Have been away from the game for over 20 years. Recently began to play again, but very poorly. In my twenties, I played at a competitive level, yet now at age 51, I cant see. The question is......i always enjoyed the whippy feel of the older Meucci cues before the days od red dot and black dot shafts. I know most players speak bad of them, but at that time, most of the top rated players used them. I have no interest in a cue with stainless joint....they just hit too stiff for me. As I read online, I see so many new names I dont know where to start. I am looking for a quality cue with plastic joint, 12.5 mm shaft with pro taper in a 17 ounce....18 at most. Can someone recommend a company. When I played it was either Meucci, Joss, McDermott, Viking, Dufferin, Southwest, and a few more. Suggestions welcome. I did own the Meucci 97 - 9 model some years back when I tried playing again, but did not like the feel of it. Thanks in advance for your help
Cue recommendation question
- Thread starter white1
- Start date
Check out "Schmelke" R-series Sneaky Petes.Great USA company.Search on Azbilliards for info and reviews.Less than $150 you can get a full splice cue with the extended pro taper & whatever diameter you want.That should do it for you.But research on this site first,best of luck to you !!!
Take a look at Mezz cues, they offer butts with Juma or Aegis collars on joint and their WX700 shaft is 12,5mm. They are very well balanced cues for me atleast and their build quality is second to none. The WX700 shaft is pretty stiff, so im not sure that you will like it.
Predator 314'2 has more flex than wx does, and its a pretty good shaft to play with in my opinion. Definitely worth trying, as they divide players pretty well, some love it and the rest just hates them. Their shafts come in wide variety of joints so you can get one to most production cues if you happen to like them.
OB is another good manufacturer to take a look at, I havent tried one but I have never heard a single bad thing said about one. Maybe I'll get to try one out myself one day as I would love to, but nobody that I know in Finland plays with one
Predator 314'2 has more flex than wx does, and its a pretty good shaft to play with in my opinion. Definitely worth trying, as they divide players pretty well, some love it and the rest just hates them. Their shafts come in wide variety of joints so you can get one to most production cues if you happen to like them.
OB is another good manufacturer to take a look at, I havent tried one but I have never heard a single bad thing said about one. Maybe I'll get to try one out myself one day as I would love to, but nobody that I know in Finland plays with one
ElCorazonFrio
Banned
Many people don't speak ill of the old Meucci originals. Many people agree with you.
Why not just find an old MO and start there? It's already what you like and who cares whether anyone else like them?
As far as the SS joint, it doesn't really contribute much (if any) to the feel.
Why not just find an old MO and start there? It's already what you like and who cares whether anyone else like them?
As far as the SS joint, it doesn't really contribute much (if any) to the feel.
One option would be to check out Scott Erwin, www.erwincues.com or 662-562-9009. Scott's father Mike was the foreman at Meucci for years back in the day and made the cues for all the big guns with the then Meucci wood forearms. Mike went on his own and made awesome cues featuring exotic woods.
Scott Erwin is a fantastic cue maker being by his fathers side since he was kid. Sadly, Mike passed away a few years ago.
All you need to do is tell Scott your looking for a cue like the golden days of Meucci and he can deliver. Scott is one of the best refinishers of today, bar none.
I have sold over 200 Erwin Cues and never have had a complaint.
RIP Mike !!! ---------- Great Great Men of pool cue history that are behind the scenes.
Scott Erwin is a fantastic cue maker being by his fathers side since he was kid. Sadly, Mike passed away a few years ago.
All you need to do is tell Scott your looking for a cue like the golden days of Meucci and he can deliver. Scott is one of the best refinishers of today, bar none.
I have sold over 200 Erwin Cues and never have had a complaint.
RIP Mike !!! ---------- Great Great Men of pool cue history that are behind the scenes.
Try out a Lucasi, they are pretty cheap and hit much like the older Meucci's. If you have friends in the pool room that you're hitting with, ask to hit a few balls with their cues and see which ones hit like you want.
welcome back to insanity
Whatever cue you settle on give yourself time to adjust to it.
When I bought my first Mike Bender cue at the SBE in Valley Forge years ago I fell in love with the hit when I gave it the road test. But when we got back home the hit seemed different, so I put it away and forgot about it. A few weeks later I thought about the $$$ I spent and decided to give it one more go, for a min. 2 weeks, if I didn't like it, would sell it. Glad I tried the cue again because when we got on the same page as team a few days later, it turned into over 20+ yrs.
Whatever cue you settle on give yourself time to adjust to it.
When I bought my first Mike Bender cue at the SBE in Valley Forge years ago I fell in love with the hit when I gave it the road test. But when we got back home the hit seemed different, so I put it away and forgot about it. A few weeks later I thought about the $$$ I spent and decided to give it one more go, for a min. 2 weeks, if I didn't like it, would sell it. Glad I tried the cue again because when we got on the same page as team a few days later, it turned into over 20+ yrs.
What is your budget? Since you enjoyed the old Meucci cues, have you considered buying used? You may even find a dealer with new old stock. You can browse the for sale section, or post a want ad. Most of the cue repair guys can easily clean up the shafts, put on a new tip so it would look and play like new.
