What's the big deal with Custom Cues???

smittie1984

smittie1984

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
One thing I have noticed about AZbilliards is the worship of custom cue makers and their sticks. Seems like everyone on here recommend getting a good one. I have yet to see what is so great about them besides looks and nastalgia.

I have a Schon STL-6. Not a custom but still a high dollar stick. The only reason I got it was for looks. I didn't care how it played. However I use it as a break stick. And I use a Meucci Original Sneaky Pete that looks worse than most house cues as a playing stick. I did put a Moori tip on it but that was all it needed and it didn't cost much for that. It cost me $150 and it plays better than any other stick I have shot with. Including customs.

What I am asking is if your a "Serious" pool player why do you feel it is necesarry to plop down thousands of dollars for a custom when a cheap Meucci or Joss will do just as good if not better?
 
1pRoscoe

1pRoscoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
To make it short, with a custom, you specify how you want everything, and the better players know what they like to the .001" and .05oz.
 
branpureza

branpureza

Ginacue
Silver Member
smittie1984 said:
What I am asking is if your a "Serious" pool player why do you feel it is necesarry to plop down thousands of dollars for a custom when a cheap Meucci or Joss will do just as good if not better?
Click to expand...


why drive a ferrari when you can get where you're going in a ford... maybe you want to get there in style. my cue cost me thousands of dollars but i'm sure i can buy an equally good shooting cue for a fraction of the price. i bought it because i wanted it and so when people see it they can say "damn that's a nice cue" that's all... that's my answer.
 
poolhall maven

poolhall maven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
1pRoscoe said:
To make it short, with a custom, you specify how you want everything, and the better players know what they like to the .001" and .05oz.
Click to expand...

just like roscoe says we can have our cues made to our specs--we can feel a part of the design process and it is one of a kind, I don't wear designer shoes, purses or clothes but I do want a cue that I designed and lastly because I can...
I had a meucci for one week, nuff said!
phm 2nd omen cue in process
 
ShootingArts

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
all answers above are right

The playing advantage of a custom should be top quality components assembled exactly as you want them, using the components you chose. After a certain point you are right however, it's just glitter, bells and whistles that won't make you shoot better.

When you can pick out a dozen new 19 oz house cues, hit each one a few times and decide which is the best playing cue, for you, then you will get maximum playing benefit from a custom. As long as all cues feel the same you are just using the Ferrari to go get groceries to borrow from somebody else's post.

Hu
 
P

pawnmon

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Personally I buy high end cutom cues for the craftsmanship and artful designs. If you're talking strictly playability I think you can cetainly buy a good stick for $300 or less. I just like looking at the fancier custom sticks.
 
O

Oranzith

Registered
The other thing, of course, is that a high-value custom cue can often be had for less than a mass produced cue.

Frey, Sugartrees, etc can be had for less than 400. Heck, I am getting a Sugartree SP Tulip into Birdseye maple for 250 w/ rings etc (sorta a special deal but hey, it exists)
 
S

stroke

Banned
I still play with a 70's model Viking that I won in a university tourny. I never leave anything alone though. I removed the wrap, sanded the butt smooth painted the grip area black, then shot it with high gloss clear. It looks darned good and I like the soft hit of the wood joint.

I do wish that you guys would stop buying cues with ivory though. Murdering an animal for it's tusks is evil.
 
bushka

bushka

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
smittie1984 said:
One thing I have noticed about AZbilliards is the worship of custom cue makers and their sticks. Seems like everyone on here recommend getting a good one. I have yet to see what is so great about them besides looks and nastalgia.

I have a Schon STL-6. Not a custom but still a high dollar stick. The only reason I got it was for looks. I didn't care how it played. However I use it as a break stick. And I use a Meucci Original Sneaky Pete that looks worse than most house cues as a playing stick. I did put a Moori tip on it but that was all it needed and it didn't cost much for that. It cost me $150 and it plays better than any other stick I have shot with. Including customs.

