Any one else go back to cheaper cues ?

[CuesDirectly]

Dave,

I couldn't hit with these of course. First thing I did was unscrew and check for end grain damage, missing wood, or wood, collars and insert not lined up like they should be.

Can't see much grain on a complete shaft with insert and collar but looking at the joint end and looking at the shaft from joint end to ferrule I was looking at how evenly the spacing was on the growth rings and if they ran off to one side or the other or seemed to get cut away pretty evenly on both sides. I glanced at all of the shafts and probably looked more closely at roughly two-dozen before I decided I wasn't likely to find a better shaft.

Some of the growth ring counts seemed pretty high but I have found consistent growth rings from side to side more important than getting the highest number of rings possible and ignoring that they are tight on one side of a shaft or blank and more open on the other.

The nature of a tree's growth and the way they are cut up pretty much guarantees a little run-off. I wanted to get my own log sometime and split it then cut it but never got the chance. I'm a long ways from rock maple. Even if we had it in Louisiana everything tends to grow so fast here it would be unlikely to be quality wood.

I looked for defects in the other materials or extra wide glue lines too.

I am aware that you know much of this already however when I write for public consumption I try to cover the bases for everybody. Almost left out the first thing I did, eyeball the shaft to see if it appeared straight looking down the shaft from close behind the buttcap and rolling the tip on the display base that was a hard linoleum maybe two feet high. I was still doing machine work back then and had 20-10 vision or close to it so I trusted my eyes a lot more than I do now!

It sounds like a pretty involved check of each shaft but I spent more time unscrewing joints and putting them back together than anything else. After the first few it didn't take long to rule out most of the culls, about 75%. This doesn't mean there was this high of a ratio of bad shafts, just with about forty to choose from I could afford to be picky. I kept a couple of the best cues on the side and as soon as I decided a shaft was inferior to those I quit looking at it. I did "ping test" the cue I was buying, dropping the complete cue from about a foot straight down tip first onto the floor. This depends on the floor and the employees nearby, I would expect them to object if I did it to a bunch of cues. I remember the floor people watching me pretty closely while I was going over their cues like Tuco putting together a six-shooter! I looked a lot like my avatar at the time.

My opinion, after checking for true and handling damage which would cover manufacturing issues too, the main thing was runout. A few shafts had truly ridiculous growth ring runout, I was looking for one ring or less. This doesn't mean cut away by tapering the shaft of course, a bit of eyeballing to visualize if it would run out if the shaft was still a straight dowel.

A repeat, how choosy you can be depends a lot on how many shafts or blanks you have to choose from and how many times they have already been picked over. There were a few twenty dollar shaft blanks last I bought some used to build those forty dollar cues.

I tried to write what I looked at back then, in truth some I remember, some I am not positive. I bought this shaft to replace the one on my Meucci in the late eighties, early nineties at the latest. A friend at work had started playing and I rarely was so I gave him the cue maybe five years later, still with a straight shaft.

Hu

I Thank you for a wonderful response. No matter how many shafts I have cut, I am still willing to listen to anyone on the subject and again, you did a great job.

If by chance you still look for nice shaft wood for personal use, call me and I will give you a few for free. I have hundreds of pure beautiful blanks with fewer than 15 growth rings, my website promises 15 or more so over the years I have created a large amount with 10-14 rings and a larger amount with fewer rings, hundreds and hundreds with no where to go.


I can go look at 500 - 1000 board feet of beautiful material and be lucky enough to come away with 100 board feet but it costs more to pick thru the stacks. I could buy the entire stack, take it to Re-Cut and they would have it in turning squares or cored dowels faster than I could but the quality would be hit and miss so that is why I do what I do.

Thanks again for taking time to write what you did, many on here sure appreciate it,

 

[ShootingArts]

e-mail

I Thank you for a wonderful response. No matter how many shafts I have cut, I am still willing to listen to anyone on the subject and again, you did a great job.

If by chance you still look for nice shaft wood for personal use, call me and I will give you a few for free. I have hundreds of pure beautiful blanks with fewer than 15 growth rings, my website promises 15 or more so over the years I have created a large amount with 10-14 rings and a larger amount with fewer rings, hundreds and hundreds with no where to go.


