The best way to order a custom cue IMO

johnnysd · Jul 21, 2020

I think that most people order a custom cue, they dictate almost the entire design to the cuemaker. In addition to the playing specs, they detail the woods, the inlays, type of joint, ring design, wrap, etc...

I think this is a great way to order a custom cue. You get exactly what you want, you are involved in the design process and the cue is unique to you. I would never criticize someone for taking this path.

Some cue makers are willing to be collaborative in this process and that leads to a better experience and design.

But for many cuemakers (and a few have told me this directly) is that sort of cue making can be sort of mundane and not the best utilization of the cuemakers skills.

Certainly some cuemakers like Tascarella only want to make a cue to your exact specs, and I found designing my Tasc was pretty difficult.

The other way to get a custom cue, and the one I think leads to the best result is to let the cue maker do the design for you.

If you think about it cue makers are also artists and they know far more about artistic cue design, what works well and what doesn't, how to achieve balance, how to make it more unique.

I have received a good number of cues over the years and have provided varying levels of guidance in terms of cue designs. I think the ones that have turned out the best are the ones where I provided the least direction to the cue maker.

Dan Janes made me a cue where my only direction (outside of specs) was to use cocobolo and an overall budget.

Mike Lambros made a terrific MW cue for me also with just cocobolo as the sole direction.

Richard Black made a lovely traditional cue where all I asked for was something similar in appearance to a Balabushka and an overall budget.

Jeff Olney made an awesome cue for me with literally no direction at all.

I provided just an inlay design to Alan Phelps (highly recommended by the way) and he made a really unique and interesting cue for me with some of the neatest rings outside a Barenbrugge I have ever seen.

My experience is that not only do you get a gorgeous cue but you also get more cue for your money. I think it is a more enjoyable exercise for the cue maker and without restraints they make something really special.

So my recommendation is that unless you have your mind set on something very specific try and give the cuemaker the least guidance possible and you will get a better more special cue

I have 2 cues in progress right now, both on the opposite ends of the spectrum

One is a Merry Widow form Josh Treadway. He chose the main wood, a super interesting piece of Arctic birch, and then I asked it to be paired with a Tulipwood handle. When he asked me what I would like in rings I spent a day designing my own ring pattern which is pretty neat IMO, but pretty complex, but Josh liked it and is making it, so that design is largely my own.

The second is from Paul Drexler and the only direction I gave him at all was "to use three woods with none of them being ebony or a really light wood like holly" That's it. Every other element of the design is up to him. I gave him a reasonably good sized budget and he seems to be pretty excited to do it.

Will be interesting to see which turns out better.

Just a thought I figured I would share to everyone hoping it has some value.

measureman · Jul 21, 2020

Back in the old days with Gus Szamboti who came to the pool room I hung out in.
A lot of guys would ask Gus to make a cue.
Gus would ask what do you want?
Most would say I've got $xxx make what you want Gus.
A standard Gus cue was $425.00 2 shafts 59" with Ivory ferrules back then.
I never saw an ugly Gus cue and I saw a bunch.

johnnysd · Jul 21, 2020

measureman said:
Back in the old days with Gus Szamboti who came to the pool room I hung out in.
A lot of guys would ask Gus to make a cue.
Gus would ask what do you want?
Most would say I've got $xxx make what you want Gus.
A standard Gus cue was $425.00 2 shafts 59" with Ivory ferrules back then.
I never saw an ugly Gus cue and I saw a bunch.

Yeah that is the way do it I think. Sometimes I find it hard to contain myself from getting super involved but I think leaving it to the cue maker is the way to go.

Type79 · Jul 21, 2020

It's A Gamble

That may work for some but I would never chance it.

Every cue maker I admire and consider among my favorites have made cue designs I would never own.

Bavafongoul · Jul 21, 2020

If you want the cue maker to make the design, then don’t think of it as a custom.
Instead it is a fancy non- catalog cue the cue maker whipped out. So just go pick
one from his inventory, if he has any. If not, take ownership over your cue design.

Tell the cue-maker what you want or have in mind, and then turn him loose. At least
this way you wind up with a cue that resembles what you had in mind. It might turn
out better too. Or just buy a cue from the resale market. If you order a cue to be made,
you should work with the cue-maker to build a cue that meets your design expectations.

