Dumb question one and two...

jamnut said:

Okay, here are my first two dumb questions!:

1. Is a cue technically the bottom, say, half of a "cue", and the top is the shaft? I see on the Schmelke site, for example, that they call the bottom a cue, and you can get the shaft (ha) you like.

2. What is the deal with "Sneaky Pete" cues, are they supposed to look like house cues, to throw off opponents?

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1) The cue is the entire pool stick, The butt is the bottom half of the cue, the shaft is the top half of the cue. Butt + Shaft = Cue

2) Sneaky Pete cues are supposed to look like house cues, of course not all of them do.
Some players even go as far as to scuff up sneaky pete cues just to make them look like a old beat up house cue.

jamnut said:

Thanks ChicagoJay.

Do the Sneaky Pete's really work, or can you tell after a few shots that that shooter really knows what they are doing? Or is the idea to prevent cue theft?

Is that Woody shooting in your Avatar, or is it the Thrush Woodpecker?

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Sneaky Pete cues have there purpose. Some use them to hustle, some just use them because they like the plain look of the cue without all the bells and whistles. Could be a bunch of different reasons. You should be able to tell if someone is good or not by the way they play, unless they are hiding the way they play for a reason.

jamnut said:

Okay, here are my first two dumb questions!:

1. Is a cue technically the bottom, say, half of a "cue", and the top is the shaft? I see on the Schmelke site, for example, that they call the bottom a cue, and you can get the shaft (ha) you like.

2. What is the deal with "Sneaky Pete" cues, are they supposed to look like house cues, to throw off opponents?

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What ChicagoJay says plus a sneaky pete is usually a FULL SPLICE cue,the ones from Schmelke is and it is a GREAT bargain. If you are new/beginner it will be hard to beat a Schmelke sneaky. Good luck !!!

Schmelkes are fine. As good a cue to start with as any.
Sneaky Pete's, besides their reputation as a hustlers cue, are relatively inexpensive. My guess is that's reason enough for so many players owning them.
You're doing good jamnut. :smile:

If you want to get a sneaky pete because you like the classic house cue look then it is all good but if you get one to throw your opponent into thinking that you're just a ball banger then...tsk tsk tsk.

The problem with a sneaky pete is that most players that I know who use one, including myself, carry it in a case. The fact that you do is a dead giveaway that its not a regular house cue. The other problem with a sneaky pete is that it does look like a regular house cue. If you put it down for a moment, someone might accidentally take it. You have to prove it to them that its yours and not the house's! Most experienced players will be able to tell how well you play by watching you. Your shot selection, cueball control, demeanor, bridging, etc. The cue you use is not really a good indicator of your ability. Efren supposedly used a $15 cue during a tournament I'm sure you dont doubt his skillset. ;-)

Not hand made

jamnut said:

Both my wife and I would like to get Schmelkes, because they are handmade in Wisconsin, have a good reputation, and seem like good value for the money.
I don't want to start "cue wars" here, so I"ll just be quiet!

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Schmelkes cues are not hand made and they are considered a production cue .

I like Schmelkes cues ...

Sneaky Pete's .
Inherent weak spot or place on all non collared cues is the joint area .
Prone to breaking or cracked joint..

You can tell how good a player is by his stroke ........ not by his cue he is using .
There is a far share of Sneak Pete owners that have zero business playing for money.
They watch the some movie , bought some hair grease cut some bar cue in half and changed there name to slick .

The cue doesn't make the player.

There is only a few reasons to own a sneaky Pete .
You have a lathe and its very easy to cut a bar cue in half and make your own personal cue .....................
They are cheap
You think you can sneak the cue in without anyone noticing.

You like the looks and some play pretty descent.

I make them, but I try using best grade of shaft wood as possible .
I don't like making them without a collar because I cannot warranty the cue that the joint will not crack ...........<<<<<<<<<
And I would check with anyone you buy a cue from because allot of cue companies will not warranty collarless jointed cues .............


A cue is a stick that hits the balls around ............................that's it .
Good players get noticed regardless of the cue they own or play with.

Schmelkes cue is a very good choice for your first cue .
Buying your first cue without a collar and expecting the Joint not to crack is a roll of the dice with the odds against you .....IMO

You can get a Sneaky Pete with joint collars, just will not look like a real sneaky pete

What's your total budget for your cue and your wife's?

jamnut said:

Thanks ChicagoJay.

