Do professional players...

M

Monkey-Boy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
...use cue company products (Predator, Mezz, Cuetec and so on) because they genuinely do enhance the players game with practice they put in? or do they use them so they can show/say they are sponsored by such 'n' such?

Im just curious to know why a lot of top top players dont use custom cues. And when I say cues, I mean the cue makers shafts as well. When I say top top players as well, I mean the likes of SVB - Cuetec, Mika - Mezz, Schmidt - OB Cues, Hohmann - Lucasi Hybrid, Souquet - Predator shaft, Feijen - Longoni Cue Predator shaft etc etc

Be interesting to hear other peoples views as well.
 
You already know the answer. Just take a recent example. How long did Earl continue to shoot with a CueTec after they dropped him?

Sponsorship is a business relationship.

Steve
 
The reason why many do not use custom made cues is because most of these cue makers can't afford to sponsor players. They just don't have the cash flow of the big name production cues.
 
as for the ld shafts. many of really do like them, i know mike massey swears by his predator and they dont pay him. But as for production cues, its just a business deal. Do you u think shane would be playing with a cuetec if they werent paying him?
 
Monkey-Boy said:
...use cue company products (Predator, Mezz, Cuetec and so on) because they genuinely do enhance the players game with practice they put in? or do they use them so they can show/say they are sponsored by such 'n' such?

Im just curious to know why a lot of top top players dont use custom cues. And when I say cues, I mean the cue makers shafts as well. When I say top top players as well, I mean the likes of SVB - Cuetec, Mika - Mezz, Schmidt - OB Cues, Hohmann - Lucasi Hybrid, Souquet - Predator shaft, Feijen - Longoni Cue Predator shaft etc etc

Be interesting to hear other peoples views as well.
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most of them played with custom cues before they switched to their sponsor's cues.

john shmidt- bobby hunter, mika immonen- capone, hohmann-Volmer... etc. the list goes on and on. i gotta figure it's a toss up. a healthy mix of they like the way the cues play and they need the extra down to get around and play
 
I've heard that these "production" cues that are provided to the sponsored pros are not so production in reality. The wood samples are probably top shelf compared to the regular stuff and the shafts are built to spec for the particular preference of the sponsored pro...

The actual production cues being used by sponsored pros are more than likely not the exact same as the production cues being sold to the general public...if SVB is going to shoot with a production cue he is sure as hell going to make sure it is to his particular liking (not that these guys couldn't pick up a broom handle and get out :rolleyes:)
 
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TXsouthpaw said:
Do you u think shane would be playing with a cuetec if they werent paying him?
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No, but do you think Shane would shoot BETTER with another make of cue, custom or not???

I don't think any of these sponsored players would be using their cues if they thought they would be a better player with a different cue. Hell, they want to win badly! They want the prestige, glory, AND of course, the money for winning. In the hands of a true professional, there's not a lot of things that can go wrong due to the fault of the cue. The cues built today, whether custom or production, are far better cues overall than the cues of yesteryear. I bet Shane or Mika, or Efren, or Ralph, or Alex, etc., could take my production Lucasi and run numerous racks with it. Possibly win a tournament with it if given a little time to adjust to it.

Maniac
 
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If Efren can grab a cue off the wall and win a tournament with it, do you really think that the cue matters all that much?
 
I'll give you an example.

I am switching over to laminate cues. I decided to do this because of Roberto Gomez. He plays with a laminate, and said he would not use a regular shaft. We played out in Vegas all day at Sharkey's down in the pit. We were away from the public, no crowd, he had no reason at all to act. He said he would not shoot with anything, but laminate shafts. I really like this guys game, he makes very hard shots look easy.

I had tried laminate shafts when they first hit the scene real big. I thought blah these are not for me. (15 years ago now) So I decided to give them another chance.

When I got home I started looking for production laminate cues made in the USA. I am not certain how other laminate shafts work, but I will stand behind the Dominator II. It doesn't do away with throw 100%, but it does reduce it I promise.

http://dominiakcues.com/dominator.php

I am sponsored by Dominiak cues now, but I was not when I started using their shafts. I think this is the kind of stuff you wanted to read about.

A product I would never go without is Masters chalk.
 
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I decided to do this because of Roberto Gomez. He plays with a laminate, and said he would not use a regular shaft. We played out in Vegas all day at Sharkey's down in the pit. We were away from the public, no crowd, he had no reason at all to act. He said he would not shoot with anything, but laminate shafts. I really like this guys game, he makes very hard shots look easy.

