Cue Prefence

[Drop The Rock]

Over time I have noticed that my preference from cues has gone from plain to increasingly fancier in design. I have only owned sneaky petes and merry widows up until this point and now I have a predator LE3.... By fancy I just mean design work. I now find myself being more attracted to the idea of multiple inlays and nice designs.

Did Anyone else go through this? Or maybe the opposite where the went from fancy to simple?

 

[lorider]

I have always been attracted to fancy cues even while knowing the will not make you play better.

Worked my way up to a custom with lots of ivory ...abolone and silver stitch rings.

Got a lot of ooohs and aaahs when I pulled it out of the case.

Played with it for 2 years then sold it and bought a truck and a meucci gambler.

I am now playing better than ever. Something bout those meucci shafts that suit my style of play.

 

[Texas Carom Club]

plain all the way thus far
heres my main babe

not only a beauty its got the best feel for me ive played with so far, slim butt taper

 

[SaintDruss]

Plane for me and don't really know why but I like no inlays and no wrap, not even too crazy about points.

Here's my main player "Viking"

 

[be1163]

I will be going the opposite way. After having my Dishaw for going on ten years, the next cue will be plain. The Dishaw isn't really fancy by any means, its just more than I need.

 

[West Point 1987]

I think the whole market goes up and down...back in the '80s, cues went from pretty fancy to more simple or plain...then they got ornate again. I've noticed a trend lately from very nice but simple designs and muted colors to much more ornate/intricate designs and brighter inlays and veneers. Seems like Old School is coming back hard, with lots of Bushka-esque designs or Titlist conversions or tributes. Lot more full splice cues out there, too, which makes me very happy. :smile:

 

[DAVE_M]

I've figured out what I like after having many cues and wasting too much money.

Full Splice
G10 3/8x10 Pin
Joint Collars
No Weight Bolt
Must have a Bumper
Low Deflection Shaft

 

[asiasdad]

Everyone that gets into cues goes through evolution cycles.

I've made it beyond the drill and fill stage.

Now I look for understated elegance with dirty golden toned shafts
that weigh 4 oz ++ with no inserts in them.

 

[Ak Guy]

Plain for me

I have 3 Pat Diviney cues and a plain Meucci Sneaky. The Divineys are an Ebony Hustler a coco sneaky and an ebony jump/ break. Nothing fancy here, but a cue can be classy looking even if of simple design if it's design is well executed by the cue maker.

I think fancy cues are neat looking if they are not to busy looking. I'm not a fan of Irish Linen wraps, but have seen some exotic skin wraps I liked the appearance of, but I prefer wood. To me lots of material is better looking then ivory. Beautiful wood will always be beautiful if cared for.

It's like fine shot guns. Most won't put out 60 grand for an over an under made by an old world gun smith family. yet it's nice to see them and know they are still being made by real artists and craftsman.

I'll probably drop my Custom Ebony Hustler off with Pat Diviney this fall and have him add some snake wood here and there and maybe abalone. My next cue will be a Merry Widow from Pat, I'm thinking great birds eye maple, ebony and amboyan burl or snake wood.

So, even though a plain well balanced cue with a good shaft and tip will shoot as good as any fancy cue, I can understand the desire for a fancy cue.

 

[HawaiianEye]

Seems like Old School is coming back hard, with lots of Bushka-esque designs or Titlist conversions or tributes. Lot more full splice cues out there, too, which makes me very happy. :smile:

Aloha,

I grew up playing when these cues were considered top of the line, so I still favor these Old School cues. I was going to buy a Balabushka many years ago, but he died before I ever had a chance to order one so I had Richard Black make me one that looked almost identical. As a matter of fact, a lot of Richard Black's old cues were sold as Balabushkas, from what I've heard and read. They weren't sold as Balabushkas by Richard...it was done by people who had and sold them later.

I have a couple Titlist conversions and a Balabushka copy Hall of Fame cue made by Adam Japan.

To me, you can't go wrong with an Old School cue. I think those will always be considered "Classics".

 

[Drop The Rock]

I have 3 Pat Diviney cues and a plain Meucci Sneaky. The Divineys are an Ebony Hustler a coco sneaky and an ebony jump/ break. Nothing fancy here, but a cue can be classy looking even if of simple design if it's design is well executed by the cue maker.

