I just wanted to post up some pictures and talk a little bit about a few cues I have picked up over the last few weeks.
From top to bottom in the pictures is a Brent Hartman (bhq) butterfly, in the middle is a Joe Baker (JBCustomCues) player and the third cue is a break cue by Joe Baker as well.
I picked up the bhq at the midwest cue show. It is african blackwood, tulipwood, and holly. It weighs in at 20.75 ounces and with the elk horn joint and buttcap it plays very solid and has a really strong firm hit. It sounds a little heavy but it seems like the weight keeps me aware of the cue during the stroke and in line with my aim. This is the third bhq cue I've owned and every one of them play even better than they look.
Joe Baker is a cue maker who lives about 10 minutes from me and about a year ago we started talking about his cues and he let me use one of his break cues while we played a few games. I always figured a dedicated break cue would be a step up over the cue I normally used to break with but I didn't figure on being able to smash a rack and keep the cueball on the table and under control with such an effortless stroke.
I took some time to think about it and after a few months Joe helped me out with creating a player and a break cue. I've bought several custom cues before but these were going to be the first that I ever had input from beginning to end.
With the player, it is kingwood with a curly maple handle with Joe's Z rings in all positions. It is 19 oz. with a triangle tip. It also has a 3/8 x 10 southwest style pin with a thin walled steel joint and a white buttcap.
This cue is very well balanced, it has a firm crisp hit, and moves the cue ball around the table with ease.
The break cue is zebra wood with an east indian rosewood handle with double brass rings in all positions. It has a regular 3/8 x 10 pin into the same steel joint as the player and also has the white corian buttcap. The break cue weighs in at 18.5 oz. and had a two piece phenolic tip/ferrule combination. This cue breaks the rack very easily, just a good solid stroke will do the job. I can control the cue and keep in on the table while getting a good spread on the balls. I'm pretty sure it would be a great player if it had a regular tip on the shaft.
Joe is a great guy to work with on building a custom cue. There is no pressure to buy and no idea too strange for him to consider and I think I came up with a few he wasn't too sure about! Joe will give his opinion on what will look good and what will play good without pushing you into a decision you don't want to make. It was a very good experience going through the process of picking the woods, the joints, and the ringwork and everything else that goes into building a cue.
All three cues really do play as good as they look and I highly recommend Joe Baker and Brent Hartman to build a cue to your liking without having to worry about any hassles or concerns at all.
I'm not the best at giving reviews so please ask any questions and comments are very welcome. This is the first time I've posted pictures of any of my cues and I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Michael
From top to bottom in the pictures is a Brent Hartman (bhq) butterfly, in the middle is a Joe Baker (JBCustomCues) player and the third cue is a break cue by Joe Baker as well.
I picked up the bhq at the midwest cue show. It is african blackwood, tulipwood, and holly. It weighs in at 20.75 ounces and with the elk horn joint and buttcap it plays very solid and has a really strong firm hit. It sounds a little heavy but it seems like the weight keeps me aware of the cue during the stroke and in line with my aim. This is the third bhq cue I've owned and every one of them play even better than they look.
Joe Baker is a cue maker who lives about 10 minutes from me and about a year ago we started talking about his cues and he let me use one of his break cues while we played a few games. I always figured a dedicated break cue would be a step up over the cue I normally used to break with but I didn't figure on being able to smash a rack and keep the cueball on the table and under control with such an effortless stroke.
I took some time to think about it and after a few months Joe helped me out with creating a player and a break cue. I've bought several custom cues before but these were going to be the first that I ever had input from beginning to end.
With the player, it is kingwood with a curly maple handle with Joe's Z rings in all positions. It is 19 oz. with a triangle tip. It also has a 3/8 x 10 southwest style pin with a thin walled steel joint and a white buttcap.
This cue is very well balanced, it has a firm crisp hit, and moves the cue ball around the table with ease.
The break cue is zebra wood with an east indian rosewood handle with double brass rings in all positions. It has a regular 3/8 x 10 pin into the same steel joint as the player and also has the white corian buttcap. The break cue weighs in at 18.5 oz. and had a two piece phenolic tip/ferrule combination. This cue breaks the rack very easily, just a good solid stroke will do the job. I can control the cue and keep in on the table while getting a good spread on the balls. I'm pretty sure it would be a great player if it had a regular tip on the shaft.
Joe is a great guy to work with on building a custom cue. There is no pressure to buy and no idea too strange for him to consider and I think I came up with a few he wasn't too sure about! Joe will give his opinion on what will look good and what will play good without pushing you into a decision you don't want to make. It was a very good experience going through the process of picking the woods, the joints, and the ringwork and everything else that goes into building a cue.
All three cues really do play as good as they look and I highly recommend Joe Baker and Brent Hartman to build a cue to your liking without having to worry about any hassles or concerns at all.
I'm not the best at giving reviews so please ask any questions and comments are very welcome. This is the first time I've posted pictures of any of my cues and I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Michael
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Congrats Mr. Stanley on your babies! That BHQ looks pretty damn sweet too!!