Kudos to Schmelke

Flex

Flex

Banger
Silver Member
Having already bought one sneaky pete from Schmelke, and loved it, I decided to order a specially made cue from them.

This past Monday morning I called them to see if they had a sneaky pete with a cocobolo butt and birdseye maple forearm available. This sneaky is a four prong full splice cue. They said they'd look and see, and in the meantime asked me what else I'd like with it. I specified a 5/16 X 18 joint, as all my other cues are in that joint, with a pro-tapered 12 mm, elkmaster tip, weighing 19 ounces.

Lo and behold I called them back 3 or 4 hours later, as I hadn't heard back from them. They were building the cue to my specs. I was told it would probably be ready Thursday! What the?? Wow... I let them know I was going out of town this weekend (plans have since changed) and wondered if there was any chance it would be ready to be shipped in time to get to me by Friday, as UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday, and I'd be out of town on Monday. I also told them I wasn't putting any pressure on them to get it ready early, just wanted to let them know about my travel plans; otherwise I'd wait to get it upon my return.

They finished turning the shaft to 12 mm, and had everything finished sometime Wednesday, and sent it out Wednesday evening.

It came Friday.

What a beautiful cue. Beautiful cocobolo, highly figured and deeply rich color; very nice birdseye maple forearm. Perfect shaft. The finish they put on the shaft is so smooth it doesn't need any sandpapering or anything. Satin smooth. Perfectly straight, shoots straight, great feel and feedback.

Now, what did this piece of art cost me? Well, the birdseye maple forearm was an extra 20 bucks over the standard maple forearm, the other options were at no extra charge. The whole shebang ran me $127, total, including shipping.

Although I'm partial to stack leather wraps, this is one cue that won't see one of those!

Good deal? You betcha! Great customer service too!!

Flex
 
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When I was younger I used to think Schmelke cues were junk. I'll admit a lot of the misperception came from the fact that they were "cheap"! Then, one year, while I was teaching the BCA Summer Youth Cue Camp, in WI, with Jerry Briesath and Mark Wilson, we took the kids on a field trip to the Schmelke factory in Rice Lake, WI. I was BLOWN away at the amount of detail they put into every cue...over 100 steps from rough wood to finished cue. They had five different joints you could choose from, and like you wanted, they would put any detail into the cue that a customer desired. I came away with a newfound respect for this company. So much so, that I wrote an article for BD praising the company and the Schmelke family. Here it is almost 15 years later, and they still make excellent cues for very reasonable money! What a great American success story!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Did you happen to ask them if there are any other custom combos that you can create? Could you substitute curly maple for the birdseye?

I have a coco sp from them, and really like it. I also needed one more house cue, and some people recommended I try one of their one piece house cues. Got one from them with a nice bocote butt for $34 or so. Only hit a few balls with it, but it felt good and it looks really nice.

I think I asked this on another related thread, but I'm going to ask it again. How much difference is there going to be between the hit of one of these schmelke sp's and a much more expensive custom sp? I'm not asking this question to prove a point or make a statement--I'm new to nice cues and really don't know the answer.
 
Flex said:
Having already bought one sneaky pete from Schmelke, and loved it, I decided to order a specially made cue from them.

This past Monday morning I called them to see if they had a sneaky pete with a cocobolo butt and birdseye maple forearm available. This sneaky is a four prong full splice cue. They said they'd look and see, and in the meantime asked me what else I'd like with it. I specified a 5/16 X 18 joint, as all my other cues are in that joint, with a pro-tapered 12 mm, elkmaster tip, weighing 19 ounces.

Lo and behold I called them back 3 or 4 hours later, as I hadn't heard back from them. They were building the cue to my specs. I was told it would probably be ready Thursday! What the?? Wow... I let them know I was going out of town this weekend (plans have since changed) and wondered if there was any chance it would be ready to be shipped in time to get to me by Friday, as UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday, and I'd be out of town on Monday. I also told them I wasn't putting any pressure on them to get it ready early, just wanted to let them know about my travel plans; otherwise I'd wait to get it upon my return.

They finished turning the shaft to 12 mm, and had everything finished sometime Wednesday, and sent it out Wednesday evening.