What I am asking is if your a "Serious" pool player why do you feel it is necesarry to plop down thousands of dollars for a custom when a cheap Meucci or Joss will do just as good if not better?
Click to expand...


I think that you have a real good point that many people fail or refuse to see. However, I think that while the way a cue looks will not make it play any better physically, if you like the way it looks and feels it can effect your mental game and give you confidants. I do completely disagree with some posts that suggest that good players arms and hands are calibrated like a micrometer and that they can tell the different between .001 od or .05 in weight and I will bet on that.

William
 
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zeeder

zeeder

Will queue for cues
Silver Member
I like custom cues because I like to be part of the design process. I feel as though designing cues gives me a form of artistic expression. I also think that cues are an artform and love to look at them. Plus, as others have said, it's nice when someone compliments you on your cue! Some of us are pretty emotionally needy and need the compliments and attention from others...lol.

stroke said:
I do wish that you guys would stop buying cues with ivory though. Murdering an animal for it's tusks is evil.
Click to expand...

I'm a murdering sum-da-beach...lol. I like ivory joints and inlays, animal skin wraps and rare exotic woods. I guess I should feel bad but for some reason I don't. :confused: :eek: :eek: :D
 
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cueball1950

cueball1950

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My humble opinion

My own humble opinion is that a production cue is for playing and that most high end custom or any custom cue is an art piece. The Smithsonian Magazine did a piece in their magazine a few years ago on the art work involved with building a custom cue. The cues they showed in their magazine were outstanding pieces of art work. i just wish that they put the prices up on what they were worth. if they did then somebody please remind me. A cue like Joss, Meucci, or schon are made for playing. but a fancy searing, ginacue, mottey richard black black boar and a long list of other top makers that make top dollar cues make a work of art that should not (imho) get played with.....................mike
 
S

Secaucus Fats

Banned
stroke said:
I still play with a 70's model Viking that I won in a university tourny. I never leave anything alone though. I removed the wrap, sanded the butt smooth painted the grip area black, then shot it with high gloss clear. It looks darned good and I like the soft hit of the wood joint.

I do wish that you guys would stop buying cues with ivory though. Murdering an animal for it's tusks is evil.
Click to expand...

All elephant ivory used in cues made in the civilized world today comes from Ivory that was grandfathered in at the time that Ivory importation was banned by international treaty. The Ivory trade has been outlawed for quite some time now although poachers still kill elephants for Ivory which is sold to Asian and Middle Eastern buyers.
 
AZE

AZE

DeucesCracked Instructor
Silver Member
Because it's part of the 'bug'. The love for the WHOLE game, every aspect. There is an art to custom cue making. It's an art. And that art is built into the fabric of the game. How can you love pool, and not appreciate one of Dennis' cues? How can you see a Scruggs and not go "wow!"..
The majority of high-end cue makers cues hit very well (that's an opinion of mine) - and that's not to say that a Schon, Lucasi, Falcon, or even Action cue doesn't hit well either.. but theres also something about owning a cue that no one else in the world has.
I know some people argue that 'custom cues hit better' - which I don't agree with. I think alot of custom cues hit good just like alot of 'production' cues hit good.

Bottom line - If you're really into the game, and have the $$, why not?
 
ATH

ATH

hell, here i come!
Silver Member
This is my lifestyle, i love playing pool and i love the way it makes me feel.
My reasons for having expensive cues are personal, i like the look and i like the fact that there is only one of them.
 
Cornerman

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
smittie1984 said:
What I am asking is if your a "Serious" pool player why do you feel it is necesarry to plop down thousands of dollars for a custom when a cheap Meucci or Joss will do just as good if not better?
Click to expand...
Everyone has their own reasons. The great thing about it is that we all don't have to have the same reason.

The bottom line: I like to. No other reason. There is no "why do you feel it necessary..." As a glutton society, buying expensive cues is just one more wonderful manifestation of conspicuous consumption.