I can go look at 500 - 1000 board feet of beautiful material and be lucky enough to come away with 100 board feet but it costs more to pick thru the stacks. I could buy the entire stack, take it to Re-Cut and they would have it in turning squares or cored dowels faster than I could but the quality would be hit and miss so that is why I do what I do.

Thanks again for taking time to write what you did, many on here sure appreciate it,

I moved this to e-mail.
Thanks!
Hu

 

[Celophanewrap]

I have purchased several cues that were going to be my 'Holy Grail', really didn't care for
any of them. I always somehow manage to go back to my old player. Back in the early
90's when Predator was a reasonably new company I bought one with a 5/16 X 14
joint. I've taken good care of it and that's the one I always go back to. I've had prettier
cues, certainly more expensive and more ornate cues, but the old Predator has always
been right for me. You'd think by now I'd know better.....

 

[Celophanewrap]

Guess i need to start from the begining. When i got into playing league after a 30 year break from playing pool i bought a few mid to low level production cues.... Players....vikings ...and meuccis to be exact. Oh yea...traded one of those meuccis even for a predator blak 4.

After joining this forum i decided to see what a custom cue was all about and bought one for 2500 and after playing with it a few years sold it for the same 2500 and bought a used meucci gambler for 200.

One other note....in 2013 i qualified for vegas and was not taking that 2500 cue and bought a cheap import sneaky pete brand new for 20.00 to take out there. I played pretty dang sporty out there with it.

So i just had to get a revo shaft for that blak 4 .....mainly cause that combo looked good. Played with thst set up a while and then just had to get a meucci carbon pro to go with that 200 dollar gambler i bought when i sold that custom .

Played with that set up a while and recently went back to the black dot shaft on the gambler.

Tonight i took that old 20 dollar cue to league and played pretty darn good with it. Made a couole errors but i think its that 7 year old factory tip thats the culprit.

I played good enough i think i am going to stick with it this weekend at our regional qualifier and leave those high priced shafts in the closet. Only problem with the sneaky pete is some think its a house cue and have grabbed it a few times. One time it came up missing and i found it on the wall rack. Consequently i have to keep a sharper eye out on it than i have to with those carbon fiber cues.

Like the title says...any one else went back to a cheap cue ?

Hey Lo, did you qualify for Las Vegas Singles at the end of April?

 

[JC]

I Thank you for a wonderful response. No matter how many shafts I have cut, I am still willing to listen to anyone on the subject and again, you did a great job.

If by chance you still look for nice shaft wood for personal use, call me and I will give you a few for free. I have hundreds of pure beautiful blanks with fewer than 15 growth rings, my website promises 15 or more so over the years I have created a large amount with 10-14 rings and a larger amount with fewer rings, hundreds and hundreds with no where to go.


I can go look at 500 - 1000 board feet of beautiful material and be lucky enough to come away with 100 board feet but it costs more to pick thru the stacks. I could buy the entire stack, take it to Re-Cut and they would have it in turning squares or cored dowels faster than I could but the quality would be hit and miss so that is why I do what I do.

Thanks again for taking time to write what you did, many on here sure appreciate it,

How much per? I'll take all the 10-14 you have.:smile:

 

[measureman]

I can't afford high end cues so no I've never gone back to cheaper cues.
I've always been there.
The most I've ever paid for a cue was $525 and that was for a Schon brand new in about 1984 or so.

 

[ShootingArts]

Wish I had a Dollar . . .

I have purchased several cues that were going to be my 'Holy Grail', really didn't care for
any of them. I always somehow manage to go back to my old player. Back in the early
90's when Predator was a reasonably new company I bought one with a 5/16 X 14
joint. I've taken good care of it and that's the one I always go back to. I've had prettier
cues, certainly more expensive and more ornate cues, but the old Predator has always
been right for me. You'd think by now I'd know better.....

Wish I had a dollar for all of the times somebody sold their older equipment to buy the holy grail. Some hate the holy grail from the jump, some take a little longer, few still own the holy grail a year later. Wood Turners have more gizmos and gadgets than those in most pursuits. A popular T-Shirt says "One Tool Away From Greatness!"

