Very very nice! I think your cues get better all the time! And they were already great in the beginning!
Even thinner splices, even better ringwork - even more beautiful to behold!
Hmm, maybe the front of the shaft had been damaged severely and someone cut it off and tried to compensate for it with this monstrous ferrule? That's what it looks like to me. So I wouldn't consider the ferrule too much of a big deal. Of course I could be completely wrong :grin:
I've installed many tips and I firmly believe that it doesn't matter on which side you glue them on.
So I'd just glue it "upside down".
Well heck, I usually pick the side at random anyways :p !
I think the joke is that they are actually playing with a 1-piece massive ebony cue :grin:
Hmm... let me guess...
The only way to get a cue that is quite that hard nowadays, is to order a Komarov. So maybe the maker was an ancestor of you :wink: ?
I think the cue itself looks great! Very nice inlays and a great BEM forearm!
But , to be honest, I would consider rewrapping it with a normal wrap. IMHO the characters didn't come out all too well.