ArnotQ: Pulled the Trigger

K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've finally pulled the trigger on an everyday player. One Of the criteria was to be able to have played a cue closely approximating the cue I Would order....which eliminated some very good cuemakers ( Sly, Josey, etc..). I ended up choosing between a Dzurickey, which, after some great feedback was able to try, a Dayton (nice hit), a Frey SP, a Neighbors and a Schon. But a few nights ago I was able to play with an cue made by Arnot Wadsworth. WOW!
Besides having some of the best wood and workmanship, rivalling any of the cues I've come across, the playability was excellent. It had a Terminator3 laminated shaft that felt like no other low deflection shaft I've played......an absolutely solid feel and precise hit. The taper was Arnot's standard (parabolic). It was comfortable and pretty stiff. The radial pin joint was extremely tight as well. Overall the hit was great. Very solid while deflection seemed very low. After playing with a. 314 for a couple of years now, I was really able to appreciate a shaft that is solid all the way through. It hit like a premium conventional shaft.
Now I see why Arnot's cues don't seem to hit the used market much. Everybody keeps them.
The cue I tried was a plain Jane variety with a beautiful piece of purple heart and a BEM wrap area.
The cue I ordered is similar. I ordeded a wrapless PH (seasoned 6 years ) with a highly figured BEM handle with an ivory/ PH joint inlay within twin silver rings and a micarta Hopper ring. It will be 19.5 oz with a 12.75 mm Kamui black (Med) tip. Two additional niceties are an 8 week build time and an extremely reasonable price. It is Cue #811 on Arnot's excellent website. I'll post the pics when I receive the cue. If it is as nice as the cue I just tried......what a bargain.
 
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junkbond

junkbond

The dog ate my stroke.
Silver Member
Good choice, k2. My two Arnots are the best hitting cues I've owned. I hope you're as happy with yours as I am with mine.
 
poolplayer2093

poolplayer2093

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i had one of his break cues and i really dug it. i felt like an ass after selling it.

post up some pictures man. i always check out arnot's site when i'm board. he's got one of the best websites in the cue making business
http://www.arnotq.com/

you guys should check it out
 
L

Larry Sivik

Registered
ArnotQ

Greetings,

A lot of road players in South Florida years ago found out how good ArnotQ break cues were and the word got out. That put Arnot on the map and he followed up with solid player cues.

Things keep getting better and today I would have to say that if you want a very solid cue with great feedback give ArnotQ serious consideration. The value is superb and the quality is unconditionally one of the best out there for the money!
 
K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Appreciate the feedback. Its always nice to find a product that exceeds the expectation in workmanship, price and performance. And that's what the Arnot cue I tried did. Considering the great wood, the fit and flawless finish and then the performance I was really pleasantly surprised at the prices he charges. I'll post some pics ASAP.
 
K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
great feedback

Thanks for the usual excellent feedback and comments, guys. This is a great forum and its nice to get feedback from knowledgeable players.

And Larry, you were right on about Arnot's reputation on the Florida circuit. Last night at my hall I was talking with an older guy who had played.in a bunch of tournements in the southeast. I mentioned that I ordered a Arnot Wadsworth cue and He said the very same thing......that Arnot's break cues are almost legendary. He's got a lot of first rate cues and he was teaching me some of the finer points of One Pocket. But he told me to wait....and went to his car and brought back a ArnotQ break cue.....which he says is his "serious" break stick. It's a beautiful bacote forearm and the workmanship is perfection. It had a T-3 break shaft, with an abbreviated taper. He let me break a few 9 ball racks....and it felt like a locomotive. The guy said that the only other comparable break cue he's ever tried was a Samsara. In fact he was using a Samsara proprietary leather tip with his Arnot. This break / jump cue impresses me so much that I've got to get one.
 
L

Larry Sivik

Registered
ArnotQ cues and shafts

kasparovII said:
Thanks for the usual excellent feedback and comments, guys. This is a great forum and its nice to get feedback from knowledgeable players.

