Good Guys Don't Always Wear White: SVB's Ghost Edition by Cuetec

JAM

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
Cuetec is coming out on Black Friday with the Shane Van Boening's Ghost Edition line of cues. It looks well made. It has been designed for the champ himself, according to Cuetec. Every SVB cue is built to Shane’s butt diameter and balance point preference, making them a true champion’s cue. It is priced very reasonable, I think --> Cuetec Shane Van Boening Ghost Edition

Does a cue tailor made for one mean that it will play well for others? Some players prefer a fatter butt and/or a thinner shaft, as an example. Then the weight of the cue comes into play. Me personally, I always preferred a 19- or 20-ounce cue, but I know others prefer a heavier cue. But when it comes to tips, nickel or dime shape, shaft thickness, and wrap or no wrap, I think for most social shooters, these things may not be as noticeable as they are to a pro, action man, tournament soldier, or road warrior.

I think, though, a cue with a pro's name is definitely attractive to social shooters, maybe league players if they know the pro player's name, and other pool enthusiasts.

Can one man's weapon of mass destruction be another man's playing cue?

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I like it. Would be cool if it came in a South Dakota version, with a Ghost-finished DUO extension...I also wish they'd come out with a Cynergy jump-break, instead of having just the Propel and Breach cues separately. I've seen a TON of the pearl white South Dakota GEN I's out there in the places I shoot. I'm happy shooting with Cynergy shafts on my old Schon, though. :)
 
breeno said:
I read somewhere that SVB plays with the 11.8 shaft?
Can anyone confirm this?
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When i saw him last it was in the 12mm area so that's probably right. It also had the longest taper i've ever seen. Had to be at least 24" of parallel.
 
Oh, didn't realize the only difference is it's grey vs the other SVB Gen1s. I guess I'd still rock one of'em if I didn't already have a Dakota Edition.
 
Cuetec should come out with a Chuck Norris edition cue and call it "Silent Rage".
 
The add said he's now playing with the 11.8...interesting, the taper is only 9.6 inches, as opposed to the 12.5, which is 15.5 inches. I have two of the 12.5 mm shafts, haven't seen or tried the 11.8. I have an old Medlin cue with 11.5 mm shafts that played so good...you only had to imagine spin, hold center cue ball and the action was insane. Still have it and the shafts, but they've needed new ferrules for over 20 years.
 
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West Point 1987 said:
The add said he's now playing with the 11.8...interesting, the taper is only 9.6 inches, as opposed to the 12.5, which is 15.5 inches. I have two of the 12.5 mm shafts, haven't seen or tried the 11.8. I have an old Medlin cue with 11.5 mm shafts that played so good...you only had to imagine spin, hold center cue ball and the action was insane. Still have it and the shafts, but they've needed new ferrules for over 20 years.
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Not sure about cue stick specs, but I know Cigar Tom Vanover from Maryland used to play with a shaft the width of a pencil, and all the "regulars" at his pool room in Dundalk had shafts that size. I think you can get more english with the narrow shafts.

Another Marylander, Michael "Geese" Gerace, used to play with a fatter shaft. He could play better one-handed than anyone I'd ever seen, could draw his rock without the cue stick touching a rail. It was amazing to see.

Of course, as it is in most industries, it's not the cue stick or the equipment that makes a good player. It's the person, not the hardware, and makes a good player. ;) :giggle: :p :cool:

Photo of Fat Wayne and Cigar Tom taken on Pulaski Highway during a game of high stakes. Cigar Tom is the brother of Bob Vanover from Texas. Last I heard about Bob was, sadly, that he has dementia. Cigar Tom's whereabouts is the subject for another thread.

Fat Wayne and Cigar Tom.jpg


1986 Maryland State Championship. Mike Sigel won it, Cigar Tom came in second, and Teddy Bear Wilson came in third. I was the tournament director. It took place at Champion Billiards in Silver Spring, MD. Geese didn't come in the money and wasn't a happy camper. Those who know Geese well can imagine how he reacted to getting knocked out of the tournament.


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About cue sticks, my game was developed in a one-table tavern in Maryland, a barbox with the big cueball. The only thing I knew about sticks was to pick the aluminum cue off the wall that still had a decent amount of tip on it. 🙃

Tom-Tom Wirth, a Marylander, came into my hangout and realized how much I loved pool. He took me to the local nearby pool room with the 9-footers, Randolph Hill Billiards. Wow! I was in heaven. The owner of the pool room had a farm with a pool for racehorses, where he'd exercise them. Lots of track rats in that pool room, and I seen started going to the horses with the pool room peeps. That was so much fun. I was never a heavy gambler, but I loved going to the horses, the atmosphere, the excitement.

I soon learned more about cue sticks, weight, tips, and wrap. With the advent of technology, especially Predator and other companies, the materials used in cue production have changed. What always puzzled me, though, is how a cue stick custom-made for Shane Van Boening would work for, say, a player like me or somebody else. Our hands are different shapes, and we all utilize different fundamentals when hitting 'em. Allen Hopkins has a one-punch stroke. Kid Delicious strokes the ball about 50 times before he fires. Geese was, without fail, stroked one, two, three, and then fired the shot.
 
from the website:

"Enhance your game and grab the first carbon fiber composite playing shaft to ever capture a Men’s WPA World Title."

well done, shaftie.
 
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