Hey Everyone,
So I thought I'd post a review about an embossed elephant style leather wrap on my Carolina Custom. The work was done by Gil Castillo of Castillo Leather Goods.
To give you a bit of a story, I first purchased this cue from another AZer in September. The cue was perfect, except the leather wrap was very bad. It was rough, hard, and there was a gap where the seam was. With the OB classic pro shaft on this cue, it gave a very hard hit that I didn't like. I ended up benching the cue for a month while my newly acquired old Meucci SP became my player.
This is where Gil Castillo comes in. He is a friend and a fellow leaguer, known locally as our "Cue doctor" and further for his leather work (cases/wraps/cue tattoos). We were at his shop where he replaced the wrap. He definitely put a lot of attention to detail in cleaning, cutting, choosing, attaching, and burnishing the wrap.
Now this may sound stupid, but here's where the magic comes in. It changed the hit of the Carolina Cue. I don't know how to explain it, but I have sensitive hands, and I tend to know right away whether or not I will like the hit of a cue. I started playing pool with Meucci's, so I tend to favor a softer hitting cue.
The plushness of the embossed elephant wrap seemed to filter the harshness of the cue's previous hit. This was based on:
1. A famous local cuemaker's refusal to put leather on a one of his cues. He told me leather is for show cues because it kills the feedback and feel. That is why he only uses irish linen.
2. I tend to dislike the hard hit of a schon. Another friend had Gil rewrap the Schon with Genuine elephant ear. This made the schon a pleasure to play with. Though I couldn't pinpoint it at the time, now it makes sense.
In conclusion, I'm sure everyone will have their own preference in terms of hit. Some may just want a fancy exotic wrap and call it a day. Either way Gil's work is top notch in this category. Though he does a lot of things well, leather is his expertise. You shouldn't hesitate to send your work over to him. Also check out his other stuff at www.castilloleathergoods.com
BTW, his sneakies play well too. I had a coworker purchase one, and he can't put the cue down. He was my punching bag on the work table until he got this cue.
Picture of the wrap, and the Tiger Dynamite tip he added to my Fury J/B
So I thought I'd post a review about an embossed elephant style leather wrap on my Carolina Custom. The work was done by Gil Castillo of Castillo Leather Goods.
To give you a bit of a story, I first purchased this cue from another AZer in September. The cue was perfect, except the leather wrap was very bad. It was rough, hard, and there was a gap where the seam was. With the OB classic pro shaft on this cue, it gave a very hard hit that I didn't like. I ended up benching the cue for a month while my newly acquired old Meucci SP became my player.
This is where Gil Castillo comes in. He is a friend and a fellow leaguer, known locally as our "Cue doctor" and further for his leather work (cases/wraps/cue tattoos). We were at his shop where he replaced the wrap. He definitely put a lot of attention to detail in cleaning, cutting, choosing, attaching, and burnishing the wrap.
Now this may sound stupid, but here's where the magic comes in. It changed the hit of the Carolina Cue. I don't know how to explain it, but I have sensitive hands, and I tend to know right away whether or not I will like the hit of a cue. I started playing pool with Meucci's, so I tend to favor a softer hitting cue.
The plushness of the embossed elephant wrap seemed to filter the harshness of the cue's previous hit. This was based on:
1. A famous local cuemaker's refusal to put leather on a one of his cues. He told me leather is for show cues because it kills the feedback and feel. That is why he only uses irish linen.
2. I tend to dislike the hard hit of a schon. Another friend had Gil rewrap the Schon with Genuine elephant ear. This made the schon a pleasure to play with. Though I couldn't pinpoint it at the time, now it makes sense.
In conclusion, I'm sure everyone will have their own preference in terms of hit. Some may just want a fancy exotic wrap and call it a day. Either way Gil's work is top notch in this category. Though he does a lot of things well, leather is his expertise. You shouldn't hesitate to send your work over to him. Also check out his other stuff at www.castilloleathergoods.com
BTW, his sneakies play well too. I had a coworker purchase one, and he can't put the cue down. He was my punching bag on the work table until he got this cue.
Picture of the wrap, and the Tiger Dynamite tip he added to my Fury J/B
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