gets mailed to him.

The hit is quiet but lively. Not stiff, but not whippy. I can feel confident shooting long shots very straight, and I can smoke a draw shot over 18 feet with his cue. Black cues are exceptional performers in my experience.

One of my cues had a black phenolic joint and the other an ivory one. I have never tried one of his steele jointed cues.

I have had several Black Cues. They are very well made and the playability is very predictable with no surprises. You don't see many players with them I think mainly because they are not cheap and a lot of people simply can't afford them. The steel jointed cues are very solid. A lot of them are 57" in length and they are actually easier to play with at that length. Black cues are as close as you can get to a Balabushka because Black patterned his cues after Balabushka. As far as keeping their value they are not much different than other top cue makers. Most cues on the market lose some value after they have been played with. If you want to buy one for investment buy it and never chaulk it or play with it.

You Can't Go Wrong With Richard Black

Richard Black is a highly talented, if not gifted, cue-maker. His cues will always remain in demand.

Bill Grassley at CornerstoneCues has the largest, most exquisite inventory of Richard Black cues I've ever seen. After I get my RB cue shortly, I'll post some photos of the cue and just some F.Y.I., Bill is really a great guy to work with on a cue purchase.

Mr. Richard Black is one of the legends that has earned and deserves his status. Hit is as close to perfect as you can get...mine hits most similarly to my Lambros. I would say a bit more solidly than my Josey. The taper of the butt is a little bigger than many customs, old school. It handles well....has nerves in it. It's a piece of wood but it has nerves. Felson said that?

I have had several Black cues. I enjoyed all of them. Some day I will probably get another. Construction is excellent. I really like the way the butt cap is machined and the way it is held on with the weight bolt. Richard does this because the butt cap's are made of Delrin and are not glued on. Delrin does not glue well at all. They are balanced perfectly and play really solid. They are a true joy to play with. I have always said Richard Black cues and Tim Scruggs cues were the best players out there. I ought to know because I have owned over seventy five custom cues all different cue makers. You just can't go wrong buying a Black cue.