How have you acquired your cue knowledge?

HIRUN526

HIRUN526

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
1) Cue lovers and collectors, I was wondering how most of you have acquired your knowledge of cues...construction techniques etc.

2) How do you make an analysis of what you consider quality construction?

3) What do you look for in your cue inspection.

4) Has there been anyone that has guided you or influenced you over the years?

5) Does quality of construction weigh more heavily on purchase or asthetics?

6) This is not a "playability poll".

Thanks, Scott
 
1) Cue lovers and collectors, I was wondering how most of you have acquired your knowledge of cues...construction techniques etc.

Blue Books, internet, and paying attention to what others say

2) How do you make an analysis of what you consider quality construction?

Visual inspection, ie making sure all rings are properly registered, even points, tight miters, minimal glue lines, quality of finish and finally hit

3) What do you look for in your cue inspection.

see above

4) Has there been anyone that has guided you or influenced you over the years?

too many to list

5) Does quality of construction weigh more heavily on purchase or asthetics?

quality of construction is more important to me

6) This is not a "playability poll".

Thanks, Scott

Paul
 
HIRUN526 said:
1) Cue lovers and collectors, I was wondering how most of you have acquired your knowledge of cues...construction techniques etc. besides actual collecting, word of mouth, published works ..... i learned playability to start from a great road player dick weaver, he has been a friend and major help to bob manzino with the playability of his cues, as well as from another player and good friend of mine al morales. when i lived closer to chicago i spent a few years hanging in the shop of my friend joe gold from cognoscenti cues and also from his friend leonard bludworth. i learned a ton from joey. he was very happy to share what he knew and he knows cues let me tell ya. i then met my "7th brother from a different mother" keith josey and have learned allot from him as well. i've been in contact for a while now with pete tascarella and have learned from him as also. probably the biggest contributor though to my knowledge of cues was from a custom cue reseller and good friend of mine the late john wright from chicago. hanging around him and the the cues he had for sale i was given the opportunity to see much that most don't get to as well as have great conversations about the cues. still i learn more and more almost daily from talking to other great makers and collectors alike because you can never learn too much.

2) How do you make an analysis of what you consider quality construction? by applying what i've learned over the years of course.

3) What do you look for in your cue inspection. i do a quick visual and feel of the fit and finsh of the entire cue to start. then i check straightness, balance then actual design elements and quality of the inlay work if any. i check quality of the finish. i check the wrap, if any, to make sure it's applied correctly, pressed, if linen, and even with the finish with minimal end gaps. check alignment and finish at the joint. i then examine the shaft taper ferrules and tips. last i dry hit to check for "ticks" in the hit. i know to some this is very general but each cue is different and there a myriad of other things to examine depending on the cue.

4) Has there been anyone that has guided you or influenced you over the years? john wright, dick weaver, joe gold, leonard bludworth, al morales, pete tascarella, keith josey.

5) Does quality of construction weigh more heavily on purchase or asthetics?
construction first. design isn't worth a hoot if it's not in a sound cue.

6) This is not a "playability poll".

Thanks, Scott
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how about you scott?


...........................................................
 
1) Cue lovers and collectors, I was wondering how most of you have acquired your knowledge of cues...construction techniques etc.

At first I went on reputation, and word of mouth, and what a cue felt/looked like. Then when I had a machine shop available to me, I cut apart some cheap cues to see how the heck they were put together. To that point I thought all the joints, and connections were slip fit and glued......not

2) How do you make an analysis of what you consider quality construction?

There a MANY ways to put a cue together, and I don't favor any one way. All I can do is pick it up and hit some balls to see if I like the feel. If it's an investment, and not my player, again with reputation, and aesthetics.

3) What do you look for in your cue inspection.

All the obvious details....points lined up, inlays/rings clocked correctly, no bumps in the roll.....though the best cue I ever owned had a slight roll.

4) Has there been anyone that has guided you or influenced you over the years?
No, none personally, but reading what guys like Szamboti, Janes, Scruggs, Bludworth...etc had to say about doing tips/wraps/shafts/ferrules has helped me a bunch.

5) Does quality of construction weigh more heavily on purchase or asthetics?

Depends on what your buying....an investment, a piece of art, or a playing cue.

6) This is not a "playability poll".

every poll about cues is a playability poll.....IMO


good questions Scott
Gerry
 
1) Cue lovers and collectors, I was wondering how most of you have acquired your knowledge of cues...construction techniques etc.

