This is my take on sneaky pete cues, the 3 major types today (from a sneaky perspective). Not a discussion of sneaky-pete style cues, which can be quite elaborate and beautiful. It's not about style, but effectiveness. Don't get me wrong, sneaky style cues are great, but they are not sneaky. Josey cues are gorgeous, but don't fool anyone in a bar.
First, the classic "house cue" type sneaky characteristics:
1. No joint collars of any kind. Must be wood to wood. No wood tone or wood color phenolic rings either.
2. The wood to wood should be machined/turned well, to be as seamless as possible.
3. Shaft wood matching the butt as close as possible is another big plus.
4. No butt caps. House cues do not have butt caps. They are wood all the way to the bumper. A sneaky is trying to mimic a house cue. This is always forgotten.
5. No exotic woods. It can be plain as a house cue, but bocote or cocobolo will ruin the effect.
6. True house cues style points. That means no veneers, no extra-long points, only 4 points - not 5 or 6. Using the house cue type splice.
7. No inlays of any kind anywhere.
8. No long ferrules, or unusually short ferrules (like OB classic or i2). House cues don't have Meucci length ferrules.
9. No wraps of any kind.
10. No fancy or unusual bumpers. There's some leeway here, could use a Schon style bumper and be fine. Maybe a Meucci style one too which is used on some Player's cues. However, the big and large ones house cues typically have is best to maximize the effect.
11. Extreme length pro-tapers, or very low diameter shafts with very long tapers is visibly different and obvious is not recommended. Can still go with a long pro taper, just avoid the pencil shaft profiles.
12. Avoid super high luster finishes (like that of high end custom cues). They are not a good thing, in fact ...too clean of a cue is a give away also. If you are like myself, and keep a cue immaculate and clean, it will always look different and odd. Some dings and dents in the butt, a more matte finish, and some blue on the shaft is a good thing. High quality finishes really stand out, which is why cuemakers put a lot of effort into them. That's not what you want.
A nice touch, is the addition of a stamping on the butt's forearm indicating the cue's weight just like house cues have.
The best sneaky petes are conversions that do not have much done to them. For example, the best is probably an old Dufferin. A cuemaker can take down the diameter of the butt a little (they are thick), and that won't be a give away in my opinion. But nothing else. Just refinish it, true it and put in a joint. Try and match the shaft as best as possible to the maple in the forearm (color). That's it. No inlays, no collars, no wraps no nothing. Just put a joint in it, and a quality shaft. Square everything up well. Could go with a big pin for balance purposes. Adjust weight. The idea is to have the look, but have the feel, balance and playability of a better cue.
Dufferin house cues actually hit pretty good. So don't overlook a well done conversion.
However, the days of house cue sneaky petes being sneaky are pretty much over. The house cue sneaky isn't totally obsolete yet. Still does fool some people. Yet, there is a new generation of sneaky-pete out there....
This brings use to Type 2 sneaky petes....
It's known as the "Budweiser" cue. These days, the awful, drunk, bar table bangers with no skills are associated with these K-mart grade "Budweiser" cues. These are cues whose butt is completely covered (except the wrap area) by graphical decals or giant logo wraps. Such as the Bud Light logo, Harley Davidson, color and graphics covering the whole butt. There are several variations. Some with corporate logos. Others have flame jobs, skulls or other types of graphics that one would associate with other sports, whether motor sports, skateboarding or whatever. Loud colors, lot of detail, busy looking graphics. Also, very synthetic looking. No natural colors, nothing wood like or wood looking. Space age look is also good.
The problem is, most who have attempted conversions of these (putting a good shaft on them) have failed, because the butt is total junk. They range from a piece of the worst ramin wood, to very stiff and thick laminated cardboard tubing. A good hit just isn't possible because these are such junk.
