Jim Baxter cue review ?????????

scottyjoe145

scottyjoe145

scottyjoe145
Silver Member
There are those days that come around (not so often) that bring a surprise along with them. Those days when something will happen that peaks your interest. It will happen when you least expect it, but it brings an exciting new level of anticipation along with it. Any cue enthusiast/collector knows this feeling… I had one such feeling about a week ago.

I am a new addition to the AZBilliards community, but not new to the world of cues and billiard collectables. I have only recently decided to join a billiard forum. It’s mainly because I’m a dinosaur refusing to adapt to modern technology... and maybe I just like the old ways of doing business. If I want to buy or sell a cue, I know who to call. However, an extenuating circumstance caused me to reach out to the billiard community through this forum, and the response was an overwhelming success. I have been hooked on this website since the day I started my membership. AZBilliards is a fantastic way to unite the billiard community, and also open avenues for buy/sell options. I check the “Wanted/For Sale” section of this forum daily… hell about every 30 minutes! So, this is where my story begins.

It was Sunday evening, and I had just sat down to watch the WGC Cadillac Open. I reached for my new found addiction (cue porn) and proceeded to the check out the new items up for sale on AZ. There it was, at the top of the list, a Jim Baxter sneaky pete made of Macassar Ebony and Birds-Eye Maple. I clicked on the link because I recognized Jim’s name due to his notoriety in the custom joint protector market. It was beautiful, and more importantly, it was in my price range. I had to have it… so, I called him.

After a very friendly conversation, I agreed to purchase Jim’s custom cue with 2 shafts. It was 4 days later when I received it, and I literally could NOT have been more impressed. The wood is beautiful, the points are perfect, the finish is flawless, detailed ring-work is amazing… I could go on and on. To top it off, it came with a set of matching joint protectors. I’m blown away by the craftsmanship of this cue. Perfect balance, great feel, solid hit… it’s one hell of a sneaky. I feel like I’m holding a cue that will be a rare gem in 25 years. Maybe I’m easily impressed, but this is craftsmanship at its best. To top it all off guys, Jim is quite possibly putting out some of the last pieces he will ever make. His name on a cue is something I wanted to add to my collection, and I can tell you first hand that you will not be disappointed. I’ve attached a few pictures for you to see, although they do not do it justice.

Thanks for the awesome cue Jim!! :thumbup:

photo 2.jpg

photo 4.jpg

photo 1.jpg
 
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My threads are sent to be approved before they post... because Im new here. So evidently, by the time this thread gets approved, it's shoved deep into the list and no one read it.

So here it is again, my Jim Baxter cue review... may it stay on the first page longer this time than it did the last 😎


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That's a beautiful cue and if I remember correctly it was a steal of a deal too! Those jp's are fantastic too, such a nice package.
 
Gorgeous cue and like mentioned above I think the ring work is as classy as it gets.
 
Jim's ring work on a cue would be as impeccable as the ring work on his J/Ps.

He has had a lot of practice with those.

Nice cue BTW.
 
Beautiful cue Scotty! I am a sucker for Cocobolo and Birds-eye maple sneaky pete's. Congrats!!
 
I would be curious if you could do a review after you've owned the cue for a while. Maybe in a year or so and see how it holds up over time. Because as we all know it's the test of time that will really show how good a quality a cue is. Will the shafts still be straight? Will the finish hold up? Will the ringwork pop?

Oh wait, you can't do that because you sold it. If it was so impressive, why did you sell it?
 
Jim's designs and workmanship are "right up there" in my estimation.
I own and play with (3) of Jim's Cues and receive compliments each
time I bring them out at the Pool Hall. Lotsa' Bang for your Buck, and
he stands behind his work 100%.

Nice Cue you have there, and Welcome to these Forums.

Howard
 
I just ordered a "big" (literally and figuratively) plain jane cue from Jim today. I couldn't be more pleased with Jim's communication process by PM and email... such a rarity it seems these days.

Had I received the same attention (or ANY attention for that matter - 6 emails over 3 months without a response) from a more popular cue maker, my money would be flowing in a different direction.

Anyway, yeah, Jim rocks. Just don't pile too many orders on him, cause he promised me an aggressive ETA. :)
 
I won't mention who it is, but I received a pm this evening from someone who bought one of Jim's cues and the member was.... lets just say, not impressed. So much in fact that he returned it and Jim wouldn't return his payment so he had to file a Paypal dispute.

Additionally, I had a chance to see a few of Jim's cues at the SBE a few weeks ago and I was very much less than impressed. The rings were popping everywhere, neither of them was straight, and the quality of the finish wasn't very good. I actually asked the seller if it was a Chinese made cue and was then told it was one of Jim's.

DeadStick said:
I just ordered a "big" (literally and figuratively) plain jane cue from Jim today. I couldn't be more pleased with Jim's communication process by PM and email... such a rarity it seems these days.

