Expensive Cue Shooter

My old playing cue I had for 20+ years. I started playing again after a few years off and that cue was worth a few thousand dollars. There were things that have changed in pool in that time. Carbon fiber shafts, adjustable weight, cue extensions. So I went with newer gear.
I'm sure this mysterious high end cue of yours has a makers name attached to it..?Quite possibly, it's a Bullabushka..?
 
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I know that with current circumstances, everything seems absurdly priced from eggs & bread to insurance & housing.
Since we are paying so much more for common, everyday things as well, pool cue prices have escalated with this too.

Since when all is said and done, a pool cue is really a very simple design and thereafter, all else becomes more of a artistic change in the design itself. A really nice SP with a KW shaft could run you $500-600. Anything more is sizzle.

Functionally speaking, the SP cue fulfills all of your needs but sometimes it’s not what you want, especially if you have
been playing with that SP cue for awhile. You could always add, or originally ordered, a CF shaft if that’s what you like.

So what is an expensive cue in terms of is there some price tier that says this qualifies as a expensive cue? Remember
that expensive is relative to how affordable is that cue to you. So even the aforementioned SP can be a expensive cue.

IMO, I think if you had to pick a price range to qualify, which is an absurd idea to start with since everyone has differing
levels of discretionary income, I’d say anything over a grand. The more thousands you add to the value, then the cue becomes very expensive. And at some point, there is probably a better reference to use but I don’t know what that would be. What do you call a cue over $5,000, $7500 or $10,000? Some would say very, very expensive whereas others would describe it as ridiculously or absurdly expensive and some others would see it as overpriced & overrated.

My cues required obtaining a rider because most of the individual values exceed the policy’s individual limit coverage.
So what do I refer to them as? Expensive seems more than adequate. Any cue you own can be expensive. There’s no
definition or rating system like with pool cue designs, ex., LEVEL I, II, III, IV, V, etc. I’ll tell you what is really expensive.

Meat…….OMG, earlier this week I was in Costco and checked out the meat prices. Ribeye steak was S23.95/lb.

That is uncooked sitting in the meat display case. Imagine trying to feed a family of 5-6 on a weekday school night that’s not a big special occasion. Now include all the other parts of your dinner meal and after tabulating the cost, you know why franks and hamburgers make up more of the menu for a lotta families than ribeye. What seems expensive to the rib-eye family’s purchase of a pool cue is dramatically different than the franks and hamburger family. So Nuf Ced!
 
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There was a line from one of the Alien vs. Predator movies.

One of the female characters answers a question why she is carrying a gun.

She replies ever so succinctly and with great aplomb….”Guns are like prophylactics.
It’s far better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it.”…….Duh!
Always loved that movie...gave great advice on life such as to pack enough ammo for self defense or coat yourself with mud, when encountering a deadly alien...:)
 
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The next time you visit Costco take a look at the price of a pound of Buffalo burger .

Back to expensive cue prices it's all relative a cue over $ 1,000.00 for the cue butt is getting up there then add a couple extra shafts and a few mother of pearl accents and dots and a elephant ear wrapped grip or Irish linen , not to mention the " natural " goodies at the joint bumper and ferrels .

I'm sure there's quite a few laughing at this post from a guy who hasn't strayed very far from Montana which is true , but I've seen a few people play lights out off the wall rack or with a real sneaky Pete cue that was wrapped up in a old towel with a couple extra shafts .

Lance Saunders had a stroke that many could only dream of myself included .
George was another great player who probably had a custom cue but I never seen it but he played off the rack for any amount you wanted .

As for me I'm happy with my main cues and I'll try to sell a couple of them to pay off some bills .
 
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The next time you visit Costa take a look at the price of a pound of Buffalo burger .

Back to expensive cue prices it's all relative a cue over $ 1,000.00 for the cue butt is getting up there then add a couple extra shafts and a few mother of pearl accents and dots and a elephant ear wrapped grip or Irish linen , not to mention the " natural " goodies at the joint bumper and ferrels .

I'm sure there's quite a few laughing at this post from a guy who hasn't strayed very far from Montana which is true , but I've seen a few people play lights out off the wall rack or with a real sneaky Pete cue that was wrapped up in a old towel with a couple extra shafts .

Lance Saunders had a stroke that many could only dream of myself included .
George was another great player who probably had a custom cue but I never seen it but he played off the rack for any amount you wanted .

As for me I'm happy with my main cues and I'll try to sell a couple of them to pay off some bills .
Earl won U.S.Opens and world championships with a 90$ cuetec..so...
 
Lance played with a Dufferin bar cue his brother turned into a two piece cue then turned down the shaft to I believe a12 mm if not smaller ?

My cue that his brother made for me is a 13 mm shaft as are the two extra shafts for it , I snapped the original shaft at the joint breaking with it , I took it home , got out the Elmer's wood glue and some rubber bands and fixed it better than ever .
I use a piece of 2" PVC pipe with a cap and a clean out adapter on the ends for a case talk about bullet proof !

The above mentioned cues both were 6" longer than normal which is great in a pool hall where you have a lot of room but problematic in some bars at times when the table is close to a wall .
 
It's a mix of McDermott COTY, Bill McDaniel, TAD, Gus Szamboti Blank/Odom, Tascarella, and vintage 1965-1967 Burton Spain/George Balabushka. The far left are just some Chinese Elites that play rather well for $200, great for bar pool when the people a drunk and keep borrowing your cue every time you set it down to break with a house cue and also perfect for use as handles for Whyte Carbon shafts.
Thanks for the info!
 
Although these cues go once in a while outside to play, they rarely go to a crowded place anymore where people don't care who's cue it is and start playing with them. The third from the right is Larry Lisciotti's George Balabushka purchased from Pete Tascarella family.
 

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After a long time looking, I finally found a Schon R12 in like new condition. It wasn’t cheap. Couple that with a Jacoby low deflection shaft and it’s a sizable investment (for me). Throw in a leather Instroke 2x4 case and Predator break cue and I’m carrying almost $4k into the pool hall. It’s going there because it is exactly what I’ve always wanted as far as balance and feel. I shoot better with it than any other cue I have owned. The strange part, is I worry more about carrying it than I did my JossWest (or other equally expensive cues). Fortunately, I always have friends where I shoot, who are willing to help keep an eye on it if I take a break from the tables. I guess the fact that it is THE cue I have always looked for, it seems less replaceable than other more expensive cues I have owned.
 
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