Therefore, they need to be built from the ground up. A cue maker needs to build a solid, structurally sound butt. Then have the wrap around finish (which are the joint to butt logos and graphics) printed up and applied. That's the hard part, as not many people have experience in that. I have a buddy in a print shop that puts graphics on everything from cars to coolers to whatever you need.
The shaft is not an issue at all, since these cues are already known to be two piece cues. Just avoid having "314-2" on it, or "Z2" or "Hybrid Pro" on there if you use a low deflection shaft.
The butt needs to be custom made, so that it doesn't warp, it doesn't have any run-out in the joint, so that it has a good hit, so that it can be properly tapered and balanced for the user and many other reasons. The reasons you'd buy a high quality production cue or a custom cue.
Some applications of the logo wrap come in the form of a sticker. It gets rolled on. Sometimes heated or glued. Sometimes sealed. Other types are where the object to be finished is dipped in water with the film floating on top and they get the wrap and full coverage this way. There are cue makers who do make waterproof butts, that is, there are no wood to air surfaces, not at the joint, bumper or wrap area. That is idea for that application. Otherwise, a stick on application would be required.
A good extra touch would be an APA logo on the butt sleeve before the butt cap. That screams know-nothing banger. Can even tell the victim of the hustle you bought the cue at an APA regional tournament after being eliminated in your SL4 bracket.
But the same way I ended the description of the house cue sneaky, I must add the same advice to the Budweiser sneaky. If you really want to complete the effect, you must get "blue ring disease" on the shaft. That means, grabbing a piece of blue chalk with a deep hole in it, and grind it on your ferrule and put a nasty blue ring on there. I know, this is extremely hard to do. I absolutely cringe at the idea. But if you want the total effect, it must be done. When you're playing, just ignore it. We ignore it when using a house cue right? Also, your hands never touch the ferrule or first few inches of the shaft anyway.
A big benefit to the modern sneaky is the fact that you can now get away with having a wrap for those of you that like a wrap. However, forget fancy leather wraps. Has to be linen or some other kind of string wrap. Have to try and find bright, neon, spastic colors. That might be a problem. The wraps on these k-mart cues are nylon. Can also do wrapless, but that area should be covered with graphics also.
There you have it, that is what encompasses the "Budweiser cue" or some variation of that. Some kind of corporate logo cue, or designer branded cue. Flames and skulls are good. Or any kind of graphics are fine. The louder and more unnatural looking, the better! Can't emphasize that enough. It must look like it was bought at Sports Authority, K-mart etcetera.
Finally, we come to the third type of modern sneaky - the JUNKER!
The junker is a cue that plays great, but looks like a piece of junk. These cues are not K-mart specials or Budweiser cues, nor house-cue sneakies. These have the appearance of the lowest end Joss, or the lowest end, entry level McDermott. No graphics and nonsense. But not house-cue style either.
What makes these sneaky is the intentional junky look they have. They look severely abused. Scratches, dings, dents. Just awful. Intentionally poorly done ring work. Chips in the butt cap.
Some that I have seen have a washer & nut combination inside the bumper that creates an awful clank or buzzing noise after the hit. The cue hits great, but the cue sounds broken or like it's about to break at any time. This is an awesome sneaky pete kind of cue. It even has a sharking effect. People are in awe at what a piece of crap it is. They wonder how you can even play with it. And they even anticipate the tip breaking off. All good things for your opponent to think about, instead of the game at hand.
The one's I've seen, especially one that I have tried - was built by a HIGHLY REGARDED custom cue maker very sought after on this forum. No, I will not rat him out. No way. Cue hits like a dream, but looks like it should be thrown in the trash. It is amazing. Finish on these cues is intentionally yellowed, to look aged or just crappy.
These are the most devious of sneaky petes, but the most rare in my opinion. They are hard to make look and seem junky, but still play great. Often, lower end cue makers try this and in the process of making a junky looking cue, they actually do make a junk cue.
Building these is an artform and a science.
There you have it guys, the three major kinds of modern sneaky petes, what goes into them....at least in my opinion and from my perspective.
