what makes sneaky petes so popular?

jdxprs

jdxprs

Banned
does anyone actually ever believe they are just house cues? would the mark even care what kind of stick somebody is playing with?

when i was playing in bars for money regularly, i used to love seeing the guys that came in with their own cue. i always knew they were going to be worth money.
 
I don't like wraps on my cues, and I don't like a lot of the fancy rings or inlays. My cue has to be a full splice or it doesn't feel right to me. I really did love my Lucasi sneaky with 314-2 shaft i got for $295 shipped from joerackem.com. In other words could be Value, style, playability in a nice plain package. And I can't afford to gamble so it's not like I'm trying to fool people. Someone recently relieved me of my cue, case, and breaker while I was trying to help a friend out of a mess so now I'm playing with a house cue I worked over to serve me while I save to replace my stuff, think this time I might try an OB1 shaft.
 
skor said:
It's not about being sneaky anymore... Today it's about the classy look and the great feel of the full splice construction.
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I'll second that. Personally, I like them for their almost "retro" look. It's almost paying homage to the old days, throwback style. It's a classic, timeless looking cue.
 
jdxprs said:
does anyone actually ever believe they are just house cues? would the mark even care what kind of stick somebody is playing with?

when i was playing in bars for money regularly, i used to love seeing the guys that came in with their own cue. i always knew they were going to be worth money.
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That sounds like you're talking about gambling! apparently you're one of the few people that post here and like to play for more than a handshake;)

i use a gilbert j/b when i go to the bars. it's different enough from house cues so i can explain to people that it's mine and it's low key enough that it doesn't grab anyone's attention.

that's why i do it/would do it anyway.

oh yeah that and sneakies are all go and no show. they usually play as well as higher end cues, if not better, and only cost a fraction of the price
 
Not only are Skor and 9ball a hundred percent correct, but I don't think Sneaky Pete's were ever that sneaky. It's just a name that caught on to describe a cue, and then became part of poolhall folklore. How long would it take to figure out you've been beaten by a cue in disguise.
That's sneaky.
 
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skor said:
It's not about being sneaky anymore... Today it's about the classy look and the great feel of the full splice construction.
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I agree....I like the simple older styles of cues....I'm not trying to fool anyone with my sneaky...I just prefer the older looks of all pool items but especially the older cues.
 
i dunno i've always shot with sneaky's and still love my old daily driver joss sneaky with a 314 shaft

to me it's like a porsche without a paintjob
 
once upon a time . . .

There was a time when sneakies were. For twelve bucks a local guy would put a joint in a house cue so it was easier for you to carry around. Folks also carefully matched shaft color to the butt if it wasn't the original shaft so the sneaky looked like one piece when it was together.

Now the sneaky has evolved so much that it's advantages are it's clean simple looks and that it is the third best cue design available, behind only a one piece cue and a 3/4 snooker cue. Add alphabetical joints and veneers or large inlays like floating points and there are a lot of places for issues to find their way into a cue.

Hu
 
where the joint is

victorcubed said:
What makes a 3/4 snooker cue a better design than a full splice?
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I knew somebody had to ask. :D

As simple as where the joint is. More of the harmonics and vibration has been dampened before they get to a basic weak point, the joint, assuming by "full splice" you mean a typical jointed cue with the butt and shaft roughly the same length. Also the joint diameter is larger on the 3/4 cue making for a better transfer of force and feedback. The "one piece" cues with a full splice are probably best of all although I suspect a true one piece maple cue drilled from the butt end to put weight into the cue to balance properly would play as well or better than a full splice "one piece".

A joint in a cue is simply a bad idea from a transfer of force and feedback standpoint. We pay for the convenience of carrying two piece cues. The better the joint the less we pay but nothing beats one continuous piece of wood with the fibers overlapping from end to end. A full splice without a joint maintains this continuous overlap of fibers too. I have been playing with house cues off the wall at my local pool hall lately and have been reminded that for all the flaws of these particular cues(inferior tip and ferrule, shafts rough and sticky) there is still something very nice about the feel of a house cue. I may have to start toting a snake coffin around with me.

Hu
 
jdxprs said:
does anyone actually ever believe they are just house cues? would the mark even care what kind of stick somebody is playing with?

when i was playing in bars for money regularly, i used to love seeing the guys that came in with their own cue. i always knew they were going to be worth money.
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I think, personnally, that it's a pretty good looking cue. Like my other sticks I made mine out of bocote and maple. Good lookin stick. If someone else thinks it's a house cue or the fine custom cue that it is ..... That's up to them!
 
Years past in my carpenter days, as tools kept breaking or disappearing, I've kind of lost any personal attachment to any tool and a cue to me is no different. The plain cues give you all the performance you need without the extra price tag and are more easily replaced if something happens.

The word "Sneaky" is mostly just a marketing gimmick.
 
The name Sneaky Pete has nothing to do with gambling. It comes from the banger who sneaks up and walks away with your cue not realizing its a two piece! LOL
 
doesn't amount to a hill of beans

victorcubed said:
Hu,
I suppose I did mean two piece cues split 1/2 butt, 1/2 shaft. But just by the way I read your previous post it seemed that you were saying the 3/4 design was better than a two piece full splice, but I have misread that. But that does make sense that snooker players use cues that are constructed in such a way. It's just a shame that you'd have to carry such a huge case around :p
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The 3/4 is slightly better than a 1/2 but it doesn't really amount to enough to be an important consideration with a well made joint, or I don't believe it does. The huge difference is joint or no joint and I don't want to carry around a five foot long case either. I did carry around my one piece snooker cue a little bit when I played pool with it. Mostly I left it behind the counter one place though.

I confused the heck out of people toting in my own "house cue" but there just weren't any twelve ounce sticks hanging on the wall and I had a milk dud on it back in the eighties when they were unknown to almost everyone.

Hu
 
Only sneaky's that I have owned that looked like a house cue were old scruggs cues. Those I couldn't put down because the bar maids would put them in the rack.

I like them because for the longest time they were the only wood handled cues you could get. I also like the hit of a full splice cue. Also they are beautiful in their own way, and they tend to be less expensive yet are great players.
 
ShootingArts said:
The 3/4 is slightly better than a 1/2 but it doesn't really amount to enough to be an important consideration with a well made joint, or I don't believe it does. The huge difference is joint or no joint and I don't want to carry around a five foot long case either. I did carry around my one piece snooker cue a little bit when I played pool with it. Mostly I left it behind the counter one place though.

I confused the heck out of people toting in my own "house cue" but there just weren't any twelve ounce sticks hanging on the wall and I had a milk dud on it back in the eighties when they were unknown to almost everyone.

Hu
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12??

what?
 
joint location

paksat said:
12??

what?
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We are talking about joint location. 1/2 or 1/2-1/2 refers to a standard pool cue joint very near the middle of the cue's length, 3/4 refers to the snooker cue location 12-16 inches from the butt end of the cue.

Hu
 
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