Am I the only one?

Tommy-D

Tommy-D

World's best B player...
Silver Member
> Am I the only player here that has played with the same cue for over 10 years? In the 14 years since I've bought my Schon,I've hit balls with probably 500 other cues,from a wide spectrum of cuemakers/manufacturers. In all that time,I've only seen 10-15 that I felt hit as good,and probably 5 of those were Schons from the same time period,and similar build,meaning all but one of them were the panto-style,only one of them had the spliced points. The spliced one was a early R-16,basically a 6 point version of my cue. Oddly enough,the other 4 Schons I thought hit as good or better than mine all had more ivory in them,even though inlays don't affect the hit much if at all. All of them had ivory ferrules. The others were a plain 4 point Szamboti,a late 80's high end Joss,an early 90's Joss West,and the twin to the Black Boar that Francisco Bustamante won the 1993 PBT Championship with,along with a Gilbert,Searing,3 different Cogs,Tony Watson's ivory/turquoise Josey,and several different red-dot Bludworth cues. In just about every case except the Josey,Cogs,and Bludworths,the common thread was the piloted stainless joint and ivory ferrules. I've played with about 20 different Southwests and several old Kersenbrocks,and liked about 5 of them,all of these had the old Micarta ferrules. Out of the 3 Bushkas I've played with,only the steel jointed one hit well,the 2 ivory jointed ones felt like something was broke inside the cue,cause it vibrated weird and made all kinds of racket,nothing like the healthy "plink" of steel and ivory. I'm not saying at all that there are not other cues that hit/play well at all,just that these cues I mentioned were the ones that I would replace my Schon with based on playability. I imagine if I had 10-15k a year or more to spend on cues that were just going to sit up in a display case I'd have a rather large collection,but as far as what feels and works best for me,I'll stick with what I have until someone puts something in my hand that hits better or I make one that hits better. Tommy D.
 
i prefer the superficiality of playing with a nifty looking cue just for the heck of it.
 
i usually stick with a cue until i find something with a better hit that i can afford to buy. once i get to an upper eschelon cue ill probably just stick with one cue.
 
same cue 10 years+

i've had a schon SR6 with 2 shafts- one with micarta ferrule since about 1991-1992. still hits great, had to replace the wrap on it at last; just wore it too slick. i have bought a joss, 3 espiritu's, a very old cue(maybe a doc fry or palmer/paradise),a dieckman and another old cue(presumably a early joss) used by a friend in the bca junior tourney years ago. all of the cues hit fine but the schon is my favorite yet through it all.
it may have to do with the continual use of the schon. i do feel i know what is going to happen when i hit with it. the espiritu's may actually get more response from the cue for whatever reason but i don't know where the balls are going to stop(not good!).
i just bought another shaft for the schon on ebay-love the hit of micarta ferrules.(sorry shorty- i didn't think my bid would get it.) i am always looking for other cues, rioght now josey's and who knows what else. it will be hard to put the schon away for another .
i still have all of the cues except the dieckman-stolen. never did care much for it but the price was right- shaft was cracked at the joint and tip
 
Rodney Morris told me that he has played with the same cue since 1994, a Szamboti.

Many younger players in my neck of the woods seem to favor the Predator shafts and/or cues. Mike Davis and Ryan McCreesh never leave home without it!

Recently, we picked up a sneaky pete Schon at the U.S Open. For a little over a year, Keith McCready has been shooting with a custom-made Willee cue. He still shoots with the Willee 90 percent of the time, but he will pull out the Schon on occasion because he claims it works better on certain pool equipment.

Tables do play differently, i.e., Diamond, Brunswick GC, Olhausen, Gandy, Valley, Connelly, and Gabriel; thus, sometimes a player may change shafts or sticks to accommodate.

I have seen Earl Strickland bring three cue cases with him to the table when he is competing in high-profile event, much like a golfer.

A few years ago, Karen Corr was competing in a Joss tournament, and she switched sticks mid-match because of the equipment.

They say it's not the stick or the equipment, but the player that determines a win. The ones who are able to adapt their style of play quickly when in the heat of the battle usually do rise to the top.

