Anyone have a stick they really wanted to like but couldn't?

hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had the stick in my picture for a bit before I traded it for my current Ned Morris. If you look at the specs, great maker (Arthur) great components (Ivory joint, Ivory ferrule), good weight and wood, sounds like a great player. Was also by at least 2x the most expensive stick I even owned at the time, so it felt kinda nice to the ego to tell people that I shot with a 1k value stick, and that was a lower end model from that maker to boot.

Did not like it much. After the first few days I got over the whole ivory joint feel (never played with one before so was a new experience for me), and started focusing more on how it played. Just took more effort to move the ball around with this cue and the joint and taper made the cue hit with a much firmer feel than I wanted.

I really did want to like this cue, had stuff I "thought" I wanted, but turned out it was not for me.
 
No, but I had a wife once that I wasn't too fond of. I test drove her to, but it did very little good.
Sometimes a cue is like a new pair of boots. You've got to break 'em in a little before they start feeling good. :)
 
Hopefully you changed the tip before you got rid of it. The tip can make a big difference in how the hit feels. Particularly if you really like tips on the extreme ends of the hardness spectrum. Just a thought. My wife got me a nice Richard Black for my birthday but I had to change the tips to get the feel I was looking for.
 
My first really high end cue was like that. I won't mention who it was since he is a member here but people normally rave about his cues. I paid $1400 for it and I thought it shot like total crap. In fact...I had a few others shoot with it and thought the same thing. I wanted that cue to be the best shooter...it was soooo awesome looking but what can you do. I have had over 40 cues in the past few years and it was the worst. I sold it at one point and the guy said he liked it so what do it know.
Thankfully after all of that trying out cues I had one made for me to my own specs and I absolutely love it.
 
I let go of a higher end Schon LTD earlier this year. Loved the looks, but hated how it played. I went back to my Benson once it was recovered.
 
good post

I had worked and traded my arse off trying to get this cue made by one of the "elite" cue makers. I paid almost $1700 for the cue and when it arrived it literally GLOWED when I took it out of the box. I played with it for a month and have to say it was the worse playing cue (for me ) I have put in my hands. I put it up for sale and accidentally knocked a chip in the butt cap while showing it to a guy at the pool room. So , before I could sell it I shipped it to get the chip repaired and UPS LOST the cue !! They paid my insurance claim and I had been playing with my Omen break cue ,so then decided to get an Omen player .That was 3 years ago or more and have stuck with the Omen ever since.Before that I bet I went through 30-35 different cues. The best hitting cues I have actually played with are a Omen, Lomax, Hightower,and a very old Nova cue(in no particular order ) this local player has here in marietta.
 
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Had a nice Samsara once, could never get used to it. Guess that's why there are many different makers and styles.
 
Not really...but I have tried models/brands/makers that I hated and then avoided. I've had several cues over the years, and they ALL played different to me, despite having similar specs/characteristics. I worked through all of them. It's really astonishing what a difference there can be between ivory and non-ivory ferrules, SS piloted and flat faced joints, the different pins, pro taper vs. conical vs. parabolic, etc. My Schon has a lot of deflection, but can really juice a cue ball. My GEM puts English on a cue ball with sheer thought (kind of whippy, less than half a tip is like two full tips on any other cue I have)...you just visualize what you want the cueball to do and it just magically happens--very Jedi. My Carolina Custom has very little deflection and is probably the most consistent ball maker in my hands of any cue I've ever owned; but I have to work a little harder to draw the rock than I did with either the Schon or the GEM. My McDermotts were all very consistent players, couldn't tell them apart with my eyes closed. Every Joss I ever shot with felt different...kind of "flat" or "stiff" hitting, but very solid--although each one had it's own "personality". To me, ivory ferrules seem to need a little more work from me to get the same control that ivorine or Juma or Micarta give me.

Lesson I learned from all of this is, before you let disappointment overtake you, give it a little time and try at least two other tips out on it before you give up on it. Every cue I ever owned took a little drive time to sight in to my stance/stroke. They all work just fine!
 
I had a fancy South West but the butt was too big for my liking and I had to give it up for my current Mottey cue. I couldn't afford both cues or I would have kept the South West.
 
West Point 1987 said:
Lesson I learned from all of this is, before you let disappointment overtake you, give it a little time and try at least two other tips out on it before you give up on it. Every cue I ever owned took a little drive time to sight in to my stance/stroke. They all work just fine!
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Great post. The size and taper of the shaft is another variable that can be adjusted.
 
I'm kind of dealing with this very thing right now. I got a new cue that looks great, but I just don't like the hit. The problem is, it plays fantastic! It really suits my game, but it doesn't hit like I want it to. I changed the tip twice now, and after putting on a milk dud, it is hitting better, but still not quite up to my Scruggs sneaky. I guess ill just keep playing with it until I make up my mind.

Joe
 
I have a Mahogany Series Cuetec cue that I do not like :embarrassed2:. That stock SST shaft is the pits :sorry:. Funny thing is, I at one time had a replacement 12mm Cuetec shaft for it and it really wasn't all that bad of a cue with the skinnier shaft on it. Sold the 12mm shaft about a year ago and now am willing to let the Cutec cue, 1X1 hard case, and metal joint protectors go for $90 (including shipping in CONUS).

