This might belong in a different forum, but since people post their complaints in the main forum, I figure posting compliments is fair game, too. And Mike Webb went to great lengths to make sure my cue work came out exactly as I wanted it.
I have an early 90s Schon that plays great, but (1) there were two fairly large bubbles in the finish, and (2) I wanted a leather wrap. And I really wanted to have a smooth, non-textured and slightly gummy, leather wrap, rather than the usual style. What I really wanted was for the wrap on my Schon to be as close as possible to the one on my Hercek--both because I really like the feel, and for consistency across the two cues I shoot with. I went to Schon first, but they only offers textured wraps, so after some searching here, I went to Mike.
The initial turnaround was about two weeks (compared to Schon's 6-10 weeks), I got regular updates on the status of the work, and when I got the cue back, it looked perfect. But I was apparently not clear enough, because Mike had put a textured wrap on it -- though it was the least textured wrap that he had in stock.
So I sent him an email to let him know I had received the cue (which he shipped overnight at no extra charge) and that it looked great. But I also pointed out that I had asked for non-textured and asked if this had been the smoothest he could get. He replied that, while textured, it was much less textured than what he normally used.
Now for the good part: he offered to contact Joel Hercek directly to get leather from him, replace the wrap with Hercek's leather, and pay shipping both ways. All of which Mike did, and quickly. He got two wraps from Joel, then I got the cue back to him on Friday, 10/28, and I had it back in my hands with the new wrap on Tuesday, 11/1.
And as a side note, I've heard directly from Joel, and now from Mike, that the leather Joel uses is a real pain in the a** to put on a cue, presumably because it's soft, stretchy, and tends to fray when cut. So the extra work Mike put in was more than what a typical wrap requires.
Punchline: Mike does great work. His prices are reasonable, though not the cheapest you'll find. That's because you get what you pay for in life--with Mike, you'll get exactly what you want. One more thing: Mike declined my offer to pay more for the extra work.
Cory
P.S. Here's some pics.
I have an early 90s Schon that plays great, but (1) there were two fairly large bubbles in the finish, and (2) I wanted a leather wrap. And I really wanted to have a smooth, non-textured and slightly gummy, leather wrap, rather than the usual style. What I really wanted was for the wrap on my Schon to be as close as possible to the one on my Hercek--both because I really like the feel, and for consistency across the two cues I shoot with. I went to Schon first, but they only offers textured wraps, so after some searching here, I went to Mike.
The initial turnaround was about two weeks (compared to Schon's 6-10 weeks), I got regular updates on the status of the work, and when I got the cue back, it looked perfect. But I was apparently not clear enough, because Mike had put a textured wrap on it -- though it was the least textured wrap that he had in stock.
So I sent him an email to let him know I had received the cue (which he shipped overnight at no extra charge) and that it looked great. But I also pointed out that I had asked for non-textured and asked if this had been the smoothest he could get. He replied that, while textured, it was much less textured than what he normally used.
Now for the good part: he offered to contact Joel Hercek directly to get leather from him, replace the wrap with Hercek's leather, and pay shipping both ways. All of which Mike did, and quickly. He got two wraps from Joel, then I got the cue back to him on Friday, 10/28, and I had it back in my hands with the new wrap on Tuesday, 11/1.
And as a side note, I've heard directly from Joel, and now from Mike, that the leather Joel uses is a real pain in the a** to put on a cue, presumably because it's soft, stretchy, and tends to fray when cut. So the extra work Mike put in was more than what a typical wrap requires.
Punchline: Mike does great work. His prices are reasonable, though not the cheapest you'll find. That's because you get what you pay for in life--with Mike, you'll get exactly what you want. One more thing: Mike declined my offer to pay more for the extra work.
Cory
P.S. Here's some pics.