By managing poolrooms(and building them), dealing in cues for 20+ years, and playing tours. I have also found that most cue makers are very proud of their work. I have had the pleasure of spending time with a lot of cue makers and touring a lot of their shops over the years (Black, Tad, Zyler, Searing, Nitti, DPK, Southwest, Padget, Josey, Sigel, and a few others). The dedication that these craftsman show is amazing and their knowledge is priceless.

2) How do you make an analysis of what you consider quality construction?

By how dedicated the maker is to detail and the steps they take in selecting their materials.

3) What do you look for in your cue inspection.

Quality of workmanship = sharpness of points, balance points, wood quality, how well the joint is put together, quality of the wrap, shaft construction, etc...

4) Has there been anyone that has guided you or influenced you over the years?

Prob the most knowledgeable person I have ever spent time with about the overall construction of cues and materials is Kerry Zyler. He was the first to x-ray cues (he was an x-ray tech before a cue maker :)) and has studied about every well known makers construction of cues, the materials they use, and processes of construction. Dennis Searing is another very dedicated craftsman that can't stand any word but "Perfection".

5) Does quality of construction weigh more heavily on purchase or asthetics?

Quality!

There are so many Great cue makers out there now and I wish I could meet them all! Two thumbs up to them.

:)
 
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It's funny

how you can play for years, and really not know too much about cues.
Back in the days, I had limited knowledge about cues, yes, I had heard
of Gina, Rambow, Joss West, Tad, and a few others custom cuemakers, but as far as constuction techniques, etc.., I had little knowledge.

Actually I learned a lot from 2 friends and adversaries of mine, when we play, that happen to be cuemakers, Randy Anderson and Bob Owen.
And I have learned a great deal about cues since I have been on this forum.
 
I learned what little I know form working at the pro shop @ Champs in Dallas. This is where I learned about quality form such builders as Tad, Gina, JW, Mottey, ect. I had the plesure of meeting sevral of the custom builders at some of the larger tournaments we had while I was there. There was always fantastic cues floating around, and a plethora of people to discuss them. I was sold a cue while there that was said to be a SW. Back when Libra was in its humble beginigs, I let them borrow the cue to examine and xray it. Turns out I had a 6 point Kerscenbrock (SP?) according to them. I bet they loved that xray, and boy do I wish I still had that cue. As far as quality in most cases it can be seen and felt. You can tell alot about a builder by there attention to small details. And last but not least IMHO the cue has to play well.

Hanky
 
Paul Dayton Cues

An undiscovered gem of a pool maker is Paul Dayton - www.daytoncues.com A purist, perfectionist, who doesn't use a CNC
machine, but does it the old way - sheer talent and by hand. A player himself, he cares first about the playability of the cue - and then, of course, the beauty. I started with one of his sneaky petes and was so impressed that I had him build a special one for me. And this is coming from a guy who owns Palmers, McDaniels, Josey's, Philippis, and a whole bunch more. He refuses to compromise or commercialize himself, and is content to make them one at a time to the total satisfaction of the player/client, and boy can he make them. He is very special.
 
Poz said:
An undiscovered gem of a pool maker is Paul Dayton - www.daytoncues.com A purist, perfectionist, who doesn't use a CNC
machine, but does it the old way - sheer talent and by hand. A player himself, he cares first about the playability of the cue - and then, of course, the beauty. I started with one of his sneaky petes and was so impressed that I had him build a special one for me. And this is coming from a guy who owns Palmers, McDaniels, Josey's, Philippis, and a whole bunch more. He refuses to compromise or commercialize himself, and is content to make them one at a time to the total satisfaction of the player/client, and boy can he make them. He is very special.
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great advertisement. :rolleyes: paul is not undiscovered. he's well know by collectors and resellers. second the use of cnc (or panto for that matter) has nothing to do with it. it all depends what your using those tools for. he chooses a more standard traditional inlay style which doen't "yearn" the use of these tools and he does it well. i love his work and you don't need those tools for it but if you'ld ever want to see some of the more intricate work of some of the other men listed above, among many other top collectible makers, come out of his shop he would need to upgrade his tooling. but i don't think that's his "bag". the beauty of cue making is there's something for everyone. also i hope your not suggesting that some of the other names in this post, among others probably in your thoughts, either compromise or commercialize themselves. facts are most custom cue makers strive for perfection and total customer satisfaction. i will agree some have a different idea of what those are. imo what separates the cue makers is their different thoughts of construction and design, their ideas of what perfection is and their attempts to achieve them.
 