The wood turners know they are poking fun at their own inability to not buy the latest toy. Pool players could have a similar shirt made, one cue, or one shaft away from greatness.

Hu

 

[lorider]

Hey Lo, did you qualify for Las Vegas Singles at the end of April?

Our regional tournament is being held this coming weekend . for the first time i am serious about winning this thing...went undefeated and lost hill- hill in the last one i played which was about 5 years ago.

So i am gong to do whst i have never done before.....practice. I had a new tip put on that 20 dollar cue yesterday at the meucci factory and need to break it in so i am going to practice at meucci this afternoon and tommorow afternoon since its close to my house. Then i have practice scheduled with a team mate thursday afternoon at the venue where the tournament is being held and also have league at the same venue friday night before the tournament starts saturday morning.

Either i am going to be in stroke ...or wore out by Saturday lol.

 

[Matt_24]

I've known many great players who gambled high, played super speed, and didn't use expensive cues...at all. I knew a guy who would have on thousands in jewelry, betting big money, playing beautiful pool...and I could buy the cue he uses now online for $130. But he treated that cue like a Stradivarius and it made him a lot of money.

 

[ShootingHank]

I don't care for expensive cues and it depends on what you guys think are expensive. If a custom cue is considered expensive then those are the ones I no longer play with. I much prefer the new technology with these newer production cues such as Predator.

Are Predators considered high end?

 

[Thunder Thighs]

Are Predators considered high end?

Some of the limited or special editions can be. Then again it all depends on the individual's capacity to pay. A $500 Roadline can be considered high end for someone who only wants to spend $100 for a cue. On the other hand, the same Roadline (or even special editions) will not be considered the same way for someone who's cues start at $2000.

 

[animatedvmaker]

I would say that a low end cue is probably fine for lower skilled players. Higher level players and pros that rely on low deflection cues would not be able to play at the same level if you gave them a $99 players cue. The way the cue ball reacts to high amounts of spin and a hard stroke is night and day difference

I agree on those statements.

Efren Reyes did play amazing with a cue that was probably worth under $50, and that was back in an era of slow cloth, where a player needed to have a really powerful stroke, at times, to get the cue ball to a position that they needed it to be in.

So, in very rare cases, a very high level player might find a super cheap cue that he really loves enough to want to keep playing with it, even if he can afford something custom or much higher end.

Who knows how many A level players are out there who chose to use a super cheap cue, because they have gotten so used to it, and love it that much.

 

[nine_ball6970]

I am curious. Do those who go back to less expensive cues do so because they are worried about damaging a more expensive cue or is it because you sold the expensive ones to use money for other things?

Personally I play with a very expensive cue. I have sentimental reasons and just love to look at it. I am used to how it plays as well. I don't think I will ever switch to a different playing cue.

 

[JazzyJeff87]

I watched a match where the commentators said Efren was using a $15 cue from said Philippines. Of course he lost the match, probably because his cue didn’t cost enough...had nothing to do with the Earthquake he was playing against.

I bought a Viking A series for my first cue. $243.
Then I upgraded to the Predator Throne 2 for like a grand. It is a pretty hot cue and I was just hoping it would play well and for me it seems to be perfect so maybe I lucked out and I’ll never buy another cue.

I do kind of want a nice custom 1 piece cue for the house though. Something classy but cool, one solid wrapless piece of wood with maybe a few inlays. Though I’m thinking just bare nekked all the way. The problem is I need a really nice, long piece of wood and no one I’ve talked to yet has the machines set up for it

 

[Cornerman]

I like to collect cues, and many of them are relatively expensive if you consider the average league player, etc. My main shooting cue cost me $525 in 1997 or so. And my other cue that I use more often is a custom Schmelke full-splice conversion, sneaky Pete-ish (built to my Schuler specs) that didn’t cost over $260 altogether.

That being said, the last time I came out of a pool hiatus, it was my $40 McDermott-designed Nitro cue that coaxed me back. Anyone with skill can win with that cue. I assume the McDermott Lucky cues are of the same happiness.


