Bought an Ariel Carmeli feedback wanted

Nyquil

Nyquil

Well-known member
Hey all so this was a straight up impulse buy. This popped up on the FB marketplace literally within an hour of me trying to call another place for a predator le willie. It was a lot more than that cue was. I bought this for a couple hundred less then asking price. What do you guys think? Did I make a good purchase? I have never hit with one but man this thing looks gorgeous. Also from my understanding these are 3/8 10 modified down the line I would like to try a carbon shaft with it. Will a normal 3/8 10 fit this? I read conflicting things. Anyway any input from the forum would be appreciated. I attached some pics. It ships out to me tomorrow.
 

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The beauty of the cue will be in the eyes of the beholder. The playability of the cue will be in the judgement of the player. the dollar value of the cue will be controlled by the current market ( true resale value). I hope you love it!! :) :)
 
Nyquil said:
Hey all so this was a straight up impulse buy. This popped up on the FB marketplace literally within an hour of me trying to call another place for a predator le willie. It was a lot more than that cue was. I bought this for a couple hundred less then asking price. What do you guys think? Did I make a good purchase? I have never hit with one but man this thing looks gorgeous. Also from my understanding these are 3/8 10 modified down the line I would like to try a carbon shaft with it. Will a normal 3/8 10 fit this? I read conflicting things. Anyway any input from the forum would be appreciated. I attached some pics. It ships out to me tomorrow.
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Well, you own it so asking us now might be a tad late. Seriously, AC is one of the top builders in the country. Heard nothing but good. I've hit a couple and they were very nice hitting cues. Beautiful cue you got there.
 
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Carmeli was on my extreme short list. I think it really just boiled down to hitting an Exceed first that pushed me in that direction.

I have never heard a bad word about anything he has produced. Was some mention that the very earliest efforts don't have the sharp detail of what he offers now. That stands to reason, as craftsmen get better with age.

Don't bother with the CF for the time being. At least give his shafts a chance.
 
garczar said:
Well, you own it so asking us now might be a tad late. Seriously, AC is one of the top builders in the country. Heard nothing but good. I've hit a couple and they were very nice hitting cues. Beautiful cue you got there.
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Ya I know ha ha. It was definitely impulsive.
 
The_JV said:
Carmeli was on my extreme short list. I think it really just boiled down to hitting an Exceed first that pushed me in that direction.

I have never heard a bad word about anything he has produced. Was some mention that the very earliest efforts don't have the sharp detail of what he offers now. That stands to reason, as craftsmen get better with age.

Don't bother with the CF for the time being. At least give his shafts a chance.
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Ya I will definitely give the shaft a chance. One shaft has not been played with I will leave that one unused and play with the other. I saw an exceed that looked phenomenal in their online catalog but I couldn't get ahold of anyone thru the messenger. They make some stunning looking cues.
 
I like Carmeli cues. I do not like his signature. Once he signs the cue, I'm not interested. I think $2k US would be a fair price--if the cue is in excellent condition.

I have never hit with one but man this thing looks gorgeous.
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That feeling is worth a couple of hundred more! Did you check to make sure the tips don't lift when you roll the shafts? Did you check the shafts for taper roll (watch the middle of the shaft when you roll it)?
 
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7stud said:
I like Carmeli cues. I do not like his signature. Once he signs the cue, I'm not interested. I think $2k US would be a fair price--if the cue is in excellent condition.



That feeling is worth a couple of hundred more! Did you check to make sure the tips don't lift when you roll the shafts? Did you check the shafts for taper roll (watch the middle of the shaft when you roll it)?
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I got a couple of short vids for it. I tried posting them but it says the file is too big. I have seen people post some vids here that are way longer so I must be doing something wrong. It seemed to roll true. It does have one small blemish at the bottom that the seller let me know about. I don't have my table yet so I'll have to go the bar and try it out. I totally agree with you on signature I really don't like the look of the signature on cues but I am an absolute sucker for sharp points it seems...
 
Nyquil said:
Hey all so this was a straight up impulse buy. This popped up on the FB marketplace literally within an hour of me trying to call another place for a predator le willie. It was a lot more than that cue was. I bought this for a couple hundred less then asking price. What do you guys think? Did I make a good purchase? I have never hit with one but man this thing looks gorgeous. Also from my understanding these are 3/8 10 modified down the line I would like to try a carbon shaft with it. Will a normal 3/8 10 fit this? I read conflicting things. Anyway any input from the forum would be appreciated. I attached some pics. It ships out to me tomorrow.
Click to expand...