Had I received the same attention (or ANY attention for that matter - 6 emails over 3 months without a response) from a more popular cue maker, my money would be flowing in a different direction.

Anyway, yeah, Jim rocks. Just don't pile too many orders on him, cause he promised me an aggressive ETA. :)
Click to expand...


I would wonder (with the aggressive ETA) how much attention to detail goes into the shafts. He hasn't been making cues very long so has he been turning shafts over years a little at a time in preparation for when he would be making cues or is he buying shafts turned almost to completed size?

Yeah, Jim is always great until you have an issue. Then good luck. I wonder if Jim is actually making the cues. I found out when I ordered a set of JP's from him that it wasn't even him making them. It was his neice Christy.

Here is a link to that mess.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=148013&highlight=Baxter
 
I just want to chime in again real quick. I have custom set that I ordered from Jim. I had him use metal rings. Whatever material the silver color is and also copper. To be honest I figured after 6 months or so the rings might pop a little. To be honest they have not popped one bit. He did even better work than I had expected. As for his shafts I cannot really speak to that. I wanted OB shafts so I just had him get some blanks and put matching ringwork on them. The finish on my set is holding up very well also.

While I understand that others may have different experiences I can only tell you what my experience was.
 
Monstermash said:
I won't mention who it is, but I received a pm this evening from someone who bought one of Jim's cues and the member was.... lets just say, not impressed. So much in fact that he returned it and Jim wouldn't return his payment so he had to file a Paypal dispute.

Additionally, I had a chance to see a few of Jim's cues at the SBE a few weeks ago and I was very much less than impressed. The rings were popping everywhere, neither of them was straight, and the quality of the finish wasn't very good. I actually asked the seller if it was a Chinese made cue and was then told it was one of Jim's.


I would wonder (with the aggressive ETA) how much attention to detail goes into the shafts. He hasn't been making cues very long so has he been turning shafts over years a little at a time in preparation for when he would be making cues or is he buying shafts turned almost to completed size?

Yeah, Jim is always great until you have an issue. Then good luck. I wonder if Jim is actually making the cues. I found out when I ordered a set of JP's from him that it wasn't even him making them. It was his neice Christy.

Here is a link to that mess.
Click to expand...



Wow, are you always such a dick?

I can't imagine what would've made you bump a 3 week old thread just to bash a fantastic cue maker like Jim, but I hope you feel better now. I think your reputation on here proceeds you much more than Jim's negative feedback proceeds him.
 

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I have been very happy with my Baxter cue too. It is close to a year old. In fact he will soon be working on a second cue for me.

Thanks

Kevin
 
JC said:
I don't think he's being a dick at all. I wish I would have read his comments instead of all the nicey nicey ones before I bought a JB cue from a seller here. Everything shoddy he described was wrong with the one I recieved also and much more. Besides the rings popping and the joint not screwing down straight the ferule has a gap between the wood and the wrap groove was cut way too deep for the leather wrap so it had sharp edges on both ends. These are just the main highlights I can remember noticing in the first moment of inspection.

I was shocked it was so funky because I know Jim has a decent reputation. I sent it back to the seller who refunded my money no questions asked. Of course he knew. You couldn't possibly inspect this cue and be impressed with anything about it other than the wood stock which god provided.

All I can say is Jim must have his good days and his bad days. If there's going to be a cue review thread the bad days should be here too.

JC
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I don't typically chime in on these things; however, since this comment involves a cue I currently have listed (http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=314826), I felt compelled.

I don't intend to take issue with the buyers opinion nor his demeanor. The transaction was smoothly. He didn't care for the cue so I took it back. No big deal. I will typically take back anything that I sell for any reason within a reasonable period of time. Of course, that is not what this thread is about, so let's move on.

I have only one issue with this cue. The wrap does not line up with the butt the way it should, perhaps because the groove has been cut too deep for this particular wrap. That is evident from the pics. All of the other issues are not particularly relevant as far as I'm concerned. Can you feel the rings? Yes, to an extent. However, I've seen 1K+ cues with ringwork that isn't perfectly flush. Its not a big deal for a cue in this price range. The cue has a very minor taper roll when put together. Not a big enough deal for most people to be concerned. There are no other issues that merit real consideration. Its a nice cue and its priced appropriately.

I guarantee that most AZers who've done a large number of transactions via this forum have been disappointed at some time or the other. S___ happens. If issues are resolved amicably, let's move on. We need to seriously think twice before potentially trashing someone's reputation. Was this Jim's best work? No. But its really not that bad and is priced accordingly. I don't have a pony in this race .... just interested in fairness.

By the way Jim has offered to fix the wrap issue at no cost. If I take him up on that gracious offer, the price of the cue goes up as well! ;)
 
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