Debating if I should just quit with the expensive custom cues..?

What is the point of owning a cue if you are never going to play with it?

As for investing in it, lets face it 95% of cues degrade in value, only the master makers' cues seem to appreciate.

You already paid for the damn thing, enjoy it!
 
LoGiC said:
What is the point of owning a cue if you are never going to play with it?

As for investing in it, lets face it 95% of cues degrade in value, only the master makers' cues seem to appreciate.

You already paid for the damn thing, enjoy it!
If your into certain cues right you will NEVER lose on the deal my friend.

John
 
runout1961 said:
If your into certain cues right you will NEVER lose on the deal my friend.

John

and even if you do and you love the cue, it doesn't matter...

If I were to pay X amount for my cue and I loved everything about it, and it was worth 1/10 of what I paid...I surely wouldn't care. If I had only bought it for an investment though...ouch! lol.

Cash and how you spend it is such a personal thing that I don't fault anyone for spending whatever they wish for whatever they want (if they can afford it, of course). If they go completely over what they can afford, and the government (my tax dollars) has to "bail out" this or that....now they brought me into it...totally different topic there, and then I start to care ALOT more.
 
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FSutton said:
So I've been debating for a few days on if I want to just give up with the custom cues... My custom hits really good but the fact is it's worth way more on the secondary market that I paid for it all those years ago.. Sometimes I just feel it's a little excessive and silly to be shooting with e a $3500 cue... so I've got half a brain to just give up on them and go buy a MEZZ MPC2 M get used to it and just take it from there.. that or just go with a dufferin conversion from Corsair cues.. I just don't know.. like I said i'm debating.. thoughts on the same thing? etc are appreciated.
FSutton,

I have about 20 custom cues all are in the range of $1000 - $3000.

I play with the $1000 one because it's the one that just feels right. I can just trust it if that makes sense. I have also played with it the longest.

I have never felt the need to play with my $3000 one, just becasue it's more expensive doesn't make it better in my book.
 
FSutton said:
So I've been debating for a few days on if I want to just give up with the custom cues... My custom hits really good but the fact is it's worth way more on the secondary market that I paid for it all those years ago.. Sometimes I just feel it's a little excessive and silly to be shooting with e a $3500 cue... so I've got half a brain to just give up on them and go buy a MEZZ MPC2 M get used to it and just take it from there.. that or just go with a dufferin conversion from Corsair cues.. I just don't know.. like I said i'm debating.. thoughts on the same thing? etc are appreciated.

My opinion is that, you have to determine why you are buying these expensive cues.

If it's for the orginality and the ability to collect, then no don't give them up. If it's for better playability, then I would go for a good production cue as they can do everything a custom cue can manage.
 
I was in the same boat about 7 years ago. I had a very nice Tim Scruggs. 64 inlays, christmas tree points. I was always worried about it, so I sold it and bought a nice bicycle with the money.

I started playing with a predator cue. After 6 years I gave up on the predator. It just never felt right. A year ago I started playing with a Southwest. It took a short while to get used too it. Now I'm playing some of my best pool ever. Is It the stick, no. What the Southwest has done is rekindled the pool shootin fire inside of me.

So yea, its the stick.
 
My player cost me $350, and I love it.....anytime I think I may have bumped it or rubbed it or anything, I practically freak out :D I just love a clean looking cue.....

I could not imagine playing with a $3k cue....hell, John showed me his Jensen when he was in town, and I was afraid to even hold it....
 
Big Perm said:
My player cost me $350, and I love it.....anytime I think I may have bumped it or rubbed it or anything, I practically freak out :D I just love a clean looking cue.....

I could not imagine playing with a $3k cue....hell, John showed me his Jensen when he was in town, and I was afraid to even hold it....
LOL, But that's what they were made for my friend!!!!! I get a bit nervous sometimes myself with the Tasc hoppe in some places.

