Lou Butera Cue
- Thread starter tig
- Start date
It can't be a remake because the cue is from the 70's, I was told 1977 when I bought it but the owner didn't know the manufacturer. It's in really good shape for a cue that old but there is a very slight warp in the butt forearm. Shaft rolls straight. Even the Adams remakes have the signature on the forearm and not the butt cap. Thanks for the reply though. I wonder if it's an original Adams or Helmstetter?
It might be a Schrager because Lou was on Burt's brochures in the 70s and he played with Berts cues for a long time.
My good friend and mentor Stew worked in Bert's shop at that time and I will show him your pic later today.
I also know that Lou later got a contract and represented the Rich Cue company for a while also so if it is a Rich it would be a production not a custom. If the cue has Lou's real signature it would be a custom Schrager, if it is a production decal signature I think it may be a Rich Cue. It may have been Helmstetter or Adams but someone made a Lou Butera Replica Cue. BTW, Not Abe Rich!
I will get back to post later after Stew takes a look. He will have the skinny on this as he was friends with Lou and his son.
Rick
My good friend and mentor Stew worked in Bert's shop at that time and I will show him your pic later today.
I also know that Lou later got a contract and represented the Rich Cue company for a while also so if it is a Rich it would be a production not a custom. If the cue has Lou's real signature it would be a custom Schrager, if it is a production decal signature I think it may be a Rich Cue. It may have been Helmstetter or Adams but someone made a Lou Butera Replica Cue. BTW, Not Abe Rich!
I will get back to post later after Stew takes a look. He will have the skinny on this as he was friends with Lou and his son.
Rick
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Hi,
Stew just got here and looked at your pics.
This cue is not a Schrager Cue. Bert used a big pin flat face joint.
It is a product replica unit probably a Rich Cue????
Rick
Stew just got here and looked at your pics.
This cue is not a Schrager Cue. Bert used a big pin flat face joint.
It is a product replica unit probably a Rich Cue????
Rick
Thanks guys. It really is hard to pin this one down. Didn't think it was a Schrager (that would have been too good to be true) but I don't believe it's Asian either. It's not an actual signature, definitely an embossed signature but not a decal. I wonder who I would contact to find out if it were a Rich cue? I'm just trying to place a value on it from a collector standpoint. It's hard to do without knowing it's origins. I appreciate all of your help.
My 1st thought was Huebler ?? Jim
Hi Tig,
I have the exact same cue and have a post in the same forum as you. I love my cue.. it's the only one I have ever bought. I recently had the shaft converted to a low deflection one.
No answers to my post. Here's the info I have. I don't think Lou would go with anything but american. If you find out anything please advise!! I will do the same. I'm at brentla@earthlink.net
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I’ve looked all over the Internet and can’t seem to find any info on my cue. I originally purchased it from a AAA billiards store in Beverly hills, CA. It is not a “Hall of Fame’ cue and predates them. It may have been Butera’s first foray into cue making.
REcent contact with AAAand speaking to the father of the owner who is the one that likely sold it to me, he was unable to recall the manufacturer.
I purchased it most likely in the late 80's or early nineties. I was looking for a good entry cue and it was a new line that was named "Lou Butera." The salesman told me Lou had just started making these cues and he could give me a great price on them. It came with 2 pro-taper shafts, brass fittings, and I loved the design which was pretty simple. Bought it for $150.... didn't know a lot about cues, or even tried any, but seemed like a great deal in comparison to others.
It is light carmel-colored Birdseye; white linen on the butt, with slight black speckling. The base of the cue has Lou's signature imprinted on it. It is basic, except there are a couple of approx. 3/8 inch black plastic rings with hairline oyster/pearlized lines on either side of the linen wrap.
I have been most pleased with it, but can't find it in any blue book or online anywhere. At one point I think I saw a pretty good if not exact design copy by Adams, but that one was not signed/embossed with Lou Butera on the base. A certified master cue builder, Ned Morris, who builds cues as well as restores them, did some work on it last week (making the shaft low deflection, improved ferrule and new tip), and tried to identify the manufacturer. He advised me that it was a typical merry widow design, did not think it was an Adams, but using the blue book and his experience he was unable to help ID it. He did tell and show me that the original ferrule was screwed into the cue with as it was attached to a metal screw…..and that Viking used to do that.
It is 5/16 x18 w brass fittings. It's piloted joint.
