Have you ever bought a cue without having tried it?

Oh no!

Not another old timer story, but in the 60s and into the 70s, there were no trade shows or the like so we bought almost all of our cues via the mail. I bought a Rambow, a Frank Paradise (arrived Dallas the morning of the JFK assanation) and a Balabushka through the mail. No complaints on any of them. Luckily, I know Billy Stroud and Danny Janes well enough to have their treasures handed directly to me from "the man".

An interesting memory about Danny is, in 1971 I spent some time with him in Baltimore (Billy too). My son was about four. Danny had a gallon jug full of change (no pennies) that he let my son reach into and grab as much as he could. My son asked him if he could hold his palm up and Danny said "Whatever you want to do".
I think we got gas money out of town. Thanks Dan.
Keep it nice. Alfie
 
Without trying the same make at least, I've bought very few. The Gulyassy was one of the few I bought without trying one and I ordered it with only one shaft. Couple of days after getting it I ordered another shaft and played with it for several years. My current Varney I bought without hitting one and don't regret it a bit. I've only bought a couple that I got and didn't like.
 
Slh said:
The thing is this is my first cue and I probably stick with that cue for a long time and I'm a little "worried" I could not like the hit. Also do you think a schon is too much for being the first cue? I always played with house cues ( 5 years)
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Most house cues hit very well but have an uncomforatable taper and worn out or abused tips that have not been well maintained but still a good hit which is a good stiff hit, so if you are used to a stiff hit you will love the schon and now you can fix it with your choice of tip and have a great cue that will last forever if taken care of. We all have our own preferences for play and as such will lean toward different cues or makers but the best you can do is determine the weight, balance point, joint, shaft type and taper and ferrule tip combination that works best for us and feels the most comforatable then order a cue that matches those characteristics from a cue maker that will be willing to build to those specs. If this is your first cue are a long way from having figured out how all of those specs vary the performance and feel of a cue and based on that a schon is a great place to start and a cue that is very high quality. Now you can start trying different tips and figure that part out.

Good luck and good shooting
enjoy your new cue
Monty
 
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I've bought several cues online, and the only issues have been condition or straightness, not playability.
In fact, I hate to admit it but I purchased the 2-worst playing cue I've ever owned at a pool hall....:confused::banghead::bash::scratchhead:

I think that a Schon STL-4 would be a good player, especially with a good glue-on tip, like a Tiger Onyx, Kamui Black,
pooldawg8 Dawg Dud, or even a Triangle.
 
At this point I have an exact expectation out of a cue as far as to it's playability... from spin/speed ratio... to energy transfer/absorption.. to amount of deflection.... Amount of feedback.... I can change weights and tolerate balance changes if they are not severe. I can even fade different tapers as long as they don't pinch or get fat before about 14 inches...

With that being said I know anytime I pick up a new cue that it's going to be a month of adjustments by my cue-maker before it's even close to playable.....

It may be the indian and not the arrow but after 20+ years I know exactly what my arrow should do... I think you likely did fine picking the schon... Just remember there are way more adjustments that can be made than just swapping the tip or changing a weight bolt... Just hoping you at least have a knowledgeable repair guy or maker in your area.....
 
The Renfro said:
At this point I have an exact expectation out of a cue as far as to it's playability... from spin/speed ratio... to energy transfer/absorption.. to amount of deflection.... Amount of feedback.... I can change weights and tolerate balance changes if they are not severe. I can even fade different tapers as long as they don't pinch or get fat before about 14 inches...

With that being said I know anytime I pick up a new cue that it's going to be a month of adjustments by my cue-maker before it's even close to playable.....

It may be the indian and not the arrow but after 20+ years I know exactly what my arrow should do... I think you likely did fine picking the schon... Just remember there are way more adjustments that can be made than just swapping the tip or changing a weight bolt... Just hoping you at least have a knowledgeable repair guy or maker in your area.....
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Thanks for all the replies.
What are these adjustments are you talking about for example? I have, I think, a good repair guy in my area.
 
I second that advice...you can't go wrong with a schon cue in term of playability...they're one of the most consistent playing cue. Although, knowing what I know now, I always like to see the shaft first before I buy a cue. Generally, schon shafts are all high quality but once it a while you find that special shaft and it make the schon cue plays better than a southwest.

Duc.

cardiac kid said:
Slh,

Bought the last three without trying them first. Thirty years ago, Mike Sigel walked into our pool room with a bunch of Meucci's. Didn't like what I saw but I ordered a DH3 Original. Ten years later, A good friend who was reselling cues offered me a new Schon Six Windows. Still have that cue and the original shafts which I play "daily" with. A few years ago Southwest Airlines "misplaced" my cue case and cues on the way home from Vegas. Not going to do that again so I ordered a new cue. Different pin and joint. Different tip and ferrule. As much different as I could think of except the weight. Bought it when it was ready. Found after a week of daily play it hit the balls every bit as well as the Schon. Left it in Vegas so I don't have to travel cues again. Buy the Schon. You will never regret it. Great quality at a reasonable price! Only problem is you might see another player with the same cue. Can you stand to see that :p?

