Custom and High End Cues on the Decline?

There are 2 kinds of truth in the world, object truth and subject truth, objective truth is 1+1=2, it cannot be debated, it is truth that can be clearly demonstrated, subject truth is (insert custom cue maker here) builds the best cue, that is an opinion, it may be a well built, straight as an arrow cue that I don't like the hit, doesn't make it a bad cue, just not the right cue for me, it could be too ornate for me, is that wrong? Nope, just not for me, with millions of people playing pool with hundreds of thousands body types and as many opinions it's no wonder there are so many different opinions on what cue "hits a ton", same goes for shafts, cue tips, ect., you will know when the cue in your hands makes YOU feel like it's the best cue you have ever owned, that is the cue for you, in the end that's all that really matters....
I have hit with a lot of renown cue makers' high-dollar custom cues that sold for thousands of dollars and many of them didn't play and feel the way I like. Southwest is a name that comes to mind. I have never tried a Southwest that I thought suited me better than one of my own cues.

I buy cues to play with and every cue and shaft has its own unique qualities and none of them play exactly alike, even the same models with the same specs.

The same thing goes with production cues.

As for most of the cues that I currently own, I had the chance to play with them before I bought them, so I knew I what I was getting.

I don't buy cues for looks, so fancy and ornate cues don't excite me. They look pretty and may be well-made, but they look more like something to hang on the wall rather than being a tool to use.

I am looking for a "particular" hit and feel that "resonates" with me and I immediately know if I am going to like a cue after just playing with it for a short while.

Thoughts ... Russian Kenny is out of prision

you keep saying that word but that doesn't mean it's good or worth listening to. i've watched two of the biggest cuesports talents i've ever seen succumb to various drugs. junior talents, young adults. one of them i see from time to time and he's a wreck, a low level pusher. i was myself in two-three years of habitual opiate use after i broke my back, but still wanted to compete in pool. and prison, we all probably know someone in the local pool room, if it's big enough, that's in or out.

i wouldn't listen to them on a podcast either. these things have no "lore" value for me..
I agree. I think I've seen, heard, and lived enough lore for this lifetime.

Bergman will play WNT events in 2026

He hates airplanes so this will be a challenge.
If what Soctt Frost is saying is true, Justin will be doing some flying this year.

On the other hand, if he plays just the two America-based WNT majors, meaning the US Open and Florida Open, and skips all the other WNT majors, I wonder if he would be considered for Team USA at all. Unless your name is Earl, significant participation in WNT majors is a prerequisite for Mosconi inclusion.

Thoughts ... Russian Kenny is out of prision

you keep saying that word but that doesn't mean it's good or worth listening to. i've watched two of the biggest cuesports talents i've ever seen succumb to various drugs. junior talents, young adults. one of them i see from time to time and he's a wreck, a low level pusher. i was myself in two-three years of habitual opiate use after i broke my back, but still wanted to compete in pool. and prison, we all probably know someone in the local pool room, if it's big enough, that's in or out.

i wouldn't listen to them on a podcast either. these things have no "lore" value for me..

Sincerely sorry for your travails.
Larger than life characters have been part of the pool world forever.
Most pool players by far have different lives than that.
2 In the morning in a pool room looks a lot different than noon in a poolroom.
Fact of life.

A challenge to forum members: Shoot through the curtain

🙄

pj <- closest I could find to a "wut?" emoji
chgo
It's a loose pop/rock term. There's a rhythmic lope in repetitious stuff like pop music. It's like the accent/inflection/dialect etc. The pro -er the gig, the more critical the feel becomes and not to be taken lightly. Most big shows are on some kind of clock track. I play some drums but it's generic and metronomic as possible.

Thoughts ... Russian Kenny is out of prision

It's the pool world. This stuff has been part of the lore forever.

you keep saying that word but that doesn't mean it's good or worth listening to. i've watched two of the biggest cuesports talents i've ever seen succumb to various drugs. junior talents, young adults. one of them i see from time to time and he's a wreck, a low level pusher. i was myself in two-three years of habitual opiate use after i broke my back, but still wanted to compete in pool. and prison, we all probably know someone in the local pool room, if it's big enough, that's in or out.

i wouldn't listen to them on a podcast either. these things have no "lore" value for me..

Thoughts ... Russian Kenny is out of prision

Nobody runs a better Calcutta than Kenny. He's always on stage.
Hate Calcuttas myself. They draw the tournament out longer. Rather just have a pot.
I have always hated calcuttas for the most part.

It affords someone who is not playing, the opportunity to affect the outcome of a tournament.

Nothing like having the top calcutta pick on the ropes and having all hell break loose on the sidelines with the sharking/arguments tying to give their horse an edge to get back in the match.

Or being a top pick and having the guy who bought you sweat your every move, having a heart attack on each and every shot where you have to tell them to stop riding you so hard, that you would rather threaten them with losing just to get them off your back. Where you'd gladly go home at that point, after having told them to f*ck off.

Been there, done that.

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