And Larry, you were right on about Arnot's reputation on the Florida circuit. Last night at my hall I was talking with an older guy who had played.in a bunch of tournements in the southeast. I mentioned that I ordered a Arnot Wadsworth cue and He said the very same thing......that Arnot's break cues are almost legendary. He's got a lot of first rate cues and he was teaching me some of the finer points of One Pocket. But he told me to wait....and went to his car and brought back a ArnotQ break cue.....which he says is his "serious" break stick. It's a beautiful bacote forearm and the workmanship is perfection. It had a T-3 break shaft, with an abbreviated taper. He let me break a few 9 ball racks....and it felt like a locomotive. The guy said that the only other comparable break cue he's ever tried was a Samsara. In fact he was using a Samsara proprietary leather tip with his Arnot. This break / jump cue impresses me so much that I've got to get one.
Click to expand...



It's really good to hear that some of the accomplished players out there verifying what a lot of other good players have been saying for a long time. At one time it was almost like a secret cult among good players in that they did not want anyone to know how great it was especially if used against them. However, now with the internet all that has changed.

I had posted some information regarding T3 shafts and what to expect when using one for the very first time. Basically, there is a learning curve in that the reduction in deflection must be incorporated into the aiming set-up which is minor but a huge advantage.

Secondly, some players who maybe less skilled and use less than a 13 mm shaft solid shaft invariably comment that they cannot draw the ball as well as they can with their thinner shaft(s). There is some truth in this in that the issue is with the stroke and cueing lthe cue ball lower. Believe it or not many think they cue ball low but upon impact the cue tip incorrectly moves upward in their stroke resulting in very little draw.

The reason that a smaller diameter shaft and hence smaller diameter cue tip maybe easier to draw is that the impact energy per surface area is greater than a larger diameter tip for the same amount of input enery hence more cue ball spin. The trade off is a lot less cue ball control with a smaller diameter shaft which usually means more inconsistency.

With a little practice you can easily draw the cue ball a table length but still have all the advantages of the T3 shaft. At one time I used to play exclusively with T3 jump/break cue, (the exact same one now on Arnot's web site (hard curl jump/break cue) because I could not afford a player at the same time and hs jump break cue is such a tremendous advantage in both breaking and jumping (especially in 9 & 10 ball). After a while 9 ball often becomes 6 or 7 ball as breaking techique and skill advanced. I must say that I learned a an aweful lot and in doing so advanced my game significanly. It took a lot of practice once I understood what was happening with the cue and how to take advantage of it.

Sorry for the long post and rambling and hope this maybe of some help to you.



Larry
 
K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Larry,
I Really appreciate the ArnotQ feedback. In the past life I played Adams and Meuccis...(we're talking 30 yrs. Ago!). But long story short, I was pleased to hear all the great feedback about Mr Wadsworth. But one of my worries when I started looking for the best "no frills" player was CONSISTENCY from cue to cue. Knowing a few guys who has spent quite a bit if money on the "famous" names were disappointed with the hit / performance being quite different than the cue they based their decision on. I tried the one ArnotQ and was very impressed but not having experienced another player (other than a tremendous break cue) I naturally had my doubts....since Arnot's name is not among the Scruggs, Judd's, and others. But I was lucky enough to play another ArnotQ (different wood / spliced / ivory joint) and it played as identically as one cue can to another of the same maker. Mu h different from my wrapless purple heart / BEM. So the consistency seems to be there.
I'd ask like to thank you for your info on the T -3 shaft. I ordered mine at 12.75mm but it feels totally different than the 314s I've been playing with. The "old terminalogy" was " spine" . But the T-3 has it Just right, in my opinion. It doesn't have the long "pro taper", as you know, but its still comfortable in a closed bridge and is dead on with shots ranging from 5 to 7+ feet, its like night and day compared to any laminated shafts I've tried. And actually it is like the best of both worlds...less deflection and that great "hit" / feedback....which, I'm sure, has a lot to do with the overall construction.
Once again, Larry, thanks for the input.
My only question is why, considering the quality, performance and standard low deflection shaft....and the price per product....don't we hear more about ArnotQ customs?
 
