Buying Cues from Master Custom Cue Makers

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a_susie_cue

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Just a quick question.

Would anyone buy a cue from a master custom cue maker if the cue maker was an average to below average pool player (one who has been playing pool for about 30 years)?

Also, if you have been playing pool for over 30 years, shouldn't your game improved to be better than an APA 4?

I really appreciate the input.

Thanks.
 
If they are a true "Master Custom Cue Maker" They got their reputation for building quality cues. It shouldn't mater if they can shoot pool better than a APA 4. There are several cue makers that have been making cues for years and probably lost alittle bit in the shooting department.
 
Well ...

a_susie_cue said:
Just a quick question.

Would anyone buy a cue from a master custom cue maker if the cue maker was an average to below average pool player (one who has been playing pool for about 30 years)?

Also, if you have been playing pool for over 30 years, shouldn't your game improved to be better than an APA 4?

I really appreciate the input.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Personally, no I would not, regardless. Because:

1) Played 30 years and just APA4 tells me that they do not consider nor take care of LITTLE DETAILS very well. Their planning and execution skills leave something to be desired.
2) I know that Pool is not the same as cuemaking, BUT I believe that what I see on the table tells me about character traits for the person.
 
That's like saying that everyone at the Ferrari factory can drive like Schumaker or no one would by the their cars. Playing and making cues are two totally different things.
 
I guess the answer to your question is yes. There are only a handful or so master cuemakers that play really jam up pool (Stroud, Mottey, and Searing immediately come to mind). Is he truly a master cuemaker or just a self-proclaimed master cuemaker? There's a difference. But APA level 4 is pretty weak.....could be a legitimate recreational player or a great sandbagger !!

Sean
 
a_susie_cue said:
Just a quick question.
Would anyone buy a cue from a master custom cue maker if the cue maker was an average to below average pool player (one who has been playing pool for about 30 years)?
Also, if you have been playing pool for over 30 years, shouldn't your game improved to be better than an APA 4?
I really appreciate the input.
Thanks.
Click to expand...


My first inclination was to say NO but, 30 years is a long time. Is the cuemaker in his (her?) 50s,60s or 70s ? Their game may have deteriorated due to age and health problems such as bad eyes, leg & back problems, diabetes, etc....
Is it anyone that you'd care to name ? You would get more pertinent information if we knew who you were talking about... imo

Doug
 
Becoming a great player takes time, effort and practice. I would rather get a cue from someone who has put their efforts into building quality cues than from one who put their effort into building their game.
Steve
 
My first thought was to turn the question around. Shouldn't a great pool player be able to build a high quality cue?....nah, sounds silly right?

In reality, a person could build the best playing cue in the world, and never have hit a ball in their life. They could go strictly off the feed back from their customers.

Gerry
 
Some folks have better engineering/building/creative skills then they do sport/agility/finesse skills. Look at a business like Louisville Slugger baseball bats, was the guy who started that business a great hitter or was he a great engineer/businessman?

The different talents usually do not have anything to do with each other (common industry maybe), most sport figures are used for the marketing aspect of a product and not the design or manufacturer of said product. Sometimes a sport figure is used as a technical advisor for his knowledge but they almost never do the dirty work on the product.

BK
 
Lucky for me my master cue builder is also a great pool player. Pete Omen of Omen custom cues has competed and won Florida pro tour events--but, I don't think it is necessary that a cue maker be great poolplayer--he too has been building cues almost 30 years and I agree with the poster and the ferrari analogy. At any rate my beautiful cue is almost done!
PHM
 
a_susie_cue said:
Just a quick question.
Would anyone buy a cue from a master custom cue maker if the cue maker was an average to below average pool player (one who has been playing pool for about 30 years)?

Also, if you have been playing pool for over 30 years, shouldn't your game improved to be better than an APA 4?
I really appreciate the input.
Thanks.
Click to expand...


#1, the term "Master cue maker" suggests the maker has learned all there is to know about making cues. That person hasn't been born yet.
#2, an APA handicap is not necessarily a measure of a players ability, and it's certainly not a measure of their cue making talents.

Whether or not a persons game improves with time is completely dependent upon their goals and/or their priorities. I personally believe the cue maker that spends his time working on improving his cues (not his game) is going to make a better cue.

I do agree the maker should at least know the game, but not necessarily have to play at a high level.

Edsel Ford was an excellent race car driver, but his car was a total flop!
 
a_susie_cue said:
Just a quick question.

Would anyone buy a cue from a master custom cue maker if the cue maker was an average to below average pool player (one who has been playing pool for about 30 years)?

Also, if you have been playing pool for over 30 years, shouldn't your game improved to be better than an APA 4?

I really appreciate the input.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The question seems a little ridiculous to me. If this individual truly is a master cuemaker, that moniker alone would indicate to me that he has garnered a reputation for his excellent work with cues. Obviously he has earned the reputation for being a superior craftsman and, when buying a cue, that's what I am looking for - superior craftsmanship. I could care les if the man who built it even knows how to play 9 ball or straight pool or one pocket, etc. His ability to play has no connection to his ability to work with wood and other materials. It has no connection his ability to craft something beautiful and highly functional.
 
I don't think Balabuska could run a rack, I could be wrong, also I never even heard of him playing pool.
 
a_susie_cue said:
Just a quick question.

Would anyone buy a cue from a master custom cue maker if the cue maker was an average to below average pool player (one who has been playing pool for about 30 years)?

Also, if you have been playing pool for over 30 years, shouldn't your game improved to be better than an APA 4?

I really appreciate the input.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
First question: I played leagues with a guy who is an APA 4 and he is an excellent cuemaker. I've hit with his cues many times before and short of some of the top cuemakers around, I like the feel of his cues as much as anyone's.
Second question: You're statement seems like a little bit of a shot at someone. I know a lot of people who have played for many years and have not improved a lick. If anything, they've gotten worse. I really can't imagine that how someone plays pool should be much of a scale for anything other than how they play pool.
 
I think Gus liked to play in the local tournaments in the Philadelphia area, but I've never heard that he was a great player. Bill Stroud, on the other hand, had a reputation as a player before he bacame a cue maker.
 
I would rather not mention anyone's name. Yes, this player has been playing for about 30 or so years.

I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you.
 
as well as Paul Dayton. Paul use to play some pretty sporty 14.1, 9 ball and oh yes...3 cushion which i hear he still does occassionally.......mike
 
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