Do Pros really use production cues they rep. for?
- Thread starter Gregg
- Start date
Allison does with a cutdown butt as far as I know.
Earl has custom shafts.
The only pro I know that can play with ANY stick as long as it has a 13MM tip is Jose Parica. Taiwan made, Viking, or whatever. As long as he has a stiff 13 MM, he'll play.
Efren on the other hand cannot play with stiff shafts. Can't make a ball with a 314 shaft.
John Schmidt and Ernesto Dominguez, I know are very particular about the taper of their shafts. Inch by inch they get it done their way.
Earl has custom shafts.
The only pro I know that can play with ANY stick as long as it has a 13MM tip is Jose Parica. Taiwan made, Viking, or whatever. As long as he has a stiff 13 MM, he'll play.
Efren on the other hand cannot play with stiff shafts. Can't make a ball with a 314 shaft.
John Schmidt and Ernesto Dominguez, I know are very particular about the taper of their shafts. Inch by inch they get it done their way.
Gregg said:
For the most part I would say no.
Im fairly positive that the players sponsored by cue makers have custom cues or shafts.
Its like guitar players who are sponsored by a certain brand generally have custom guitars. I.E. Zakk Wylde and his les pauls.
bznsharkie
Dont F*ck with the Jesus
I dont know, I believe I read somewhere that the pros play with the cues they are supposed to be representing, but as stated before they use custom shafts. For instance I know one of the Cuetec pros uses a Cuetec with a predator shaft.
Also Zakk Wylde plays a Gibson built Les Paul, but it is built in regards to his specifications.
Also Zakk Wylde plays a Gibson built Les Paul, but it is built in regards to his specifications.
Zack/Gibson, Ritchie/Fender, Kirk and James/Esp, and all the others out there sign on with a major guitar manufacturer, and then work with usually a team of specialists to design their guitars to their specific specs. For example, when George Lynch first started working with ESP, he had close to 15 guitars made exactly to his specs. He then tweaked with each and every one until he got what he wanted. Your every day consumer can go to a music dealer, and buy an ESP made exactly like Georges. Same woods, same pickups and all. However, since 15 guitars all made to the exact same specs with the same parts will all play and sound differently, there's no guarantee that you'll get the exact same guitar.
I think it's pretty much the same in the cue endorsement world. Earl plays with a cue tec that is readily available to the average consumer, but I assure you that Earl was most likey worked with Cuetec reps, and tried several different cues of possibly the exact same design and materials to find exactly what he wanted.
I've played both Charlie Williams and Johnny Archer here in Japan, and because both times, I was one of the only English speaking guys around, I was fortunate enough to spend a little bit of time with both of them. Charlie played with a hand selected Predator, and Johnny played with a selected Scorpion.
I lost to Charlie 7-5. We then switched cues for fun, and he then whipped on me 7-2 using my cue with considerably more deflection than what he's used to when using his Predator. Sure, these guys have their preferences, but can pretty much make the adjustment to anything.
dave
I think it's pretty much the same in the cue endorsement world. Earl plays with a cue tec that is readily available to the average consumer, but I assure you that Earl was most likey worked with Cuetec reps, and tried several different cues of possibly the exact same design and materials to find exactly what he wanted.
I've played both Charlie Williams and Johnny Archer here in Japan, and because both times, I was one of the only English speaking guys around, I was fortunate enough to spend a little bit of time with both of them. Charlie played with a hand selected Predator, and Johnny played with a selected Scorpion.
I lost to Charlie 7-5. We then switched cues for fun, and he then whipped on me 7-2 using my cue with considerably more deflection than what he's used to when using his Predator. Sure, these guys have their preferences, but can pretty much make the adjustment to anything.
dave
Gregg said:
i've seen closeups of allisons cue on ESPN and it looks like old growth shaftwood because it is darker. i don't think is is coated in fiberglass either. she says on her website that her cue is 57" instead of the normal 58", i am certain that it is made to her specs and she probably had several made then weeded out the bad ones.
i don't think any pros use an "off the shelf" cue. you can't mass produce the kind of cue a world champion would use. at least not for a hundred bucks imo. what if it was made on a monday or a friday
Allison, doesnt use a off the shelf Shaft, it doesnt have the so called SST coating on it, its just a cuetec wood shaft with no coating.
As for Earl,,, i heard stories from a couple friends who was at a tournament, and was watching him warm up, and he was using a 314 Shaft on his cuetec!!!
And someone noticed and the word started to spread through-out the crowd, and he could hear it, so he went to his case and switched out shafts.
As for Archer, i have no clue. He probably just uses a stock butt, and maybe has stock shafts made for the cue, but done with more attention to detail and to his specs.
But i would love to see Allison start a Match and un-wrap a brand new Cuetec with regular shaft and see her play.
Dave
As for Earl,,, i heard stories from a couple friends who was at a tournament, and was watching him warm up, and he was using a 314 Shaft on his cuetec!!!
And someone noticed and the word started to spread through-out the crowd, and he could hear it, so he went to his case and switched out shafts.
