Buying a custom cue - What did you wish you knew?

B

broken

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm currently in discussion with a cue maker for 2 matching "plain janes" (or are they merry widows? The handle is a different wood than the forearm and butt - but no splices, points, or any of that fancy stuff) One is a break cue and the other is a playing cue.

Right now the price is little steep (but not unmanageable) and the wait is much longer than I thought it would be.

1) What sort of questions should I ask my cue maker?

2) If you have bought a custom before, anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

Thanks in advance.
 
Welcome to the forum, broken.
Actually a "merry widow" would have been my third wife, had I stayed married to her.
You, and your cuemake should be dicussing items such as cue length (some folks like them a bit longer than the standard 58 inches). Type and size of joint. Tip diameter. Type and brand of tip. That sort of stuff. Usually, the simpler the cue the easier it is to sort things out. :)
 
I'd ask him how old his shaft dowels are, how long he rests them between turns. A lot of makers keep a special stock of center cut and/or old growth dowels that are really old and really stable--not a requirement, but if you ask and he's willing to throw you a couple I think you'll be pleased. They tend to stay straighter longer regardless of climate changes. Most people never think to ask. I'd also want to know how he plans to balance/weight the cue; whether he always uses weight bolts or if the materials you prefer/want make that unnecessary. Does he core the forearms on all or some cues? When? On your end, I'd make sure you're familiar with the type/material of joint and ferrule you're planning to order...if, for example, you're ordering a flat faced ivory joint with a big pin, but you've never tried that or if you're trying ivory ferrules for the first time, I'd recommend you find a way to test something similar (it can be a HUGE surprise if you change up to something unfamiliar).

Last, but not least, I'd ask for pictures of similar cues to what you're ordering...then you can see something you like in terms of figuring of the wood, stain, etc. That way, he has a great idea of what you are expecting so he can select the materials and meet your expectations.
 
broken said:
I'm currently in discussion with a cue maker for 2 matching "plain janes" (or are they merry widows? The handle is a different wood than the forearm and butt - but no splices, points, or any of that fancy stuff) One is a break cue and the other is a playing cue.

Right now the price is little steep (but not unmanageable) and the wait is much longer than I thought it would be.

1) What sort of questions should I ask my cue maker?

2) If you have bought a custom before, anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

Thanks in advance.
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What do you consider steep for a plain Jane?
 
Custom cues

broken said:
I'm currently in discussion with a cue maker for 2 matching "plain janes" (or are they merry widows? The handle is a different wood than the forearm and butt - but no splices, points, or any of that fancy stuff) One is a break cue and the other is a playing cue.

Right now the price is little steep (but not unmanageable) and the wait is much longer than I thought it would be.

1) What sort of questions should I ask my cue maker?

2) If you have bought a custom before, anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Even though it may be a plain Jane go ahead and inquire about some custom touches. Hoppe butt, some ringwork, a few mop dots can make it a little more special. Best value is a PJ from a really fine cue maker. Figure out your specs before talking will make his job easier. Money down should be 20-30 percent. Never pay full amount before delivery.if possible test drive a similar cue. Feel, balance and hit are everything!
 
broken said:
I'm currently in discussion with a cue maker for 2 matching "plain janes" (or are they merry widows? The handle is a different wood than the forearm and butt - but no splices, points, or any of that fancy stuff) One is a break cue and the other is a playing cue.

Right now the price is little steep (but not unmanageable) and the wait is much longer than I thought it would be.

1) What sort of questions should I ask my cue maker?

2) If you have bought a custom before, anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...



The most important thing you need to know in advance is what your want!!:)

I build cues and run into this all the time, people come in and want a Custom Shooter built, but they don't know where they want the balance point, they are uncertain of the shaft diameter, they are uncertain of the length of the cue and many don't know what weight they want. ( Only make it heavy or light )

Now some of the highlights above can be adjusted after the cue is completed and some of them can't, so these are things a buyer should know before they order a Custom Cue. In my opinion if you are unsure I would try a number of cues and find the answers, you will be much happier with the cue in the end. Another idea that may help is to take your current player to the person who is building your cues, by having the cue they can check out your currently player to give them some idea what you like about and what you don't.

If you can answer these questions confidently then a cue maker should be able to build you a cue that will fit your needs and feel comfortable to you.

Oh and by the way, some cue makers charge a deposit and some don't. Cue makers frequently have customers who can't complete the sale, so a simple cue may not require as large of a deposit as a 1 of 1. But it all depends upon the policy of the cue maker, just like everything else there are certainly different approaches to this subject and no single opinion is better then another it is all based upon experience.

Good Luck:)
 
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Find out how it plays

Find someone who has one and find out how the dang thing plays. That is the only thing stopping me from buying a new cue from a few people on here. I almost wish cue makers had a cue to send you to test (you pay for it and upon return, you get credit towards your cue).

If you have already done so, take your time and figure out what YOU want. Make yourself informed as Manwon has expressed.

Now if I can only get Manwon to remove the weird dog and make me a cue that will pocket balls for me I will be happy.
 
mattb said:
I almost wish cue makers had a cue to send you to test (you pay for it and upon return, you get credit towards your cue).
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Don't be afraid to ask. All they can say is no.

To the OP. Do a fourm search for the name of the cue maker. You may learn a lot from that.

