Finding a cuemaker

nksmfamjp

nksmfamjp

Refugee...
Silver Member
So, there seem to be billions of custom cuemakers. Ok, maybe hundreds! Still, how do I find a custom cuemaker who I will be happy with? Even on this site, there are many great cuemakers. I guess I could come up with a budget and a list of five or so who I think would build what I want, but this seems to be an almost overwhelming task! How did you narrow it down? This seems especially difficult because there are so few customs I can try. Seems like to try a few I have to get into the buy and sell business!
 
The first & foremost thing is to know what you want. Any good cuemaker should be able to (within reason based on materials, etc) provide your requested...
Weight - within .1 to .2 oz
Balance point within 1/4".
Joint type & materials
Shaft taper, ferrule material, tip type.
These are - imho - the things that make a cue "feel good" in your hands when you swing it.
Hit & performance are elusively personal and dependent on a host of fine details in construction, material types & quality, and general application of "expertise".
Then you have to be realistic about how fast you want a cue in hand & how much you're willing to pay for it.
I can tell you from bitter experience that it's no fun to wait 1.5 to 2 years for a custom cue that, due to failure to appreciate the vast difference basic component choices can make in performance, you really can't play well with unless you're willing to learn to adjust all over again.
I play with the piloted 5/16-14 joint. There are many others, and I've tried lots of them, but I'm not willing to waste time & energy on the others anymore because I've found that this a basic component of where I'm comfortable.
 
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Two fellas I would recommend are Leon Sly and Joe Baker. I had each of them build me a cue to my specs. I am very happy with both cues. The coolest part is they're both real stand up guys. They're both real easy to work with. Highly recommended!
 
mdavis228 said:
The first & foremost thing is to know what you want. Any good cuemaker should be able to (within reason based on materials, etc) provide your requested...
Weight - within .1 to .2 oz
Balance point within 1/4".
Joint type & materials
Shaft taper, ferrule material, tip type.
These are - imho - the things that make a cue "feel good" in your hands when you swing it.
Hit & performance are elusively personal and dependent on a host of fine details in construction, material types & quality, and general application of "expertise".
Then you have to be realistic about how fast you want a cue in hand & how much you're willing to pay for it.
I can tell you from bitter experience that it's no fun to wait 1.5 to 2 years for a custom cue that, due to failure to appreciate the vast difference basic component choices can make in performance, you really can't play well with unless you're willing to learn to adjust all over again.
I play with the piloted 5/16-14 joint. There are many others, and I've tried lots of them, but I'm not willing to waste time & energy on the others anymore because I've found that this a basic component of where I'm comfortable.
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I've only owned 1 True Custom, meaning it was made for me. mdavis I think says it well. I posted on Instructors asking about why I seem to play better with a cue that's feather light 15 or 16 oz. I've played for years with 18 and 19oz cues. A year ago I was handed a 14oz cue to try and it was a dream. Maybe a nightmare since I lost sleep thinking about how great it played.

Here's why I'm telling you this. Your job is to tell the maker exactly what you want. That's really hard to do if you haven't tried, like me, all the options and combinations of, Joint, balance, tip dia, shaft taper, butt dia, weight... If you have, you're ahead of the game.

I'd say pick a couple of reputable builders that generally has the look that you really like, then if at all possible, find some examples to try out. Write down what you've tried and or take a picture. Then when you find a couple that's close to what you want, call those guys and discuss what you like and don't like about it and see what they say.

With the cue I bought, it was sent to me semi finished with a variety of shaft tapers and was able to play for a couple of weeks, then we made decisions and adjustments. Don't know if that's a common practice but I'd think the maker wants you happy just as much as you want to be happy with the results.

Ask lots of questions. Some of these guys enjoy the challange of being as precise as their ability allows. This conversation is more than just talking cues, it's meeting the guy and seeing if you both want to work together on the project.

Finally, Go For It.
The process is great.
 
Ask, Ask, Ask....

Get to know them, if you can. Know what you want. See if anyone around you has a custom and ask to hit with it a few times, ask their experience with it.

I have owned two from two different makers here, First was a BHQ and the second from Lp Custom Cues.

Both very good cues, and makers, Would recommend either..

For the Lp, check out the raffle section for a chance to win one and help out a great cause....
 
cue building

Mornin'
Building a cue is mostly about listening. The cue builder needs to listen to the potential customer and the customer needs to listen to the cue builder's experiences. They must come together on a compromise that they BOTH can be happy with because the customer wants to play better and the cue builder has a reputation to protect.