HQueen · Jul 21, 2020

A friend of mine wanted a new cue from me, 20 years ago he bought a sneaky pete from me but when he got married his wife ‘stole’ it.
He came to my shop, picked out the base wood Curly Walnut, and said “ Do your thing brother.”
He did not want any progress pictures. He wanted to be surprised and he was. He was more than satisfied with what I did.
He wanted a fancy cue, his budget was $400. Because he is a friend and also because he trusted me and gave me the freedom to do what I wanted I built him a cue I would normally charge $1500 for. I was happy, he was happy.

Bavafongoul · Jul 21, 2020

And your friend was very fortunate too because a cue-maker would go broke pretty fast if every customer got that arrangement.

johnnysd · Jul 21, 2020

Bavafongoul said:
If you want the cue maker to make the design, then don’t think of it as a custom.
Instead it is a fancy non- catalog cue the cue maker whipped out. So just go pick
one from his inventory, if he has any. If not, take ownership over your cue design.

Tell the cue-maker what you want or have in mind, and then turn him loose. At least
this way you wind up with a cue that resembles what you had in mind. It might turn
out better too. Or just buy a cue from the resale market. If you order a cue to be made,
you should work with the cue-maker to build a cue that meets your design expectations.

I know from other posts that you are especially particular about the designs of your cues and that is great. I know you want flat faced ivory joints and very particular about inlays and other design elements. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. A cue is a commission and you are entitled to get what you want.

But it is far from true to say that giving the cue make lots of latitude is not getting a custom cue. It is not like you are providing no direction at all. It is pretty easy to tell a cuemaker things you don't like in a design as well.

I think you would be surprised at how good designs come out this way and how aligned they are with what you like with just a few high level details.

I feel that a high end cue maker is an artist that knows way more about cue design than I do and to not avail yourself of that can be a mistake. And if a cuemaker has designed cues you do not like it is easy just to point some of those things out.

But as I said nothing wrong with prescribing every detail

Bavafongoul · Jul 22, 2020

I guess what I’m saying is that when you leave it up to the cue maker to decide everything,
you miss the opportunity to get what you might otherwise have preferred in terms of colors,
wrap or none, weights, design artistry (how much or how little) rings or no rings, type of cue
joint, shaft particulars and even wood selections. If you want to go with here‘s my money and
just surprise me, I wish that person all the best and they’ll probably be pleased with how the
cue turned out. But when I fork over my hard earned cash to get a cue, I want to minimize the
opportunity for hindsight observations that had I done this or that, how nicer the cue would be.

I’m sure Bob Owen would describe me as a hands on customer in terms of input about the build.
But after all, didn’t I hire him to build me something? I just wanted to have the final say on what
gets built which is how it should be. I am not telling him, nor am I qualified, to tell him how to build
the cue. That’s a fool’s errand because craftsmanship is entirely his domain. But appearance, the way
my cue looks, that’s my domain. And the best part is Bob works with you to make the cue look better.

Obviously, cue makers can and do produce beautiful designs on their own and I’d be delighted to own
a cue design made by some cue makers, like Joel Hercek. But if I ordered a cue from Joel, I’d still be
involved telling him what I wanted for the design and the cue’s specs. That’s the fun part of ordering a cue.

Poolplaya9 · Jul 22, 2020

johnnysd said:
But it is far from true to say that giving the cue make lots of latitude is not getting a custom cue. It is not like you are providing no direction at all. It is pretty easy to tell a cuemaker things you don't like in a design as well.

I think you would be surprised at how good designs come out this way and how aligned they are with what you like with just a few high level details.

I feel that a high end cue maker is an artist that knows way more about cue design than I do and to not avail yourself of that can be a mistake. And if a cuemaker has designed cues you do not like it is easy just to point some of those things out.

Bavafongoul said:
I guess what I’m saying is that when you leave it up to the cue maker to decide everything,
you miss the opportunity to get what you might otherwise have preferred in terms of colors,
wrap or none, weights, design artistry (how much or how little) rings or no rings, type of cue
joint, shaft particulars and even wood selections. If you want to go with here‘s my money and
just surprise me, I wish that person all the best and they’ll probably be pleased with how the
cue turned out. But when I fork over my hard earned cash to get a cue, I want to minimize the
opportunity for hindsight observations that had I done this or that, how nicer the cue would be.