JAM
 
> I totally understand that,in my case I just change shafts,a couple are longer and tapered different. I've heard some of the older players say a sneaky pete works best on a bar table. Something that boggles my mind is that as great a player as Bugs Rucker was/is,for the biggest part of his career he didn't even own his own cue. At one point I think Blud gave him or sold him a cue,that is what he was playing with in the Legends match with Shannon Daulton back in 1991. The story was that he borrowed a cue from someone every night,or played with a house cue and beat every living human playing bank or one-hole for close to 20 years. Of all the pro's I've seen,Mike Lebron has played with the same cue the longest,he had a Meucci that Gus supposedly worked on that he played with for close to 20 years. Rodney got that Barry just before I saw him play the first time,at the 1995 U.S. Open. I asked him what it was cause it was so pretty and sounded so great,he said it was a Szamboti,but it looked too new to be a Gus. It seems like most of the really well known players play with something different all the time unless they are sponsored,and even then. Tommy D.
 
I hear ya Tommy, I played with the same plain Schon for about 7 years (Steel joint, Ivory Ferrule), then I found a sweet hitting old Helmstetter that a guy brought into the pool room for sale, and I switched to that for about 10 years. Then last month I bought a Lucasi LE-27 with the spliced shaft, and MAN what a hit. Just like my Boar/Black/Schon/Phillipe. I don't know if I got lucky, but this cue from first ball hit, has that old school, steel joint feel....now if I can just friggin find a spare shaft????......Gerry
 
Tommy-D said:
> Am I the only player here that has played with the same cue for over 10 years? In the 14 years since I've bought my Schon,I've hit balls with probably 500 other cues,from a wide spectrum of cuemakers/manufacturers. In all that time,I've only seen 10-15 that I felt hit as good,and probably 5 of those were Schons from the same time period,and similar build,meaning all but one of them were the panto-style,only one of them had the spliced points. The spliced one was a early R-16,basically a 6 point version of my cue. Oddly enough,the other 4 Schons I thought hit as good or better than mine all had more ivory in them,even though inlays don't affect the hit much if at all. All of them had ivory ferrules. The others were a plain 4 point Szamboti,a late 80's high end Joss,an early 90's Joss West,and the twin to the Black Boar that Francisco Bustamante won the 1993 PBT Championship with,along with a Gilbert,Searing,3 different Cogs,Tony Watson's ivory/turquoise Josey,and several different red-dot Bludworth cues. In just about every case except the Josey,Cogs,and Bludworths,the common thread was the piloted stainless joint and ivory ferrules. I've played with about 20 different Southwests and several old Kersenbrocks,and liked about 5 of them,all of these had the old Micarta ferrules. Out of the 3 Bushkas I've played with,only the steel jointed one hit well,the 2 ivory jointed ones felt like something was broke inside the cue,cause it vibrated weird and made all kinds of racket,nothing like the healthy "plink" of steel and ivory. I'm not saying at all that there are not other cues that hit/play well at all,just that these cues I mentioned were the ones that I would replace my Schon with based on playability. I imagine if I had 10-15k a year or more to spend on cues that were just going to sit up in a display case I'd have a rather large collection,but as far as what feels and works best for me,I'll stick with what I have until someone puts something in my hand that hits better or I make one that hits better. Tommy D.
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I have played with a Gina cue that my father purchased from Ernie. The cue is maybe around 30 years old or older and I have played with it for 15 years
 
JAM said:
Rodney Morris told me that he has played with the same cue since 1994, a Szamboti.

Many younger players in my neck of the woods seem to favor the Predator shafts and/or cues. Mike Davis and Ryan McCreesh never leave home without it!

Recently, we picked up a sneaky pete Schon at the U.S Open. For a little over a year, Keith McCready has been shooting with a custom-made Willee cue. He still shoots with the Willee 90 percent of the time, but he will pull out the Schon on occasion because he claims it works better on certain pool equipment.

Tables do play differently, i.e., Diamond, Brunswick GC, Olhausen, Gandy, Valley, Connelly, and Gabriel; thus, sometimes a player may change shafts or sticks to accommodate.

I have seen Earl Strickland bring three cue cases with him to the table when he is competing in high-profile event, much like a golfer.

A few years ago, Karen Corr was competing in a Joss tournament, and she switched sticks mid-match because of the equipment.

They say it's not the stick or the equipment, but the player that determines a win. The ones who are able to adapt their style of play quickly when in the heat of the battle usually do rise to the top.

JAM
Click to expand...

Schon cue w/ a predator 314/Moori Tip is my weapon of choice.
 
It's kinda funny you should mention this...

Back in 96 I won a tournament in which I shot with a Schon STL 7. I had to sell the cue a couple months later to make rent, else I would still have it. I was a poor struggling college kid at the time. I regretted it ever since.