Cue Knowledge

Keith
With all due respect, being one prone to extol the virtues of all that I love and believe in (see my Murnak Cue Case post), I think that this forum gives us all an opportunity to say what they think and feel. What I feel is that Paul Dayton is only one of many fine cue makers who strive to give their customers exactly what they want. Keith Josey is also one of them. During a time of extreme illness in your family, you took the time to advise me on the purchase of a used Josey cue, which is now one of the prizes in my collection. Not only did you take the time out for this guidance but you did it with no financial reward for yourself. For this I thank you again, and hope that all is well with you and your family.
 
Poz said:
Keith
With all due respect, being one prone to extol the virtues of all that I love and believe in (see my Murnak Cue Case post), I think that this forum gives us all an opportunity to say what they think and feel. What I feel is that Paul Dayton is only one of many fine cue makers who strive to give their customers exactly what they want. Keith Josey is also one of them. During a time of extreme illness in your family, you took the time to advise me on the purchase of a used Josey cue, which is now one of the prizes in my collection. Not only did you take the time out for this guidance but you did it with no financial reward for yourself. For this I thank you again, and hope that all is well with you and your family.
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Poz, this is not keith. it's his partner tim. as far as your opinion that's fine and good. no one is saying anything about your opinion. but when you talk about the use of other tools for the construction of cues and the motives of other makers who may use them you have to know more facts and use less opinion imo. as far as this forum, this post and your comments don't match. your statements have nothing to due with the posters questions. your opinion of a specific maker is fine and in this case well deserved but before you give "your" truth in cue making let the others here know how you arrive at your conclusion by answering the posters questions. thank's for good words about keith and his family. i hope there's no hard feelings here.
 
Clueless!

Poz said:
An undiscovered gem of a pool maker is Paul Dayton .
Click to expand...


Did you not read the original post? This is a great add for Paul and Paul is a real nice guy, but you are clueless. Maybe you should have tried to reply to the original question and snuck the add in, what you did fooled nobody. On second thought from your post it's clear you prolly don't have much experience with cues so don't bother answering the 1st post.

Jim
 
Gulp

Tim
No hard feelings at all. You are correct. I neglected to read "this is not a playability poll." My first real experience with a custom cue maker was when I had Frank Paradise make 2 cues for me in the early 60's. He used a simple bar cue, cut it in half, installed a joint and a fancy butt with my name on it. A $100 cue now worth a lot of money. Regarding CNC machines - they give the artist a new means of using the canvas of a pool cue to execute designs never before possible. My intent was never to demean or debase this form in any way. As a 100 year old guy, I will return to my front porch, sit in my rocking chair, and continue whittling with my pen knife. As far my comment for Jim, I know a bit more about cues than you do about spelling.
 
Gulp

Tim
No hard feelings at all. You are correct. I neglected to read "this is not a playability poll." My first real experience with a custom cue maker was when I had Frank Paradise make 2 cues for me in the early 60's. He used a simple bar cue, cut it in half, installed a joint and a fancy butt with my name on it. A $100 cue now worth a lot of money. Regarding CNC machines - they give the artist a new means of using the canvas of a pool cue to execute designs never before possible. My intent was never to demean or debase this form in any way. As a 100 year old guy, I will return to my front porch, sit in my rocking chair, and continue whittling with my pen knife. Jim, I know a bit more about cues than you do about spelling.
 
Poz said:
Tim
As far my comment for Jim, I know a bit more about cues than you do about spelling.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm lucky this isn't a spelling and grammar forum then aren't I?

Jim
 
*second time around*

Poz said:
Jim, I know a bit more about cues than you do about spelling.
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Or a place where we'd make fun of a guy who double posts.

Jim
 
Poz said:
As a 100 year old guy,
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This explains a lot about your first post. Sorry I didn't know you were senile, I would have never commented on your original post. Now I feel bad.

Jim
 
I was fortunate enough to have been around some of the now great ...

Cue makers before they were known as such. Palmer, Balabushka and a couple of others were all friends of my uncles and as a child I had the advantage of seeing them and their work also being around my uncle and his friends i was privy to their discussions and evaluations of what to look for in a good cue ! I was too young at the time to appreciate it then but now many of their words have come into play! :)
 
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