Sneaky Petes

[DJBilliards]

Tru-Balance House Cue Sneaky Pete?

I just bought a 1945 Centennial Pool and I got 12 Tru-Balance House cues and some old cue racks with the table. Six of them are new in the Brunswick box with a 2/8/63 date. The other six the sticker has worn off almost completely. I am wanting to have a SP made and wanted to know if anyone had an idea how much that would cost and get recommendations.

 

[9BallPaul]

Nice thread

:scratchhead: I've always believed that the whole point of a sneaky pete was a high quality cue with superior construction that looked exactly like a bar cue. I've always thought that they were made that way so you could have a superior cue in a bar and people would think you were playing with a bar cue, making it easier to hustle.

With all these sneaky petes going around with hoppe rings, ivory joints, fancy veneers and ivory buttcaps, etc, I'm starting to get really confused. There's no way someone can't tell that you brought your own high quality cue to play with if you have one of those! :scratchhead:

Jcommie, I was driving back home today from the DCC and wondering the same damn thing. What else is the point? You either play with a piece of art or, like fly fishing, you present the target with a fraud, which you cast with a piece of art. A bamboo rod, of course.

Luckily, I get to do both, and often. Cheers.

 

[01rkclassic]

I would love to have a true sneaky,I dont like all the rings and inlays,if I wanted that I would use a custom,I want a great playing cue that i don't have to worry about but don't want to bring my South West into a bar to have some drunk run into to it and destroy it.

 

[ridewiththewind]

The "sneaky pete" was initially a bar cue cut in half & equipped with good ferrule & tip. The name stuck & now carried over to any full splice, no veneer cue that has a base wood that resembles a bar cue. They get dressed up with all kinds of fancy things found on custom cues, and are even made from top grade figured woods. They are anything but sneaky. But the name stuck & is just what people call them, so it is what it is. I agree, a sneaky pete is a custom cue that looks identical to something you pull of the wall rack. But I make fancy petes & call them sneakies. After all, they are basic full spliced blanks just like the house cues, only they get dressed up & lipstick.

LoL, Eric....I like that! Couldn't have described it better myself!!

Lisa

 

[StormHotRod300]

The best Sneaky Pete, I ever had looked like a house cue....

The guy took a house cue, chopped it, and everything but then used a epoxy type of finish which didnt give it a glossy finish but more of a dirty finish, he then put one of his shafts onto it, and put some of the finish a few inches on the shaft, so it looked more like house cue.

i will say the cue played AWESOME!!! but stupid me sold it lol.....

Zim's Rack was the guy who made the cue.....

 

[jcommie]

With every APA 2 having their own cue does it really matter if you bring a cue to the pool room/bar? 30,40,50 years ago this wasn't the case, almost nobody except players had their own cues, so you had to be "sneaky"

Yes, but their cues will usually have:
Decals
Stickers
Plastic Inlays
Rounded CNC points

And are not great playing cues. If a good player brings his cue, it will probably have:

Highly Figured Wood
Razor Sharp Points
Killer Ringwork
Hoppe Rings


Believe me, I haven't been playing all that long and am far from being a cue expert and I can tell the difference between a cheaply made cue and a quality cue pretty easily because of these kinds of glaring differences.

 

[pwd72s]

the new sneaky- is any cue w/ airbrushed art, decals, stickers, corporate logoed cues ie- budwiser etc.. The louder the cue, the better.

You're not fooling any one with a house cue conversion that has been re-balanced and fitted w/ a custom shaft.

Be sneaky with your speed, not with your cue.

Darn! You gave it away...

 

[coryjeb]

I like sneakies because they are usually the fastest and cheapest way to try out a new cue maker's work.

I've also had problems with the joint between the handle and the forearm (I think they call it the A-Joint) in my normal cues. The sneaky does not have this joint. In my brain, the absence of the A-Joint makes them feel more durable, or at least that's how I see it.

There must be something special about the way they hit too because I've seen some cue makers who can build themselves some really nice cues. But when they go out, they always bring their sneaky petes.

The part highlighted is not just in your brain. There are many who think a full spliced cue is the best you can play with. I'm one of them. Plus, I like the "traditional look" even if fancied up a bit.

 

[gesan]

sneakies

I never in my life heard of a guy deciding to match up or not based on the type of stick a guy uses - I have heard many a player say show me a guy with a fulltime job and I want to play him or show me a guy who wears 1 of them gloves and I want to play em

I'll take the 7 if you use a house cue but if you use that fancy cue I gotta have the 5 and the breaks

 

[tom haney]

:scratchhead: I've always believed that the whole point of a sneaky pete was a high quality cue with superior construction that looked exactly like a bar cue. I've always thought that they were made that way so you could have a superior cue in a bar and people would think you were playing with a bar cue, making it easier to hustle.

With all these sneaky petes going around with hoppe rings, ivory joints, fancy veneers and ivory buttcaps, etc, I'm starting to get really confused. There's no way someone can't tell that you brought your own high quality cue to play with if you have one of those! :scratchhead:

LOL! I have one of those Keith Josey SPs.
It's one of my neatest looking sticks and always
attracts attention.

Not too sneaky. Hits great too.