Larry
 
the answer is simple

after going through about 20 cues to try and find one that i really liked, and losing money on every single one. if i had to give any advice to someone looking for a custom, i'd say this.

save your cash and patience, go to something like the SBE. you'll have a much better idea of what you really like over wasting a pile of cash over a long period of time buying and selling cues.:thumbup:

with the money i've lost on cues over the years, i probably could have funded a trip to the SBE two or three times over.:angry:
 
broken said:
I'm currently in discussion with a cue maker for 2 matching "plain janes" (or are they merry widows? The handle is a different wood than the forearm and butt - but no splices, points, or any of that fancy stuff) One is a break cue and the other is a playing cue.

Right now the price is little steep (but not unmanageable) and the wait is much longer than I thought it would be.

1) What sort of questions should I ask my cue maker?

2) If you have bought a custom before, anything you wish you had known ahead of time?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Where i like the balance point. what length and tip size i like. handle width......
 
thefonz said:
after going through about 20 cues to try and find one that i really liked, and losing money on every single one. if i had to give any advice to someone looking for a custom, i'd say this.

save your cash and patience, go to something like the SBE. you'll have a much better idea of what you really like over wasting a pile of cash over a long period of time buying and selling cues.:thumbup:

with the money i've lost on cues over the years, i probably could have funded a trip to the SBE two or three times over.:angry:
Click to expand...

This is a big part of it. I've been through dozens of cues and always decided to resell, usually at a small loss each time.

My problem is that what I like changes all the time. I've gone from 12mm shafts to 13.2mm shafts now I'm in between. I used to like a soft hit, then a firm hit. I've gone from 19.3oz cues to 18.5oz cues to my current player, which is 17.5oz. But now I think I want to go back to 18.5oz. I've liked ebony, then hated it, then liked it. Etc, etc, etc.

So maybe I wish somebody had told me: "custom cues? don't bother. Just buy a nice $200 mcdermott, or maybe a $400 schon, then forget about cues and just focus on your game."

But, alas, I'm like a woman in a high-end shoe-store any time I browse the W/FS forum, wanting every other cue I see, buying way too many always convincing myself that this next one will satisfy me, that is, until I see another cue a week later...
 
broken said:
1) What sort of questions should I ask my cue maker?

.
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Don't ask him anything he can bs you on. Ask him if you can hand pick your own shaft wood.

Then do some homework either here, or on the internet, or ask an accommodating well established cuemaker how you should go about selecting your wood. In other words, learn about what you're going to spend cash on. It ain't hard. You'll be surprised how helpful some cuemakers you'd think were unreachable are actually quite personable. It is quite possible a cuemaker might sell you a quality piece of wood. As mentioned in another thread about shafts, some of the very best woods are not used because they are cosmetically unattractive, and are usually put aside.
 
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Welcome broken,

if you re visiting a good cuemaker, who has the craftmenship and the experience, you can ask him for sure everything-and if he feels/see, that you re not that experienced, he will ask you the forgotten questions. I don t think that an experienced and wellknown cuemaker would take profit from your dis-knowledge :)

Don t hesitate to ask him all you want-he will like it,

lg
Ingo
 
Rocket354 said:
This is a big part of it. I've been through dozens of cues and always decided to resell, usually at a small loss each time.

My problem is that what I like changes all the time. I've gone from 12mm shafts to 13.2mm shafts now I'm in between. I used to like a soft hit, then a firm hit. I've gone from 19.3oz cues to 18.5oz cues to my current player, which is 17.5oz. But now I think I want to go back to 18.5oz. I've liked ebony, then hated it, then liked it. Etc, etc, etc.

So maybe I wish somebody had told me: "custom cues? don't bother. Just buy a nice $200 mcdermott, or maybe a $400 schon, then forget about cues and just focus on your game."

But, alas, I'm like a woman in a high-end shoe-store any time I browse the W/FS forum, wanting every other cue I see, buying way too many always convincing myself that this next one will satisfy me, that is, until I see another cue a week later...
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You are a CB's night mare..... http://forums.azbilliards.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
lol

Kim
 
i wish i knew that pictures can lie, one time I ordered a cue to be a plan white colored on the forearm, the pictures under the light looked like white, but when its done and arrived to me, it was creamy , not pure white.... but thats just one thing that came up to my mind :P
 
Majic said:
What do you consider steep for a plain Jane?
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Great Question.

This is the style I'm looking for. Don't know if it's a PJ or a Merry Widow, but it's 2 woods (1 wood for the handle, and the other wood for the forearm and butt) with no wrap. My project is for 2 cues, one to break with and one to play with.

1) High End of my price range.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=231295

330yart.jpg


This seller wants $650. I think this is a fair deal. The maker is relatively known on AZB.

2) Low End of my price range

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=228687&highlight=merry+widow

2011-04-02154445.jpg


Seller wants 325. I see this maker on AZB pretty frequently, and I think this is a steal.

3) Middle of my price range

DSCN1667.jpg


http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=232863&highlight=abaya

Seller wants 475 with 2 shafts. This my sweet spot.

___

Low - 325
Middle - 475 (with 2 shafts)
High - 650 (with 2 shafts)

I'm being offered something north of 475 with only 1 shaft.

It's not outrageous, but just a smidgen more (10-15%) than I woud like. Everyone's got to eat.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Welcome to the forum, broken.
Actually a "merry widow" would have been my third wife, had I stayed married to her.
You, and your cuemake should be dicussing items such as cue length (some folks like them a bit longer than the standard 58 inches). Type and size of joint. Tip diameter. Type and brand of tip. That sort of stuff. Usually, the simpler the cue the easier it is to sort things out. :)
Click to expand...

^^thanks, I didn't even think to ask those.
 
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