The customer frequently wants the newest technology fad they have heard about. The magic ferrule/tip combo or new doo-dad!! The cue builder may have experiences that prove that this new doo-dad is NOT necessarily as great as billed. Both individuals need to listen to the other and compromise, or discontinue the project. New technology may have great potential but not necessarily for everyone.

A cue builder has to keep their reputation intact. He/she should not build something they don't approve of. If the cue builder doesn't feel comfortable building to the customer's specs he should be able to refuse in a respectable manner. The customer should not get their feelings hurt, but must respect the cue builder. We all know there are tons of cue builders out there ( some extremely well known everywhere, some only regionally known, and some very locally known).

Talk to as many as your can and get their input. It will cost you some time and you may end up with a better final product that helps you play better.

You are welcome to visit my website and browse around
http://www.triplecrosscues.com

I hope something there will interest you.
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Start here as a few of the best belong here.
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You forgot to list the International Cuemakers Association at http://www.internationalcuemakers.com/

My choice is a Crown Cue, but I have extra reasons to like a Crown Cue. There are a lot of great owners of Crown Cues out there, who are quite happy.

If you find a few cuemakers who's work you really like, run some searches on them and see if you can find some feedback about their work. Write to them and ask any questions you have. One might take longer than you like to finish your cue. You might want a cue that should be cored and you might be looking at a cuemaker who won't core a cue. Or, you might not want a cored cue, but you've found a cuemaker who cores all his cues. See if you can find weights, woods, designs, joint types, etc., that you really like. Check on the warranties, too. Then, gravitate toward the ones you like best to find answers and make your final decision.

There are some great cuemakers on this board, but they are not all the cuemakers there are, so good luck. I would definitely look for feedback that's already out there, before I bought a cue, though. That's just me, but I would suggest it. If you can't find it, ask a couple of buddies to help you look. It's probably out there.

Good luck!
 
Here's my approach.

Is your primary interest in the aesthetics, collectible value, or hit and feel in the hand (let's just call it feel)? If a certain aesthetic is most important, look at as many cues as you can until you find the aesthetic (e.g. wood selection, rings, inlays) that appeals to you. Then go to that cuemaker. If you look online, understand that cues often look different online from in person. If collectible value is most important, choose a theme (e.g. cuemaker, type of wood, type of design) and go with a cuemaker who fits that theme (preferably the most renown one you can afford).

Finding your ideal feel is more time-consuming. Verbally communicating feel with any degree of precision is pretty much a lost cause. The only sure way to find that feel is to try as many cues as you can until you come across that a-ha cue. Keep in mind that the feel you get from a given cue will probably change as your stroke evolves. I remember hitting with cues and thinking they felt dead, then realizing my stroke was off, correcting it, and suddenly enjoying the cue's feel.

My priority is feel. I've played with some outstanding cues, but two in particular really felt right to me (each from a different maker). I own one of the cues, but didn't buy the other because the price was far more than I'm willing to pay for a cue. That maker's plain janes (my style preference) are expensive too, but one of these years I'll try the ones he has at the Super Billiards Expo and see if one feels right enough to pry open my wallet.
 
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it was hit or miss for me. i tried a couple of different makers and liked a lot of them. you could try sneakies. that'll give you an idea of how each makers cues will play.

the best place to find reviews is from people in person, not on forums. this is the web and nobody wants to say anything real negative that could hurt someone's business . after all it is just their opinion and if there were problems with the cue/maker they're talking about might have fixed the problem already
 
poolplayer2093 said:
it was hit or miss for me. i tried a couple of different makers and liked a lot of them. you could try sneakies. that'll give you an idea of how each makers cues will play.

the best place to find reviews is from people in person, not on forums. this is the web and nobody wants to say anything real negative that could hurt someone's business . after all it is just their opinion and if there were problems with the cue/maker they're talking about might have fixed the problem already
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You're pretty much right on the dot. All I can say is, I had my share and I'll leave it to the people to make good. Karma returns a hundred fold.
 
No Doubt there are lot's of options.......

nksmfamjp said:
So, there seem to be billions of custom cuemakers. Ok, maybe hundreds! Still, how do I find a custom cuemaker who I will be happy with? Even on this site, there are many great cuemakers. I guess I could come up with a budget and a list of five or so who I think would build what I want, but this seems to be an almost overwhelming task! How did you narrow it down? This seems especially difficult because there are so few customs I can try. Seems like to try a few I have to get into the buy and sell business!
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You are blessed with a GREAT many exceptionally talented cuemakers who frequent this wonderful site :)

The only way to really figure it out is to make some calls, maybe go to a show (like the WCC I went to last Fall) and try a few out on a table or, like many of us here simply buy/sell/trade and find something you truly like.