I now own two Schon's - my pride and joy, a LTD 642 and an STL 6, which I am thinking about selling due to a financial crunch. As of late, I have started getting away from the Predator shaft and going back to an older Schon shaft I picked up with the STL 6. It hits very solid and has a much better feel than the Predator could offer. I love how a Predator hits some shots, but I was missing too many touch shots with the shaft.

I agree in that it amazes me how Schon still keeps that nice and solid hit after all these years...and how adaptable they are with shafts being so interchangable. Cue snobs argue they are not a custom cue, but you know what? I rather have the consistancy of hit than a custom hit that can never be duplicated. I also have customized mine just about to the point in could never be duplicated, with the extensions and lizard wrap.

It ain't about originality for me, it's about what I am comfortable with.

Shorty
 
I am hoping that I will have mu current lineup for a looong time. Diveney sneaky petes, one a j/b w/ 2 g10 pins and g10 ferrule, the playing cue also w/ g10. I love those dumb f'ers.
 
Cues & Longevity...

I don't have nearly the collection of Tommy-D, or of most frankley...never gave much thought to cues, taper, hit, etc...until I picked the game again after about 10 years of occassional shooting...when I was introduced to League play...this stuff came to the fore...I have to say that I agree with all here that Schon, (Production/Custom), whatever is on to something...this thing hits great...it just works...I have a LTD 916, and have an STL 4 on the way...gonna send them off to Evan and have shafts made for them both, sit back and let the magic happen! ;)

The only other cue I own worth mentioning is a Meucci Original Gambler with a Black Dot Shaft...still pull it out from time to time for old times sake...she's good to me. :p But the Schons are it until I feel something better!
 
I've had mine7 years

Tommy-D said:
> Am I the only player here that has played with the same cue for over 10 years? In the 14 years since I've bought my Schon,I've hit balls with probably 500 other cues,from a wide spectrum of cuemakers/manufacturers. In all that time,I've only seen 10-15 that I felt hit as good,and probably 5 of those were Schons from the same time period,and similar build,meaning all but one of them were the panto-style,only one of them had the spliced points. The spliced one was a early R-16,basically a 6 point version of my cue. Oddly enough,the other 4 Schons I thought hit as good or better than mine all had more ivory in them,even though inlays don't affect the hit much if at all. All of them had ivory ferrules. The others were a plain 4 point Szamboti,a late 80's high end Joss,an early 90's Joss West,and the twin to the Black Boar that Francisco Bustamante won the 1993 PBT Championship with,along with a Gilbert,Searing,3 different Cogs,Tony Watson's ivory/turquoise Josey,and several different red-dot Bludworth cues. In just about every case except the Josey,Cogs,and Bludworths,the common thread was the piloted stainless joint and ivory ferrules. I've played with about 20 different Southwests and several old Kersenbrocks,and liked about 5 of them,all of these had the old Micarta ferrules. Out of the 3 Bushkas I've played with,only the steel jointed one hit well,the 2 ivory jointed ones felt like something was broke inside the cue,cause it vibrated weird and made all kinds of racket,nothing like the healthy "plink" of steel and ivory. I'm not saying at all that there are not other cues that hit/play well at all,just that these cues I mentioned were the ones that I would replace my Schon with based on playability. I imagine if I had 10-15k a year or more to spend on cues that were just going to sit up in a display case I'd have a rather large collection,but as far as what feels and works best for me,I'll stick with what I have until someone puts something in my hand that hits better or I make one that hits better. Tommy D.
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I've been playing with my cue for about 7 years. The second best hitting cue I have ever hit a ball with. It was built for me by a friend who has me try out new ideas for him on his cues. I switched to this cue not only because he built it, but because of the feel. I think the only way I'll switch again, will be when he gets my new custom cue built in about 6-8 years. Then, only if it hits better than mine. It don't matter what it looks like, if you like how it hits. Sam
 
Tommy-D said:
> Am I the only player here that has played with the same cue for over 10 years?
Tommy D.
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Well no, I currently play with my old MF cue that I bought in 1970. One original shaft and two extra shafts from MF, plus two replacement shafts from that guy in Oklahoma (the name leaves me at the moment). I decided to retire that cue 13 or 14 years ago and bought a Schon. Evan said it is an R7 with inlay option. I question that but be that as it may the butt diameter is a bit small. With a slick linnen wrap it seems to take more grip pressure (more effort) to hold the cue.

