Custom Cue Discussion

Ken_4fun said:
I would buy a used Andy Gilbert jump break cue for that amount of money.

They are great players, and sell easily when you want to get something else.

Any production cue bought new is worth about 1/2 what you paid for it immediately, and can be a tougher sell later.

Dont say Ill never sell it, because in the end all cues get sold eventually. :rolleyes:

Best of rolls,

Ken
Click to expand...

Ken's advice is very good. I have owned a lot of cues, Andy Gilbert is a good choice. Keith Josey is another that you might want to consider. His cues play good too. He has a website where you can look at his cues and place an order.
 
cue for thought

You might want to consider the Mcdermott i2 . no matter what you put it on you might be happily surprised.buy a low end Mcdermott with your specs and the i2 shaft .
 
I have been playing with nothing but McDermotts for 10 years and love them. I decided to try a custom made cue from a cue maker in Dover, DE. His name is Bill Emory from East Coast Cues. He made me a cue to my specs and it hits like GOLD. I paid 400 for it and would have paid 800. The craftsmanship is second to none. I highly recommend Bill and his ability to make a great cue. I have shot around with a $2000 Mike Capone and a Scruggs and the feel and the hit is a very close comparison. Good luck in your search!
 
Bravo Shot said:
Wow, great discourse. Can't thank everyone enough. I think I might actually grab my older kids and head down to the Expo in NJ in a few weeks. Only 4 hours away.

As you can see, I started the thread referring to custom cues and asked about a production cue... I've learned a lot in the last two days.

My next level of analysis will be to ask what attributes drive the decisions in custom cues. While trying to eliminate the subjectivity, presumably there are a series of features (sorry I write like this, I am a product manager by trade) that you need in combination that you would not get in production.

What are they? I get material, weight, tip... but I am new to others like balance point and taper. What are you asking to be customized?
Click to expand...

i think the trip to sbe would be well worth your while to get a look at all the different brands and price ranges available.

i will try to keep this short . forget all about custom vs production. forget all about what cue maker or what production brand. people telling you what brand of cue to buy is just like telling you what brand of car to drive. its a personal choice. forget what they say is the best hitting cue. every one on here will tell you hit is subjective to each players opinion.

the 2 things to look for when you purchase a cue is looks and feel.

if you don;t like the way a cue looks or the way it feels you will not play worth a darn and you won;t keep it long.

if you go to sbe go early the last day before all the cue makers and vendors start packing up. that is when you will get your best price. the closer it is to closing time the more they are willing to make a sale and more willing to drop the price.

don;t waste your time looking at all the cues. just browse til you see one that catches your eye. thats the one you want to pick up and see how it feels and inquire about the price. some will let you hit a few balls and some will not.

last but not least ... after you buy a cue that you love the way it looks and the way it fells in your hand but you have a hard time potting balls with it. change your tip. a different tip will change how a cues plays completely.

if you decide you want to go the custom route deal with a cue maker at sbe directly. nothing against vendors but you will pay more through them for the same cue you can get from a cue maker that is there.

remember all prices are negotiable. last time i went to the southeren classic i bought a case.
the 1st day i saw it and inquired about it he was asking 150.00. the 2nd day i stopped again and talked some more. he came down to 125.00. stopped the 3rd and last day he came down to 110.00 i started to walk away and he asks if i was going to pass it up over 10.00 because i had offered him 100.00 i said yea... i asked are you gonna pass up a sale over 10.00 and he said no its yours for 100.00.

good luck in your endeavor to find your next cue.
 
I like the pure reaction to the look and feel philosophy.

But I have to ask Big Pappa Pool, when you went to Bill Emory, what did you tell him to make, what did you tell him that mattered to you, what variables did you ask him to put together?

I get the subjectivity, but I am still trying to isolate (beyond elements that I totally respect, that high end pool players want a custom experience) what drives the custom decisions?
 
I was like you, all I knew was production cues and I just saw one I liked and bought it. I went with a custom cue because it was a cue that represented me and what I like, it's my design. When I went to Bill, He asked me what kind of woods I liked, he asked me if I wanted a wrap, how many points I wanted. I told him I love Curly Maple and African Rosewood and I want something different. I didn't want it to look like I bought it from pooldawg. I told him I definitely didn't want a wrap. He asked me a couple other questions but he made the decision to go with him very easy. He's in the process of making me a matching break cue. I can give you his number if you just want to talk to him and get a feel for custom cue process. Hes not going to put any pressure on you to buy, he will just help you figure out what you want.
 
Last edited:
Bravo Shot said:
I like the pure reaction to the look and feel philosophy.

But I have to ask Big Pappa Pool, when you went to Bill Emory, what did you tell him to make, what did you tell him that mattered to you, what variables did you ask him to put together?

I get the subjectivity, but I am still trying to isolate (beyond elements that I totally respect, that high end pool players want a custom experience) what drives the custom decisions?
Click to expand...

first thing to decide is what you prefer, wrapped or wrapless.

if you prefer a wrap, which feels best in your hands, linen (most common), leather (smooth, stacked, or an embossed), genuine lizard, pigskin, and there's even cork (you won't see many of those, if any, at the expo - usually a special order).

so not to confuse things, say you like linen.

then see what weight feels good for you, keeping in mind that many cues had a removable bolt to adjust weight.

I love the fact that you will be going the the expo where you can hit some balls to see what feels good to you.

I would try to look at cues from known great cuemakers like Olney, Diveney, Jacoby, etc. These guys cues are proven winners and if you ever choose to sell one of these, they are always in demand (a consideration).

Because you are looking to spend just $300 - $400 you won't have to be too concerned with adornments such as inlays and such.

From a good cuemaker, you may be getting a plain jane, possibly with or without points, and it may just have one shaft in your price range. I would much rather have a plain jane from a great maker than an all jazzed up cue with three shafts from an unknown.

The most important thing always will be playability (unless you're a collector :) )

BJECTIVITY ALERT:

For me, what defines great playability are the ease with which the cue moves the cue ball, how it feels in my hands when shooting, and the feedback it provides.

I have written about this before where I said "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping".

All Tascarellas and Southwests, and most Black Boars and Tim Scruggs cues possess this sharp note <<ping>> when striking the cue ball. This as opposed to many cues that manke more of a thwaap.

It's like the difference between dropping a 2 x 4 on concrete horizontally (thwaap) compared to dropping the 2 x 4 vertically <<ping>>.

The 4 brands I just mentioned are way beyond your stated budget but you can find a cue that plays every bit as good for what you are looking to spend.

for instance, many Jeff Olney cues provide this great feedback and his plain janes are in the $400ish range. btw, he has a many years waiting list and with good reason.

Pat Diveney cues with the G-10 pin are well worth considering, too.

enjoy the expo and keep us posted on whatever you decide.

I'll be there too and if you have a question, I'd be glad to try to help.

beat,
brian kc

Deci
 
Went McDermott

Unfortunately I did not make it down to the show in NJ this weekend. I ended up buying a G201c McDermott. I felt that I needed to do a lot more work before I knew enough to custom build a cue. This way, I can get a feel for a higher-end cue at a low initial investment. I knew that I wanted to go no wrap, 19oz and minimal deflection. So this was a decent place to start.

I would like to thank everyone for their input. I will update on my experience. The next step for me will be to finish my pool room (its operational, but I have yet to finish the lighting...if anyone needs some thoughts on lux levels and LED wattage, I'm your man.

Thanks again
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top