To be fair, I don’t know anyone under 50 that could afford a $2k cue (including me). Same for golf, I don’t see younger people with new, expensive equipment. Houses and medical care were a lot cheaper 40 years ago.
Classic Cue Market Dying Off
- Thread starter Fast Lenny
- Start date
To be fair, I don’t know anyone under 50 that could afford a $2k cue (including me). Same for golf, I don’t see younger people with new, expensive equipment. Houses and medical care were a lot cheaper 40 years ago.
Yup,,,,turning 80 this summer…….not sure how many more racks are in me but I’ll keep playing as long as my body will let me. Thinking of having a fancy SP cue built with a KW shaft but only a few cue makers seem capable of building a KW shaft to my specs. I am pondering the best wood combo to use for the cue butt and forearm.I don’t want to use ebony and if anyone has photos of a really nice SP design, please send me any photos or post it on this thread as a reply. It actually can coincide with the custom cues theme….a custom made SP cue…how much is too much to pay?
What exactly are you asking from a custom cue maker ? And how can you or do you realize what you want ?
These factors are why it is cool to tell people that "I have a custom cue"
But for proven sciencetific facts and or philosophy, Meucci, Predators are at the forefront front
BuffaloSlim
Active member
Id tend to agree with this .. my kids are both in their 20s and appreciate the beauty of some of my older cues but have ZERO interest in trying to shoot with them .. their normal players are all Cuetecs
Are any readers gun buffs? How many of you own a gun, handgun or rifle? Is it a contemporary gun or a collectible?
If contemporaneous, is it a standard model or did you accessorize it., sights or light? How many holsters do you have?
Did you buy practice ammo and self-defense ammunition? How often do you practice at the range weekly, mthly, yrly?
Okay, all basic questions that most gun owners could answer based on their experience, not what what they’d think if they did not own a gun. So their answers reflect more real world experience rather than what they might imagine it as.
Back to custom cues and why I am making a gun analogy. How many gun owners, or anyone that has ever shot a gun,
had the opportunity to shoot a custom built gun. handgun or rifle? Was it a custom built version of a gun similar to what
you own or even shot? Bottomline……..was there a difference, is there a difference, with a custom made gun versus a standard model by the same manufacturer? Was it significant? Was the price difference justifiable? Would you want one?
I have, more than once, and there is a big difference in the design and performance that justifies the higher price if you can afford it. To deny or debate that is just being obstinate minded and I’d have a couple if CA did not have such stringent certification requirements for guns. Well, when you find the right cue maker, custom built cues are the very same way.
If contemporaneous, is it a standard model or did you accessorize it., sights or light? How many holsters do you have?
Did you buy practice ammo and self-defense ammunition? How often do you practice at the range weekly, mthly, yrly?
Okay, all basic questions that most gun owners could answer based on their experience, not what what they’d think if they did not own a gun. So their answers reflect more real world experience rather than what they might imagine it as.
Back to custom cues and why I am making a gun analogy. How many gun owners, or anyone that has ever shot a gun,
had the opportunity to shoot a custom built gun. handgun or rifle? Was it a custom built version of a gun similar to what
you own or even shot? Bottomline……..was there a difference, is there a difference, with a custom made gun versus a standard model by the same manufacturer? Was it significant? Was the price difference justifiable? Would you want one?
I have, more than once, and there is a big difference in the design and performance that justifies the higher price if you can afford it. To deny or debate that is just being obstinate minded and I’d have a couple if CA did not have such stringent certification requirements for guns. Well, when you find the right cue maker, custom built cues are the very same way.
Yes sure, totally understandable, but if you are a gun owner as a dedicated hobby, then you know a lot of what you want and need, and there are a lot of technical parameters you would like to follow.
What about a cue ? Is there such parameters and specs ? And in order to understand your own needs, you would have to completely be involved into Pool dedicatedly. I think only the Pros would do so. Hence sponsoring pros like SVB and Cuetek or Filler and Predators are brilliant marketing.
Still, to a casual player like me, I dont know what I should look in a cuestick to make me shoot better. More like I should be shooting better before I want an expensive cuestick...let alone a custom one, and based on what parameters ?
Better question.. How many holsters did you go through before you settled on the “one” that’s right for you?
BuffaloSlim
Active member
As a competitive shooter and owner of several hundred firearms. I definitely get the analogy with firearms as I have many customs for competition but most of my CCW weapons are basically stock with exception of night sights .. lazer or flashlight
BuffaloSlim
Active member
I have a huge tote of em collected throughout the yrs lolBetter question.. How many holsters did you go through before you settled on the “one” that’s right for you?
I think I covered that point because I have a closet filled with IWB, OWB, SH and Fanny PacksBetter question.. How many holsters did you go through before you settled on the “one” that’s right for you?
but my CCW has 4 different handguns & calibers listed with varying barrel lengths & capacities.
The best thing any pool player can do is learn about oool cue anatomy. It takes about 7-10 minutes.
Then find out what your cue’s specs are, for example, butt weight, diameter, shaft weight, diameter,
tip brand and hardness. We can discuss joint type and ferrule size & composition some other time.
Whenever you get the opportunity to play with another’s player’s cue, besides telling them you liked it be sure to ask some highly pertinent questions. However, do not be surprised to hear ….I Don’t Know……as the commmon reply or else just a guess……around 19 ozs……the shaft are smaller than 13mm….12 something. It is stunning to see how many pool players are either disinterested or merely ignorant about the equipment they play with.