I think fancy cues are neat looking if they are not to busy looking. I'm not a fan of Irish Linen wraps, but have seen some exotic skin wraps I liked the appearance of, but I prefer wood. To me lots of material is better looking then ivory. Beautiful wood will always be beautiful if cared for.

It's like fine shot guns. Most won't put out 60 grand for an over an under made by an old world gun smith family. yet it's nice to see them and know they are still being made by real artists and craftsman.

I'll probably drop my Custom Ebony Hustler off with Pat Diviney this fall and have him add some snake wood here and there and maybe abalone. My next cue will be a Merry Widow from Pat, I'm thinking great birds eye maple, ebony and amboyan burl or snake wood.

So, even though a plain well balanced cue with a good shaft and tip will shoot as good as any fancy cue, I can understand the desire for a fancy cue.

I can definitely agree with this. I've always had a fascination Sugar Trees, but not the bankroll. They are simple but very elegant. On the other hand, Durbin cues have always looked good to me as well. There are a lot of Schon designs I really like too.

 

[jmurphy]

I LOVE looking at fancy cues but I would rather play a Merry Widow or maybe a 4 point, 4 veneer hoppe cue (no Inlays) :thumbup: I like the classics

Here is my current playing cue (Eddie Cohen wrapless Merry Widow)
Even though the cue was not finished yet in the photo on the bottom right it gives you a better perspective of the colors in the handle section and a better look at the rings.

 

[Zphix]

I think a clean made Sneaky is a work of art. I guess the beauty lies in it's simplicity.

However, I find veneer points and some, emphasis on some, butterfly points to be beautiful as well.

Overall, I like points and some color but nothing extra.

 

[Drop The Rock]

I LOVE looking at fancy cues but I would rather play a Merry Widow or maybe a 4 point, 4 veneer hoppe cue (no Inlays) :thumbup: I like the classics

Here is my current playing cue (Eddie Cohen wrapless Merry Widow)
Even though the cue was not finished yet in the photo on the bottom right it gives you a better perspective of the colors in the handle section and a better look at the rings.

That sir is a beautiful cue!

 

[DaveM]

I like fairly plain cues as well without a lot of points, veneers, inlays etc. I have a Pechauer P-04, cocobolo and curly maple wrapless and a basic cocobolo Joss. Both look very nice to me and play well. I did order a Jacoby HB2, should come in in a couple of months. It is a step in the direction you are describing, but I like the relative simplicity and the "Touch of Turquoise"....I want to try the Edge shaft as well.

 

[SWN99]

I have had cue's with points and inlays and prefer a merry widow / hustler or sneaky pete.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Your progression in cue designs is quite understandable......the first cue I got was all cocobolo wood Palmer cue which back in the early 70's cocobolo was a step up from most other woods used for cues.

Then my next cue was a Runde Schon.....14 years later........and I helped design the cue with Bob.....a step up but still not that fancy..........and then I got the bug.......and now I am into really fancy designs.....3 of which I designed with the aid of the respective cue-makers.....there werre 1/2 dozen cues I bought and sold along the way to get where I am today and I am not finished by any stretch of the imagination. At the moment, I am designing some special theme joint protectors for my cues....it's fun and a lot less expensive than having custom cues built.

Matt B.

 

[Tony_in_MD]

My cue preference has run the gambit, from sneaky petes, to simple 4 point cues, from merry widows, to fancy cues with inlays.

I didn't start off simple but I bought what I like, when it was available. My non-negotables are that my pointed cues need to have sharp points, and I only play with solid wood shafts with ivory ferrules. The most fun I have had in the past 5 years or so was working with Jerry -R- and Alan Phelps in the design of the last three cues I had commissioned.

I currently own cues from Judd Fuller, Tim Scruggs, Jerry -R- and Alan Phelps.

 

[Tramp Steamer]

There's not a thing wrong with wanting a fancier cue. It ofttimes reflects the personality of the owner, especially if said owner had a hand in designing it. :smile:

 

[heresy]

I love the classics(Bushka and Szamboti-style) and any basic titlist conversions. Some MOP inlays are alright, but no ivory for me. I like them light and forward weighted.

My current player is a basic titlist conversion with an OB-2, pictured below. Maker unknown. This with just a Hoppe ring instead of the long white butt cap would be my ideal player. Been looking for a while with no luck yet.