Starter cue?

L

littleBetty

New member
Hi guys!

im pretty new to this whole pool thing :smile:. but i am really enjoying it, and im getting pretty good, if i do say so myself :o. i could beat just about any guy at the college bars in my area. i know thats not saying much though :wink:.

id really like to get a decent cue. i just moved to asia (thailand, to be specific), but ive been here plenty growing up and they've got some pretty neat pool halls in my area with some pretty good players and leagues going :grin:. id like to keep playing and get better and better, but it really is only a hobby to me, so i cant really spend much on a cue :sorry:.

on top of that, cues have to be imported here, so there is a slight to significant markup and not that much variety (though its really not that bad).

there are a couple of cues at one of the higher end halls here, from viking and joss, and then a bunch of china-made/import stuff i guess, like scorpion. i think theres also a brunswick store somewhere, but im not sure :confused:?

anyway, what im looking for is basically a good solid cue that i can hopefully use for a few years. what i really dont want is to buy a cue and then if (when!:grin:) my game improves, feel compelled to upgrade. are there any cues you would recommend that would suit me?

ideally i'd like to spend around $120-150 (which would likely be 250ish depending on the brand, here) but i guess i could go as high as 300 (but my boyfriend would kill me!:eek:). im also not really flashy or anything, and i like the look of the 'sneaky petes' but im ok with anything that isnt really flashy (looks come last of course, but hey, its my cue! :grin:).

i could and may go after the vikings or the joss' at the hall, but if you guys can think of any cues that you can order online that might pique my interest, i would really appreciate it!

also, what do you think of kamui tips? im about to read the threads i just searched, but would they be a good idea to get if i order online (i would probably hold off if i get my stick locally).

Thanks for helping out a newbi! sorry this is so long!

i love your smilies :grin:
 
I personally don't think you could go wrong for the price range with either a viking, Joss or a McDermott cue. My preference though would be in this order but doesn't mean that yours would be Joss then McDermott then Viking.

If you want to get that custom feeling and have a little time to wait for delivery of that handmade product there are some cue makers on here that will probably chime in to let you know what they offer in the way of sneaky petes or plain janes for or close to that price range. All of the guys that regularly post on here do great work. You might even get lucky looking on the wanted/for sale section. I've seen lots of good deals on SP and PJs out there.

Cue makers who may be able to make something near that price range in no specific order:

Brian Mordt of BCM cues
Lee Pepper of LPcustomcues
Leon Sly Custom cues

Lastly...put this out there on the wanted/for sale section and I'll bet you get a lot of cues offered to you in your price range some of which will be custom keepers/players for sure.
 
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:welcome:(there's another of those smiles you like ) As a self-professed beginner , my advice to you is to stay away from specialized tips like the Kamui until you get more experience . Most of the cues mentioned so far come with perfectly fine tips from the factory (assuming you stay away from the cheaper Chinese stuff) and you should spend time honing your fundamentals before upgrading . Once you've done this , then you can consider the tip upgrade. Good shopping
 
my advice would be to buy a custom cue, you usually get alot of bang for the buck and resale is always better than just about any production cue.



i have a couple brunswick tru-balence cues sitting around i could do a conversion for you with one shaft for 150 plus shipping.

if your intrested send me a email at marleycustomcues@yahoo.com

also Kamui in my opinion is the best tip on the market and im sure you would be more than happy with it. id throw one in for free with your cue:grin:
 
wow, i didnt expect so many replies so soon!

pooln8r, thanks! your reply is super helpful, and i'll carefully consider it.

ridinda9, thanks for your reply! the only real reason i wanted to know about kamui's is, i dont yet know how difficult it will be to get tips replaced here, so i wanted something that would last a long while. it isnt that big an issue for me, but ill definitely snap one up when i can!

Trent,

very very generous offer! i hope you dont mind if i look around a little longer? it'll probably be about a month-6 weeks before ill be ready to send/spend the money (we just got a nice tv and im pretty conservative with money, especially in a foreign country!), but as it stands i will very likely take you up on your offer! expect an email from me either way :).

i'd prefer a 2 part cue, and i think i prefer something a little heavier, like 19-20oz. definitely not an 18, i think it feels kind of dainty :eek:, but that could just be me. would either of those be a problem? also, do you have any pictures of your work? what exactly would you do to the tru-balance to customize it?

Thanks guys, for all your help!
 
If I were in your shoes, I would drop a line to Dgem, Bebot Bautista(or the_general) or Al Bautista. They would all love to do business. The last 2 are cuemakers and Dgem is a guy on here with a few cues to deal. He did a good job with me.
 
littleBetty said:
Hi guys!

im pretty new to this whole pool thing :smile:. but i am really enjoying it, and im getting pretty good, if i do say so myself :o. i could beat just about any guy at the college bars in my area. i know thats not saying much though :wink:.

id really like to get a decent cue. i just moved to asia (thailand, to be specific), but ive been here plenty growing up and they've got some pretty neat pool halls in my area with some pretty good players and leagues going :grin:. id like to keep playing and get better and better, but it really is only a hobby to me, so i cant really spend much on a cue :sorry:.

on top of that, cues have to be imported here, so there is a slight to significant markup and not that much variety (though its really not that bad).

there are a couple of cues at one of the higher end halls here, from viking and joss, and then a bunch of china-made/import stuff i guess, like scorpion. i think theres also a brunswick store somewhere, but im not sure :confused:?

anyway, what im looking for is basically a good solid cue that i can hopefully use for a few years. what i really dont want is to buy a cue and then if (when!:grin:) my game improves, feel compelled to upgrade. are there any cues you would recommend that would suit me?

ideally i'd like to spend around $120-150 (which would likely be 250ish depending on the brand, here) but i guess i could go as high as 300 (but my boyfriend would kill me!:eek:). im also not really flashy or anything, and i like the look of the 'sneaky petes' but im ok with anything that isnt really flashy (looks come last of course, but hey, its my cue! :grin:).

i could and may go after the vikings or the joss' at the hall, but if you guys can think of any cues that you can order online that might pique my interest, i would really appreciate it!

also, what do you think of kamui tips? im about to read the threads i just searched, but would they be a good idea to get if i order online (i would probably hold off if i get my stick locally).