 

[trustyrusty]

Yes, but their cues will usually have:
Decals
Stickers
Plastic Inlays
Rounded CNC points

And are not great playing cues. If a good player brings his cue, it will probably have:

Highly Figured Wood
Razor Sharp Points
Killer Ringwork
Hoppe Rings


Believe me, I haven't been playing all that long and am far from being a cue expert and I can tell the difference between a cheaply made cue and a quality cue pretty easily because of these kinds of glaring differences.

stickers, decals, (I get).... rounded CNC points?? OH NO, not that. I still don't get how a cue with any CNC work immediately falls outta the "great playing cues" category. Someone oughta tell some of the worldbeaters out there that they could be better if they had sharp points on their cues...

 

[wolfgang]

I hear you man. I've had a problem just trying to get a basic sneaky. Everyone of them had rings or designs so I just gave up...if any cuemaker can make this let me know. It must play jam up and look just like a bar cue.

f

www.joseycues.com/cues.php

I have one that looks just like a bar cue and plays great.

 

[rayjay]

I just bought a 1945 Centennial Pool and I got 12 Tru-Balance House cues and some old cue racks with the table. Six of them are new in the Brunswick box with a 2/8/63 date. The other six the sticker has worn off almost completely. I am wanting to have a SP made and wanted to know if anyone had an idea how much that would cost and get recommendations.

Depending on who makes it, the price can vary quite a bit. I'd post this in the "Ask the Cuemaker" forum.... any decent cuemaker can do the conversion, price will vary by the cuemaker and "extras".

 

[jcommie]

stickers, decals, (I get).... rounded CNC points?? OH NO, not that. I still don't get how a cue with any CNC work immediately falls outta the "great playing cues" category. Someone oughta tell some of the worldbeaters out there that they could be better if they had sharp points on their cues...

Not saying CNC is bad, or even that rounded points are bad. However, I have yet to see a cheaply made cue with nice sharp points that aren't painted on.

 

[trustyrusty]

Not saying CNC is bad, or even that rounded points are bad. However, I have yet to see a cheaply made cue with nice sharp points that aren't painted on.

check eBay - full of 'em....not made here, but there are TONS of crap sharp point cues (not painted on). Besides that, I've played a few "BIG NAME" makers' cues that didn't play as well as lower priced (lesser known makers) and even ( ) production cues. I don't want to talk down any specific maker (or rip the hit of a cue that someone on here might own), so I'll just leave it at; sometimes you can find a $200 cue that hits better than a $2000 cue (honestly, it's not the norm, but very possible).

PS . The best feeling cue I've ever tried is a friend's Diveney butterfly sneaky, and it cost him all of $300. I too will have one of this maker's cue, but I decided to get one just a bit fancier :thumbup:

 

[jasonlaus]

Yes, but their cues will usually have:
Decals
Stickers
Plastic Inlays
Rounded CNC points

And are not great playing cues. If a good player brings his cue, it will probably have:

Highly Figured Wood
Razor Sharp Points
Killer Ringwork
Hoppe Rings


Believe me, I haven't been playing all that long and am far from being a cue expert and I can tell the difference between a cheaply made cue and a quality cue pretty easily because of these kinds of glaring differences.

Wow I'm so glad you pointed that out....I would have never known
I think you missed the point!!!!!!!!

 

[jasonlaus]

Not saying CNC is bad, or even that rounded points are bad. However, I have yet to see a cheaply made cue with nice sharp points that aren't painted on.

The point is EVERYBODY has their own cue!!!!!!!!

And by the way there are alot of highend cues ($3,000 plus) that the work looks like crap.

Another thing -go into your pool room or bar and ask if they have heard of Haley, Searing, Showman, Tascarella and alot of people would say NO. So whats the difference if you bring a $3,000 cue to the bar????

 

[rburgoyne]

Yes, but their cues will usually have:
Decals
Stickers
Plastic Inlays
Rounded CNC points

And are not great playing cues. If a good player brings his cue, it will probably have:

Highly Figured Wood
Razor Sharp Points
Killer Ringwork
Hoppe Rings


Believe me, I haven't been playing all that long and am far from being a cue expert and I can tell the difference between a cheaply made cue and a quality cue pretty easily because of these kinds of glaring differences.

You make a really good point but there are always exceptions to this. For instance, my wife is a 2-3 and shoots w/ a custom Pink Pechauer. I know a very strong 7 that shoots w/ a cheap 5280, and use to shoot w/ an even cheaper plain black Cutec. I think its easier to watch the shooters stroke and shot selections to figure out how good they shoot, not their cue.

As far as the sneaky goes, I have gotten my burgandy curly maple Predator P2 w/ a stacked leather wrap picked up a few times at the pool hall because it looked "plain". I have even had some people try to take my BK2 to shoot with. I would be scared to death to carry a sneaky into the pool hall for just this reason.

 

[FSutton]

The point is EVERYBODY has their own cue!!!!!!!!

And by the way there are alot of highend cues ($3,000 plus) that the work looks like crap.

Another thing -go into your pool room or bar and ask if they have heard of Haley, Searing, Showman, Tascarella and alot of people would say NO. So whats the difference if you bring a $3,000 cue to the bar????

Heck no one where we go has even heard of Hercek.

 

[jcommie]

Perhaps I should have reworded that. I meant an equipment conscious good player, as in a player who is skilled, but also is a stickler for a solid hitting cue. And all of my comments concerning these things was in response to the question of whether it even matters if you bring in a high quality non-sneaky or not, as just about anyone brings their own cue.

But you guys are right about watching a person's speed. The reason I started this thread though was because of my disappointment at what is considered "sneaky" these days.