Do the Sneaky Pete's really work, or can you tell after a few shots that that shooter really knows what they are doing?

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No they do not work as you can watch a player play for about 2 minutes and see how good they are.

If you see someone shooting well and notice they have a "house cue", the next thing you notice is the split between the butt and shaft indicating it is a sneaky pete.

I personally don't like them as unfamiliar people may grab it if they see it thinking it is a house cue.

I really like Sneaky's but not for the reason of fooling anyone. Around eight years ago I told myself that, hey I'm retired and can afford it so I want one nice cue before I die. I buy a very nice Schon with an IV shaft and a 314. Cost about a G. But the fact is I don't play a $1,000 game. I was embarrassed to take it out of my basement.

I also developed a loose grip and a linen wrapped cue would slide a bit on each stroke. So I went with a Sneaky which stayed in the hand and felt perfect. It did not look pretentious either.

Now that's all I play with. I have two Frey's that would fool no one because of the beautiful wood and a McDermott, that in fact could fool people because the wood is so plain. One Frey is collarless so I keep it close to home because of the chance of splitting. The McDermott has a brass insert and so far so good. Big pins and wood to wood joints have different harmonics than heavy metal joints and I like the feel. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

jamnut said:

Okay, here are my first two dumb questions!:

1. Is a cue technically the bottom, say, half of a "cue", and the top is the shaft? I see on the Schmelke site, for example, that they call the bottom a cue, and you can get the shaft (ha) you like.

2. What is the deal with "Sneaky Pete" cues, are they supposed to look like house cues, to throw off opponents?

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#1 the bottom half of a cue is called the Butt or Handle. They are just letting you know a cue can have different shaft options.
#2 Sneaky Petes were originally done to look like house cues for the gamblers to be able to sneak up on their opponents without scaring them off with a more expensive looking cue. It eventually backfired and that little blue line that shows a well played joint became a warning sign to people to watch out for that player. The sneakies are a bad idea as so many shafts have split because of the lack of a joint ring to give extra strength. The butt construction of bar cue is called a full splice and in the right combinations of wood and tapers they can make great playing cues. I make a lot of full splice cues for that reason.

The best Sneaky Pete is a Miller Lite cue, a UPS uniform and a fist-bridge.

Today's sneaky petes aren't going to fool anyone.

bdorman said:

The best Sneaky Pete is a Miller Lite cue, a UPS uniform and a fist-bridge.

Today's sneaky petes aren't going to fool anyone.

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In the 80's I heard of cuemakers taking the Budweiser and Miller cues and making good shafts for them and reworking the joints just for hustler cues.

jamnut said:

Both my wife and I would like to get Schmelkes, because they are handmade in Wisconsin, have a good reputation, and seem like good value for the money.
I don't want to start "cue wars" here, so I"ll just be quiet!

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No cue wars here. I have 3 Schmelke Sneakies. Good cues. Can be a starter cue or use for a lifetime. Schmelke's customer service is outstanding. Do not let anyone talk you out of buying them.

Problem with SneakyPete's is they get stolen or at least picked up a lot by bar players (if you're playing in a bar) because they just look like nice house cues.

I had one once and it was a pain constantly telling people that it was my cue and to put it down...

"Oh oh...'your' cue eh? Lol, this guy thinks he's the only one that can use this house cue. Whatever buddy!"

"No no dude, I mean it's MY cue, like I own it. I brought it from home"

"Lol...this guy brings his own house cue from home lol...that really does make it a house cue! Probably brings his own chalk too!"

"No no...I mean...I do bring chalk...but that's not the point...I...I wanted a good cue to...I'm just trying to practice over here man...I gotta...Ok...can I have my cue though?"

:grin:

jamnut said:

Okay, here are my first two dumb questions!:

1. Is a cue technically the bottom, say, half of a "cue", and the top is the shaft? I see on the Schmelke site, for example, that they call the bottom a cue, and you can get the shaft (ha) you like.

2. What is the deal with "Sneaky Pete" cues, are they supposed to look like house cues, to throw off opponents?

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Butt and shaft is a common way of refering to the two halves.
A sneaky Pete is as you say, it's meant to look like a house cue.
Lots of players like the elegance of a clean, simple cue and order "fancy" Sneaky Petes, maybe some cool ringwork, a hoppe ring or stuff like that