I think you both have really good points. Maybe the guy that is particularly picky about things, and/or is artistic and good with design, would be better served by using Bavafongoul's method. But the guy who doesn't count artistry and design as among his strongest suits, and whose preferences don't tend to be real narrow and selective, might often be best served by going with johnnysd's suggestions.

Z-Nole · Jul 22, 2020

measureman said:
Back in the old days with Gus Szamboti who came to the pool room I hung out in.
A lot of guys would ask Gus to make a cue.
Gus would ask what do you want?
Most would say I've got $xxx make what you want Gus.
A standard Gus cue was $425.00 2 shafts 59" with Ivory ferrules back then.
I never saw an ugly Gus cue and I saw a bunch.

My Randy Mobley is an exact copy of a Gus you describe above. Actually a copy of a copy. Randy made four very similar looking copies that were exact on the spec’s. Ext to buying live bait I think I it was the easiest thing I’ve ever ordered. I met with Randy and told him what I wanted, then got a call about the time he said I would and I brought him another check and got a cue. I cringe when I hear of some of the stories dealing with cue makers. It’s so worth it to pay a little more and deal with someone with good character like Mobley.

Sealegs50 · Jul 22, 2020

My Bill Schick cue was bought used and had one shaft that was not straight. I contacted Bill to have a couple of new shafts made. Before getting too far into describing what I wanted, he suggested that I let him use his standard taper, diameter, and weight. He said would build whatever I wanted, but he has specs that he uses when the buyer does not specify those details. If I didn’t like them, he would retaper to whatever I wanted. Twenty three years later, they are still my favorite shafts.

Texas Carom Club · Jul 22, 2020

my next custom will be a bob owen

Black-Balled · Jul 22, 2020

Has anybody used scissors to carve his initials on his cue?

Seems like it is the cheapest way to make a custom cue.

johnnysd · Jul 22, 2020

Bavafongoul said:
I guess what I’m saying is that when you leave it up to the cue maker to decide everything,
you miss the opportunity to get what you might otherwise have preferred in terms of colors,
wrap or none, weights, design artistry (how much or how little) rings or no rings, type of cue
joint, shaft particulars and even wood selections. If you want to go with here‘s my money and
just surprise me, I wish that person all the best and they’ll probably be pleased with how the
cue turned out. But when I fork over my hard earned cash to get a cue, I want to minimize the
opportunity for hindsight observations that had I done this or that, how nicer the cue would be.

I’m sure Bob Owen would describe me as a hands on customer in terms of input about the build.
But after all, didn’t I hire him to build me something? I just wanted to have the final say on what
gets built which is how it should be. I am not telling him, nor am I qualified, to tell him how to build
the cue. That’s a fool’s errand because craftsmanship is entirely his domain. But appearance, the way
my cue looks, that’s my domain. And the best part is Bob works with you to make the cue look better.

Obviously, cue makers can and do produce beautiful designs on their own and I’d be delighted to own
a cue design made by some cue makers, like Joel Hercek. But if I ordered a cue from Joel, I’d still be
involved telling him what I wanted for the design and the cue’s specs. That’s the fun part of ordering a cue.

Just to clarify I am not suggesting at all that you leave the specifications of the cue up to the maker. So you would certainly describe the type of hit you like, shaft diameter, weight, butt thickness, type of wrap, and length. I am really talking about leaving appearance decisions up to the cuemaker with some light direction.

philly · Jul 22, 2020

johnnysd said:
I think that most people order a custom cue, they dictate almost the entire design to the cuemaker. In addition to the playing specs, they detail the woods, the inlays, type of joint, ring design, wrap, etc...

I think this is a great way to order a custom cue. You get exactly what you want, you are involved in the design process and the cue is unique to you. I would never criticize someone for taking this path.

Some cue makers are willing to be collaborative in this process and that leads to a better experience and design.

But for many cuemakers (and a few have told me this directly) is that sort of cue making can be sort of mundane and not the best utilization of the cuemakers skills.

Certainly some cuemakers like Tascarella only want to make a cue to your exact specs, and I found designing my Tasc was pretty difficult.