Lyn
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Schon cues are made pretty well with a pretty comfortable taper for most people and are mostly consistent in the feel of the hit from cue to cue so it's hard to get what people would consider as a bad hitting cue.

I think you'll be real happy with your choice of cue and if you're not perfectly happy with the hit, you can always do what Cuesblues said, a tip change to a real nice one, which could definitely help. I would also absolutely take The Renfro's advice to make sure you find a good reputable repair guy or cue maker in your area to fine tune the cue for you. There's also the option of readily available after market shafts to get the desired hit and lack of deflection if that's what you're looking for. The joint design of a Schon like other production cues will make after market shafts real easy to come by. I got a new more aggressively tapered shaft for stiffness with a medium moori tip from Black Mesa custom cues and my Schon never felt better to play with.

A good repair guy or maker can help make the difference between a cue you like and a cue you love to hit with. That won't necessarily make you better on it's own but getting better will be more enjoyable.

Kevin
 
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Cue

I hit with it unchalked before I bought it, but have never bought one blind.
I don't see how some of these guys can pay 2000+ for a cue in the wanted/for sale section without ever trying the cue first.

What if you didn't like the hit after you got it?????????
 
I`ve owned over 200 cues(I buy and sell alot) and I have had many that I bought without trying.The most recent was a Tony Zinzola for $1800.I had never hit with one of his cues until this one and I love it.Some have been duds and I didn`t like the way they hit.
Schon`s play good and have a nice hit.You can`t go wrong for the money and resale value.
Good luck with your choice.
 
Slh said:
As the title says, I'm looking to buy a cue, unfortunately nobody in my poolroom has that type of cue and I'm thinking of buying it without having tried it.
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I have over 30 cues and have never tried one before buying except my JOSS back in 1985. I did shoot several games with it before I bought it.

So just one.

The closest I could say I came other than that was my McDermott D-2, which I did shoot with before I owned it. It is one of my favorite cues. So I did shoot with it, but I didn't buy it....I won it off a guy who didn't have the cash to pay me for his loss at the table back in the late 1980's....so I took the cue to make up the difference in the cash. I won several other cues that way but let them all go pretty much right away. The McDermott was different. It was and is a shooter....so I have kept it all these years.


.
 
all the time

i was curious to see what a gina played like, so i pulled out 5K and bought one to try it out. good thing it hits well:thumbup:
 
Slh said:
As the title says, I'm looking to buy a cue, unfortunately nobody in my poolroom has that type of cue and I'm thinking of buying it without having tried it.
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yep, my dick neighbors custom. i talked to a few people i respected that loved his cues and had him make me one. i don't play with anything else now.
 
Schon

Caution! Maybe I got 1 in a mil, but my schon plays like shit! I bought before I hit with it and now I'm stuck with it. Sent it back for Evan hit with it and look it over and he found nothing. Hey Evan, playing with a viper now! JSS
 
I bought every cue without trying first.
If you buy from Seyberts you can return it for a full refund if you hate it. Please read their return/refund policy before purchasing.
 
I've bought many cues before I tried them with very little success.. I'm very picky about the hit so I'm quite hard to please.. Only cues I've been very happy with purchasing blindly were cues from Jack Madden and Jeff Olney.

Not to say many other cues were not of high quality, just not a hit I preferred. This in no way reflects on the cuemakers, just my finicky nature.

I prefer to hit a cue before I purchase but this is rarely an option.. YMMV
 
Dear Slh;

Since you have been content hitting with a house stick for the last 5 years, then odds are way high that a new Schon will be real enjoyable for you to own.

Every once in a while the debate comes up here over who makes the best production cues. Invariably, Schon and Pechauer are the clear winners in those discussions.

So, it appears that you made an excellent decision on what cue to buy and you should be pleased with it.

If on the off chance you are not happy, you would be able to either sell the cue at a very minimal loss -or- as someone already pointed out, you may be able to return it.

Let us know how it turns out.

Best,
Brian kc
 
I have purchased 3 customs without ever hitting a cue from any of the makers.

I loved two of them, and absolutely HATED one of them. So, I am doing ok.

The best purchase is my avatar. I am sure his newer cues play better, but for a banger like me, that beauty suits me just fine.


Braden
 
Check my signature block...bought all of them blind, loved all of them except the GEM...hated the hit for about 3 days, came to love it for the next 5 years. Never played better pool since. Schon cues have a habit of being loved instantly by virtually everybody. If it weren't for sponsorships, I'm pretty sure you'd see a lot more pros play with them. A lot of folks are picky, but virtually any well made cue will grow on you if you give it a chance!
 
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