John
 
I am partial to custom cues. But if you feel your $3500 cue is too expensive for everyday play, why not get a lower dollar less fancy custom cue that is in your players price range. I love building and selling $4000 to $5000 cues to collectors. But the sad thing is those cues rarely get seen again as they go into someones safe and only get brought out on special occasions to show it off. So the average cue going out of my shop is probably around $1000. Somone can get a pretty nice cue that plays great for that kind of money. And you can get a cue that plays just as good for the $600 range, but it won't be as fancy as the $1000 cue.
 
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My cue plays lights out.... I bought the cue from this maker because of reputation plain and simple. I just got lucky that it appreciated so much. When I say a 3500 cue as an everyday player can seem excessive I mean it in the sense of the whole Ford vs. Ferrari argument...but it hits good and it looks good. People look at me like I'm insane when they find out how much it is and no i don't tell everyone. i'll see where this all takes me. But to have that kind of cue and just stick it in a safe is like hanging a picasso in a closet which would be a shame.
 
switch

I'd go with a sneaky for shooting outside of your home. I also have some valuable cues. I got tired of having to closely watch my customs when I brought one to the pool hall, take it with me to the mens room - snack bar - bar, etc.

I have a very good production sneaky that does the job just fine.
 
I Use My Playing Cue No Matter Where I Am Playing...... My Poolroom, Other Tourneys, Even Bar And Apa Leagues.

It's The Cue That Feels Right To Me, So Why Shouldn't I Use It?

You Should Hear The Other People That Shoot With Me Yell, When It Accidently Gets Bounced Off A Rail, Or Dinged When I've Had A Few Too Many.

It's A Cue, It Was Built To Be Used. That's The Beauty Of A Refinish.
 
FAST_N_LOOSE said:
I Use My Playing Cue No Matter Where I Am Playing...... My Poolroom, Other Tourneys, Even Bar And Apa Leagues.

It's The Cue That Feels Right To Me, So Why Shouldn't I Use It?

You Should Hear The Other People That Shoot With Me Yell, When It Accidently Gets Bounced Off A Rail, Or Dinged When I've Had A Few Too Many.

It's A Cue, It Was Built To Be Used. That's The Beauty Of A Refinish.
I couldn't agree with this any more........ am I losing my mind??

I use my player every where I go, whether it be a bar, a pool hall with tile floors, I don't care....

For all of those that like the Searing I own, I dropped it in the pool hall the other day..... that has tile floors. As said, "the beauty of a refinish" is exactly all it will take to get it brand new again.

Blued shaft and a few dings just give it character... :p (those are just finish dings, not damage to the cue itself, for the record...)

274507.jpg
 
joeyincali

I play with my brazilian merry widow ( on the right ) almost 100%.
It's dinged up, no bumper ( a threaded hole for extension ), hand rubbed finish and a warped shaft ( I can't afford my own shafts , so I use a reject ).
I know how it behaves .
 
Sell the cue and spend that money on a table for your home.

Just this afternoon, I ran 77, 50, and 37, playing 14.1, using a $99.00 Player brand cue.
 
Cues are like cars, they all do basically the same thing- point a to point b.
But if given the choice, i'll drive a benz instead of a kia anyday. A buddy of mine has 2 tads. One is a plain jane, the other a high end monster. He bought both of them in the 70's from tad brand new. He says they both play the same, but i hardly ever see the plain jane anymore. He says he just loves bringing out the big dog. Hope this helps...
 
There might be a psychological advantage to having an expensive cue by a good maker, the old "if you look good you will feel good" idea. In terms of playablity though there is a practical limit at which point there is no added advantage to spending more. If you find a competent cue maker who uses good materials and workmanship his/her most basic cue should play as well as the more intricate, exotic and expensive models. An argument can be made that every inlay actually diminishes the structural integrity of the cue. There is certainly a lower limit as well for cues below which the cue may have material/workmanship issues that will either cause it to play badly (bad balance, buzzing, voids in the cue, etc.) or not last long such as warping or cracking etc.