Since I started back playing with the MF (larger butt diameter) I like it a lot better just for that reason. It still feels great. I'm sending out the Schon for a refinish and a textured leather wrap. I'm thinking even though the diameter is smaller the wrap will enable me to hold the cue with no effort.

I have bought a number of other cues but only to re-sell them at a profit. None of them have played/felt any better than my two cues, some were quite expensive too. I only need a cue or two and thats it.

I never felt the "must have" need or the gimmicks out there. You either have it or you don't and a red, green, purple or pink dots ain't gonna help. LOL :D My only prefrence is steel joint, shaft taper and the tip. In the end you'll find as your stroke improves it just keeps getting better, no matter the cue or it's composition.

Rod
 
I've shot with different cues in my life, but I've had my Joss for about ten years now. It always played well so I never thought of switching to another. I'm only now having something new made.
 
I've got quite a few cues but I mainly play with 1 favorite. My first favorite was a rosewood Rich (20 oz.,steel joint) that I bought in 1968. Played almost exclusively with that until 1974 whenI bought a Tad (19.5 oz,steel joint). Used that one until 1984 when I had Tim Scruggs make me a cue (19.4 oz.,micarta joint, later changed to ivory). Haven't found anything I like better since.
 
Tommy-D said:
> Am I the only player here that has played with the same cue for over 10 years? In the 14 years since I've bought my Schon,I've hit balls with probably 500 other cues,from a wide spectrum of cuemakers/manufacturers. In all that time,I've only seen 10-15 that I felt hit as good,and probably 5 of those were Schons from the same time period,and similar build,meaning all but one of them were the panto-style,only one of them had the spliced points. The spliced one was a early R-16,basically a 6 point version of my cue. Oddly enough,the other 4 Schons I thought hit as good or better than mine all had more ivory in them,even though inlays don't affect the hit much if at all. All of them had ivory ferrules. The others were a plain 4 point Szamboti,a late 80's high end Joss,an early 90's Joss West,and the twin to the Black Boar that Francisco Bustamante won the 1993 PBT Championship with,along with a Gilbert,Searing,3 different Cogs,Tony Watson's ivory/turquoise Josey,and several different red-dot Bludworth cues. In just about every case except the Josey,Cogs,and Bludworths,the common thread was the piloted stainless joint and ivory ferrules. I've played with about 20 different Southwests and several old Kersenbrocks,and liked about 5 of them,all of these had the old Micarta ferrules. Out of the 3 Bushkas I've played with,only the steel jointed one hit well,the 2 ivory jointed ones felt like something was broke inside the cue,cause it vibrated weird and made all kinds of racket,nothing like the healthy "plink" of steel and ivory. I'm not saying at all that there are not other cues that hit/play well at all,just that these cues I mentioned were the ones that I would replace my Schon with based on playability. I imagine if I had 10-15k a year or more to spend on cues that were just going to sit up in a display case I'd have a rather large collection,but as far as what feels and works best for me,I'll stick with what I have until someone puts something in my hand that hits better or I make one that hits better. Tommy D.
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I got my Schon in 1993 and haven't hit with another cue since, except the occassional house cue.
 
I played with my Balabushka for over 36 years.

It is now too valuable (it is in a safety deposit box) so I am playing with a Lucasi that I found on eBay for $89. I have customized the cue to my liking and it plays plenty good enough for my desires and abilities that have both declined tremendously.

TY & GL
 
Shorty said:
It's kinda funny you should mention this...

Back in 96 I won a tournament in which I shot with a Schon STL 7. I had to sell the cue a couple months later to make rent, else I would still have it. I was a poor struggling college kid at the time. I regretted it ever since.

I now own two Schon's - my pride and joy, a LTD 642 and an STL 6, which I am thinking about selling due to a financial crunch. As of late, I have started getting away from the Predator shaft and going back to an older Schon shaft I picked up with the STL 6. It hits very solid and has a much better feel than the Predator could offer. I love how a Predator hits some shots, but I was missing too many touch shots with the shaft.

I agree in that it amazes me how Schon still keeps that nice and solid hit after all these years...and how adaptable they are with shafts being so interchangable. Cue snobs argue they are not a custom cue, but you know what? I rather have the consistancy of hit than a custom hit that can never be duplicated. I also have customized mine just about to the point in could never be duplicated, with the extensions and lizard wrap.

It ain't about originality for me, it's about what I am comfortable with.

Shorty
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Yeah, maybe you are right about Schons. They are custom cues for dart strokers like yourself.
 
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