Lousy picture but not a bad cue. Also have a purple heart with a 2” butt cap. I’d sell all three but would have to be with someone I know and fairly local (In person). I could live with these as main players but I have my favorite.
World-Class Customer Service Experience with Schmelke
- Thread starter GentlemanJames
- Start date
i've had a few action/players sneakys that were dead straight and stayed that way forever. its obvious the shafts i got were not aged right. they looked fine but warped.
Agreed. I have shafts from 1965 on and straight as can be.
GentlemanJames
Well-known member
Sorry to hear about your shafts, but unfortunately, being wood, it does happen sometimes.
Is there any cue company on record which never had a wood shaft warp on one of the customers? - GJ
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I’d settle for a warped shaft. I have a collectible Meucci with a warped butt. That hurts as the shaft can be replaced. You’re going to love what you bought. My buddy bought a plain Jane sneaky Schmelke and it is a nice cue…
If you own Buck Roger ls Decoder Ring you will find Schmelke, is code for Balabushka.
Schmelkbuska? No one deserves it.If you own Buck Roger ls Decoder Ring you will find Schmelke, is code for Balabushka.
GentlemanJames
Well-known member
Interesting that your bring up warped Meucci cues, as it is specifically because of Meucci cues failing on me which brought me to seek out Schmelke Cues.
Backstory: Back in the late 90s/early 2000s, I got my first Meucci, a 97 series M-1. It hit like smooth butter, I loved that cue... and, six months later the shaft warped on me. My 2 pool buddies also bought Meucci M-1's - all three sticks came from different retailers, at different times over that year, and all 3 of our Meucci cues warped after about 6 six months - including, as in your case, one of the butts.
Flash-Forward 12 years: Wifey presents me with a Meucci Gambler (Hearts) for my birthday. And again, within 6 months I notice the shaft has warped; AND YET, not one of the other cues in my quiver - from different manufacturers - had any issues, and they were all kept together in the same location/environment/etc.
Double Flash Forward another 10 years to the present: I'm thinking about my favorite hitting cue of all time (until it failed on me), which was my old M-1. I'm thinking that perhaps if we had ordered direct from Meucci, we would not have experienced all the problems with their cues. And so, I start to investigate Meucci again, and learn that they still make the M-1; but, it's now a Not-So-Sneaky Pete - as Meucci has added things like black splice ring, black butt sleeve, logo on the shaft, etc, all these 'flags' if you will - and, if you want a stripped model (a true SP) you have to order it special.
I decide I will the risk my money with Meucci one more time, in an attempt to re-capture THAT hit, and I fire-off an email to Meucci Sales to learn how to order an old school M-1 'off menu' from them; and my email sits for over 10 days, unanswered - and, is still left unanswered to this day (two weeks later). Next, I call to follow-up - giving Meucci the benefit of the doubt on the no-reply to my email - and, my phone call is picked-up, but immediately hung-up on before anyone can speak a word.
So, I call Meucci back, and some woman answers the phone who sounds distracted, bored, and disinterested; answering with a confidence-shattering and energy-vacant "Hull-uh". Next, she drops the phone, and while waiting for to pick the phone up off of the floor and come back on the line, I am left listening to her carrying on a conversation with some dude in the background as I wait... and wait.
When the woman at Meucci finally picked the phone back up, she grunts a "Yeah?" at me into the phone, in amazement I ask her: "Is this Meucci?"; to which she replies a truncated: "Yup."
That's when I hung-up on Meucci, and, with my jaw hanging down in shock, I then immediately dialed Dave at Schmelke to learn if they could accommodate my needs - and, I am so glad I did!
GOLD CROWN - Thanks for the well-wishes with the pending Schmelke cue on-order. If the Schmelke cue can deliver the performance/hit qualities I am looking for based on my preferred specs, I will be doing an immediate turn-around order with them for a couple of duplicates and some extra shafts.
And, if the Schmelke cue plays anything like their outstanding customer service, you are right, I will absolutely love it. Thanks again. - GJ
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WTF????? Two shafts in a little over a year?????? I've had cues over 30yrs old that were/are dead straight.
GentlemanJames
Well-known member
I feel your pain; and, not that either situation in desirable; but, as I wrote above, we experienced 4 Meucci shafts and 1 Meucci butt, in total; all warped and warped around the 6 month mark. It happens and can happen to any cue maker. - GJ
GentlemenJ .., welcome aboard. Welcome to AZB. More shaft talk. For the past x amount of years I use aftermarket shafts on whatever cue I play with. Mainly the Predator 312-2 Fat or their standard 312. Lately it’s the REVO. Have fun your new Schmelke… try different shafts. Lengths, diameter, taper, etc. You’ll most likely keep it forever. I mentioned mine are cased and getting dusty. Only because I have a small collection and favor a different player however if the Schmelke was my only cue I’d enjoy it … play wise and appearance. I think there are Schmelke threads somewhere … search for them.
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Pretty much everything you said about Meucci is true.
I think they stay in business selling cues to league and bar bangers that dont know better.
I had one brand new in about 1987 and it warped with in 6 months and it was always kept in my house and only transported to the pool room in my car,never abused it weather wise.
At one time Efren Banta Reyes was sponsored by Muecci, mush be good Cue.
As Ye old Magician did do Magic with Muecci.
But being fair would assume Reyes would play gif with cheap Chinese house Cue with
Tip,
I've had 2 Schmelke cues and my experience were similar to yours. Neither is my main player but excellent product, customer service and prices for an American company.
Do 'Jackpots' warp?
(axing for a friend)
(axing for a friend)
I ordered a 23 oz. Break cue with Purpleheart butt and shaft. Breaks like a ton of bricks!!!! Love it, and you cannot beat the price. Friend wanted one in 18 oz, so I called them, and as GentlemanJames said, never talked to a customer rep that was so knowledgeable about a product. She then found Dave and we talked about the problems of a light cue out of purpleheart. Going to make it with a Cocobolo and maple butt with a Purpleheart break shaft and Kaumi medium tip. Such great service and people are hard to find these days.
Wonder how many shaft tapper they the BigS offers?
There's a case for Nelsonite. Dangerous or what, stabilized wood won't warp.