The fact is that any cue built from good materials using solid construction techniques should play well and have a solid hit. People tend to rave about the "hit" of their expensive cues without being able to really define what that means. The fact is that for the vast majority of players (yes that means you and me as well) you could take a 19 OZ house cue that's straight, cut it in half, put a joint in it (pretty much any type of joint) make a good shaft out of plain maple (no fancy laminations required) that's straight and has the taper you like, put on a good tip and start shooting. Once you were used to the cue the cue itself would have nothing to do with the level of your game and any additional money spent on a fancier cue or a cue from a known maker wouldn't be worth even one more ball on average unless it made you believe that it would and affected your game mentally.

Many of the top pros play with mass produced cues because they get sponsored to do so. If there was a company that specialized in $90 hustler cues and they were willing to pay enough a top pro would play (and win) with their cues as long as there wasn't some serious defect with the cue. I think the best cue is the one you are used to as long as it's not a total piece of junk. Willie Mosconi and Irving Crane both ran 309 balls on 5X10 tables using old Rambow cues that would be archaic by today's standards. They didn't have laminated shafts, layered tips, special joints, etc. Would they have run more balls with a modern, $3500.00 Southwest (or whatever), who knows but those records still stand today.

A cue is a very personal thing. Cues are functional works of art and if you get pleasure and satisfaction from owning a beautiful, expensive cue and you like playing with and showing it to other pool nuts that's fine, there's nothing wrong with having nice things; you should play with whatever you want to. In the end though I agree with George Fels, it's not the wand it's the magician that makes the magic. $1000.00 spent on lessons with a good instructor will do a lot more for your game than a $1000.00 cue.
 
FAST_N_LOOSE said:
I Use My Playing Cue No Matter Where I Am Playing...... My Poolroom, Other Tourneys, Even Bar And Apa Leagues.

It's The Cue That Feels Right To Me, So Why Shouldn't I Use It?

You Should Hear The Other People That Shoot With Me Yell, When It Accidently Gets Bounced Off A Rail, Or Dinged When I've Had A Few Too Many.

It's A Cue, It Was Built To Be Used. That's The Beauty Of A Refinish.

Once again I agree with Marcus.....

Yes it scares me too...:eek:

Ken
 
POCKETWOLF said:
Cues are like cars, they all do basically the same thing- point a to point b.
But if given the choice, i'll drive a benz instead of a kia anyday. A buddy of mine has 2 tads. One is a plain jane, the other a high end monster. He bought both of them in the 70's from tad brand new. He says they both play the same, but i hardly ever see the plain jane anymore. He says he just loves bringing out the big dog. Hope this helps...

this is the comparison that I don't like...sure, everyone would take the Benz over the Kia. Now, tell me, you have a choice between two S65 AMGs, do you take the one off the showroom floor to drive daily, or do you send the showroom car to Louis Vitton for upholstry, a jewler for diamond uncrusted guages, and platinum trim throughout?? Let's compare Scruggs to the Mercedes....you could get the exact wood in forearm, handle, and butt with the same two (or however many shafts)....one has a gazillion ivory inlays, multiple points and veneers, etc. etc. etc., and the other is the base woods only....there's the comparison I wanna hear folks' opinions on. Cosmetics only differences.....???? Do the cosmetics and the fact that you know the more expensive one cost more give some type of placebo effect that makes you think it plays better than the plain jane??
 
Play with whatever cue you're comfortable with given different situations and factors. You buy a cue, which your pocket can afford. You shoot with it and that's good. I won't buy a cue and display it or keep in storage. No offense to those that do it, it's just me. I have low dollar cues for Bars or League nites. I use what I want when I'm in my regular poolhall. I have some that I carry when traveling. I use all my cues in rotation and I know what they are capable of.

I say, play with what you're comfortable with. You go out to play and not be thinking "Is this the right cue?". It affects you mental state and you know pool is mostly about what you're thinking. It's all in the mind. Pool is already hard enough, don't make it any harder.

Happy shooting.
 
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