Billy Stroud showed me how he would finish the rounded point with a razor knife to create a sharp point. Pretty easy actually. Then put in the inlayed point. You could not tell when it was done that it was not a splice unless you look closely.

The way to tell is at the pointed end in the point. On a splice each venner is a little different as it comes to a point due to the taper.
On an inlayed point they are unchanged.and the same.
As the cue is tapered the spliced point gets shorter. Inlayed points stay the same length as the cue is tapered. That is why they line up so perfectly, they are inlays. Spliced points if done correctly will line up perfectly as well.

I once refinished a Joss East cue and found the tips of the points were painted or inked on to make them come out even. The outside venner was black so this was almost undetectable.

On inlays in Ebony black tinted epoxy can be used to give the appearance of a more perfect fit. Tricks can be used.
I was at the BCA show once and picked up a Richard Black cue and took out my magnifer. He grabbed the cue from my hand and said "A cue must be examined at arms length with the naked eye".
He was probably right. A cue can look perfect from a small distance. Few cues could probably stand up to being examined with a loupe.

skor said:

Anything to make the game easier….. oh man

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The way I'm playing lately 2 balls on the table is a lot...is a high run for me.

If you do it enough, you'll find perfection.

Rtoron,

This cue previously belonged to me. I came to own it through a trade deal with another collector, and it was NOT cheap. It was marketed to me as an F24 prototype. The collector I dealt with sells a lot of very expensive cues and has a good reputation so I have no reason to believe otherwise. I had a very nice transaction with him.

This F-24 has a non-standard joint material (these were released in steel, but the joint is an bone-esque material). The inlays are gorgeous. They are not ivory. The leather wrap is very nice, and the cue plays great.

It has no logo on the cue anywhere. You don't see many F-24s for sale (the pic you posted above is one I owned a decade or more ago). I ended up trading this cue, with a collection of cues, to our mutual friend you are dealing with, for something extremely special. I still have a bit of trader's remorse because every cue in this package was really nice.

This cue was made in the canadian plant. I'm sure there were not many of the F-24 manufacturered and every "good" FALCON appears to be in Europe. These have a lot of work in them. They were the "high end" model of that initial catalog. The FALCON sold cues cut and pasted above above are in no way what this cue is. As many would say, it's worth what someone would pay. Well, I paid (in trade) several thousand dollars, plus. It was worth that to me. I think it's an exceptional cue, and something special for your collection.

mikemosconi said:

They sell in the $250 tp $400 range or so if in very good condition - sometimes you may get more for an exception.

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I believe this cue is a Falcon 24 from 1991. Their high end model that retailed for $1900. Here is old price sheet.

jimmyg said:

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God gave me two for a reason...

jimmyg said:

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She pegged that one....

Kris_b1104 said:

That is the norm for amateur players though. Shane is not normal. He's probably put in more hours on the table throughout his career than any other pro. I doubt he puts in 8 hours a day in 2026 but he definitely used to in the past. Borderline 'tism if you ask me no disrespect

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Yes, at least among American players, Shane was his generation's greatest workaholic. Back in the 1980s, I was told by an insider that, if play and practice were added up, both Sigel and Strickland tended to spend nearly 100 hours a week on the pool table. Shane followed in their footsteps for sure.

I love the old story about Reyes, told to me by Mike LeBron. Per Mike, when they would go to the poolroom together in New Jersey to practice, during the walk from their parking space to the entrance of the pool room, Efren was already screwing his cue together.

In today's game, Gorst and Filler are known practice room workaholics, too.

It sure seems to me that the truly great ones just can't wait to practice and, once they start, it is hard to get them to stop.

Cmate said:

Commode huggin' drunk!

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