Favorite cuemaker for finishing a Rounceville or John Davis blank

Big-Tattoo said:

I took No 3 from left, still don't know who finish them (eric will be a good choice if he has time to do ??? )
RG

Click to expand...

I spoke with Eric Crisp and he is not a fan of converting blanks. He has pretty much moved on to doing only what he likes to make. I also asked his main dealer Alex Goeden. He said it may be possible....in 6-7 years.

Arounceville said:

Diveney
Sugartree
Cohen
Treadway
Tascarella
Williams
Drexler
White
Lomax

This is just a few names of the top of my head
They are all top notch cue makers and honorable business men
They will all convert my blanks

Click to expand...

Andrew, thank you for taking the time to post on this thread! I have contacted quite a few of these makers and have gotten mixed results:

Diveney - contacted 2 years ago to make my first Rounceville. Pat was too busy and didn't want to take on any new projects. It may have changed since. He suggested Lomax to take on the project.

Sugartree - Eric seemed very uninterested in converting a full splice. I asked one of his dealers, Alex Goeden, about the possibility. He said it was possible after a 6-7 year wait. It seems Eric wants to do his own thing and I don't blame him one bit.

Cohen - He specifically says on his website that he isn't doing conversions right now. I'm not sure if he means blanks or old brunswick hoppes, etc. His wait is at least two years currently.

Treadway - Haven't contacted Josh before. His work looks very solid.

Tascarella - I'm not sure if I would want Pete Sr. and Pete Jr. making me a wrapless full splice cue. I feel that their style, being the closest thing to Balabushka, should be a classic wrapped cue with a SS joint and big white delrin buttcap. I think a John Davis blank with a wrap would be pretty classic cue. I'm pretty sure their wait list is 5+ years.

Williams - I think Shelby is super talented but I would almost rather use one of his blanks. His thick rings/ inlays are incredible.

Drexler - I already have a classic looking PFD but he would be a great choice. I think he does HOF quality cues. He deserves a ton of credit. I love my cue from him and would be honored to get another.

White - I messaged him on facebook but haven't heard back. I love his new inlays and I think he did a great job on Andrew's 360 blank. Top notch.

Lomax - After I messaged Pat Diveney, I got in touch with Lomax. At the time he offered to do the conversion for $1000 for one shaft and $1200 for two. I wasn't looking to spend that much at the time so I passed. After speaking with some other makers, I feel like it's very fair. This was in May 2018 so his prices may have changed.

And I will add a few more that I have used:

Pete Ohman (Omen Cues)- I ended up using him for my first Andrew Rounceville blank. It was a classic blank with African Blackwood going into maple with four veneers: white, orange, green and black. Pete was great to work with, his communication was frequent and he made me fill out a sheet with exactly what I wanted. Being in Florida, he can use ivory, which I took advantage of. The cue itself was great. I opted for a 60" length. Most of time I used a LD shaft but the cue was solid. I did sell it recently because I have some cues on the way.

Rick Howard - I got RIck to convert a John Davis blank. I told him up front "take your time, turn the blank at your leisure." I sent him one blank that he did not like, returned it to Martin at Superior Cues and then picked out a new one. Martin and Rick were both super cool about it. The cue turned out fantastic, get feel, great finish. I got Rick's LD shaft and I got a regular maple shaft as a alternative. The LD shaft plays great and the cue is solid. The only thing I can say negative is he didn't quite match the blue in the veneers to the rings. It came out more dark grey than blue. It still looks great.

Guido Orlandi- My second Andrew Rounceville blank is being turned into a cue as we speak. Guido is such a gentleman and I've really enjoyed working with him. I sent him my blank and a down payment for the cue and he offered the send me a cue of his to try!! He is doing some interesting things with his joint and LD shafts. I loved the cue he sent me and the project was given the go ahead. He loves talking on the phone and giving updates. He couldn't be a nicer person. I'm eagerly awaiting him to say it's ready!

Keith Josey- I'm currently having a full splice being made from him but he is using his own blank. I really like his inlay designs at the ends of the points and reverse points. I have been back and forth with this wife Sherri, making sure everything is perfect. They are both such nice people and I can't wait to have my own Josey. I opted for his new "roasted Java" shaft, his answer to Kielwood. I already have a Zero LD shaft from him that I really like. It hits very solid and puts a ton of spin on the cue ball. He said he would use someone else's blank and I may take him up on it in the future. His current wait list for a cue is roughly 2 years.

Ernie Omori- I bought a full splice from one of his friends new. It has a tulipwood back end with an ebony front. The points are some of the longest I've ever seen. The cue itself is beautiful. Ernie uses a super big pin that is piloted which makes it very forward balanced cue. I was not a fan of the shaft's taper and it was sprayed with finish completely. I typically don't use a glove and it didn't glide very well in my hands. I ended up having a cuemaker take off the finish but I still couldn't get used to the cue. I ended up selling it.

Madison Bob sneaky- I bought a pretty cool sneaky from someone who knows Bob well in Ohio. The shaft was great and I loved the hit of the cue. I couldn't quite get used to the deflection and it the points were very uneven. I don't know why but uneven points REALLY bother me. I had it for a couple months and sold it.

Chuck Starkey- I have one really cool Starkey cue that I bought second hand from Jay Helfert. I loved the hit so much with the wood pin that I decided to get another cue that was a little more my style. I got a rosewood butterfly splice with 2 veneers going into some of the prettiest curly koa I've ever seen. The cue was bumperless, wood pin and ferruleless. For some reason I didn't like the balance. I felt like it was very backend heavy. I ended up trading it for my first Joey Bautista (JoeyinCali) cue, which played much better for me.

If this can help anyone with their decision, I have accomplished my goal!