Has anyone seen cue work like this before?

P

PYITE

New member
Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some opinions and maybe a little education from those of you who know a lot more about custom cues than I do.

I commissioned this cue butt from a woodworker in Morocco. This cue wasn't made by one of the established American cue makers. It was built by a craftsman whose specialty is incredibly intricate hand inlay. Every decorative element is cut and installed by hand. There is no CNC engraving or laser work involved.

The cue is made from Turkish Walnut with Thula Root, mother of pearl, aluminum inlays, and hand-inlaid paint work (the light beige sections). One of the things that first caught my attention was how nearly every inch of the cue has intentional work, yet it still doesn't look cluttered. I also love the use of aluminum. It outlines much of the pearl and wood inlay and gives those sections a look that's difficult to capture in photographs. I also requested the four Amazigh (Berber) "Free Man" symbols incorporated into the design near the top and bottom of the cue.

I've shown it to several custom cue makers, repair guys, and some very knowledgeable cue people locally. No one seems to have seen anything quite like this.

Not necessarily because it's the "best cue ever made," but because of the sheer amount of hand inlay work, the time that must have gone into it, and the quality of that work. It definitely seems to turn heads, but I'd really like to hear from a broader audience.

After I received it, I had it professionally finished, fitted with a joint (Viking quick-connect), and a weight bolt system installed. The cue rolls straight together and apart, and several strong players, including a couple of pros, have commented that it plays surprisingly well.

So I'm curious:
  • Has anyone seen another cue with this style or level of hand inlay work?
  • Does this resemble the work of anyone else, or is it fairly unique?
  • If something like this were to be offered for sale, how would you go about valuing it?
  • Is there a market for cues like this, or is it simply too different from what's traditionally collected?
Depending on the feedback, I may have the opportunity to commission additional cues from the same craftsman, even custom designed ones. Before I go down that road, I'd like to better understand whether there's genuine interest in something this different.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts, opinions, or advice. Thanks in advance.
 

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PYITE said:
Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some opinions and maybe a little education from those of you who know a lot more about custom cues than I do.

I commissioned this cue butt from a woodworker in Morocco. This cue wasn't made by one of the established American cue makers. It was built by a craftsman whose specialty is incredibly intricate hand inlay. Every decorative element is cut and installed by hand. There is no CNC engraving or laser work involved.

The cue is made from Turkish Walnut with Thula Root, mother of pearl, aluminum inlays, and hand-inlaid paint work (the light beige sections). One of the things that first caught my attention was how nearly every inch of the cue has intentional work, yet it still doesn't look cluttered. I also love the use of aluminum. It outlines much of the pearl and wood inlay and gives those sections a look that's difficult to capture in photographs. I also requested the four Amazigh (Berber) "Free Man" symbols incorporated into the design near the top and bottom of the cue.

I've shown it to several custom cue makers, repair guys, and some very knowledgeable cue people locally. No one seems to have seen anything quite like this.

Not necessarily because it's the "best cue ever made," but because of the sheer amount of hand inlay work, the time that must have gone into it, and the quality of that work. It definitely seems to turn heads, but I'd really like to hear from a broader audience.

After I received it, I had it professionally finished, fitted with a joint (Viking quick-connect), and a weight bolt system installed. The cue rolls straight together and apart, and several strong players, including a couple of pros, have commented that it plays surprisingly well.

So I'm curious:
  • Has anyone seen another cue with this style or level of hand inlay work?
  • Does this resemble the work of anyone else, or is it fairly unique?
  • If something like this were to be offered for sale, how would you go about valuing it?
  • Is there a market for cues like this, or is it simply too different from what's traditionally collected?
Depending on the feedback, I may have the opportunity to commission additional cues from the same craftsman, even custom designed ones. Before I go down that road, I'd like to better understand whether there's genuine interest in something this different.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts, opinions, or advice. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Much respect to the builder. He has to enjoy his work to dedicate the time it took to create that amazing work of art.
 
Yes, there would be much interest in the cue because of the beauty, the quality, the effort in its manufacture, and its uniqueness. It is not like others I have seen.

Probably the better question is what would it sell for? Of course, you could get double, triple or quadruple what cheaper manufactured cues are sold for but would that be enough for the maker and middleman?

