What Do You Hate To See In A Cue?

rounded points/inlays

sloppy work

any linen wrap other than cortland, black, white, brown

BIG BULBOUS rubber bumpers

green inlays

ostrich wraps

delrin

scrimshaw(only because i haven't seen any good artwork, and i generally don't like PICTURES in the butt)

colored scrimshaw

tulipwood can get pretty ugly. and any grain that looks really loud(ie,,,not tight).

Loud, outrageous colors like blues, greens, or oranges. I don't care if it has stickers or plastic, sometimes it's all that people can afford. I don't gaudy looking cues with loaded with lots of mirrors or reflective materials.

Bruin and I have some similar tastes. Here's a few of mine in no particular order.

1) round CNC or pantograph inlaid points (only bearable for me if some nicer inlay work sits on top of the points)

2) floating points (generally don't like 'em)

3) uni-loc joint (generally can't stand the hit/dead sound)

4) ULTRA fancy cues with only a thin silver trim ring at the joint collar (never have understood that)

5) transluscent white material that some cuemakers use in their ring billets instead of ivory, micarta, or corian

6) obvious glue lines where the ferrule meets the shaft wood

7) large chunks of reconsituted stone inlays (malachite, turquoise, etc.) I like it in very small amounts but there is a point IMO when the material completely takes over a cue.

8) black delrin butt caps...for that matter any black butt cap over about 1/2" in length

Sean

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. One thing I am thankful for is old-school cuemaking and the cuemakers that continue on with it.

BillYards said:

I was just looking at Ebay and saw some nice high-end cues, but would never consider buying them because of the inlays they contain. One had Malachite, which is bright green, another had turquoise, and another had some blue stone inlays. I can't stand any of those and really grind my teeth when I see cues made with that stuff. I also don't like green veneers too much.

My favorite cues are the ones that have the old classic: ebony and ivory.

I also hate inlays of animals and flowers and bugs and lizards. I loathe cues with stickers of artwork or beer logos or whatever.

I also don't like plastic inlays and sleeves on cues (Sorry, Palmer and Paradise and Viking!). I hate that stuff! -BARF!!-

But the absolute worst has to be cues that have stickers made to simulate inlays.

Just wondering what other peoples' opinions are.

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The things I hate most about custom cues are.

1. rings that are diferent then the joint rings cues that have three diferent rings.
2.cues with derlin butt caps.
3. cue with inlays in the wrap section of a pretty peice of wood.
4. uniloc quick joints
5. ferrules that are not flush
6.rough linen wraps like mcdermott
7.shaft with brown spots drives me crazy
8. shafts with big tips and triangle tips why not just grind them down a little and put a layered tip on they just play better.
9. cues with 2 shaft that the shafts are a diferent weight like 4.1 oz and 3.4 oz they should be very close.
10.huge rubber bumpers
11. cues with sticky finishes.
lol ok I guess thats just off the top of my head.

cueaddicts said:

Bruin and I have some similar tastes. Here's a few of mine in no particular order.

1) round CNC or pantograph inlaid points (only bearable for me if some nicer inlay work sits on top of the points)

2) floating points (generally don't like 'em)

3) uni-loc joint (generally can't stand the hit/dead sound)

4) ULTRA fancy cues with only a thin silver trim ring at the joint collar (never have understood that)

5) transluscent white material that some cuemakers use in their ring billets instead of ivory, micarta, or corian

6) obvious glue lines where the ferrule meets the shaft wood

7) large chunks of reconsituted stone inlays (malachite, turquoise, etc.) I like it in very small amounts but there is a point IMO it completely takes over a cue.

8) black delrin butt caps...for that matter any black butt cap over about 1/2" in length

Sean

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. One thing I am thankful for is old-school cuemaking and the cuemakers that continue on with it.

Click to expand...

Crap Sean, your words are my words too!
Let me add: notched diamonds
a cue devoid of ringwork
notched diamonds
any MOP
notched diamonds
abalone
notched idamonds
points without veneers
notched diamonds
point wood too similar to forearm wood to distinguish
notched diamonds

Fat Ivory said:

Crap Sean, your words are my words too!
Let me add: notched diamonds
a cue devoid of ringwork
notched diamonds
any MOP
notched diamonds
abalone
notched idamonds
points without veneers
notched diamonds
point wood too similar to forearm wood to distinguish
notched diamonds

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I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you do NOT like notched diamonds

What I don't like:
Too much clutter. I'm a big fan of the fairly basic players cue.
Give me a hoppe style buttsleeve, 4 points with NON-LOUD veneers, matching ring work, a SS collar, and maybe a few ivory inlays but not many.

Bad JuJu

My dislikes:

Nylon wraps, especially two and three tone
White plastic anything instead of ivory.
metal ferrules
those cheezy blue marshmallow tips
sticky finishes
decals (puhleeze!)
cues that buzz and/or rattle
dinged shafts

Hate in cue

I dont like leather wraps, they look wonderful, but I dont like em.