As for Archer, i have no clue. He probably just uses a stock butt, and maybe has stock shafts made for the cue, but done with more attention to detail and to his specs.
But i would love to see Allison start a Match and un-wrap a brand new Cuetec with regular shaft and see her play.
Dave
I think it's accepted in the sports world that players sponsored by a product at least use the product name on equipment, but not really off the shelf stuff.
I'm thinking like Tennis, Golf, Bowling, etc.
I like the post about Jose Parica using anythingwith 13mm! The guy I learned from was the same way. anything with 12mm and 18oz. and the more Meucci like the better!:O
Gerry
I'm thinking like Tennis, Golf, Bowling, etc.
I like the post about Jose Parica using anythingwith 13mm! The guy I learned from was the same way. anything with 12mm and 18oz. and the more Meucci like the better!:O
Gerry
Represent...
In golf, it's extremely rare that the PGA pros use off the rack clubs. They typically get clubs, irons in particular, custom made by the company they represent although the designs are based on a standard model. This can be useful for the company as they are able to get feedback from the best players about how they need to change their club designs.
Occasionally, an off the rack club makes it into their bags. I remember Lee Trevino winning a British Open years ago and talking about a fairway wood he'd found in a barrel in the pro shop. Jack Nicklaus' famous putter "White Fang" was one he found in a pro shop at some tour event. Even though clubs are made to exacting tolerances, each one feels slightly different in a master's hands.
Brian in VA
In golf, it's extremely rare that the PGA pros use off the rack clubs. They typically get clubs, irons in particular, custom made by the company they represent although the designs are based on a standard model. This can be useful for the company as they are able to get feedback from the best players about how they need to change their club designs.
Occasionally, an off the rack club makes it into their bags. I remember Lee Trevino winning a British Open years ago and talking about a fairway wood he'd found in a barrel in the pro shop. Jack Nicklaus' famous putter "White Fang" was one he found in a pro shop at some tour event. Even though clubs are made to exacting tolerances, each one feels slightly different in a master's hands.
Brian in VA
Gregg said:
I would say that the answer to your question is yes*
*They majority of pros that have a production cue deal do use a cue that is off the shelf, HOWEVER, like many sports, that equipment is then customized for that particular player. Usually for pool players that can involve a non stock tip, non stock ferrule, non stock wrap, non stock taper, non stock length and in some cases, non stock shaft.
In the same vein, many amature pool players do the same thing. Buy a cue then have a different tip, ferrule, wrap, taper or shaft put on. I have no problem with this and it makes sense for a player in any sport to have a piece of equipment customized and fine tuned for them to get the most out of their equipment so as to perform at the highest level they can with the tools that they have to work with.
I do have a problem when a cue company claims that a sponsored player won a certain event using their cue if that player has a non stock shaft and that is not mentioned. IOW, a prospective cue buyer that decides to buy a cuy becuase that is what their favorite pro uses should be informed as to the type of shaft they use as no amount of tip, taper or length changes to a shaft will make the cue perform the same as it would if the cue they bought was the same butt AND same shaft as the Pro uses.
MANY pro players use one brand of butt with a different brand of shaft and that should be disclosed to the general production cue buying public IMO.
Alot of pros have there sponsors cue with custom length,weight and soemtimes there shaft is made by predator or another company,i believe 70% of the rpos out there use a predator shaft,Kid Delicious has a cue out by Pechauer but its fitted with a predator shaft,they do sell Pechauers in this configuration,more companies should offer this package.
pooltchr said:
Steve,
Doesn't make it a custom cue but it does make it a production cue that has been customized.
Tokyo-dave said:
hi,
I will not draw any conclusions with regards the cue from that experience u had playing him.The only conclusion one can reach is that he beat u two times and he appears to be consistently play ing better than you.Remember that 9 ball is a funny game and the results are not consistent.
PoolSleuth
Banned
Gregg said:
Stock, or Off the Production line chose at RANDOM. NO Brand specially made YES.
Last thursday Johnny Archer was playing at Cues 2 in Atlanta. They had a raffle where if you pay $5 you are entered into a raffle to win a cue stick. You also got to play him in a game of 9-ball. Well more along the lines of watch. But if you won you got 2 raffle tickets.
Well he played with a Production Scorpion Cue. Except I think he had a Predator shaft on his stick.
By the way. Don't scratch on the break when you play him. You might as well put up your stick.
Well he played with a Production Scorpion Cue. Except I think he had a Predator shaft on his stick.
By the way. Don't scratch on the break when you play him. You might as well put up your stick.
A few years back, when Meucci sponsored a lot of players, they all had to use Meucci cues, and did. I remember Tommy Kennedy was going crazy because he couldn't play with his Kersenbrock. I asked Buddy Hall one time what his favorite cue was, and he really surprised me when he said Meucci. He said he won a ton of tournements with a Meucci and had a soft spot for em. IMO the top players can play with anything and lay it down; most of us can play with anything and lay an egg.
