First time today with a Tim Scruggs Cue!

johnnysd said:

The odds on CA doing anything to crack down on you buying a single cue with ivory ferrules or ivory joint is basically zero.

How do you know if a Scuggs sneaky was actually made by Tim and not Bob? Are there different markings?

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deanoc said:

"the cue is not a sneaky pete"

well after years around cues i discover that a sneaky pete is not a sneaky pete

To me and most everyone i know a sneaky pete is a generic name for a cue
made out of a one piece cue

I suppose there are some who like to apply this term sneaky only to those cues that look like they still are
a 1 piece cue

To them if it has a joint,bands,butt cap, orany other thing but dead plain it is not a sneaky pete

I can understand them thinking that,but why insist on their narrow definition and interject it
into a thread where a fellow has a Tim Scruggs cue that Tim himself decscribed to me as a sneaky pete even if it had a steel joint

Tim insisted on screwing the ferrules on,if memory serves,he once slent a phone call with me describing how he did it

any way i never realized the question was "is this a sneaky pete"

Bob Frey still makes wonderful cues and last time i talked to him
he was making sneaky petes the same way as he always did

Some fruitcakes had tried to knock his work for some esoteric reason that only an AZ nit could ever think of and it was discouraging to Bob.i guessed thart some people just like to knock

Knockers knock,losers lose and winners win,but seldom do winners knock

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mikemosconi said:

Thanks for the support- the minute I started hitting with this cue I knew it was something special- I did not realize Tim's history with this style of cue - but I am believing everything I have been told about the way this particular wood/joint/ivory ferrule/tip combination was meant to play- it sure does! Two weeks now with this cue and I can say for sure it is the best player ever in my hands in 55 years of play!

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Mensabum said:

Mike, apologies for the reply to an old post, but I have my reasons.
I was recently offered a Scruggs sneaky.
Rosewood and 3 shafts.
Looks legit, but when I zoomed in on the joints I could count the grain lines in the shaft ends.
Prob is, the size of the 3 shafts is odd. 11.8mm and 12.3mm and some other thing just shy of 13mm. Anyhoo, the grain count was 6 in one shaft and possibly 8 in another. My question being, isn't that a low number for grains in a Scruggs shaft?? I'd heard that Tim tosses any blanks that aren't 10 and above in the 2nd's bin.
I'd like to buy this cue, but these things concern me greatly.
I can't see the cue in person as it's cross country, but it looks legit except for the aforementioned.
Any advice or info you could shed on this for me would be greatly appreciated. Or point me in the direction of someone who could say for sure. I just want a cue that hits like a Scruggs. Not for collecting. Not sure how grain count affects this, but one of my other Scruggs has 14 grains in shaft, the other has 12. Please advise.
Thanks in advance and I owe you one.

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mikemosconi said:

I see that many TS SPs have smaller diameter shafts - not sure why - doubt they are all TS shafts- folks usually don’t play with 11.8 And 13 mm shafts - also Bob Frey made many TS SPs - not sure if they were as concerned with TS shaft choices.

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alstl said:

Just trying to help. Someone wondered if it was made by Tim Scruggs or Bob Frey because Bob Frey made sneaky Petes for Tim Scruggs.

Bob Frey is still around. Perhaps he could be contacted and shown the cue. it does look like brand new cues on his website. Perhaps he did make it. His cues are reasonably priced and play good. I wouldn't mind owning a new one.

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Black-Balled said:

Frey made all the TS sneakys for like a decade+, as I recall.

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mikemosconi said:

So, just a little background, I have been playing for 55 years, collecting cues for 20 years, and settled in on five customs- now 6 with my new Scruggs- after owning maybe 50+ customs and high end productions over the years. I still run 40s in 14.1 regularly and can run multiple 9 ball racks. Old school as I do not play with any LD/ CF shafts- only the maple shafts that come with my cues. My "go to" player is my Richard Black "Split Diamond" model from 2003 that I bought directly from Richard Black. Some of my customs have included: Capone, JW, Gilbert,Skip Weston, Drzuricky, Palmer, Rambow, Gracio, Downey, etc.

I have always heard such great things about Tim Scruggs cues- how they play- and last week I bought one - I just had to see for myself! My cue arrived on Sat., but I could not get to a table until today- many of you can appreciate the anticipation this weekend- waiting for Monday to arrive- all weekend my thoughts just kept going back to being at the table and hoping the cue would not disappoint!

Well this morning came and I admit- I was like a seven year old on Christmas morning! When I got to a table this morning and began screwing the cue together, as with EVERY custom cue I ever owned, the anticipation as to how it would play is almost overwhelming. ALWAYS hoping that this new cue will be the BEST I ever played!

Well- I can cheerfully say tonight that Tim Scruggs makes one hell of a great playing cue- in my opinion. The cue has great balance and moves through my bridge hand like a sharp knife through soft butter. The hit was crisp, but just soft enough to give back great feedback on the follow through as the cue tip leaves the cue ball. Draw and follow were effortless. I preformed the standard deflection tests and this cue showed virtually NO deflection on a center ball right or left english application- the cue ball continued to strike the center of the object ball at the end of the table on a straight shot.

This Scruggs cue is a "FANCY" SP - or you could just call it a four point full splice cue with a Bocote wood base into a straight grain maple forearm. It has a black butt cap and black joint collars. The joint is Piloted Ivory 5/16 14 joint screw. Standard Scruggs maple shaft with an ivory ferrule and what looks like a Triangle tip. 12.75 MM tip and total weight of 19.3ounces at 58 1/2 inches. The cue is in mint/like new condition- like it hit maybe a few racks at one time.
I am a BELIEVER in Scruggs cues as per my personal experience today! This one is a keeper and a player!

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mikemosconi said:

I don't know if Bob made it- it has a TS logo on the bottom - so whatever, it plays great! this may very well be my first choice in a game of consequence at this point. I wonder if the PILOTED ivory joint makes a difference in how well it plays? The shaft screws in very tight into the ivory joint.

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Mensabum said:

What a beauty!! I hate you. Lol. Wish I could get my hands on one.
If you don't mind my asking, what was the approx price on that Axe??

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mikemosconi said:

I would value a TS SP with bocote butt and ivory joint with original full 12.5 to 13mm ivory ferrule shaft in excellent straight condition at $1200 to $1600

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Bavafongoul said:

I am still looking for a TS sneaky, fancy or otherwise, as long as it’s between 18 and 19 oz. and the shaft has to weigh
3.7 ozs. or heavier which shouldn’t be too tough since Tim built wonderful pool cues. My TS plays so well that I am tempted when I play with it to wonder whether it’s time to trim my collection since I don’t own a cue that plays better than my Scruggs.

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