What has happened to quality at Schon?

Shawn Armstrong said:

It pains me to write this thread. I have been a longtime fan of Schon. I recently took delivery of a new Schon about two months ago. When I got it, I noticed some issues with the joint. The pin wasn't installed on center. Now, if this was a $200 cue, I wouldn't complain. A $1k cue? Yeah, that's not gonna fly. It's to the point that an aftermarket shaft won't fit correctly. I have to send the cue to Schon to have it looked at, and there's no guarantee that they'll fix it, as John has told me they only make sure that their own shafts fit their cues. For the record, the Mezz HP2 fits dead center on all of my other cues except the 2 Schons I'm talking about in this thread.

I just got a second Schon tonight. The beloved Skull cue I've been wanting for years. Cue arrives, and I immediately notice the joint facing is off on the shaft. When I inspected the cue, I notice that the wrap section is actually reverse tapered for the first inch and a half. The diameter of the handle actually gets smaller for the first inch. Then gets larger. I'm most likely going to have to get the wrap redone with leather to get rid of the awkward step in the wrap.

Buyer beware. The operation has really slid since Evan left the shop. These will be the last Schons I ever own. Too many great cues out there for less money, with better workmanship. Even Mezz and Predator are offering better products at a more reasonable price. It's a sad day.

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It is odd that Schon does not have great craftsman (with a lot of cue making experience) working at their shop.

It would be interesting to learn how many people actually do the cue making for Schon.

Probably the same group of guys who worked under Evan Clarke?

They must have learned a lot from him, over a long period of time, working with him.

Even in a cue that only retails for $200 (like a Joss sneaky for example, but they are probably a little over $200 these days), I bet that other brand shafts (like a Mezz, OB, or Predator) would fit them just fine.

That is crazy. Their stuff is usually very nice...or it used to be anyway.

That really sucks. I got a new one a few months back from Seyberts, and (except for the absolutly embarrassing re-wrap that they performed) its perfect. Also had a shaft made by Mike G. that fits perfect.

Fellas
fellas

Schon is a great company,famous for quality

I was very close to Bob Runde(still am)
then I had a great relationship with evan Clark ,I quit when he left

No particular reaso,John was a very friendly person 2nd in command with over 15 years cue making

He studied under the masters Terry,Bob and Evan

Recently I got back in touch with Schon,I just ordered 12 shafts and 3 cues,I wanted to order 30 high end cues but John turned down my business because he had too many obligations tohis existing customers

I bet the quality is the same as before,people talked this way when Runde left,Evan was possibly the best cue maker in the country but he lived in the shadow of Bob Runde.

I remember when the fans booed Mickey Mantle when Di Maggio retired


Now John is in charge,he is as good as the others,lets not lose faith or worse destroy a well earned reputation over rumor etc

so what if a guy has a cue with something wrong from a good maker,it happens
But my bet is that they will make it right

I know because John made a mistake on one of my orders,I brought it to his attention
and he took care of it right away

I have had troubles with a Barry wrap,he fixed it,even Larry Vigus sent me a cue with a finish problem
(now he is the best in the world with finish ),he fixed it >Mistakes occur

For my money schon is still one of the very best cue makers in the world

in fact I am playing one now

One thing about pool players,they love to find fault,whine and blame.
Lets not be quick to jump on Schon,why try to ruin a good man like John,
he is one of the best cue makers I have ever known

Better than Runde or Clark?
No

But in their league,and that, my friends, is"The Major Leagues "

Very disappointing. I have a couple of Schons from the different eras. I do want a hoppe model but, for the price, I would buy a used custom.

Mezz cues are a much better choice for a production cue. Their designs do not do much for me, but their precision cannot be questioned.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk

Dead money,you are dead on the money
This knocking is crazy and people who don't know come here from sickem set themselves out as experts here on this forum every day

One thing AZ is famous for is
people acting like experts when they don't know what they are talking about

This is why most cue makers don't post on here

Most of the famous ones

If the schon shaft, that came with the cue, fits fine then I don't see how that is schon's quality issue unless you sent them your shaft to mate to the cue.

