And what Earl used really bears no commonality to the Cuetecs people are using now.
Custom and High End Cues on the Decline?
- Thread starter Logandgriff
- Start date
Benelli
Well-known member
Eddie rocks, I have three of his cues. Two really nice customs made for my wife and I and ebony nosesed BEM full splice I'm currently using as my break cue.
He brings a ton of intellectual curiosity to cue making that has allowed him to push the process while staying true to the art form.
It adds a bit of weight to the cue.
I have never weighed it.
Now you got me interested.
I will have to weigh it.
FWIW, it really doesn't matter to me because I don't use it on the cue for normal playing. I just put it on when I can't reach a shot.
Of course they are on the decline.
The number 1 way to slow the decline is for owners of nice custom cues to play with them regularly and promote them to the next generation. Most younger pool players have never seen these things, let alone spent much time with them. People need education about why they are interesting and special and worth thousands of dollars. You don’t need to get that many players intrigued to prop up what is really quite a small market.
The number 1 way to slow the decline is for owners of nice custom cues to play with them regularly and promote them to the next generation. Most younger pool players have never seen these things, let alone spent much time with them. People need education about why they are interesting and special and worth thousands of dollars. You don’t need to get that many players intrigued to prop up what is really quite a small market.
Benelli
Well-known member
This is exactly why I like playing with my custom cues at league, no one gives a shit.You know the biggest reason I changed from a fancy custom.. I don’t have to worry about it in bars lol if my p3 gets damaged and stolen it’s easy to replace . My monster Scruggs I had not so much. It was like taking a classic car out and worrying about where you were parking or who’s around you lol it just wasn’t fun anymore.
I recently had this conversation with a friend who just inherited his dads pre franklin monster south west. This cue has tons of ivory and scrim shaw . I’ve never seen anything like it from southwest. Ivory inscribed joint protectors .. the works. South west told him if he’s willing to ship it over seas they can get $25 to 30K for it. But if you sat that on a table at leagues and someone sat the new svb special edition cuetec next to it all the league players would be drooling over that and not even look at the southwest
I played an entire APA season and my singles and regionals qualiers with a 72 Balabushka and NO ONE ever recognized what it was or even cared...
For the last month I've been playing with a 72/73 Szamboti and twice I had people ask if it was an Adam cue. Only one person recognized it and he was a cue maker.
Come on folks break those big guns out and fucking play them, there amazing cues and were built for just this. Let them do what they were made to do.
No one around you cares two shits about our cues!
A few reasons i rarely hit a ball with my classic Jensen 'bushka: its in perfect condition after Cody's re-finish and i don't want any damage done. second and more important is they way it plays. with stiff shafts and ivory ferrules it deflects massively. my other cues play nothing like it and to use it i'd have to use it only and that's not happening. its pretty but modern stuff plays better.
I’ve played with both custom and production cues over the years and for me the biggest difference is the fit and finish (and price).
I’ve had some custom cues by notable makers that have had issues with the finish-too thin, tiny spec of dust underneath, overspray. Or the shaft and butt are not “perfect” at the joint and can feel a slight difference with your hand. Some of that is ok with me-within reason, but when you’re paying top dollar you expect it to have the same or better quality than a production cue.
I still enjoy playing with a custom cue because I value the craftsmanship and unique natural wood that is used, so I can justify paying extra for that and knowing it was made by one person trying to make a living building cues. Not many people can do that.
That being said, my favorite jump/break cue is the one I have now which I bought online for $250. Carbon shaft, adjustable weight bolt, ringwork, maple cored, perfect fit and finish, no stupid logos or decals. Made by CUEDESG. I couldn’t believe the quality.
I’ve had some custom cues by notable makers that have had issues with the finish-too thin, tiny spec of dust underneath, overspray. Or the shaft and butt are not “perfect” at the joint and can feel a slight difference with your hand. Some of that is ok with me-within reason, but when you’re paying top dollar you expect it to have the same or better quality than a production cue.
I still enjoy playing with a custom cue because I value the craftsmanship and unique natural wood that is used, so I can justify paying extra for that and knowing it was made by one person trying to make a living building cues. Not many people can do that.
That being said, my favorite jump/break cue is the one I have now which I bought online for $250. Carbon shaft, adjustable weight bolt, ringwork, maple cored, perfect fit and finish, no stupid logos or decals. Made by CUEDESG. I couldn’t believe the quality.
A cue is a tool…..It was built and intended to be used……to not do it really says why bother owning it?
You could just hang a photo gallery on your pool room wall at home and wonder what it would be like.
Nope, when you don’t play with the cue, it turns into a waste of time for the cue maker, albeit paid time.
You could just hang a photo gallery on your pool room wall at home and wonder what it would be like.
Nope, when you don’t play with the cue, it turns into a waste of time for the cue maker, albeit paid time.