Feel free to share your idea or experiences with sneaky pete cues that were meant to be sneaky or hustle.....
First, the classic "house cue" type sneaky characteristics:
1. No joint collars of any kind. Must be wood to wood. No wood tone or wood color phenolic rings either.
2. The wood to wood should be machined/turned well, to be as seamless as possible.
3. Shaft wood matching the butt as close as possible is another big plus.
4. No butt caps. House cues do not have butt caps. They are wood all the way to the bumper. A sneaky is trying to mimic a house cue. This is always forgotten.
5. No exotic woods. It can be plain as a house cue, but bocote or cocobolo will ruin the effect.
6. True house cues style points. That means no veneers, no extra-long points, only 4 points - not 5 or 6. Using the house cue type splice.
7. No inlays of any kind anywhere.
8. No long ferrules, or unusually short ferrules (like OB classic or i2). House cues don't have Meucci length ferrules.
9. No wraps of any kind.
10. No fancy or unusual bumpers. There's some leeway here, could use a Schon style bumper and be fine. Maybe a Meucci style one too which is used on some Player's cues. However, the big and large ones house cues typically have is best to maximize the effect.
11. Extreme length pro-tapers, or very low diameter shafts with very long tapers is visibly different and obvious is not recommended. Can still go with a long pro taper, just avoid the pencil shaft profiles.
12. Avoid super high luster finishes (like that of high end custom cues). They are not a good thing, in fact ...too clean of a cue is a give away also. If you are like myself, and keep a cue immaculate and clean, it will always look different and odd. Some dings and dents in the butt, a more matte finish, and some blue on the shaft is a good thing. High quality finishes really stand out, which is why cuemakers put a lot of effort into them. That's not what you want.
A nice touch, is the addition of a stamping on the butt's forearm indicating the cue's weight just like house cues have.
The best sneaky petes are conversions that do not have much done to them. For example, the best is probably an old Dufferin. A cuemaker can take down the diameter of the butt a little (they are thick), and that won't be a give away in my opinion. But nothing else. Just refinish it, true it and put in a joint. Try and match the shaft as best as possible to the maple in the forearm (color). That's it. No inlays, no collars, no wraps no nothing. Just put a joint in it, and a quality shaft. Square everything up well. Could go with a big pin for balance purposes. Adjust weight. The idea is to have the look, but have the feel, balance and playability of a better cue.
Dufferin house cues actually hit pretty good. So don't overlook a well done conversion.
However, the days of house cue sneaky petes being sneaky are pretty much over. The house cue sneaky isn't totally obsolete yet. Still does fool some people. Yet, there is a new generation of sneaky-pete out there....
This brings use to Type 2 sneaky petes....
It's known as the "Budweiser" cue. These days, the awful, drunk, bar table bangers with no skills are associated with these K-mart grade "Budweiser" cues. These are cues whose butt is completely covered (except the wrap area) by graphical decals or giant logo wraps. Such as the Bud Light logo, Harley Davidson, color and graphics covering the whole butt. There are several variations. Some with corporate logos. Others have flame jobs, skulls or other types of graphics that one would associate with other sports, whether motor sports, skateboarding or whatever. Loud colors, lot of detail, busy looking graphics. Also, very synthetic looking. No natural colors, nothing wood like or wood looking. Space age look is also good.
The problem is, most who have attempted conversions of these (putting a good shaft on them) have failed, because the butt is total junk. They range from a piece of the worst ramin wood, to very stiff and thick laminated cardboard tubing. A good hit just isn't possible because these are such junk.
Therefore, they need to be built from the ground up. A cue maker needs to build a solid, structurally sound butt. Then have the wrap around finish (which are the joint to butt logos and graphics) printed up and applied. That's the hard part, as not many people have experience in that. I have a buddy in a print shop that puts graphics on everything from cars to coolers to whatever you need.