It came Friday.

What a beautiful cue. Beautiful cocobolo, highly figured and deeply rich color; very nice birdseye maple forearm. Perfect shaft. The finish they put on the shaft is so smooth it doesn't need any sandpapering or anything. Satin smooth. Perfectly straight, shoots straight, great feel and feedback.

Now, what did this piece of art cost me? Well, the birdseye maple forearm was an extra 20 bucks over the standard maple forearm, the other options were at no extra charge. The whole shebang ran me $127, total, including shipping.

Although I'm partial to stack leather wraps, this is one cue that won't see one of those!

Good deal? You betcha! Great customer service too!!

Flex
Click to expand...

They are great people to deal with, and their products are as good as any out there.!!!
 
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i had a Schmelke once. the whole schmere cost me around $165 or so. it actually hit pretty good, and felt pretty solid. but i think it was one of those Decal Cues, and that was kind of a turnoff for me. i eventually sold it on EBay.

DCP
 
bomber said:
How does it hit?
Click to expand...

The hit is great, very solid. I swapped the tip that came on it for a milk dud tip, and it plays jam up. Moves the cue ball almost effortlessly.

By the way, the first one I got with a 13 mm shaft. That cue is one stiff hitting mother. Just about everybody who has played with it really liked it. One fellow last night asked me if I wanted to sell it. No way. He said, "I'll give you $25 for it." Not for sale... he made another ball, "$35" No way.... another ball goes down, and he's getting hooked: $68. I tell him if he really wants to buy it I'll sell it to him, but it's a new cue, only had about 15 minutes play on the shaft, and it's his if he pays me what I bought it for, which was $107. I also told him where he could get one for himself. Who knows what he'll do...

However, I think the 12 mm tip with the longer 12" inch pro taper is a better player; maybe it's my game, but I like to be able to move the cue ball around with ease. Also, the 12mm squirts the cue ball less, which I like, and the pivot point is a bit longer too. It's somewhere around 11 inches on this shaft; with the 13 it seems to be around 9 inches.

Flex
 
219Dave said:
Did you happen to ask them if there are any other custom combos that you can create? Could you substitute curly maple for the birdseye?

I have a coco sp from them, and really like it. I also needed one more house cue, and some people recommended I try one of their one piece house cues. Got one from them with a nice bocote butt for $34 or so. Only hit a few balls with it, but it felt good and it looks really nice.

I think I asked this on another related thread, but I'm going to ask it again. How much difference is there going to be between the hit of one of these schmelke sp's and a much more expensive custom sp? I'm not asking this question to prove a point or make a statement--I'm new to nice cues and really don't know the answer.
Click to expand...

The best thing to do regarding woods for a cue is to call them and ask. Their number is 800-850-8832.

How much better will another sneaky pete be coming from a custom cue maker? I honestly don't know if it will be the same, better or worse. All I can tell you is the hit is excellent.

I've read that changing the wood in the butt will change the hit, as some woods resonate more than others. Also the joint will change the hit, and so too will the tip, of course. The hit with the tip that I requested, an Elkmaster, and the hit with the cue with my Milk Dud, are two different hits, and the way the cue plays is totally different. IMHO, the Milk Dud really makes things better.

I hope this has been helpful.

Flex
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
i had a Schmelke once. the whole schmere cost me around $165 or so. it actually hit pretty good, and felt pretty solid. but i think it was one of those Decal Cues, and that was kind of a turnoff for me. i eventually sold it on EBay.

DCP
Click to expand...
I think you have that confused with some other cue...I believe they never have made a 'decal' cue...
 
Flex said:
The hit is great, very solid. I swapped the tip that came on it for a milk dud tip, and it plays jam up. Moves the cue ball almost effortlessly.

By the way, the first one I got with a 13 mm shaft. That cue is one stiff hitting mother. Just about everybody who has played with it really liked it. One fellow last night asked me if I wanted to sell it. No way. He said, "I'll give you $25 for it." Not for sale... he made another ball, "$35" No way.... another ball goes down, and he's getting hooked: $68. I tell him if he really wants to buy it I'll sell it to him, but it's a new cue, only had about 15 minutes play on the shaft, and it's his if he pays me what I bought it for, which was $107. I also told him where he could get one for himself. Who knows what he'll do...