It's not a race, I don't think, so I wish you the best in your search :wink:

IMHO you couldn't go wrong with any of the cuemakers that I currently have listed in my signature; however, it is somewhat limted due to budget constraints, etc. :grin-square:
 
My suggestion is get around the pool rooms and hit a few balls with various cuemakers cues that your pool room buddies own and see who builds the type of cue you like best. I will put a test shaft on my cues and allow the customer to hit balls with one and see if they like it. That is actually a better way to get the cue you want than custom ordering one. If you pick it up and play with it and fall in love with it you might stick with it for a life time. If you custom order one, you will get the look you want, but maybe not the exact hit or feel. If you have hit with one from a non local cuemaker and you want him to build you a custom cue that plays pretty much like the one you tried. I suggest sticking with the same wood combination, weight and shaft diameter, tip and ferrule. Then you can get the look you want and the hit will also be what you expected.

My most popular cues with the collectors are black ebony forearms loaded with ivory. But my most popular cues with the good players are maple forearm cues with points. Ebony does not play like maple. You can core it with maple and get it close, but it is still not like a true maple forearm. Maple has some compression qualities that give it that just right feeling hit. That is why it has been the most popular forearm wood in cues for decades.
 
A simple way to look at it..

1. Does the cuemeker play with his own cue or another brand?

2. How many pro's play with it?

3. Do they actually make them, import them or have some one else make them and put their logo on it.

There are alot of cue makers some give them away to pro's for free no adays to get them out there in the public. So like Cueman says ask alot of question's try a bunch of cues and see what people like or dont like about what they play with or why they dont play with anymore.

Craig
 
poolplayer2093 said:
it was hit or miss for me. i tried a couple of different makers and liked a lot of them. you could try sneakies. that'll give you an idea of how each makers cues will play.

the best place to find reviews is from people in person, not on forums. this is the web and nobody wants to say anything real negative that could hurt someone's business . after all it is just their opinion and if there were problems with the cue/maker they're talking about might have fixed the problem already
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I think you are correct exept for the statement that you can get an idea of how a cuemakers cue's hit by shooting with one of there sneakies. Unless all they make is sneakies or even fullsplice, cue's that are connected with a forearm/handle (not spliced) don't play like a sneaky. Most times the weight is in the rear of the sneaky depending on the woods used and the joint/pin used. I and quite a few other makers don't believe that a sneaky is a good way to judge or try out how our cue's are made or play. Just throwing that in here. I have had alot of people say make me a Sneaky conversion so I can see how your cue's play. I don't end up building them because there not how my cue's are actualy built.
 
Like everyone has stated already, shop around and see what you find aesthetically pleasing. Then ask around to find cues from the cuemakers that you've choosen to try out. Remember that different aspects of the cue will make the hit different so one cue from a certain cuemaker may hit slightly different than another model, but they usually have a relatively similar hit overall just with some slight variation. (i.e. joint type, ferrule type, tip type, weight, balance point, etc etc.)

I was quite fortunate many years ago to be able to try out many different custom cues from Best Billiards in Santa Ana, CA when it was still around. Pulling out cues from that big metal safe in the back next to the try out tables. It was very nice. That was where I hit with my first Tad Kohara cue and liked it so much that I own one now. Best of luck.
 
first off find your budget!
second find a place where you can find many cues (superbilliards expo of derby city)
pick out 5 cues you like the looks of in your range
test hit them and see wich one you like the most!
rate them by what is most important like playability, looks,maker,ect
narrow it down to 2 then ask you girlfriend wich one she likes the best? then chose the other!!
or find a close dealer to you within 2-300 miles make a road trip and try out some cues! dont ask everybody who is the best, because youll get a differant answer from all of them.
FIND A CUE THAT IS BEST TO YOU!
if you want we can pick you up at the airport and you can look at and try over 200 diff cues!!
 
RFisher said:
I think you are correct exept for the statement that you can get an idea of how a cuemakers cue's hit by shooting with one of there sneakies. Unless all they make is sneakies or even fullsplice, cue's that are connected with a forearm/handle (not spliced) don't play like a sneaky. Most times the weight is in the rear of the sneaky depending on the woods used and the joint/pin used. I and quite a few other makers don't believe that a sneaky is a good way to judge or try out how our cue's are made or play. Just throwing that in here. I have had alot of people say make me a Sneaky conversion so I can see how your cue's play. I don't end up building them because there not how my cue's are actualy built.
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after reading that i gotta say "you got me".
 
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