The shaft is not an issue at all, since these cues are already known to be two piece cues. Just avoid having "314-2" on it, or "Z2" or "Hybrid Pro" on there if you use a low deflection shaft.
The butt needs to be custom made, so that it doesn't warp, it doesn't have any run-out in the joint, so that it has a good hit, so that it can be properly tapered and balanced for the user and many other reasons. The reasons you'd buy a high quality production cue or a custom cue.
Some applications of the logo wrap come in the form of a sticker. It gets rolled on. Sometimes heated or glued. Sometimes sealed. Other types are where the object to be finished is dipped in water with the film floating on top and they get the wrap and full coverage this way. There are cue makers who do make waterproof butts, that is, there are no wood to air surfaces, not at the joint, bumper or wrap area. That is idea for that application. Otherwise, a stick on application would be required.
A good extra touch would be an APA logo on the butt sleeve before the butt cap. That screams know-nothing banger. Can even tell the victim of the hustle you bought the cue at an APA regional tournament after being eliminated in your SL4 bracket.
But the same way I ended the description of the house cue sneaky, I must add the same advice to the Budweiser sneaky. If you really want to complete the effect, you must get "blue ring disease" on the shaft. That means, grabbing a piece of blue chalk with a deep hole in it, and grind it on your ferrule and put a nasty blue ring on there. I know, this is extremely hard to do. I absolutely cringe at the idea. But if you want the total effect, it must be done. When you're playing, just ignore it. We ignore it when using a house cue right? Also, your hands never touch the ferrule or first few inches of the shaft anyway.
A big benefit to the modern sneaky is the fact that you can now get away with having a wrap for those of you that like a wrap. However, forget fancy leather wraps. Has to be linen or some other kind of string wrap. Have to try and find bright, neon, spastic colors. That might be a problem. The wraps on these k-mart cues are nylon. Can also do wrapless, but that area should be covered with graphics also.
There you have it, that is what encompasses the "Budweiser cue" or some variation of that. Some kind of corporate logo cue, or designer branded cue. Flames and skulls are good. Or any kind of graphics are fine. The louder and more unnatural looking, the better! Can't emphasize that enough. It must look like it was bought at Sports Authority, K-mart etcetera.
Finally, we come to the third type of modern sneaky - the JUNKER!
The junker is a cue that plays great, but looks like a piece of junk. These cues are not K-mart specials or Budweiser cues, nor house-cue sneakies. These have the appearance of the lowest end Joss, or the lowest end, entry level McDermott. No graphics and nonsense. But not house-cue style either.
What makes these sneaky is the intentional junky look they have. They look severely abused. Scratches, dings, dents. Just awful. Intentionally poorly done ring work. Chips in the butt cap.
Some that I have seen have a washer & nut combination inside the bumper that creates an awful clank or buzzing noise after the hit. The cue hits great, but the cue sounds broken or like it's about to break at any time. This is an awesome sneaky pete kind of cue. It even has a sharking effect. People are in awe at what a piece of crap it is. They wonder how you can even play with it. And they even anticipate the tip breaking off. All good things for your opponent to think about, instead of the game at hand.
The one's I've seen, especially one that I have tried - was built by a HIGHLY REGARDED custom cue maker very sought after on this forum. No, I will not rat him out. No way. Cue hits like a dream, but looks like it should be thrown in the trash. It is amazing. Finish on these cues is intentionally yellowed, to look aged or just crappy.
These are the most devious of sneaky petes, but the most rare in my opinion. They are hard to make look and seem junky, but still play great. Often, lower end cue makers try this and in the process of making a junky looking cue, they actually do make a junk cue.
Building these is an artform and a science.
There you have it guys, the three major kinds of modern sneaky petes, what goes into them....at least in my opinion and from my perspective.
Feel free to share your idea or experiences with sneaky pete cues that were meant to be sneaky or hustle.....
Or some other idiot who grabs it and proceeds to violently rake all the balls over to be racked. :angry:
