Are you a Keeper? Why or why not?

Drawman623

Drawman623

Box Cue lover
Silver Member
What is your reasoning?

Loyalty to the builder?
Assembling a "collection"
Making an investment
Searching for the best

I own about 50 cues presently. I have a strong attachment to 5 or 6 of them and in those cases, it is a combination of beauty, playability and a bonding with the builder that has won me over. I couldn't part with them, even if offered massive profit.

That being said, the other 90% of my collection is appreciated, enjoyed but ever ready for the next collecting opportunity.
 
None of my cues are for sale. Reasoning? If I bought it, it was to keep it, not to flip it.
 
I have a similar number in my collection only a few high end cues. Over the years I have sold about five cues and given about ten away, the ones I gave away were to players who could not afford to buy their own. The ones I have sold I wish I had back.

I don't mind giving some away to friends in need or kids just starting out but selling them kind of bugs me. I would rather have the cue on the wall then the cash in my pocket.
 
I was a "keeper" until the past year when I started shooting with 60" cues. Now, I'm sorta in the mood to dump most of my 58-inchers. I've got one or two that I won't part with though.

Maniac
 
Cuebuddy said:
The ones I have sold I wish I had back.

I would rather have the cue on the wall then the cash in my pocket.
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Well said. I too have experienced the regret of parting with a cue I should have kept. I must also agree that the cash is a poor substitute for a good cue...best they stay on the wall.
 
WildWing said:
None of my cues are for sale. Reasoning? If I bought it, it was to keep it, not to flip it.
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Same here. I never buy anything to sell. I buy cues for the beauty of them or for the heck of it. They are functional and crafty. They sure look good on a wall rack. My cues range from $150- $1000 and one collectable Doc Frye.
 
Drawman623 said:
What is your reasoning?

Loyalty to the builder?
Assembling a "collection"
Making an investment
Searching for the best

I own about 50 cues presently. I have a strong attachment to 5 or 6 of them and in those cases, it is a combination of beauty, playability and a bonding with the builder that has won me over. I couldn't part with them, even if offered massive profit.

That being said, the other 90% of my collection is appreciated, enjoyed but ever ready for the next collecting opportunity.
Click to expand...

I own over 150-cues, and I have "keepers" for various reasons

  • Loyalty to the builder from a collecting standpoint is part of it
  • Assembling a collection was more like feeding an addiction
  • As an investment it's hard to say, but at this time I would guess no, cues are not a good investment across the board
  • Searching for the best is the fun part

The way a cue plays is still the main reason I fall in love with a cue.
Second is the cuemaker / collectible / desirability
Third is is the design, fit, and finish
The value comes into play on all of the above

Owning a lot of cues, and even attempting to keep them all organized, tuned up, and in top playing condition is more like a curse for me.
It would help if I could do the work myself, but I am not allowed within 15-feet of a any adhesive product, or sharp object when cues are around.
What do you do with a vintage cue that still has the original tips?
You can't play with them all long enough to break the new tips in.
I am leaning toward having no emotional attachment, and selling most of them.

Does anybody want to buy a cue....:shrug:
 
*the below post rambles, but vaguely answers the question asked- feel free to skip*

I don't have nearly the quantity that some of the above posters have... and they're all production cues save 1 that I just bought from a member on here. My first non-Walmart cue was a Meucci Original that I had them restore. I'll keep it for sentiment and because there is no way I'll get anything for it. Since Meucci was my first, I bought a bunch of them. Sold a few, gave one to my Dad as a gift... most of them are keepers because I paid more than I could ask with a straight face and clear conscience. The custom cue I recently bought looks amazing, and I wish I liked shooting with it, but I think I'm one of the rare people who likes the 5/16-18 joint better than the big pins. I played with it for about 3 weeks exclusively and never could get confident with it. I grabbed the Meucci I play with from the rack and it was like I never put it down.
I have a custom being finished now that's made with some of my Navy insignias and uniform materials incorporated into it... the cuemaker seems like a close friend at this point, and even if it plays like a rolled up newspaper, there's no way I could ever sell it.
 
Drawman623 said:
What is your reasoning?

Loyalty to the builder?
Assembling a "collection"
Making an investment
Searching for the best

I own about 50 cues presently. I have a strong attachment to 5 or 6 of them and in those cases, it is a combination of beauty, playability and a bonding with the builder that has won me over. I couldn't part with them, even if offered massive profit.

That being said, the other 90% of my collection is appreciated, enjoyed but ever ready for the next collecting opportunity.
Click to expand...


my thoughts and numbers line up well with yours. I have a few cues 3-4 that I wouldnt ever sell, I'd keep them in my shopping cart along with the rest of my stuff, under the bridge. This is of course if i end up homeless. never know...:o
 
DallasHopps said:
most of them are keepers because I paid more than I could ask with a straight face and clear conscience.
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That is way up there for a reason to designate certain cues as "keeper's".

What about all of the extra shafts purchased to go with these "keepers"?
Now they are really a keeper, and what am I going to do with a third shaft
to a cue I don't even play with in the first place.
 
Sometimes I order a cue for me forever
Shortly thereafter along comes an offer
I tend to stick to my nature
A salesman sells

Barry laughed in my face when I ordered a personal keeper
He said if its not from the Campbell loins ,its for sale

Laurie said the same thing,but she is still making me an ebony 9 point

I sold my ebony Mottey music cue today,
I loved that cue

But I got a Scruggs Hoppe today that I will never sell
 
Cues Are Like Partners !

