First thing, a heavy cue draws better than a light one. A 26 ounce cue will draw far easier than that 19 ounce cue and easier still than a cue lighter than 19 ounces. Might be that Al knows the person he is building the cue for and suggested a lighter cue. More likely, Al never said what is being attributed to him.

When I first came to AZB twenty plus years ago, I viewed it as a marketplace. I was quiet, polite, helpful. Then I realized I didn't want to market to a fair sized faction on here anyway. Every person that thinks that they hired me, every person that thought they owned me body and soul because they wanted a cue built, well they could all take a long leap at a rolling donut.

Years ago on a quiet afternoon I mentioned in a thread that I might build some cues. In less than two hours I had eight people wanting to get in line to order anything I built. That is some indication of reputation. You don't get that kind of reputation by building anything somebody will pay for.

Most cue builders are flexible about cosmetics. If you want an ugly cue, dude lay your money down and I will build you the ugliest cue you have ever seen! If you want to combine materials that aren't compatible, you don't have enough money for me to build that. If you want something that is going to play like crap, I won't build that either. Every cue that goes out the door has my reputation riding with it. That is true of every other cue builder too.

If I had to pick the most common weight of cues built in the last twenty years it would be 19-19.5 ounces so I suspect that this whole thread is resting on something Al never said. As I have already said, a heavy cue draws easier. Other issues, but a heavy cue draws like a sumbitch!

A custom cue is a collaboration between a client and a cue builder. If both aren't happy with what is being built, it isn't going to happen.

My personal cue weighs 16.5 ounces. It is sixty inches long, and has a balance point 21 inches from the bumper. That is getting close to the extremes I would build for somebody else.

Something I would do that few cue builders or makers do is put together an order sheet that includes the entire specifications of the cue. Verbal agreements are worth the paper they are written on.

Hu

muskyed said:

While all three, pocket opening, shelf depth, pocket angle, determine toughness of play, in my opinion and my opinion only, shelf depth and pocket angle have a much bigger affect on toughness of play than pocket opening width.

Click to expand...

I agree strongly with this.

hello said:

Possibly, a 19 ounce cue not being able to draw..?

Click to expand...

Is that even scientifically accurate?

Just try your best to win every game no matter who you are playing, what game you are playing, or what type of setting you are playing in.

Play an APA-3 the same way you would SVB.

Don't give anyone any breathing room.

Don't worry what your rating is.

We are splitting hairs over the interpretation and intent of words. We disagree about what I meant or let’s say I intended which was never about anything other than his adamant stance and opinions about cue building. Yes, I think his approach is dumb but if it works for him and his customers, that’s all that matters for him and them. I happen to think otherwise but that is not saying he isn’t intelligent, i.e., dumb. A good cue maker builds what his customers want made, not what he wants to build. That’s akin to saying what you want is wrong and I know better than you what you need for your pool cue.

Please…….I may not know as many cue makers as you but I have met, spoken with and done business with enough to
know not one of them ever uttered the bullshit that Al is “ attributed” to having told the OP when he wanted Al to build a cue to his specs that just so happened to conflict with how he believes a cue should be built. That is just hogwash. Let’s close this with whatever response you may be inclined to compose or just let this die it’s own death. You like the guy and I don’t dislike him. However, I do dislike his beliefs about how a cue should be built so I suppose we disagree about his approach.

GideonF said:

Jasmin beats Siming in straight sets. Losers bracket full of top players already.

Click to expand...

Make 'em shoot for it. It is, after all, the other side of the world.

Best player gets...

Zthere enough room to go 2 rails; get outside the 13?

Jasmin beats Siming in straight sets. Losers bracket full of top players already.

Thanks for the funz dood. Incidentally if you peruse the Mary Kenniston articles there's a Phil Capelle series that details your why 2 ame. Still dun make sense.

Mensabum said:

I don't deserve this, but thank you for doing me a solid J.
Mad respect.

Click to expand...

You are more than welcome.

Worlds longest Birthday.

Bob Jewett said:

In the snake-bit column, we have Chau who didn't get out of his qualification group with a 1.622 average and Kiraz who didn't advance with two match points while two people got through with one match point.

Click to expand...

When Caudron lost his semifinal in the European Championship of 2013 to Marco Zanetti, he had equaled the world record high run and had a higher average than his opponent. Billiards is a bee-atch.