It has taken me over 4 years to get to this point, but I feel I need to caution members in dealing with Mike Wheeler. In November of 2012, he was in New Iberia, La peddling his cues at a tournament. This was after his motorcycle accident, and admittedly he said that he had some issues with his memory. I have known him for about 12 years now, meeting him in Schick's shop in Shreveport several times. Always great to see them both when I could.
We talked about him making a couple of conversion cues, and I brought him 2 Titlist one piece cues, 3 double butterfly spliced antique cues, and 6 antique house cues. I asked if he would make, out of this bunch, one titlist conversion using specifically one of the cues (it was dark cocobolo with bright veneers), nothing fancy but with 2 shafts, and to try to convert a butterfly cue and use another one to make a shaft with a butterfly splice at the base, and he agreed to try. He stated that he was not sure if the shaft would be possible until he cut and turned the cue. I told him that if he couldn't do it, a simple butterfly conversion with 2 shafts would be fine. He agreed. I gave him $1000 plus all of the cues, and told him he could keep the other cues to use to make other conversions that he could sell. He agreed and left with my money and cues and told me that he could probably get it done by Christmas of that year (2012). He ended up having eye surgery (tear ducts) and ended up delivering the Titlist conversion in July of 2013 (he never communicated with me after taking the money and cues). And the cue I got was not the blank I wanted him to convert, but by then I was kind of happy to get anything as he had stopped responding to my calls and texts.
Fast forward 4 years from our initial agreement and I have yet to see a butterfly conversion from him. He has stopped taking my calls and does not respond to me. Thought you guys should know. I can kick myself for giving him any money up front, but have learned my lesson. I have another of his cues, but am so sour about it all I don't want them anymore.
We talked about him making a couple of conversion cues, and I brought him 2 Titlist one piece cues, 3 double butterfly spliced antique cues, and 6 antique house cues. I asked if he would make, out of this bunch, one titlist conversion using specifically one of the cues (it was dark cocobolo with bright veneers), nothing fancy but with 2 shafts, and to try to convert a butterfly cue and use another one to make a shaft with a butterfly splice at the base, and he agreed to try. He stated that he was not sure if the shaft would be possible until he cut and turned the cue. I told him that if he couldn't do it, a simple butterfly conversion with 2 shafts would be fine. He agreed. I gave him $1000 plus all of the cues, and told him he could keep the other cues to use to make other conversions that he could sell. He agreed and left with my money and cues and told me that he could probably get it done by Christmas of that year (2012). He ended up having eye surgery (tear ducts) and ended up delivering the Titlist conversion in July of 2013 (he never communicated with me after taking the money and cues). And the cue I got was not the blank I wanted him to convert, but by then I was kind of happy to get anything as he had stopped responding to my calls and texts.
Fast forward 4 years from our initial agreement and I have yet to see a butterfly conversion from him. He has stopped taking my calls and does not respond to me. Thought you guys should know. I can kick myself for giving him any money up front, but have learned my lesson. I have another of his cues, but am so sour about it all I don't want them anymore.