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poolplayer2093

poolplayer2093

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
kasparovII said:
Larry,
I Really appreciate the ArnotQ feedback. In the past life I played Adams and Meuccis...(we're talking 30 yrs. Ago!). But long story short, I was pleased to hear all the great feedback about Mr Wadsworth. But one of my worries when I started looking for the best "no frills" player was CONSISTENCY from cue to cue. Knowing a few guys who has spent quite a bit if money on the "famous" names were disappointed with the hit / performance being quite different than the cue they based their decision on. I tried the one ArnotQ and was very impressed but not having experienced another player (other than a tremendous break cue) I naturally had my doubts....since Arnot's name is not among the Scruggs, Judd's, and others. But I was lucky enough to play another ArnotQ (different wood / spliced / ivory joint) and it played as identically as one cue can to another of the same maker. Mu h different from my wrapless purple heart / BEM. So the consistency seems to be there.
I'd ask like to thank you for your info on the T -3 shaft. I ordered mine at 12.75mm but it feels totally different than the 314s I've been playing with. The "old terminalogy" was " spine" . But the T-3 has it Just right, in my opinion. It doesn't have the long "pro taper", as you know, but its still comfortable in a closed bridge and is dead on with shots ranging from 5 to 7+ feet, its like night and day compared to any laminated shafts I've tried. And actually it is like the best of both worlds...less deflection and that great "hit" / feedback....which, I'm sure, has a lot to do with the overall construction.
Once again, Larry, thanks for the input.
My only question is why, considering the quality, performance and standard low deflection shaft....and the price per product....don't we hear more about ArnotQ customs?
Click to expand...

pictures man we need pictures. i always liked the looks of his cues.
 
L

Larry Sivik

Registered
The Arnot Legacy

kasparovII said:
Larry,
I Really appreciate the ArnotQ feedback. In the past life I played Adams and Meuccis...(we're talking 30 yrs. Ago!). But long story short, I was pleased to hear all the great feedback about Mr Wadsworth. But one of my worries when I started looking for the best "no frills" player was CONSISTENCY from cue to cue. Knowing a few guys who has spent quite a bit if money on the "famous" names were disappointed with the hit / performance being quite different than the cue they based their decision on. I tried the one ArnotQ and was very impressed but not having experienced another player (other than a tremendous break cue) I naturally had my doubts....since Arnot's name is not among the Scruggs, Judd's, and others. But I was lucky enough to play another ArnotQ (different wood / spliced / ivory joint) and it played as identically as one cue can to another of the same maker. Mu h different from my wrapless purple heart / BEM. So the consistency seems to be there.
I'd ask like to thank you for your info on the T -3 shaft. I ordered mine at 12.75mm but it feels totally different than the 314s I've been playing with. The "old terminalogy" was " spine" . But the T-3 has it Just right, in my opinion. It doesn't have the long "pro taper", as you know, but its still comfortable in a closed bridge and is dead on with shots ranging from 5 to 7+ feet, its like night and day compared to any laminated shafts I've tried. And actually it is like the best of both worlds...less deflection and that great "hit" / feedback....which, I'm sure, has a lot to do with the overall construction.
Once again, Larry, thanks for the input.
My only question is why, considering the quality, performance and standard low deflection shaft....and the price per product....don't we hear more about ArnotQ customs?
Click to expand...

K2,

I am glad that you have found your way through the cue marketing clutter. There are reasons for Arnot's somewhat obscurity. First of all let me say that there are a lot of cue makers that make good cues out there in this stuggling market. And yes there are some that make great cues but only a few that make exceptional cues. A lot of cue makers today are part time cue makers and have other jobs because it is difficult to make a living in this difficult economy with the exception of perhaps the early cue makers that got started in the 60's and 70's.