Points without veneers.

Forearm and butt not matching. (Its like white shoes, never look good)

And as I get older, (I'm 41,) agree with above less is more.

Looking for a Schick. Playing with a plain jane TAD.

LOL

Ken

claymont said:

WHITE DELRIN BUTT CAPS ​

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ALL MY BUTT CAPS ARE



BASIC B L A C K​

BillYards said:

One had Malachite, which is bright green, another had turquoise, and another had some blue stone inlays. I can't stand any of those and really grind my teeth when I see cues made with that stuff. I also don't like green veneers too much.

My favorite cues are the ones that have the old classic: ebony and ivory.

Click to expand...

Nevertheless, I once owned a cue by Sheldon Lebow that had absolutely wonderful rings on it made from malachite, ebony, and ivory. Nice contrast to the highly figured maple fore-arm... it can be done - you just need the good taste to use it in small doses...

- forearms with two or more different dark woods that are too similar in color
- multiple rings with different designs (some look okay)
- that Meucci cue with all the buildings in the butt

- not a big fan of rounded ivory inlays
- purpleheart could usually be replaced with a wood that looks nicer
- linen wraps that don't match the rest of the cue

Malachite and Turquoise...bleah

Mother of Pearl does have its place in the cue making world, but I just don't like it, same with abalone or any iridecent material

Big rubber bumpers just look tacky as hell. Its suppose to be there subtly to do its job, not take your attention away from the rest of the cue.

Ostrich material, be it a wrap on a cue or even uglier on a case. Just nasty looking. Generally looks like your cue or case has a severe small pox infection.

ironchef. said:

Malachite and Turquoise...bleah

Mother of Pearl does have its place in the cue making world, but I just don't like it, same with abalone or any iridecent material

Big rubber bumpers just look tacky as hell. Its suppose to be there subtly to do its job, not take your attention away from the rest of the cue.

Ostrich material, be it a wrap on a cue or even uglier on a case. Just nasty looking. Generally looks like your cue or case has a severe small pox infection.

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Hey IC, I got a look at 2 full Quill(head to toe smallpox infection) Ostrich cases Sam Engles did for a client in your neck of the woods and they were the NUTTS! I don't like the price though-$1200.00. He told me it takes an Ostrich skin of at least 20 square feet to get the full quill for his cases!That is a BIG Ostrich! As for my dislikes in a cue,generally the same as yours,add wooden handle. MOP is fine if cuemaker did it before the 80's,Abolone definitley out.CNC pockets,as you can get sharp inlays cut on CNC but not in the cue.Floating points also turn me off.

BillYards said:

I was just looking at Ebay and saw some nice high-end cues, but would never consider buying them because of the inlays they contain. One had Malachite, which is bright green, another had turquoise, and another had some blue stone inlays. I can't stand any of those and really grind my teeth when I see cues made with that stuff. I also don't like green veneers too much.

My favorite cues are the ones that have the old classic: ebony and ivory.

I also hate inlays of animals and flowers and bugs and lizards. I loathe cues with stickers of artwork or beer logos or whatever.

I also don't like plastic inlays and sleeves on cues (Sorry, Palmer and Paradise and Viking!). I hate that stuff! -BARF!!-

But the absolute worst has to be cues that have stickers made to simulate inlays.

Just wondering what other peoples' opinions are.

Click to expand...

I don't care for ebony and Ivory, how many times can we REdo the same old shit, I don't care for knockoffs that call themselves "Bushka style" or "Boti tribute" again isn't there an artist out there willing to CREATE something. I'm not saying I like Cognoscenti, McWorter, Samsara, Chudy, or PFD but at least these guys are trying to make something that they can stamp as their own. Sure this stuff sells, but is that all that matters, shit most of these cuemakers who knock off these designs don't even build cues for their sole income. I for one would think these people would be embarassed if they considered themselves artist. I'm not trying to hyjack this into a design theft thing, it's not what I mean here, I'm just talking about the same ole style (not copies). I even have more respect for a guy like Paul Fanelli who even though the butterfly style is taken from long ago he's taken it and put his own stamp on it and is doing some of the best stuff today IMO. You can hold up one of his cues from across the room and we'd all know who made the thing. There are many cuemakers out there who have been making cues for 30+ years, these guys have even changed over the years, why new guys coming in can't come up with a style all their own amazes me.

Also as I've said a million times I can't stand huge radius rounded points and inlays, I think I'd rather see decals, points and diamonds are pointy and sharp and should always be that way. I'm not saying the cue has to be spliced (I do prefer it) but sharp is a must.

I also don't like when someone builds a cue out of ivory and then has Sandra Brady scrimshaw the thing (or any outside party) if you're going to put your nme on the cue then you need to do the damn work. guys like Schick, Edwin Reyes, Hercek, and Bender just don't get enough credit for being true artist IMO. I think of cues as an art and to find a true artist doing it today isn't easy, but those who know the deal know and that's why these "true artist" all have giant lists and get the amount they deserve.

Jim