Does being a strong player make you a better cue builder??

[sileighty_guru]

From my perspective...

Before getting into building cues I had plenty of time to play and practice, and became quite a decent player. Then came building cues... long ass nights and weekends hovering over a lathe is not good for keeping your game up to snuff! I have seen a dramatic loss in my game sense I started building! My focus when I do get out to paly has turned from focus on the game to focus on promoting and dealing with the customer service aspect of repair work request.

It's passion that drives the quality of a cue, people can be great at pool but have no idea about the technical aspects of all the chemicals/woods that we all use on a daily basis. same can go the other way... you may be a physicist/engineer but have no idea that a 28oz great hitting cue is to damn heavy! I just think the balance of both are a desirable thing! Otherwise how do you know if your cue sucks or not if you can't play the game? Other peoples opinion should not be what builds "your" cues! There are aspects that you can only learn about building cues which can only be found at the table playing the game.

 

[sileighty_guru]

They may not have nerves of steel & cat-like reflexes required to race, but you can bet anybody building engines knows how to drive.

IMO, it's possible for somebody to make a nice cue without being a good player. However, repeatable consistency won't be so easy to pull off if you don't know what the cue is supposed to do & can adequately test them. I don't believe a guy has to be "A" level+, just competent. The two kinda go hand in hand. Personally, my game suffers dramatic swings from C-level to running packs & gambling, depending on how much table time I'm getting. If you play me when I'm not playing much, you'd not think much of my game. If you play me when I have been putting in a lot of hours, you'd have to take consideration in making a fair game before gambling. Two totally different players, same guy. It's not that my knowledge fades, but rather my muscle memory, speed control, and focus. I have to keep those things in shape in order to play well. My game doesn't translate much into my cues. If anything, being a cue maker has helped my game.

Guess I could have saved my self some time typing if I read the post before me first! hahahaha

 

[pescadoman]

20 some odd years ago, I walked into Stiix Billiards in Ventura California and met Jerry McWorter. He was the first guy to hustle me out of money. I remember it all like it was yesterday. "You have to play for money in order to get better" he said. Soon, I was out of twenty bucks. A cheap lesson I suppose.

I asked him once if makers are typically good at playing and he said "generally, they suck". His point being that once they started to make a living at making cues, if they had any speed to begin with, they no longer had much time to play pool .

I've heard Carmelli plays decent. When McWorter was "kind of" playing, I'd put him up there with the top TRUE amateurs in California. He once said Chris Hightower plays "pretty sporty" :thumbup:

 

[KJ Cues]

Engineering trumps table ability all day long.

 

[jasonlaus]

20 some odd years ago, I walked into Stiix Billiards in Ventura California and met Jerry McWorter. He was the first guy to hustle me out of money. I remember it all like it was yesterday. "You have to play for money in order to get better" he said. Soon, I was out of twenty bucks. A cheap lesson I suppose.

I asked him once if makers are typically good at playing and he said "generally, they suck". His point being that once they started to make a living at making cues, if they had any speed to begin with, they no longer had much time to play pool .

I've heard Carmelli plays decent. When McWorter was "kind of" playing, I'd put him up there with the top TRUE amateurs in California. He once said Chris Hightower plays "pretty sporty" :thumbup:

Searing plays great and Ted Harris plays pretty dang good also.

 

[bbb]

Are engine builders race car drivers? That's all
Jason

Searing plays great and Ted Harris plays pretty dang good also.

which side of the discussion are you on??
just askin
p.s. did you get my pm regarding only practicing alone??
since you didnt answer
my statement /question was if you never practice playing
how can you get better at playing when you only have one try at a shot and cant set it up over and over again till you make it
???

 

[GoldCrown]

Doc Frye was not a great player. He made cues for Miz and other great pro's. The demand and sales spoke for the quality.

In remembrance...I loved playing 1 ball in the corner with him. What a great guy.

Sorry can't resist posting my DF cue. This has been a lifetime keeper. 1965(or66)...$125 w/2shafts and a hard case.

 

[JoeyInCali]

20 some odd years ago, I walked into Stiix Billiards in Ventura California and met Jerry McWorter. He was the first guy to hustle me out of money. I remember it all like it was yesterday. "You have to play for money in order to get better" he said. Soon, I was out of twenty bucks. A cheap lesson I suppose.

I asked him once if makers are typically good at playing and he said "generally, they suck". His point being that once they started to make a living at making cues, if they had any speed to begin with, they no longer had much time to play pool .

I've heard Carmelli plays decent. When McWorter was "kind of" playing, I'd put him up there with the top TRUE amateurs in California. He once said Chris Hightower plays "pretty sporty" :thumbup:

I saw Jerry put a good beating on a cue maker who thought he could play.
Jerry hadn't played for months , supposedly. But, he kept running racks with his ivory ferruled cue . So much for deflection analysis. :grin:
And they played on a table with less than 4" corners there in San Jose during the last western cue show. Jerry wasn't missing .

 

[WildWing]

There are a fair number of posts about Bob Frey not playing the game. That may be true at the moment. If you around in 1978 or 1979 or so, you know he played the game pretty well then. I saw it.

Although it's possible to build good cues without playing ability, I think it's fair to say a good number of valued cuemakers got into the craft with a start in the game itself. Janes, Stroud, Scruggs, Frey, Cochran, Tascarella, Searing. I think that's a pretty good starting list.

All the best,
WW

 

[jasonlaus]

which side of the discussion are you on??
just askin
p.s. did you get my pm regarding only practicing alone??
since you didnt answer
my statement /question was if you never practice playing
how can you get better at playing when you only have one try at a shot and cant set it up over and over again till you make it
???

I never miss! :thumbup:
Jason

Btw, never got a PM.

The good thing about practicing alone is you can do whatever you want.
Playing the ghost costs you the game if you miss, that's a little more severe than missing against an opponent.