After reading about Lou, I’m sure that he would not put his name on just anything that was not done top notch, and probably would have had an American manufacturer in my thinking.
Another person thought it may be a Huebler, but contacting them was not possible and the distributor could not help me.
I tried to get an answer from Sal Butera on Facebook but was not successful.
Anyone know anything about this particular cue I have? Were many of them made?
Pictures are attached.
Thank you,
Brentinps
I have the exact same cue and have a post in the same forum as you. I love my cue.. it's the only one I have ever bought. I recently had the shaft converted to a low deflection one.
No answers to my post. Here's the info I have. I don't think Lou would go with anything but american. If you find out anything please advise!! I will do the same. I'm at brentla@earthlink.net
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I’ve looked all over the Internet and can’t seem to find any info on my cue. I originally purchased it from a AAA billiards store in Beverly hills, CA. It is not a “Hall of Fame’ cue and predates them. It may have been Butera’s first foray into cue making.
REcent contact with AAAand speaking to the father of the owner who is the one that likely sold it to me, he was unable to recall the manufacturer.
I purchased it most likely in the late 80's or early nineties. I was looking for a good entry cue and it was a new line that was named "Lou Butera." The salesman told me Lou had just started making these cues and he could give me a great price on them. It came with 2 pro-taper shafts, brass fittings, and I loved the design which was pretty simple. Bought it for $150.... didn't know a lot about cues, or even tried any, but seemed like a great deal in comparison to others.
It is light carmel-colored Birdseye; white linen on the butt, with slight black speckling. The base of the cue has Lou's signature imprinted on it. It is basic, except there are a couple of approx. 3/8 inch black plastic rings with hairline oyster/pearlized lines on either side of the linen wrap.
I have been most pleased with it, but can't find it in any blue book or online anywhere. At one point I think I saw a pretty good if not exact design copy by Adams, but that one was not signed/embossed with Lou Butera on the base. A certified master cue builder, Ned Morris, who builds cues as well as restores them, did some work on it last week (making the shaft low deflection, improved ferrule and new tip), and tried to identify the manufacturer. He advised me that it was a typical merry widow design, did not think it was an Adams, but using the blue book and his experience he was unable to help ID it. He did tell and show me that the original ferrule was screwed into the cue with as it was attached to a metal screw…..and that Viking used to do that.
It is 5/16 x18 w brass fittings. It's piloted joint.
After reading about Lou, I’m sure that he would not put his name on just anything that was not done top notch, and probably would have had an American manufacturer in my thinking.
Another person thought it may be a Huebler, but contacting them was not possible and the distributor could not help me.
I tried to get an answer from Sal Butera on Facebook but was not successful.
Anyone know anything about this particular cue I have? Were many of them made?
Pictures are attached.
Thank you,
Brentinps
Here is one to add
Not trying to hijack the thread, I posed the same question a while ago - no luck.
I have done my fair share of looking and can find nothing like mine either. Hopefully there is a Lou Butera expert out there.
Good luck!
Not trying to hijack the thread, I posed the same question a while ago - no luck.
I have done my fair share of looking and can find nothing like mine either. Hopefully there is a Lou Butera expert out there.
Good luck!
Attachments
Brass pins.
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justinb386
Banned
I think that cue is an Adam (that was made made in Japan, by Helmstetter's cue company), which looks much higher quality then the cue that the OP posted pictures of.
The last poster that replied said that he knew for a fact that the OP's cue was made by Viking. Any opinions about this?
Thanks.
I see I posted a long time ago and did not want to have duplicative post and speculations. However, I will add that since I have the same cue as Tig, and it looks just like the day I bought in in about 85, there is a noticeable difference that no one no one has addressed that my be telling. Why does this merry widow, Lou Butera embossed sig Butt cap stay white as snow, when Adams cues, Huebler, cues, Rich Q's from that period yellow with age, or in the post of the rich q pic even crack or peel?
Brass pin, White butt cap, and relatively high quality construction i.e without any rings raising after over 40 yrs, and absolutely no warping or age sign should help us to narrow down the manufacturer to one. Most cues from that time period have yellowing, and in the case of the posted rich q pic, darkening of the maple.
Brass pin, White butt cap, and relatively high quality construction i.e without any rings raising after over 40 yrs, and absolutely no warping or age sign should help us to narrow down the manufacturer to one. Most cues from that time period have yellowing, and in the case of the posted rich q pic, darkening of the maple.
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