The earlier guys were in the right place in the right time when the market was growing fast driven by pool player movies (Hustler, Color of Money) along with newer and better pool halls geared towards a more inviting family type of environment along with food and beverages.

I used to follow Willie Mosconi around in the early 70's at many of his exhibitions and Willie was always impeccably dressed, tempermental but one of the best show men around bar none and sponsored by Brunswick. This also did a lot to bolster the game, sell Brunswick products and help play down the negative connotations of a "hustler" name associated with pool hall environments. However, most pool players strove for the exact opposite, creating a hustler image as the "big gun" in town. It was great marketing for Brunswick. Again, the key word is marketing!

Now back to Mr. Arnot Wadsworth. Arnie I believe has been making cues for about 16 years now and got started later in his life and also at the tail end of the growing market (probably the decline of the market). As a result it is much harder to penetrate a market with established and entrenched competitors. Nobody wants to hear contrary or negative information about their heros and most of all their equipment which is natural. One has to have a different approach that offers added values and benefits not shared by others in order to survive.

Arnie did that initially with his break cues which even today are best in class from performance and workmanship and followed up with the player cues. The T3 shaft coupled with the rest of his craftmanship put another spin on it in my estimation. It focuses on performance, performance and performance. Arnie's artistic design is always clean and relatively simplistic in that his philosophy has has always been primarily one of performance and the introduction of artistic "eye candy" into his cue design has always been superceded by performance criteria. If the artistic design can or could compromise performance he refuses to use it or build a cue with it.

I and others have played with many various cues that Arnot has built from basic player to upper end and one thing that they all have in common is that they all play great to exceptional. I have never had an Arnot cue in my hand that I would not play with to save my life (sorry for the melodramatics). I played with someones purple heart/bacote once that looked like it went through the war but played better than anything I have ever played with and the guy who owned it wouldn't sell it to for twice of what he paid for it new.

By the way K2, if for some remote reason you are not satisfied with any Arnot-Q cue product just return it for a full refund (within a limited time) according to the specifics on his website. Under continous day to day play his cue will perform for a lifetime assuming no abuse other than normal play. He backs his work unconditionally for workmanship.

Arnie is great to talk with, is passonate about his work and dedicated to performance. To that effect some may have taken or judged him the wrong way in his earlier career development years but that is understandable. The bottom line is that in the end you will be judged by your accomplishments and I think that Arnot-Q will receive high marks by those who were fortunate to have an open mind and experienced those results directly.

So to all those who may happen to read this post and are interested in taking their games to the next level consider Arnot-Q for performance, driven 'point and shoot' cues. Thanks for your time and please forgive this long winded post!


Regards,

Larry
 
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K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I honestly appreciate your passing on your knowledge. It's interesting and I think most players enjoy hearing from guys with the type of experience that you've had. It's especially helpful in my case for several reasons. First, since I'm waiting for my Arnot and have only hit the two that I mentioned, it's comforting to know that the consistency of performance is there. I play and do not collect. I appreciate the artful inlays, and veneers, etc...but I want an everyday player that is built with performance as the overriding criteria, with materials being another. I was, frankly, fortunate, to run into a player who had an ArnotQ at a time I was ready to order a cue from one of several other makers who had good reps and I had an opportunity to play. The fact is that I was going back and forth between several makers PRIOR to playing with that Arnot PH / BEM / T3 player. So, by that measure, the performance was such a standout my decision became somewhat of a no-brainer when I also compared the quality of the wood, fit and finish, etc..
And I can tell that you know about these cues because in my three phone conversations with Arnot he really took his time with me and really got into his philosophy as to how it relates to not compromising peformance. We talked about things he said he simply would refuse to make in several instances because through his experience just wouldn'tvwork out well......which is exactly the point you shared in your post. And you're right...his passion for his work....the fact that he can just make his cues shows through. We've discussed everything from woods,seasoning, joints, shaft taper philosophy to ferrule material. His knowledge is truly encyclopedic.
So, one more time, thanks for the information.
In closing, you mentioned following Mosconi around. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN GREAT.
I'll share my Mosconi story with you. In 1967 I was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. I had come in second place in their annual base straight pool championship. One Saterday, an airman gets me out of bed at about 10 a.m. and tells me that I'm going to play Willie Mosconi at noon that day. I looked at this guy and thought he was just pulling my chain. As it was, Brunswick was sponsoring Willie to travel to military bases and do exhibitions. And he would include a game of straight to 50 with the base champ.
Well, the base champ (the guy who beat me in the final) had already shipped out to Viet Nam.....leaving me to play the great one. It was the first and only time that I saw him in person. And you're right, he didn't say very much at all to me. We shook hands and that was really about it until AFTER the game. He won 50 to 19....but with a case of the nerves you can imagine from a mediocre player like me, I did manage to run 17. It took the Great One just two innings at the table to reach 50. AFTER the game he was a little more talkative.When I apologized for not giving him a better game. Willie said..."hey, you weren't bad. You ran a rack! Most guys are so nervous when they play me they rarely run more than a handful."
But I'll always remember that game like it was yesterday.
Thanks for listening, Larry
KII
 