Why do some people insist on a Toyota when Hyundai will do? Why do people buy a Harley Davidson when a Honda will do? Why do golfers taylor their clubs? Why do good bowlers bother to buy a bowling ball? Why do basketball players buy Nike, Adidas, or any high dollar shoe?

They all have their own reason, and sometimes it's not about performance.

Fred
 
Cornerman

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
stroke said:
I do wish that you guys would stop buying cues with ivory though. Murdering an animal for it's tusks is evil.
Click to expand...

I absolutely agree with you that murdering an animal for its tusks is evil.

However, I dont' see anything wrong with the legal culling of herds by their governments, and the legal (U.N. approved) sale of stock-piled ivory. Hopefully, all of the ivory that cuemakers use was obtained through legal, government controlled channels. And, of course, ivory used today in cues better have been obtained from decades ago. (Cuemakers, please weigh in).

I don't know if the "experiment" of reverting to the sale of stock-piled ivory (from the culling of the overrun population of elephants in some of the countries) encouraged or discouraged poaching. An argument could be made for either. I know one thing: the stock-piled ivory is there, and the countries could stand to use the money rather than the poachers.

IMO, we need traceability and education. That might be a pipe dream.

Fred
 
runscott

runscott

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't realize there were so many different reasons! My current player has evolved from past custom cues, design aspects that affect play tweaked as I found things I liked better - weight, balance, joint, pin, etc. The fact that I designed the aesthetics myself was a bonus that adds to the enjoyment but not the play. I couldn't buy the combination off a shelf.
 
G

glfgd82

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I havent purchased my first custom YET, but I am on the way to getting one. One big reason for myself is the "cookie cutter" syndrome that causes quality and craftsmanship to drop dramatically, such as the Meucci incidents that keep coming up from NEW cues sent to dealers damaged and warped.

I am an avid golfer and after playing store bought clubs for a few years, I got into custom club fitting and making, I'm 6'7" so my clubs need to fit myfelf a bit different than the normal person, since switching to making my own clubs that fit me, my game is a ton better. So I figure I should get a custom cue that is a tad longer and made the way I want it. Seems like today, everyone has a "custom cue" eventually, with as much tip changing and shaft changing that goes on among serious players, its hard to find a "stock" cue, some even get a cue in and change the tip before they even shoot with the original, not to mention shaft taper. If you like it, then play it, its all about finding a cue that will make you play your best and be most confident.
 
bells

bells

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
price and playabilty...............

smittie1984 said:
One thing I have noticed about AZbilliards is the worship of custom cue makers and their sticks. Seems like everyone on here recommend getting a good one. I have yet to see what is so great about them besides looks and nastalgia.

I have a Schon STL-6. Not a custom but still a high dollar stick. The only reason I got it was for looks. I didn't care how it played. However I use it as a break stick. And I use a Meucci Original Sneaky Pete that looks worse than most house cues as a playing stick. I did put a Moori tip on it but that was all it needed and it didn't cost much for that. It cost me $150 and it plays better than any other stick I have shot with. Including customs.

What I am asking is if your a "Serious" pool player why do you feel it is necesarry to plop down thousands of dollars for a custom when a cheap Meucci or Joss will do just as good if not better?
Click to expand...
I think that you are lucky to have a stick that feels good for you and cost you very little. Just because someone pays alot of money for a cue does not mean that it is going to play better. However i think that when I have a cue made i am buying for several different reasons. I feel that when i have a cue made to my specs, my odds of finding a cue that plays good to me increases.Who else knows better that I what I like? I also like to buy cues that will hold there value. Those are two main reasons why I have cues built to my specs.
 
pete lafond

pete lafond

pete.l@slipstic.com
Silver Member
I do not own a custom cue and many times just play with a house cue because I just do not take the time to bring it to the pool hall. However I do plan to have one made. Many of the custom's look so nice and I recently saw one of the most beautiful sticks made by Mike Webb.

I enjoy it when the many players show pictures of their cue right here on AZ. Just the beauty and workmanship is a privilege to view.
 
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