Need help with "Lou Butera" cue ID

brentinps

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi,

I’ve looked all over the Internet and can’t seem to find any info on my cue. I originally purchased it from a AAA billiards store in Beverly hills, CA. It is not a “Hall of Fame’ cue and predates them. It may have been Butera’s first foray into cue making.

REcent contact with AAAand speaking to the father of the owner who is the one that likely sold it to me, he was unable to recall the manufacturer.

I purchased it most likely in the late 80's or early nineties. I was looking for a good entry cue and it was a new line that was named "Lou Butera." The salesman told me Lou had just started making these cues and he could give me a great price on them. It came with 2 pro-taper shafts, brass fittings, and I loved the design which was pretty simple. Bought it for $150.... didn't know a lot about cues, or even tried any, but seemed like a great deal in comparison to others.

It is light carmel-colored Birdseye; white linen on the butt, with slight black speckling. The base of the cue has Lou's signature imprinted on it. It is basic, except there are a couple of approx. 3/8 inch black plastic rings with hairline oyster/pearlized lines on either side of the linen wrap.

I have been most pleased with it, but can't find it in any blue book or online anywhere. At one point I think I saw a pretty good if not exact design copy by Adams, but that one was not signed/embossed with Lou Butera on the base. A certified master cue builder, Ned Morris, who builds cues as well as restores them, did some work on it last week (making the shaft low deflection, improved ferrule and new tip), and tried to identify the manufacturer. He advised me that it was a typical merry widow design, did not think it was an Adams, but using the blue book and his experience he was unable to help ID it. He did tell and show me that the original ferrule was screwed into the cue with as it was attached to a metal screw…..and that Viking used to do that.

It is 5/16 x18 w brass fittings. The shaft opening has a brass lip that sticks out a bit.

After reading about Lou, I’m sure that he would not put his name on just anything that was not done top notch, and probably would have had an American manufacturer in my thinking.

Another person thought it may be a Huebler, but contacting them was not possible and the distributor could not help me.

I tried to get an answer from Sal Butera on Facebook but was not successful.

Anyone know anything about this particular cue I have? Were many of them made?

Pictures are attached.

Thank you,

Brentinps
 

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scdiveteam

Rick Geschrey
Silver Member
Hi,

I believe it is a replica of Lou's Schrager Cue that was a production model made by The Rich Cue Company.

My friend worked in Bert's shop when Lou got the Rich company deal after he went HOF.

Rick
 

pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi,

I’ve looked all over the Internet and can’t seem to find any info on my cue. I originally purchased it from a AAA billiards store in Beverly hills, CA. It is not a “Hall of Fame’ cue and predates them. It may have been Butera’s first foray into cue making.

REcent contact with AAAand speaking to the father of the owner who is the one that likely sold it to me, he was unable to recall the manufacturer.

I purchased it most likely in the late 80's or early nineties. I was looking for a good entry cue and it was a new line that was named "Lou Butera." The salesman told me Lou had just started making these cues and he could give me a great price on them. It came with 2 pro-taper shafts, brass fittings, and I loved the design which was pretty simple. Bought it for $150.... didn't know a lot about cues, or even tried any, but seemed like a great deal in comparison to others.

It is light carmel-colored Birdseye; white linen on the butt, with slight black speckling. The base of the cue has Lou's signature imprinted on it. It is basic, except there are a couple of approx. 3/8 inch black plastic rings with hairline oyster/pearlized lines on either side of the linen wrap.

I have been most pleased with it, but can't find it in any blue book or online anywhere. At one point I think I saw a pretty good if not exact design copy by Adams, but that one was not signed/embossed with Lou Butera on the base. A certified master cue builder, Ned Morris, who builds cues as well as restores them, did some work on it last week (making the shaft low deflection, improved ferrule and new tip), and tried to identify the manufacturer. He advised me that it was a typical merry widow design, did not think it was an Adams, but using the blue book and his experience he was unable to help ID it. He did tell and show me that the original ferrule was screwed into the cue with as it was attached to a metal screw…..and that Viking used to do that.

It is 5/16 x18 w brass fittings. The shaft opening has a brass lip that sticks out a bit.

After reading about Lou, I’m sure that he would not put his name on just anything that was not done top notch, and probably would have had an American manufacturer in my thinking.

Another person thought it may be a Huebler, but contacting them was not possible and the distributor could not help me.

I tried to get an answer from Sal Butera on Facebook but was not successful.

Anyone know anything about this particular cue I have? Were many of them made?

Pictures are attached.

Thank you,

Brentinps

First off, there is zero chance Lou made this cue.

Blame the salesman for his 'creative' explaination.
Lou is as stand up a guy as you will ever meet, and would never - IMHO -
engage in such nonsense.

I would agree with scdiveteam a bit. I wouldn't have guessed Rich, looks
too smooth for them, seems more like an Adam to me - but that is all
conjecture. I think there was a line of several models. And, it seems to
me he had a signature line in the late 70s, so it is not impossible this
is one of them.

Need to re-awaken a few more memory cells:)

Dale
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
First off, there is zero chance Lou made this cue.

Blame the salesman for his 'creative' explaination.
Lou is as stand up a guy as you will ever meet, and would never - IMHO -
engage in such nonsense.

I would agree with scdiveteam a bit. I wouldn't have guessed Rich, looks
too smooth for them, seems more like an Adam to me - but that is all
conjecture. I think there was a line of several models. And, it seems to
me he had a signature line in the late 70s, so it is not impossible this
is one of them.

Need to re-awaken a few more memory cells:)

Dale

Would Dale Patten be a possibility.
 

pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Would Dale Patten be a possibility.

Your guess is prolly better than mine.

I recall seeing Lou at an exhibition circa 77 - 78. It was the height of the
Lou Butera Tip Tapper era:). there was a question asked about his cues to
which he replied something like - I am glad to recommend any well made
Billiard product that is mfg'd in America - or words to that effect.

That why I wonder about Adam - buit the OPs cue is likely from a
later date.

To me it is also suggestive of a Tad. Tho he won his World title with a
Schrager, I thought that cue had an ivory joint. I know when I had a cue
built by Bert about 2 years later, I practicallu had to take hostages to get
him to put a stainless(he actually used Nickel Silver) joint on it.

Dale
 
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brentinps

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thank you for your answers.

But I bought my cue prior to the hall of fame Butera cues. The link demonstrates a icon likeness of Lou.. and I have his "signature" imprinted on the cue.

Given my reading on Lou.. it would have to be american made.
 

brentinps

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, I spoke to competition sports as they represent adams cues. They saw the pics and said it is not an adams. I looked into helmstetter but could not find one that looked like my cue. I found out it is not a heubler. I have a couple of Rich Q's from my childhood, and it seemed to not have the same quality as this Butera Cue.
 
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