Tell that to the ten of thousands of car/motorcycle collectors who never drive/ride them. Same deal. Its because they have $$$ value is the reason. My Jensen was given to me and its definitely a case queen. I have cheaper cues that play a lot better but i keep the Jensen for its value if i decide to let it go.
id bet that if you went and got say five identical shaft models you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. any that did exist would be TINY compared to five wood shafts one maker. the cf material itself doesn't vary like wood. i've hit mutiple Rhino's and Cynergy's and they all felt the same to me. tip types will change the hit of course but they'd play basically the same. this is one of the major cf plusses, the ability to make the same tube over-n-over.
As someone who owns and has owned many custom cues, I too feel like they are on the decline. I think there are several reasons for it. I think the price of these custom cues are outrageous. The 2nd and more important reason is that your average Cuetec or Predator cue hits as good or better than any custom cue. I don't say that lightly, but when my buddy let me try out his new Cynergy shaft I became a convert to carbon fiber. And you can put that Carbon fiber shaft on a $1K Cuetec or $5K custom cue and they will have the same hit and feel. As far as craftsmanship and aesthetics go, the custom cues will never be matched. They are amazing for what they are. But if you just value the playability of a cue the cheaper production cues with the nice carbon fiber shafts will play even better than the custom cues. And here's another very important consideration for me. I don't have the same nervousness of bringing a cheaper cue into a pool room or just leaving it in the back of the car like I would with a high end custom cue. I don't worry about someone stealing it, or worry about damaging it like I would with a more high end cue. There's something to be said for that.
Garczar…….I have a question for you.
How much would playing with a cue diminish its value, presuming the cue remains in excellent condition?
Does replacing the cue shaft tips from playing with the cue lower it’s value? How many hours of play over
the years is normal, acceptable, inconsequential or important for assigning value to the cue?
I know a unfired gun is worth more than one that’s been used. With recurved bows, it’s probably not the same.
Sure, with cars it makes sense but what about high end watches like Rolex? They don’t seem to lose much value
after being worn, especially when it is not much. So I don’t know how much a cue is impacted by previous use.
The two most valuable cues I own, or so I’m supposing, are my Scruggs and Prewitt cues. The TS cue appreciated
since I got it largely because Tim passed away so there’s a finite population but Ed is still active cue maker so that
obviously doesn’t factor in. So if my Scruggs was unplayed or saw little play, how much more is it worth? And since
Ed’s cues tend to be a little pricier than most from what I’ve seen, how much has playing with my cue hurt its value?
Both cues should be relatively easy to sell when priced right but how much more would a cue appreciate from not being played. It never entered my mind those two cues were pre-owned and looked like they saw very little play but that might not have been true. The cues could have been well taken care of work horses. The only thing that ever mattered to me was do I like the design and how do the cues play. So how much is a used pool cue price impacted from having been played vs. new?
How much would playing with a cue diminish its value, presuming the cue remains in excellent condition?
Does replacing the cue shaft tips from playing with the cue lower it’s value? How many hours of play over
the years is normal, acceptable, inconsequential or important for assigning value to the cue?
I know a unfired gun is worth more than one that’s been used. With recurved bows, it’s probably not the same.
Sure, with cars it makes sense but what about high end watches like Rolex? They don’t seem to lose much value
after being worn, especially when it is not much. So I don’t know how much a cue is impacted by previous use.
The two most valuable cues I own, or so I’m supposing, are my Scruggs and Prewitt cues. The TS cue appreciated
since I got it largely because Tim passed away so there’s a finite population but Ed is still active cue maker so that
obviously doesn’t factor in. So if my Scruggs was unplayed or saw little play, how much more is it worth? And since
Ed’s cues tend to be a little pricier than most from what I’ve seen, how much has playing with my cue hurt its value?
Both cues should be relatively easy to sell when priced right but how much more would a cue appreciate from not being played. It never entered my mind those two cues were pre-owned and looked like they saw very little play but that might not have been true. The cues could have been well taken care of work horses. The only thing that ever mattered to me was do I like the design and how do the cues play. So how much is a used pool cue price impacted from having been played vs. new?
Unplayed is generally un-damaged. you take a nice cue in a crowded spot the odds of it getting dinged are pretty good. that's my point. of course just using it won't hurt it. didn't think this required an explanation.
Okay….I was curious how you and others viewed this aspect of cue values. Like you, I do not think playing with a cue
matters much in terms of its selling price, i.e., value, as long as the pool cue was still in excellent, or pristine, condition.
VTEC John
Active member
Yeah, that was pretty obvious. The only way to keep it unmarked is to not use it. Holds true for a lot of collectibles.
i play in a pretty busy spot and a lot of folks have no clue about hi-end cues. i only take my Jensen in when its dead.
Brother Ron
Active member
You forgot to mention a small block of wood for trimming the tip on.
No, what makes one an idiot is risking gouging your ferrule when a perfectly competent cue repair guy is a phone call away.