Like another poster wrote, it is ethnic or cultural specific. A reason for its uniqueness is because of that. It is unknown what popularity there is for that style. You are a person with a new product that is hard to match to sold cues necessary to determine possible sale price.

What do I know? I like Character Cues and own a Viper Dia de los Muertos.

characater 4.png
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Viper underground Muertos.jpg
 
PYITE said:
Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some opinions and maybe a little education from those of you who know a lot more about custom cues than I do.

I commissioned this cue butt from a woodworker in Morocco. This cue wasn't made by one of the established American cue makers. It was built by a craftsman whose specialty is incredibly intricate hand inlay. Every decorative element is cut and installed by hand. There is no CNC engraving or laser work involved.

The cue is made from Turkish Walnut with Thula Root, mother of pearl, aluminum inlays, and hand-inlaid paint work (the light beige sections). One of the things that first caught my attention was how nearly every inch of the cue has intentional work, yet it still doesn't look cluttered. I also love the use of aluminum. It outlines much of the pearl and wood inlay and gives those sections a look that's difficult to capture in photographs. I also requested the four Amazigh (Berber) "Free Man" symbols incorporated into the design near the top and bottom of the cue.

I've shown it to several custom cue makers, repair guys, and some very knowledgeable cue people locally. No one seems to have seen anything quite like this.

Not necessarily because it's the "best cue ever made," but because of the sheer amount of hand inlay work, the time that must have gone into it, and the quality of that work. It definitely seems to turn heads, but I'd really like to hear from a broader audience.

After I received it, I had it professionally finished, fitted with a joint (Viking quick-connect), and a weight bolt system installed. The cue rolls straight together and apart, and several strong players, including a couple of pros, have commented that it plays surprisingly well.

So I'm curious:
  • Has anyone seen another cue with this style or level of hand inlay work?
  • Does this resemble the work of anyone else, or is it fairly unique?
  • If something like this were to be offered for sale, how would you go about valuing it?
  • Is there a market for cues like this, or is it simply too different from what's traditionally collected?
Depending on the feedback, I may have the opportunity to commission additional cues from the same craftsman, even custom designed ones. Before I go down that road, I'd like to better understand whether there's genuine interest in something this different.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts, opinions, or advice. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I think it looks cool in general. Like others have said it's very busy and not going to be something the avg collector is interested in. The work isn't particularly great either and the longer you look at it the worse it gets. Many inlays are mishapen or misaligned and countless cuemakers did finer inlay work than this before anyone even heard of a CNC. I'd like to see this makers work 5 years from now if he is just getting started because this is pretty good for someone just getting going, if he's been at it awhile though I don't know how much better he will get.
 
InsertCleverNameHere said:
I think it looks cool in general. Like others have said it's very busy and not going to be something the avg collector is interested in. The work isn't particularly great either and the longer you look at it the worse it gets. Many inlays are mishapen or misaligned and countless cuemakers did finer inlay work than this before anyone even heard of a CNC. I'd like to see this makers work 5 years from now if he is just getting started because this is pretty good for someone just getting going, if he's been at it awhile though I don't know how much better he will get.
Click to expand...
Its attraction is as a curio piece but not as a player. Is it cored? What's the taper like? Type of joint? Its these types of questions that players are interested in. all this funky inlay is cool i guess but i would have zero interest in one, i think the market is going to pretty small and specific.
 
In my world I would ask person who started this point two questions.

Can you make Ball fall & Control Cues Ball with your new Cue?

Do you personally like the Cues appearance & how it plays.

If so you need no blessing from others.

IMHO your Cue is different, some time different is better then boring.
 
  • Has anyone seen another cue with this style or level of hand inlay work?

    Exactly like this style? No. But other cues with a similar amount of work in them, yes many.

  • Does this resemble the work of anyone else, or is it fairly unique?

    To be honest, the type of work done in this cue reminds me a lot of antique furniture.

  • If something like this were to be offered for sale, how would you go about valuing it?

    Being brutally honest, the quality level of the inlay work is more then acceptable for furniture, but not even close to the level needed to get any kind of decent money for a cue. I can't see many people paying more then a couple hundred bucks for it. if that.

  • Is there a market for cues like this, or is it simply too different from what's traditionally collected?

    I don't think there is a real market for them due to the quality of the work.
 
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