K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
POOLPLAYER....
I've still hot a few weeks before I get my cue. But as mentioned, Arnot has a hell of a Good website With tons of great pics. Just type in ArnotQ and the cue I offered is #811 in the " Road Player section. It's on the third page of that section. There are three good shots of it....showing the purple heart forearm and butt section with a with what Arnot calls his white "Rambo ring. The wrapless bird's eye maple shows well and the great looking joint with a straightforward design which is an inlaid ivory and purple heart checkered ring surrounded by double.nickel.silver rings inlaid into a doubleblack phenolic joint. The shaft isn't shown but it will.be the Terminator 3 shaft with a matching ivory / purple heart checkered inlay with matching nickel.silver rings inlaid in ghe shaft collar. I happen to think that the cue has a very clean look with the joint work setting it apart from the plain PH / BEM design he has for slightly less $$$. What is more difficult to appreciate is the wood Arnot uses. He knows wood, and a huge stock with some unbelievable bacote. Arnot believes In long slow seasoning process. And it shows in person. The color in the PH runs dark and deep and the BEM he:s using in the wrap section is really primo....Great figuring.....very "rich" looking. Even the wrap section is outlined in double black phenolic on each side of the BEM and perfectly smooth (simply cannot feel it). Even the workmanship of the T-3 shaft is flawless and looks super....so.well done its difficult to tell Its a 26 layered lamination. The workmanship easily holds its own with anything I've seen.....including some of the most popular $1-2K legends like the Tim Scruggs models and a Judd that went for a lot more $$$. The great deal for me was I preferred the Arnot to either.....might have been the T-3 shaft. Another Great thing with Mr. Wadsworth is the options seem.limitless. I wanted the exact hit of the plainer Jane I tried and asked for the same ferrule / tip combo and it was no problem. It happened to be a Saber-T. with a MooriIII soft. Of course it wasn't a problem...no big deal but nlce to know he has all small stuff stocked and ready to go....as the build lead times are reasonable for the cue I ordered (8wks.).
Can' t wait to play it. Right now I'm playing a Peschauer Pro Series with a 314-2, which I have no complaints about but the difference in hit / feedback is so much more "solid " with an Arnot Q and T-3 its amazing......like night and day...not a knock on the Pescauer/314-2 ...just a testament to the ArnotQ. / T-3.
 