However, I think the 12 mm tip with the longer 12" inch pro taper is a better player; maybe it's my game, but I like to be able to move the cue ball around with ease. Also, the 12mm squirts the cue ball less, which I like, and the pivot point is a bit longer too. It's somewhere around 11 inches on this shaft; with the 13 it seems to be around 9 inches.

Flex
Click to expand...


Why after going through trouble of buying the cue and posting how much you liked it, would you consider selling it to the guy for what you paid for it? :confused:
 
orangecrush said:
Got any pics?

Shane
Click to expand...

[Edit: See further down this thread for some poor quality pics that I managed to take.]

Unfortunately, I don't have a camera that will do the cues justice. The two I have (one a cellphone, the other a real cheapie that's no good on closeup type shots) will take pictures but not good enough ones for this purpose.

Suffice it to say that both of them are better than the one here, as they both have some or plenty of figuring not in this cue, although the color in both is somewhat close:

R01%20C.jpg
 
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Craig Fales said:
I think you have that confused with some other cue...I believe they never have made a 'decal' cue...
Click to expand...

What do you call these?

d1.jpg


d4.jpg


These come right from their website, and the first one has their own joint. They also offer 6 others, including two quick release joints, a 3/8 X 8, a 3/8 X 10, two 5/16 X 18 joint...

Flex
 
DeadPoked said:
Why after going through trouble of buying the cue and posting how much you liked it, would you consider selling it to the guy for what you paid for it? :confused:
Click to expand...

Because I'm a firm believer that ordering another one from them will be substantially the same, the fellow is a friend, and I'm not out to make a buck on this sort of stuff.

Both butts are look great and feel great. The finishing is impeccable. I really think it must have a lot to do with the full-splice construction, and perhaps the fact I went straight to them, and asked specifically for butts that are beautiful.

Buying from an online dealer might not be the same, although I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from getting one from a dealer, which most likely will be satisfying as well, and a few dollars cheaper. It's just that I'm personally sold on their customer service.

To give you another reason why, when I first called them and asked if there were any issues with a sneaky joint going bad, and if it weren't better to order one with joint collars, as someone told me if I were to use a sneaky for breaking that the joint would only hold up for maybe a year before getting loose, the customer service guy told me that so long as the cue is screwed together snugly that I wouldn't have any problems, that those sneakies are used by many as a break cue.

I also asked about possible shaft warpage, and he told me if anything warps to contact them immediately. He was so assuring on this point that I have no doubt they'd make good if a shaft were to eventually warp. Remember, we're not dealing with a dealer, or distributor, but the actual factory.

I believe them.

Flex
 
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Flex, much props on this entire thread. I played with a schmelke and their cues just play bang up for product. For them to customize all this to any players specification is something I'm going to keep in mind.

Did you also have the option to have them *not* put their logo on it? Or put a less obvious logo on it?
 
xidica said:
Flex, much props on this entire thread. I played with a schmelke and their cues just play bang up for product. For them to customize all this to any players specification is something I'm going to keep in mind.

Did you also have the option to have them *not* put their logo on it? Or put a less obvious logo on it?
Click to expand...

I suppose if you ask them to not put their logo on it they'd probably agree not to do it, but you'd have to ask them.
 
Flex said:
I suppose if you ask them to not put their logo on it they'd probably agree not to do it, but you'd have to ask them.
Click to expand...

Definitely understood. I mean people are going to realize it ain't no bar cue anyway ;)
 
xidica said:
Definitely understood. I mean people are going to realize it ain't no bar cue anyway ;)
Click to expand...

Well, if you want it to look like a bar cue, I can make some suggestions about doing that.

First, have it made in rosewood, and when you get it, be sure to take some sandpaper to it, along with those scotchbrite pads too. You'd want to really dull the finish, and nick it up a bit. Be sure you get chalk all over the shaft and ferrule, you want it to look stained. It should generally just look beat up.

There you have it, instant banger bar cue... :D

Flex
 
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