Thanks for helping out a newbi! sorry this is so long!

i love your smilies :grin:
Click to expand...

Get yourself a mezz sneaky pete. i know of an az'r from florida that said he might be looking to sell his. the climate in FL has got to be similar to Thailand so i don't think there'd be a warping problem.

the moisture content in the air might effect your cue so if you can you should buy something local that's been there more than a few months or a cue from a climate that's similar to thailand.

for the price (around 330) new for a mezz sneaky you might never need another cue in your life. me being cheap i'd go with a used one for around 200 ish
http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/cues/mezz/mezz_zz-sp.htm
http://www.pooldawg.com/product/mezz-zzsp-sneaky-pete-pool-cue-stick
 
littleBetty said:
Hi guys!

im pretty new to this whole pool thing :smile:. but i am really enjoying it, and im getting pretty good, if i do say so myself :o. i could beat just about any guy at the college bars in my area. i know thats not saying much though :wink:.

id really like to get a decent cue. i just moved to asia (thailand, to be specific), but ive been here plenty growing up and they've got some pretty neat pool halls in my area with some pretty good players and leagues going :grin:. id like to keep playing and get better and better, but it really is only a hobby to me, so i cant really spend much on a cue :sorry:.

on top of that, cues have to be imported here, so there is a slight to significant markup and not that much variety (though its really not that bad).

there are a couple of cues at one of the higher end halls here, from viking and joss, and then a bunch of china-made/import stuff i guess, like scorpion. i think theres also a brunswick store somewhere, but im not sure :confused:?

anyway, what im looking for is basically a good solid cue that i can hopefully use for a few years. what i really dont want is to buy a cue and then if (when!:grin:) my game improves, feel compelled to upgrade. are there any cues you would recommend that would suit me?

ideally i'd like to spend around $120-150 (which would likely be 250ish depending on the brand, here) but i guess i could go as high as 300 (but my boyfriend would kill me!:eek:). im also not really flashy or anything, and i like the look of the 'sneaky petes' but im ok with anything that isnt really flashy (looks come last of course, but hey, its my cue! :grin:).

i could and may go after the vikings or the joss' at the hall, but if you guys can think of any cues that you can order online that might pique my interest, i would really appreciate it!

also, what do you think of kamui tips? im about to read the threads i just searched, but would they be a good idea to get if i order online (i would probably hold off if i get my stick locally).

Thanks for helping out a newbi! sorry this is so long!

i love your smilies :grin:
Click to expand...

Where do you play in thailand? Some great places to play in Bangkok. I took my viking there and it warped like a banana, although I did leave it propped up against a wall for 6 months, so it was probably my fault. A mate has had his viking there for 5 years with no problem, so YMMV.

If you are in Bangkok I'd ask around locally. I'd also be a bit worried about having it go missing in the post if you do order from the US...
 
People I respect like mezz cues. Myself I'd find a used Joss or used custom sneaky. Easy to get one in the 200 US range.

New cue, I'd still look at a Joss, but I've always been partial to them.
 
I'd recommend a McDermott plain jane, about $200 plus...great hitting cue, wears like iron, life time warrantee. After a couple of years (if you stick with playing), you'll likely move up to a higher level production or a custom. Joss makes a great cue, too...you could start with a plain one now and if you like it buy something down the road with inlays/style you like for a little more and still use the shaft from your first Joss.
 
ideally i'd like to spend around $120-150 (which would likely be 250ish depending on the brand, here) but i guess i could go as high as 300


(but my boyfriend would kill me!).

:idea:
dont tell him
we wont tell on you:wink:
what happens on AZ stays on AZ
set the precedent now before he's a HUSBAND :D

im also not really flashy or anything, and i like the look of the 'sneaky petes' but im ok with anything that isnt really flashy (looks come last of course, but hey, its my cue! ).
 
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littleBetty said:
...reason i wanted to know about kamui's is, i dont yet know how difficult it will be to get tips replaced here, so i wanted something that would last a long while. ...
Click to expand...

Try a Karomi tip if you want a good tip that requires very little maintenance and usually lasts a long time. (That's NOT Kamui. It's Karomi.) They give you the ability to use English, if you like, but not get really carried away with it. They are also fairly inexpensive.

I went to a Sniper tip, not long ago. That was a bad idea for me. The ability to use extra draw and side English was awesome, but it totally messed up my game for about 3 months. Later on, I messed up my ferrule and my husband put a new tip back on when he replaced the ferrule. I never thought to ask what kind of tip he put back on, but I was so thrilled when I got my game back! He informed me that my game ought to be back, because he put a Karomi back on there! Now, we know how much of a difference the right tip really makes in my game.
 
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