I don't ask ford, chevy, or dodge to make sure my after market wheels and tires, wiper blades, or anything else I buy fits on their trucks after all.

IMO, Two months is a long time to wait on a pin set off-center, as you noticed it upon inspection.

Does your other Schon shaft fit the butt correctly and roll straight?

I hope Schon can work it to your satisfaction.

Shawn Armstrong said:

It pains me to write this thread. I have been a longtime fan of Schon. I recently took delivery of a new Schon about two months ago. When I got it, I noticed some issues with the joint. The pin wasn't installed on center. Now, if this was a $200 cue, I wouldn't complain. A $1k cue? Yeah, that's not gonna fly. It's to the point that an aftermarket shaft won't fit correctly. I have to send the cue to Schon to have it looked at, and there's no guarantee that they'll fix it, as John has told me they only make sure that their own shafts fit their cues. For the record, the Mezz HP2 fits dead center on all of my other cues except the 2 Schons I'm talking about in this thread.

I just got a second Schon tonight. The beloved Skull cue I've been wanting for years. Cue arrives, and I immediately notice the joint facing is off on the shaft. When I inspected the cue, I notice that the wrap section is actually reverse tapered for the first inch and a half. The diameter of the handle actually gets smaller for the first inch. Then gets larger. I'm most likely going to have to get the wrap redone with leather to get rid of the awkward step in the wrap.

Buyer beware. The operation has really slid since Evan left the shop. These will be the last Schons I ever own. Too many great cues out there for less money, with better workmanship. Even Mezz and Predator are offering better products at a more reasonable price. It's a sad day.

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An off center pin is inexcusable...period. I doubt that this is the beginning of a new cue manufacturing "standard".

Don't allow anyone to make you feel as though you have no right to post your personal experience, whether good or bad. You are absolutely within your rights and many here appreciate the knowledge.

Hopefully, and I believe they will, Schon will make it right, as they have always been a reputable and quality company.

Shawn Armstrong said:

There are two ways you can match shafts to a cue. One way - build a cue on center - this way, shafts are interchangeable. Mezz does this. Lucasi does this. Predator does this. The other way is to build the cue, then match the shaft to the cue at the end of the process. This is great...until you try to put an aftermarket shaft on your cue, or your shaft needs the joint refaced. Then, you end up with a shaft that isn't concentrically centered on the butt.

Seems that Schon does it the second way now. It means the shaft you get with the cue when you buy it, matches the cue. Any other 5/16-14 thread shaft I have is lopsided on the cue - Mezz, EDC, Jacoby, etc.

I've already returned the skull cue to the dealer. The undersized wrap section, to me, speaks of an issue when they cut the wrap, and I don't really want to find out what they did. The STL, I'll send to John to see what he does with it. When I get it back, I'm selling it. I'm done with this company. And to Dean, I've actually made cues. And continue to repair cues. I'm not some know it all that knows how to order cues. I actually work on them, still. I may be a little bit of a perfectionist, but for $1000, I expect quality. I don't see mistakes like this on a $300 Lucasi.

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If you're going to order a production cue, stick to Mezz or their top of the line Exceed line (if you don't mind waiting) and you won't be disappointed. I've never received a new one of either without being 100% impressed with the quality of workmanship.

Shawn Armstrong said:

There are two ways you can match shafts to a cue. One way - build a cue on center - this way, shafts are interchangeable. Mezz does this. Lucasi does this. Predator does this. The other way is to build the cue, then match the shaft to the cue at the end of the process. This is great...until you try to put an aftermarket shaft on your cue, or your shaft needs the joint refaced. Then, you end up with a shaft that isn't concentrically centered on the butt.

Seems that Schon does it the second way now. It means the shaft you get with the cue when you buy it, matches the cue. Any other 5/16-14 thread shaft I have is lopsided on the cue - Mezz, EDC, Jacoby, etc.

