Define a custom cue?

[tonyluvspool]

What is considered to be a custom cue?
Having a cue made to your own design and specs, but the cue maker takes an order to make the same or makes something similar after the new customer sees your design. Is that still a custom cue? How would u feel about what you thought was a custom cue?

 

[twal]

Having a cue made to your own design and specs

This is it, short and simple.
Beyond that I don't think it really matters.

So yes, if someone copies your design or parts there of, it is still a custom cue for you.
Unless you are willing to pay a builder up front to guarantee they will never build a cue like yours, you can reasonably expect some portion of it could be copied some some extent at some time.

 

[KJ Cues]

That was well stated. There is a difference btwn custom and unique.

 

[al-capool]

Absolutely and I would like to add that a custom or even a unique cue isn't also automatically a high-end cue!

 

[trinacria]

custom??

What is considered to be a custom cue?
Having a cue made to your own design and specs, but the cue maker takes an order to make the same or makes something similar after the new customer sees your design. Is that still a custom cue? How would u feel about what you thought was a custom cue?

"custom" cues are rare, and almost always never played with or too expensive, "custom" is a myth, cues are either handmade or production. "custom" is simply a name given to a handmade cue. people from names like pds studios and jacoby and some that I cant really think of right now have the tools and talent to make "customs", but they are simply put in the collectors cue category. this isn't to say that the handmade cues built for players aren't beautiful or a great piece of hardware, this is simply stating what we call them.

 

[Bavafongoul]

There are no original design customs......any cue-maker can copy or duplicate their work or another cue-maker's design but the cue being made would nonetheless still be a custom cue. Designs aren't trademarked or copyrighted and let's face it, every cue-maker copies someone's earlier work sooner or later. They may add this or omit that but basically it's the same design as a cue another cue-maker used.

That's just the hard cold facts of cue-making and the adage "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery" seems to otherwise apply.

Matt B.