There are golfers that are the same way. They buy a set of barely used big brand name golf clubs at a fantastic price at a garage sale. Th widow is selling off her husband’s stuff and here was a new set of Callaway or Ping irons, woods and driver for $650. So you jump on it knowing how much you’d save but she has no idea how her husband bought the clubs. As it turns out, he wasn’t custom fitted and if he had been, it wouldn’t likely be what You’d need if you were fitted.
So the loft and lie for the original purchaser’s custom fit order, which was not the widow’s husband, was 6’ 4”, 245lbs., sleeve length of 37” and a 1.75 degree upright and 2 degrees stronger loft on his irons and 1degree stronger woods and 8.5 degree driver. The price was fantastic and the clubs were absolutely horribly fitted for your swing so your golf never improves.
Take all the lessons you want but if you had better fit clubs you’d perform better. A baseball bat is the same way…….the barrel shape, the wood, the bat handle throat and overall weight are important considerations for the best results. I am not saying a pool cue will improve your skills. That’s on you and your aptitude to learn, practice & improve.
However, as you master the fundamentals, and develop your skills! It is time to experiment and find out what feels different in various cues and do you ever find one that feels better to you. You’ll know it instantly as soon as you pocket the first object ball. The cue speaks to you thru your grip and the sound of your stroke. Watch the object ball roll and how the cue ball behaves. Start making more shots and see how the cue ball tends to find position easier and more consistently. The cue seems to energize you and there’s an alacrity to your movement to the next shot. It’s almost like you are gliding around the table knowing where the cue ball will arrive.
A smile comes across your face and you realize this cue feels great……that’s exactly when you speak to the cue owner and find out what’s different about his cue & your cue.….start with the brand or cue maker and ask intelligent questions about his pool cue’s anatomy…….just be prepared for some replies that are meaningless because they often don’t know.
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for competition you do need a custom firearm. but for pool you don't.
but a custom is to make you feel good about your tool as well.
but almost all pool cues are custom to some point. a special tip other than what came with it.
re -wrapped, or shaft changed.
with pool cues its more about feel and looks, as about all cues shoot the same.
but a custom is to make you feel good about your tool as well.
but almost all pool cues are custom to some point. a special tip other than what came with it.
re -wrapped, or shaft changed.
with pool cues its more about feel and looks, as about all cues shoot the same.
"Pretty quick" no thanks, I'll take my cues unwarped
It is when you buy something on impulse not knowing or understanding the nuances of what feels the best.
Sometimes it’s called ignorance, other times not knowing, and of course, there’s always…it doesn’t matter.
Ultimately, after you play long enough, you’ll learn in hindsight what you wished you knew a long time ago.
Sometimes it’s called ignorance, other times not knowing, and of course, there’s always…it doesn’t matter.
Ultimately, after you play long enough, you’ll learn in hindsight what you wished you knew a long time ago.
RidgeRaider
Well-known member
Pretty quick by custom standards means not waiting 2-5 years.
You wanna wait 2-5 years for someone to work with kiln dried lumber? Be my guest. I guess there's the scenic route for everything, but waiting years to make a cue with kiln dried lumber is like aging a box of franzia saying it gets better with age.... But then again, I do enjoy reading all the posts from you old timers complaining "My custom maker hasn't contacted me in years! When is my cue going to be done!", so to each their own.
Also, with some planning, it's not hard to have a stock of wood consistently seasoned ready to work. For every cue I make, I buy enough wood to make 3 more cues. I will never out build my wood supply, and I will never even get close to having to touch wood that's been sitting less than 8-10 months, which is more than kiln dried needs. I started seasoning and stocking wood almost a year before I started building cues. I've got a room in my basement stacked floor to wall, wall to wall with wood that gets rotated and re-placed 3x when a piece is used. It's extremely over-kill for how many or how little cues I produce, but I am in this for the long haul, and you need a river of wood to do it.
Anyways, thanks for your support.
the good old time makers had lots of shafts hanging for a long time curing even long after.
and they actually went to work and you got a cue in a month.
any cuemaker that makes you wait more than say 6 months is lazy or has no stock.
or the rare one with some many orders he cant get them filled and lies to you over and over when you will get your cue.
and they actually went to work and you got a cue in a month.
any cuemaker that makes you wait more than say 6 months is lazy or has no stock.
or the rare one with some many orders he cant get them filled and lies to you over and over when you will get your cue.
EastCentralTX
New member
Im one of the younger guys who play at my local hall, and i’m 29, which is another issue in and of itself. From my perspective and a lot of the other guys around my age, its just easier to buy a predator or a cuetec and call it a day. I bought an older 6 point roadline and 314-2 from a friend, and put a Revo 12.4 on it. It shoots amazing and has next to no deflection. I got a McDermott stinger jump break about a year into playing and then bought a Hanshew jump cue from another friend about 2 years into playing as a fun gift to myself for my birthday, completely unnecessary. These offer all the cue i’ll ever need, and don’t command the custom cue/vintage cue pricing I see on here and other websites. Also, the ecomomy is horrible for everyone, but I specifically see it impacting younger people my age as we aren’t as well established in careers among other things. Its hard to justify frivolous purchases for a hobby.
what is so horrible in the economy. the stock market is been up in records. and that is the value/ profits of most all companies
of significance.
peoples equity in their houses has skyrocketed the last 5 years or so.
interest rates have been declining significantly and so have gas prices.
job market is at about its strongest ever.
never has it been so good for someone trying to better themselves.
and your right about not needing the expensive or newest fancy type cues.
of significance.
peoples equity in their houses has skyrocketed the last 5 years or so.
interest rates have been declining significantly and so have gas prices.
job market is at about its strongest ever.
never has it been so good for someone trying to better themselves.
and your right about not needing the expensive or newest fancy type cues.