Maniac
 
West Point 1987 said:
Not really...but I have tried models/brands/makers that I hated and then avoided. I've had several cues over the years, and they ALL played different to me, despite having similar specs/characteristics. I worked through all of them. It's really astonishing what a difference there can be between ivory and non-ivory ferrules, SS piloted and flat faced joints, the different pins, pro taper vs. conical vs. parabolic, etc. My Schon has a lot of deflection, but can really juice a cue ball. My GEM puts English on a cue ball with sheer thought (kind of whippy, less than half a tip is like two full tips on any other cue I have)...you just visualize what you want the cueball to do and it just magically happens--very Jedi. My Carolina Custom has very little deflection and is probably the most consistent ball maker in my hands of any cue I've ever owned; but I have to work a little harder to draw the rock than I did with either the Schon or the GEM. My McDermotts were all very consistent players, couldn't tell them apart with my eyes closed. Every Joss I ever shot with felt different...kind of "flat" or "stiff" hitting, but very solid--although each one had it's own "personality". To me, ivory ferrules seem to need a little more work from me to get the same control that ivorine or Juma or Micarta give me.

Lesson I learned from all of this is, before you let disappointment overtake you, give it a little time and try at least two other tips out on it before you give up on it. Every cue I ever owned took a little drive time to sight in to my stance/stroke. They all work just fine!
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Good point

I always felt like the taper, cue construction, and wood combination was more important, but as I become more aware of the variances in hit from cue to cue, my new opinion is that the tip is kind of a big deal.
Not only the type of tip, but the break-in period as well.

Every once in a while however you just have to say "I guess I could play with this cue if I have to"
 
dr9ball said:
Hopefully you changed the tip before you got rid of it. The tip can make a big difference in how the hit feels. Particularly if you really like tips on the extreme ends of the hardness spectrum. Just a thought. My wife got me a nice Richard Black for my birthday but I had to change the tips to get the feel I was looking for.
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Do you mean adding a hard tip can improve the hit if you like a stiff hit?

I like a stiff hit and have pretty much used very hard tips. Sometimes I'll play with another player's cue and scratch my head about the hit.
 
JusticeNJ said:
Do you mean adding a hard tip can improve the hit if you like a stiff hit?

I like a stiff hit and have pretty much used very hard tips. Sometimes I'll play with another player's cue and scratch my head about the hit.
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In my experience, yes. Even in LD shafts. I never liked the z2s and was very fond of my OB Classic pro, until I tried one with a hard tip, it made the whole difference, I still use an OB pro but I really noticed the difference between the everest and the hard tip.
 
Nice thread.

I was heckbent on getting a Cog and even drove up to Chicago to meet JG. He showed me how a stick was made and his vault as well as all the jewels he had, things like that.

So I am like ok I'll buy one as everyone I've ever talked to said its just a monster stick, and it was gorgeous.

Cue comes in 4-5 weeks and its awesome looking, I hit a few shots with it and I literally can't make a ball with it. Figured I'd give it a few weeks, but needed to remember that I had to give it light use no beating it up.

Long story shorter, I ended up selling it to SA John for @ 2k less than I paid for it. Why take that little, i wanted to get out from underneath it and it bothered me each day to see it around knowing I was such a bonehead. I know taking the loss was bonehead but much better than the anguish it would have cost to keep it around.
 
DoubleA said:
Had a nice Samsara once, could never get used to it. Guess that's why there are many different makers and styles.
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Funny, I got a Samsara BarCue after being in love with them for a long time, there were one of the first custom makers I was familiar with from my early playing days. Made sure it was made to the same specs and wood quality as their high-end cues. Played with it, was way too soft and whippy for my taste. Had a great feel, just not quite right. Probably with a new shaft could have been a better cue, but I feel that a cue with a new shaft is no longer the same stick. I'd rather find a butt and shaft match that were made for each-other rather than a butt I like and then stick a Predator on it or something. To me it makes the butt end up being just for looks.
 
snipershot said:
I'm kind of dealing with this very thing right now. I got a new cue that looks great, but I just don't like the hit. The problem is, it plays fantastic! It really suits my game, but it doesn't hit like I want it to. I changed the tip twice now, and after putting on a milk dud, it is hitting better, but still not quite up to my Scruggs sneaky. I guess ill just keep playing with it until I make up my mind.

Joe
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I was sold on Tim's sneakys for a long time, 5/16x14 piloted...Pat Diveney's sneakys (I only have experience w/ the g-10 pin, not sure it matters) play the same, to me.
 
Any of the Cue Sticks I own could play 110% BETTER in the Hands of a Top Pro, than in my hands.:cool:

I on a certain day player better with a Stick than the Day before, or the Following Day.

Some day the same cue feels heavier to me, or lighter to me. Why I do not know.

The only Stick I ever bought I Truly hated because is a like Playing with over cooked PASTA was a Meucci. Meucci Originals were a better Cue than the Meucci's of TODAY! :angry::angry:

Of the Cues I own now most will soon be sold off because of health reasons, and I need to thin out my collection.;)
 
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