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Another vote for Schmelke. You can have a sneaky custom built for under $200 with whatever size specs etc you want. They offer a few different joints, several wood types, and combinations etc. If you do go this route, I recommend a bocote or purpleheart prong into birdseye maple. Great feeling combination, and looks nice too.
Best value in American made cues right now IMHO.
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Just for your info, I picked up a used Predator 314 CAT that has been taken down to 12mm & to me it has that whippy component that the Org, Mueccis have with the long straight pro taper.
I don't know but it may be difficult to find that for which you're looking in new stock cue or shaft.
Maybe you need to elaborate on why you did not like the Muecci when you came back.
God Luck with finding your solution.
I don't know but it may be difficult to find that for which you're looking in new stock cue or shaft.
Maybe you need to elaborate on why you did not like the Muecci when you came back.
God Luck with finding your solution.
If you like Meucci's, there are usually plenty of old ones for sale on your local craigslist. I had a TNT sneaky a couple years ago and it was pretty whippy from what I remember, so you might like those. I wouldn't worry too much about the joint material of the cue. It doesn't affect the hit as much as people seem to think it does. New cloth types and equipment changes have made older Meucci's less popular today. They were also prone to plastic shrinkage, and ferrule failures were common. Materials have improved since then.
continued thanks for replies - keep em coming - budget is not issue - guess I just want something new - since I am beginning again - working with recommended maker on something today
would respectfully disagree on the joint - I can tell you if a joint is stainless or not blindfolded on any cue I have ever owned - just an opinion - no flames please - I am enjoying the conversation
would respectfully disagree on the joint - I can tell you if a joint is stainless or not blindfolded on any cue I have ever owned - just an opinion - no flames please - I am enjoying the conversation
Schmelke, you won't regret it. Here's the bumperless they made for me...
The schmelke posted above is pretty sweet. I'm impressed with the budget they can make great looking cues on. Sounds like you found something good! Be sure to post pics here when it's done...
Also, I'd like to state that I can tell my Hagan apart from a Tad or my Stonier cue, and they happen to have different joint materials. However, I don't think the reason they have distinct hits is because they have different joint materials, necessarily. I appreciate your attitude on the subject and I hope you find the right cue for you. A lot of guys on here get bent out of shape due to a difference in opinion or preference. Makes for good reading though! Check out the Ask the Cuemaker section for more on this topic.
Cheers, Ian
ElCorazonFrio
Banned
You may be able to on cues you own, but you wouldn't be able to on cues you had never played with.
The blind tests suggest that people can't tell what type of joint a cue has based on feel.
You want a whippy Meucci shaft? You have gotten some recommendations, some of which I don't think will suit your taste:
Mezz: Really stiff to moderately stiff, depending on model. Not like Meucci at all
Tiger: Extremely stiff to moderately stiff
McDermott: G-Core in 12.5 is ok. Not as whippy as Meucci, but fairly flexible. There is a carbon component in the shaft that makes it seem stiffer than it actually is.
If you turn down a Predator 314 to 12.5 mm it will be fairly close to a Meucci in whippyness, but it will feel quite a bit different. I hate the feel of it personally, but the performance is definitely there.
The softest shaft on the market right now is the OB-1. It is extremely flexible, but the wooden ferrule feels very different to anything else. You'll either hate it or love it.
Did you know you can still get Meucci No dot shafts, like the originals? There is a shop on Ebay that sells Meuccis that gives you the option. You can buy just the shaft, as well as cues with the shaft. Go to Meucci and all shafts, then scroll down to see the "Classic no dot shaft".
http://stores.ebay.com/MEUCCIs-ARE-ALL-WE-DO-ALL-THE-TIME?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
They also have a new shaft called the Pro shaft in 12.5 that gets good reviews. Of course Meucci is not what it once was, so maybe the best option is to get a used original. Good luck.
Mezz: Really stiff to moderately stiff, depending on model. Not like Meucci at all
Tiger: Extremely stiff to moderately stiff
McDermott: G-Core in 12.5 is ok. Not as whippy as Meucci, but fairly flexible. There is a carbon component in the shaft that makes it seem stiffer than it actually is.
If you turn down a Predator 314 to 12.5 mm it will be fairly close to a Meucci in whippyness, but it will feel quite a bit different. I hate the feel of it personally, but the performance is definitely there.
The softest shaft on the market right now is the OB-1. It is extremely flexible, but the wooden ferrule feels very different to anything else. You'll either hate it or love it.
Did you know you can still get Meucci No dot shafts, like the originals? There is a shop on Ebay that sells Meuccis that gives you the option. You can buy just the shaft, as well as cues with the shaft. Go to Meucci and all shafts, then scroll down to see the "Classic no dot shaft".
http://stores.ebay.com/MEUCCIs-ARE-ALL-WE-DO-ALL-THE-TIME?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
They also have a new shaft called the Pro shaft in 12.5 that gets good reviews. Of course Meucci is not what it once was, so maybe the best option is to get a used original. Good luck.
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For a soft hitting shaft with great feedback I recommend the OB1 shaft also. Does take some time to get used to the wood ferrule though. Hope you find a cue hat you like. Michael