I've already returned the skull cue to the dealer. The undersized wrap section, to me, speaks of an issue when they cut the wrap, and I don't really want to find out what they did. The STL, I'll send to John to see what he does with it. When I get it back, I'm selling it. I'm done with this company. And to Dean, I've actually made cues. And continue to repair cues. I'm not some know it all that knows how to order cues. I actually work on them, still. I may be a little bit of a perfectionist, but for $1000, I expect quality. I don't see mistakes like this on a $300 Lucasi.

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fyi lol....
ive seen lucasi shafts that run well over 200 be off center.....i thought it was pretty awesome

Untill I read more stories like this, I'm with Dean on this one. Mistakes do happen, even on expensive stuff. It's the manner they're corrected that's he true test.
Schön has had some big changes the last few years and it might take some time to get back in the groove?

cubswin said:

If the schon shaft, that came with the cue, fits fine then I don't see how that is schon's quality issue unless you sent them your shaft to mate to the cue.

I don't ask ford, chevy, or dodge to make sure my after market wheels and tires, wiper blades, or anything else I buy fits on their trucks after all.

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Where is the Like button? Good post.

jimmyg said:

An off center pin is inexcusable...period. I doubt that this is the beginning of a new cue manufacturing "standard".

Don't allow anyone to make you feel as though you have no right to post your personal experience, whether good or bad. You are absolutely within your rights and many here appreciate the knowledge.

Hopefully, and I believe they will, Schon will make it right, as they have always been a reputable and quality company.

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Yeah, the OP made a very good point. There is no excuse for that type of off center issue in a cue that cost $1,000. For that kind of money, there really should not have been any kind of issues. I imagine that it only takes 1 bad mistake to hurt a cue makers reputation. Schon does not have to worry about that though, because they have had such a great rep for such a long time. Hopefully they are willing to repair the off center issue (for the OP's Schon), or rebuild the entire cue, if that is what needs to be done.

ChrisinNC said:

If you're going to order a production cue, stick to Mezz or their top of the line Exceed line (if you don't mind waiting) and you won't be disappointed. I've never received a new one of either without being 100% impressed with the quality of workmanship.

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Yeah, Mezz is the best, but for someone who is a long time fan of Schon cues, they may not be happy with a Mezz. They are very different, when it comes to the hit. For someone who likes the hit of a Schon, then Schon is really their only option.

Kim Bye said:

Untill I read more stories like this, I'm with Dean on this one. Mistakes do happen, even on expensive stuff. It's the manner they're corrected that's he true test.
Schön has had some big changes the last few years and it might take some time to get back in the groove?

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Yeah, mistakes happen, but only when the cue maker is careless about inspecting the cue very well before shipping to the customer. An off center joint should have been noticed by a cue maker like Schon. Mistakes like this should not happen, for such a reputable company like Schon. I feel that is it just laziness, or carelessness, or I do not know, but for a $1,000, I would expect the cue to be perfect, with no issues.

My favorite cue maker growing up was, Mike Durbin, and I heard that he is a perfectionist when it comes to building cues. I heard a story (a long time ago) about him tossing a cue in the trash if he did not feel it was perfect, and he would not ship to the customer until he felt that it was perfect in every way.

One thing I don't quite understand in all of this: how come the 2 Schon shafts fit when the joint is off-center? This would mean that they fit in exactly the "tight" position but that they would show "wobble" while you're screwing them on the butt, right?

cubswin said:

If the schon shaft, that came with the cue, fits fine then I don't see how that is schon's quality issue unless you sent them your shaft to mate to the cue.

I don't ask ford, chevy, or dodge to make sure my after market wheels and tires, wiper blades, or anything else I buy fits on their trucks after all.

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Thats what I was thinking.. it’s not thier job to make sure a mezz shaft fits properly. If their shaft fits correctly they made it correctly.