Freddie <~~~ pretty happy

 

[Ssonerai]

I do kind of want a nice custom 1 piece cue for the house though. Something classy but cool, one solid wrapless piece of wood with maybe a few inlays. Though I’m thinking just bare nekked all the way. The problem is I need a really nice, long piece of wood and no one I’ve talked to yet has the machines set up for it

is this a spliced cue?
Or actually one solid hunk of maple (or PH or ash) from butt sleeve to tip ferule?

 

[trinacria]

Ive had about ten to 15 customs, maybe more, and every brand from jacoby to schon to predator and so forth. Ive tried it all. Ther e s three or four cues i regret selling, but my setup is a cuetec 360 walnut stain wi4h a stacked wrap amd had the cue turn e d down to 12.3. But its a 200 cue that came with an extension. And a 200 sneaky pete with a hoppe ring for a break cue an d backup feom schmelke. I won my case at a raffle. Overall my entire setup is 400.

 

[Thunder Thighs]

I am curious. Do those who go back to less expensive cues do so because they are worried about damaging a more expensive cue

Yes. But then again, it also bugs me when my cheapest cue gets dinged or scratched. :banghead: Just not as much as when it happens to my custom.

 

[Bavafongoul]

You do not need to spend lots of money for a pool cue.
It is simply a tool that is distinguishable by its design &
appearance but it’s functionality is always the same.

Good mechanics and a consistent, smooth pool stroke
go a lot further than any pool cue costing thousands of $.
Get a inexpensive SP but get one you like or don’t bother.

 

[Mkindsv]

Hey lorider,

Been reading your posts for several years now, jumping from cue to cue to cue, carbon fiber, LD sneaky Pete's, Meucci, Predator, Custom...See a trend here??? LOL, the only thing consistent about your cue game is that it is inconsistent.

Notice, you get a cue, you shoot great with it for a week or two, then your game slowly (or quickly) goes back to the normal inconsistency you have from cue to cue to cue. You switch from cue to cue a lot as well.

Now, I am not trying to be condescending, God knows I have had my own troubles with inconsistency and thinking that a new/different cue/shaft/tip would help fix some flaw in my game. What I came to realize is that I would get that new cue and in the process of trying it out (first week or so) I would shoot lights out with it, this applies to tips, shafts, whole cues. A lot in the industry call it New Cue Syndrome...which is a real effect, you shoot better with it because the first few days to a week you are really concentrating and doing things right....lining up, Pre-shot, good stroke, good follow through, staying down. Once you decide "Hey, this is a great cue, gonna keep it and IT WILL REALLY HELP MY GAME, is when you start depending on the cue to make the shots for you, you start letting the cue do the work, so it takes the blame and ends up on the wall collecting dust in favor of the next piece of equipment that will help fix your game.

What you really should try, and I don't know if you have a table at home, but you should try a stroke Drill for 10-15 minutes before each time you go to a League match or tournament (will up your confidence in your stroke, help with your stance). I personally like Tor Lowry's Stroke Drill...and then do a ball pocketing drill for the same amount of time...set up an easy angled shot, mark the cue and object ball ( I use a half ball hit) and shoot it into the same pocket using every cueing position, this will help with table speed, English and position play. Finally I do a couple of rounds of half table pattern play to 5 balls, with no English...another of Tor Lowry's drills...for a total of all three prep routines of 30-45 mins before a big match or tournament.

All this to say, you are probably not inconsistent because of your cue/tip/shaft choice, fact of the matter is you are probably a very good player that doesn't put a lot of time into getting used to the cue you are about to play with, you probably expect to pull the cue out of the bag and step up to the table and make most of your shots (this was also me 100%). But it really shouldn't matter what cue you use, so long as you put in the work beforehand to familiarize your brain with what it CAN DO before you start.

I do like the cheap cue Idea, tasks your brain with a challenge to see what you can do with it, which immediately makes you concentrate better whether you realize it or not. Once you find that you are constantly challenging your brain to make these things happen regardless of the cue you are using you will see your game improve dramatically and for the long haul.

Sorry to write you a book, but hope some little piece of it helps your (or anyone else's game).