The other way to get a custom cue, and the one I think leads to the best result is to let the cue maker do the design for you.

If you think about it cue makers are also artists and they know far more about artistic cue design, what works well and what doesn't, how to achieve balance, how to make it more unique.

I have received a good number of cues over the years and have provided varying levels of guidance in terms of cue designs. I think the ones that have turned out the best are the ones where I provided the least direction to the cue maker.

Dan Janes made me a cue where my only direction (outside of specs) was to use cocobolo and an overall budget.

Mike Lambros made a terrific MW cue for me also with just cocobolo as the sole direction.

Richard Black made a lovely traditional cue where all I asked for was something similar in appearance to a Balabushka and an overall budget.

Jeff Olney made an awesome cue for me with literally no direction at all.

I provided just an inlay design to Alan Phelps (highly recommended by the way) and he made a really unique and interesting cue for me with some of the neatest rings outside a Barenbrugge I have ever seen.

My experience is that not only do you get a gorgeous cue but you also get more cue for your money. I think it is a more enjoyable exercise for the cue maker and without restraints they make something really special.

So my recommendation is that unless you have your mind set on something very specific try and give the cuemaker the least guidance possible and you will get a better more special cue

I have 2 cues in progress right now, both on the opposite ends of the spectrum

One is a Merry Widow form Josh Treadway. He chose the main wood, a super interesting piece of Arctic birch, and then I asked it to be paired with a Tulipwood handle. When he asked me what I would like in rings I spent a day designing my own ring pattern which is pretty neat IMO, but pretty complex, but Josh liked it and is making it, so that design is largely my own.

The second is from Paul Drexler and the only direction I gave him at all was "to use three woods with none of them being ebony or a really light wood like holly" That's it. Every other element of the design is up to him. I gave him a reasonably good sized budget and he seems to be pretty excited to do it.

Will be interesting to see which turns out better.

Just a thought I figured I would share to everyone hoping it has some value.

I agree.
I did the same with Dan Janes,
who I believe is the most underrated cue maker out there.
Told him the wood I wanted, how many points, the colors in the points, something old school with cut diamonds and dots.
I left the arrangement of colors in the points and where to inlay the dots and diamonds
up to him.
I do believe cue makers put a little more
of their heart into the project when they can be somewhat creative.
My son did the same thing with Dan
only my son wanted something a little more fancy than I.
Dan loaded my son's stick with mammoth ivory that Dan had just picked up at a gem show.

johnnysd · Jul 22, 2020

philly said:
I agree.
I did the same with Dan Janes,
who I believe is the most underrated cue maker out there.
Told him the wood I wanted, how many points, the colors in the points, something old school with cut diamonds and dots.
I left the arrangement of colors in the points and where to inlay the dots and diamonds
up to him.
I do believe cue makers put a little more
of their heart into the project when they can be somewhat creative.
My son did the same thing with Dan
only my son wanted something a little more fancy than I.
Dan loaded my son's stick with mammoth ivory that Dan had just picked up at a gem show.

Completely agree on Dan. His reputation was sullied unfortunately but he made me an absolutely fantastc cue that was completely hand built by him. And despite super minimal direction made one of the nicest Joss cues I have ever seen. Even Bill Stroud commented at one point on how nice it was.

Black-Balled · Jul 22, 2020

Has anybody used scissors to carve his initials on his cue?

Seems like it is the cheapest way to make a custom cue.

DrCue'sProtege · Jul 22, 2020

Chad Carter in Owensboro is currently making me a cue. I've driven down to his house twice to go over the details. Bloodwood and Holly are the main woods. Points, veneers, rings, it should be a dandy!

Seems to me that interaction with the cuemaker is very important. Visiting with him on this cue makes me feel good about the entire process.

r/DCP

hang-the-9 · Jul 22, 2020

I've had some pleasant surprises when trying out something a cuemaker just does without asking for a specific design. I visit a cuemaker in NH for things, Joe Callaluca, and he usually has something new he built he has me try out. Last time was a fairly heavy steel jointed cue with is way off what I use normally, but after playing with it a bit, I have it in my case on a loan and really enjoy playing with it. Without trying this new design I never would have though to have something like that design made for a cue for me, but now I am thinking about getting one made to those specs.

The best way to order a custom cue IMO

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