First cue I bought got stolen.Next few I bought were hopeless.

First wife I wed fled with the 4 kids.Next few relationships were hopeless.

Nothing against my Dufferin cue but the next time I pick 1 she better be a beauty and unnickable.:wink::):D:thumbup:

Cues are like wives.When you find the 1 that's right for you,keep it and try your best not to lose it.It might take you years to find another.:wink:

Personally I hate queues.
 
Most of the cues I have came with great stories...Either the deal I got or the person I obtained from. These stories mean very little to me without the cue and usually mean even less to the new owner.
 
Hello, my name is Chopdoc, and I have a cue problem.

That's the first step right? There's gotta be a 12 step program for this problem.....


I lost my first wife....but I still have my first cue.

Yeah...I'm a keeper. I never sold a cue until recently, and that was here on AZB. Then I sold a second one, it wasn't one that I had bought for me anyway....but still....it was odd to sell. I am still coming to terms with having sold the first one actually. A damned pristine D series McDermott. A shooter if there ever was one.

What is it? Why? I collect other things as well. Knives. Guns. Pens. But cues are different. My JOSS helped make me a doctor. It got me through undergrad.

I don't know why I am a keeper. I really don't. Do I miss my father? Did my mother not breast feed me enough? Whatever...I just don't know....


I don't have the ultimate cues that I want yet. Call most of what I have pacifiers if you like, but they aren't really because they are keepers, even the very low end stuff and I have some very low end stuff. Somebody above sold a Mottey to buy a TS. That's backwards for me. I want a Mottey. He once offered to buy my JOSS and Fellini, more than 20 years ago. He's the only cue maker I ever met in person and it left one hell of an impression on me seeing him and seeing his shop. I want one. When he retired it crushed me because I always thought when I got one it would be made for me. I don't want fancy. I don't want a Monster. I want an old school Mottey. I will get one....and I will keep it. There are many others I want.....but one thing is certain among all of them....including the Mottey I will eventually own.....

I will be buried with my JOSS.


EDIT: Oh...how many do I have? I stopped counting. But I am putting together a spread sheet with their specs.....I'll just ignore the numbering.....
 
church66 said:
First cue I bought got stolen.Next few I bought were hopeless.

First wife I wed fled with the 4 kids.Next few relationships were hopeless.

Nothing against my Dufferin cue but the next time I pick 1 she better be a beauty and unnickable.:wink::):D:thumbup:

Cues are like wives.When you find the 1 that's right for you,keep it and try your best not to lose it.It might take you years to find another.:wink:

Personally I hate queues.
Click to expand...

But you're British, sir! How can you hate queues? Queueing is one of our very finest gifts to the world!
 
I've got 35+ cues now. There are maybe 2-3 cue makers I would consider myself loyal to and wouldn't get rid of their cues. Unfortunately, my all time favorite is now retired... I wish Tim Scruggs was immortal because owning a handful will never be enough. But luckily, I have a couple of others that I'm still loyal to and I won't sell theirs. All others are fair game at the right price.

R,

Greg
 
Everything (well almost everything) I have is for sale!!!

I ordered a new Pred sneaky to try it out and my buddy asked me how much I wanted for it.

I told him I hadn't even got it yet, let alone hit with it.

He said, "I know, but you will sell it soon anyways, how much??"

I laughed my ass off, but he is right on point with that one!!!
 
I have 11 cues and I would only sell 1 or 2 if at all. I still regret selling my Tim Scruggs that Tim and I designed. It was a one of a kind and a beauty, but I just picked up an awesome Lambros and my best friend had his cue stolen and I sold it to him for about a third of its value. I still kick myself for doing that but I was young and very stupid.
 
I've owned a lot of cues in the last ten years. I have been accused of being a flipper by some and I would imagine that there are people who would think I was some kind of trunk salesman, but that's never been my intent at all. I've picked up a few great deals that I could make a little money on (and a few dogs, as well!), but I always just reinvested whatever I made back into more cues.

When I was a kid, I wanted a Palmer in the worst way, but never could afford one. When I started collecting a few years ago, my idea was to try every different cue I could get my hands on, to see what I really want to play with. I also used many of these cues for comparison to see what styles I like in woods, wraps, inlays, etc. I've played with weight and balance until I know what works for me. I've played with LD shafts, thin shafts, fat shafts, and every different ferrule and tip combination imaginable.

I've had the pleasure of working with several great cuemakers, and I ordered my daily player to my personal specs. I've also bought cues on the secondary market and met some good sellers out there.

It's been a fun ride, as I'm hopelessly obsessive. I've met great people and learned a lot of things over the years that you just can't find in a book. I've really slowed down over the last year or two, as the economy has dried up, but I'm confident that I have found my Holy Grail of cues (I know I've found it because I've been playing with it for the last four years now and haven't had any desire to change my player). I have tested out a number of "back up" cues and have chosen two out of the lot. I will still try an occasional cue, but I've narrowed down my selection features, so I at least know what features I need on a cue from the start.

To answer the OP's initial question, when I found the right mixture of things I want on a cue, combined with the looks, feel, and balance I like, the cue is a keeper. I think I could have made any of the cues I've owned a shooter, but when the "right one" came along, it was as if the cue was an old friend just waiting to find you. It feels like it's a part of you and yet seems like there is nothing really there. You don't seem to notice that it's not connected to your body. All the other cues I've tried were great in their respective way, but were stepping stones to finding Excalibur...

Steve
 
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