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poolplayer2093

poolplayer2093

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
kasparovII said:
POOLPLAYER....
I've still hot a few weeks before Inveterate my cue. But as mentioned, Arnot has a hell of a Good website With tons of great pics. Just type in ArnotQ and the cue I offered is #811 in the " Road Player section. It: s on ghd third page of that section. There are three good shots of it....showing the purple heart and butt section with a with what Arnot calls his white "Rambo ring. The wrapless bird's eye maple shows. Well and the Great looking joint with a straightforward design which is an inlaid ivory and purple heart ring surrounded by double.nickel.silver rings inlaid into a doubleblack phenolic joint. The shaft isn't shown but it will.be the Terminator 3 shaft with a matching ivory / purple heart checkered inlay with matching nickel.silver xoj le rings. I happen to think that the cue has a Very clean look with the joint work setting it apart from the plain PH / BEM design be has God slightly less $$$. What is mode difficult to appreciate is the woods Arnot uses. He knows wood, us a huge stock with some unbelievable bacote. Arnot believes In long slow seasoning process. And it shows in person. The color in the PH runs dark and deep and the BEM he:s using in the wrap section is really promo....Great figuring.....very "rich" looking. Even the wrap section is outlined in double black phenolic on each side of the BEM and perfectly smooth (simply cannot feel it). Even the workmanship of the T-3 shaft is flawless and looks super....so.well done its difficult to tell Its a 26 layered layered lamination. The workmanship easily holds its own With anything I've seen.....including some of the most popular $1-2K legends like the Tim Scruggs models and a Judd that went gkr a lot more. $$$. The Great deal for me was I preferred the Arnot to either.....might have been the T-3 shaft. Another Great thing with Mr. Wadsworth is the logins seem.limitless. I wanted the exact hit of the plainer Jane I tried and asked got the same fsffuls / tip combo and it was no problem. It happened to be a Saber-T. with a MooriIII soft. Of course it wasn't a problem...no big real but Nice go know he has all small stuff stocked and ready to go....as the build lead times add Very reasonable for the cud I ordered (8wks.).
Can' t wait to play it. Right now I'm playing a Peschauer Pro Series with a 314-2, which I have no complaints about buy the difference in bit/ feedback is so much more "solid " with an Arnot Q and T-3 its amazing......like night and day...not a knock on the Pescauer/314-2 ...just a testament to the ArnotQ. / T-3.
Click to expand...

Is it this one????
http://www.arnotq.com/pages/811/811.html

good looking cue!

arnot's site was the first custom cue site i ever checked out. the other was jeff olney's old site.

i've wanted this cue since the day i saw it!
http://www.arnotq.com/pages/635/635.html

hay arnot if you're not cool with me linking your site let me know and i'll delete the links.

thanks for the review man. i always dig reading about people's new cues
 
K

kasparovII

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yep, that's it. Great website, in general, isn't it?
That #635, the cue you like is really a clean looking cue. There are so many great looking cues on his site I could easily pick out a couple of dozen I'd buy in a minute.
Did you read some of his technical data? Arnot has some unique approaches to splicing / general construction techniques. His "A" joint approach is maybe one reason his cues hit so solid....and stay that way. The purple heart basic that sold me on getting an ArnotQ was about 7-8 years old and played as the owner's #1 cue. Not one iota of buzz...just that "thunk". I was surprised when I was told how old it actually was. It looked recently re-finished but it wasn't. Even the radial pinned joint was still very tight.....like new. The inside threading on the T-3 were still perfect. The only thing he did was order some nice matching joint protectors from Arnot just after he bought it. Aside from that he said " nothing special " as far as maintainance. When I mentioned this to Arnot he said his "finishes" have slowly evolved to be even nicer. I can't imagine "nicer" than the one I tried.
Nothin' but upside with Wadsworth. This guy is seriously good.
 
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B

brownrice

Registered
I recently picked up an Arnot plain jane off ebay with a T3 shaft. It was pretty beat up and not taken care of, but the hit IS GREAT. You won't regret your purchase.

Have fun!:thumbup:
 
poolplayer2093

poolplayer2093

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
brownrice said:
I recently picked up an Arnot plain jane off ebay with a T3 shaft. It was pretty beat up and not taken care of, but the hit IS GREAT. You won't regret your purchase.

Have fun!:thumbup:
Click to expand...

pictures...................come on man let's see it
 
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