I had tried laminate shafts when they first hit the scene real big. I thought blah these are not for me. (15 years ago now) So I decided to give them another chance.

When I got home I started looking for production laminate cues made in the USA. I am not certain how other laminate shafts work, but I will stand behind the Dominator II. It doesn't do away with throw 100%, but it does reduce it I promise.

http://dominiakcues.com/dominator.php

I am sponsored by Dominiak cues now, but I was not when I started using their shafts. I think this is the kind of stuff you wanted to read about.

A product I would never go without is Masters chalk.
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Gomez plays with a Pred shaft. He, just like a lot of people, equate low-deflection to laminates. Even though the hole in the shaft has a lot more to do with it.
 
> Even in the case of Predator shafts,I've always suspected that even those are modified to an extent per the request of a player rep or endorsee. Same goes for other major "brands".

In Earl's case,I can positively tell you that the butt may have been,but the shafts on his Cue-Tec were NOT stock. (I've had one in my hands :thumbup2:) They had the fiberglass CUT off,retapered to his personal 20" straight taper,tips and sometimes even ferrules replaced.

I've heard but have yet to confirm that Buddy Hall's personal Lucasi cues were completely re-assembled by Dennis Searing,and sported Searing shafts.

Before the Pred Z's came out,I met several players that said they sent them back to Predator and had them cut down to whatever,or had another cue man turn them down and retaper right out of the box.

Even Meucci customized shafts for their endorsees,and on occasion the entire cue.

Even Allison has hers re-tipped from stock to a Moori. Shane probably has his tipped with Triangles as new. Tommy D.
 
Well, how about an example of an LD shaft enhancing a players game. John Schmidt picked up his OB sponsorship just prior to the US Open. Within a few days of receiving his first shaft, he ran 402 on a GC. He has since set his own personal record on a Diamond Pro-Am of 294. It took an already great player & gave him an added edge to push his game that little bit higher.
 
I'm sure that many sponsored pros will have their cues re-tapered, or change out tips, but I have seen pros walk into the shipping room of their sponsor and pull a cue right off the shelf. Yes, they get the weight they want, but there is nothing special about it. And certainly, since production cues are mass produced, very few of those sponsors would be in a position to customize a cue for one player.

Give a pro a well balanced cue with a straight shaft and a good tip, and they will do just fine with it. They play with what they like, but most of them know that the cue doesn't make them play better.

Steve
 
pooltchr said:
I'm sure that many sponsored pros will have their cues re-tapered, or change out tips, but I have seen pros walk into the shipping room of their sponsor and pull a cue right off the shelf. Yes, they get the weight they want, but there is nothing special about it. And certainly, since production cues are mass produced, very few of those sponsors would be in a position to customize a cue for one player.

Give a pro a well balanced cue with a straight shaft and a good tip, and they will do just fine with it. They play with what they like, but most of them know that the cue doesn't make them play better.

Steve
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If that is the case, why do Pro players get sponsored by the products?

Does the same apply to those who use LD shafts as well?
 
Monkey-Boy said:
If that is the case, why do Pro players get sponsored by the products?

Does the same apply to those who use LD shafts as well?
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As I said, sponsorship is a business relationship. Cue companies get to use the pro's name to market/sell more cues. Players get money and product in exchange for promoting a certain brand.

Do you think Cue Tec sponsors Allison and sponsored Earl because they just wanted to give them some money? Or do you think they saw an opportunity to increase their product sales? Do you think Earl thought that of all the cues on the market, Cue Tec was the best one available?

How many pros do you think would jump at the chance to endorse Brand X cues in exchange for a regular paycheck and help with expenses to play in various tournaments?

I'm not knocking it at all. It is just the way business is done.

If one of the large cue manufacturers offered to sponsor you in every tournament you wanted to play in, in exchange for you using their cue, would you do it?

Steve
 
The pro's get sponsored because, many of the novice players will buy the product's that their favorite players shoot with. This is true as in all sports.

This is the most helpful thing you can do to support the pro's. You have to do business with them, like for instance I sell pool supplies as well as play. To help me out all you have to do is become a customer.

There are many players out there that have small businesses. Support them by helping to make their business a success. I get many of my products from Nick Varner, this helps Nick, and helps me at the same time.

Another way to really help out pro players is to buy their sponsors products.

Not only buy it find it direct from the player if he is a dealer or the mother company. Make sure you tell them all "The only reason I am buying this cue is because of Jamison"

They know why they are sponsoring me then...
 
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