If you are swapping shafts on a custom cue, then I don't think the purchase was worth it. Unless you really really really like that design and maybe for a resale value and name owning, like a Gucci handbag. The business end is the shaft, and IMHO the main reason to buy a custom cue from a well known maker is to buy the hit/shaft they developed over the years with it. You can get a $60 McDermott Lucky cue and stick an aftermarket shaft on it and get the exact same results as with a $2,000 cue, provided you like the balance on it.

Having said that, I am having a local cuemaker make me a cue for use mainly with a Revo, because I just want to have a custom cue made for me from him, even though we already own two of his cues. That is a full personal relationship purchase though.
 
hang-the-9 said:
If you are swapping shafts on a custom cue, then I don't think the purchase was worth it. Unless you really really really like that design and maybe for a resale value and name owning, like a Gucci handbag. The business end is the shaft, and IMHO the main reason to buy a custom cue from a well known maker is to buy the hit/shaft they developed over the years with it. You can get a $60 McDermott Lucky cue and stick an aftermarket shaft on it and get the exact same results as with a $2,000 cue, provided you like the balance on it.

Having said that, I am having a local cuemaker make me a cue for use mainly with a Revo, because I just want to have a custom cue made for me from him, even though we already own two of his cues. That is a full personal relationship purchase though.
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I get your point. I plan on playing with the stock shaft for awhile. I might turn one down to 12.5. Carbon would be later down the line. I just like the idea of not having to worry about nicks and dings as much once I get back to league. Anyway from what I hear these hit really firm in stock form which is what I want.
 
Nyquil said:
I get your point. I plan on playing with the stock shaft for awhile. I might turn one down to 12.5. Carbon would be later down the line. I just like the idea of not having to worry about nicks and dings as much once I get back to league. Anyway from what I hear these hit really firm in stock form which is what I want.
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Just my $.02 here but get a decent/cheap sneaky for league. There is NO way i'd take a $2500 AC to league night. It WILL get dented,nicked or worse. Seen it happen TOO many times.
 
garczar said:
Just my $.02 here but get a decent/cheap sneaky for league. There is NO way i'd take a $2500 AC to league night. It WILL get dented,nicked or worse. Seen it happen TOO many times.
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I remember when I was a young buck I dinged up my shaft on my predator pretty good. I drank a lot when I played.
garczar said:
Just my $.02 here but get a decent/cheap sneaky for league. There is NO way i'd take a $2500 AC to league night. It WILL get dented,nicked or worse. Seen it happen TOO many times.
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I do remember when I was in league 15 years ago or so I put some dings on the predator ikon I had on the corner of a valley table. I will admit it was right after I turned 21 and I was drinking everytime I went out if I wasn't driving for the evening. I play dry now. Anyway maybe not worth the risk. I do have some 2 piece mcdermotts coming from Heath with the table. I'll get some joint protectors and bring the 19 oz one with me to league when I start back up. If something happens to that I am not gonna lose any sleep over it.
 
Nyquil said:
I remember when I was a young buck I dinged up my shaft on my predator pretty good. I drank a lot when I played.

I do remember when I was in league 15 years ago or so I put some dings on the predator ikon I had on the corner of a valley table. I will admit it was right after I turned 21 and I was drinking everytime I went out if I wasn't driving for the evening. I play dry now. Anyway maybe not worth the risk. I do have some 2 piece mcdermotts coming from Heath with the table. I'll get some joint protectors and bring the 19 oz one with me to league when I start back up. If something happens to that I am not gonna lose any sleep over it.
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It's not me I'd be worried about, it's the drunk nits at the bar who don't give a shit about other's property is who I'd be worried about.
 
You scored a handsome design from a respected name In cue making. It has beauty and a classic style.
Do yourself a favor and play with the cue as the cue maker intended it to be used. Why save a shaft? It
doesn’t really help the overall value if you sold it. Play with the shaft you like the best. They could be
different weights and most likely are to some small degree. Enjoy your cue and now go play like a demon.
 
Well a few of you guys warned me a about taking nice cues to the bar. My table is still not here and I took my cue to a bar today that wasn't crowded that has some diamonds I like to play on. Literally like 30 min before I was leaving a bar lady moved a chair that had my cue case on it. Case hit my cue off the holder and sent my ariel carmeli crashing onto the concrete. It's still in one piece and rolls straight but I am so pissed. Guys heed the advice of the people that tried to warn me do NOT ever take your nice customs to the bar. I am devastated. The sound of it hitting the concrete was the worst thing ever.
 
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