How many?

[dukeboy1977]

How many of you have G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome)? I had it horribly before I took my long hiatus from the game and focused on raising my 2 boys by myself. Everything I saw from nice cues, to cases, and everything in between, I thought I wanted. I had alot of fancy cues and cases, but we all know that stuff don't help your game. It actually makes you look worse when you lose, not that I did that very often, but it still happened of course cuz I like to bite off more than I can chew. I don't turn down any game if I have the time. So, I ended up selling all my stuff and taking time off. Some of my cues I had, I REALLY kick myself for selling because I honestly planned to keep them forever. Finances dictated that I had to sell them. Now my boys are old enough to play with me on a bar box in a pool room so I am acquiring a few cues again. I have gotten a Predator with a P3 shaft which I like. My game has fallen hard, but it will eventually get on its feet. I browse the for sale section hoping to find some of my old cues but to no avail thus far. We are currently on the search for a new home that I plan to have a billiards room in, but it is not easy around here. Anyways, is there anything you had that you reluctantly sold and now want it back? I know I am not the only one so lets hear your story! Pics of what you sold would be awesome. Pics of your home pool room would be cool too

 

[jasonlaus]

There's a "home poolroom thread" that has some incredible pics.

 

[SSDiver2112]

Now that my kids are grown, I got into the game late in life. I am in the new acquisition stage and I definitely have G.A.S. So many stories of regrets for selling or trading their stuff in the past. This seems to be a common "thread" in my readings since I joined AZB. I can relate from the stuff I got rid of from my earlier life. Ex's appear to be a big reason for falling out of the game or getting rid of our things. 2nd chance I guess. Good luck with your new room and getting your boys into it. Great way to spend time with them where age has less of an affect for keeping up with them.

 

[hang-the-9]

My son goes through different shafts and cues about monthly. I would guess we have a dozen different shafts and half dozen butts of varying prices from a $60 McDermott to a few $1,000 customs, and this is after selling or trading away 3-4 other cues and shafts. Funny part about all the swapping, is at the end of all the trials he ends up using the same combination of a $60 McDermott Lucky cue and a custom shaft I had made for one of my cues each and every time.

 

[dukeboy1977]

My son goes through different shafts and cues about monthly. I would guess we have a dozen different shafts and half dozen butts of varying prices from a $60 McDermott to a few $1,000 customs, and this is after selling or trading away 3-4 other cues and shafts. Funny part about all the swapping, is at the end of all the trials he ends up using the same combination of a $60 McDermott Lucky cue and a custom shaft I had made for one of my cues each and every time.

Yup, that has been my experience as well. It is nice to try new cues, but 99% of the time I stick with my current cue. So why even bother? Lol I guess I need to know fot myself that what looks good, is not always the case

 

[Bavafongoul]

I had a piloted ivory joint Bushka cue from Richard Black that I acquired through Bill Grassley @ Cornerstone.
Richard told me he only made a handful of Bushka cues with ivory joints and I wound up trading it for a Mottey
cue that’s no longer with me as I ultimately traded that for an Ed Prewitt cue with flat ivory joint. To this day I regret
getting rid of that Richard Black cue which was a classic design with an ivory joint. It was a custom made 1 of 1.

Next week I will play pool for the first time in 14 months and earlier tonight I selected three cues to bring instead of
carrying my 6x12 case. And one of the cues is the Ed Prewitt cue I mentioned above which is still with me. The other
two cues I’ll take are one of my Bob Owen cues & one of my Jerry Rauenzahn cues. I have a couple of 3x7 Instroke
cases in the closet so I’m set for next week. I’ve got some new sets of Brunswick Centennials sitting on the shelf
waiting for a reason to get used and what better time than after a long hiatus from pool. All the cues I have are really
for passing along to my kids and grandchildren as keepsakes to remember me, plus a bunch of guns I’ve got. I prefer
to think the cues will bring more enjoyment than any of my guns would. The cues we own will belong to someone else
after we’re gone and I just wanted my children to have something that’s becoming rare nowadays and even more so
in the future. And since I came up with the designs for many of the cues I own, it makes them even more special to my
children. I think it’s a cool thing to be able to do, especially when the person winding up with the cue is in your family.

These are the 3 cues I choose to bring next week. I’m pretty sure if I still had that Richard Black cue earlier mentioned,
it likely would have replaced one of these to bring. Darn it; I kick myself for not keeping that cue but I learned from it.
Hang onto what you really like because you do not want to remorsefully think back how you should have really kept it.

 

[philly]

I have one custom.
It has been my everyday player for the last three years.
I designed it along with Dan Janes.
Love the hit of his cues.
5 points each razor sharp.
4 shafts that I rotate every session all identical down to every detail including length of taper.
Hard pressed Triangles.
I like a firm hit.
I am old school as far as equipment goes.
It is the Indian, to my mind.
However, I have been thinking about designing a box cue, old school of course.
Browns, tans, rusts, yellows, and greens in the points.
Dots and notched diamonds.
Elephant ear wrap.

 

[71dewajack]

Social media is the problem for me. I got back into the game after 20 years, and when you get on sites like this and all those Facebook forums, you'll see so many things you think you need, it makes your head spin.

I've decided though that for me, it's all about the Bob's. I can check Runde off the list, and now I'm concentrating on Owen. After that maybe Frey. I figure the Bob's give me a ton of bang for the buck. I guess for me it's Bob acquisition syndrome.

 

[Bavafongoul]

I have one custom.
It has been my everyday player for the last three years.
I designed it along with Dan Janes.
Love the hit of his cues.
5 points each razor sharp.
4 shafts that I rotate every session all identical down to every detail including length of taper.
Hard pressed Triangles.
I like a firm hit.
I am old school as far as equipment goes.
It is the Indian, to my mind.
However, I have been thinking about designing a box cue, old school of course.
Browns, tans, rusts, yellows, and greens in the points.
Dots and notched diamonds.
Elephant ear wrap.

In a different thread I posted a few photos of 3 cues I picked to play with next week.
It’s the 1st time I’m playing pool after 14 months of COVID not even touching a cue.

Purely coincidental but the designs are probably the style that aligns with your tastes.
Personally speaking, the older classic cue designs are my favorite style for a pool cue.

 

[philly]

In a different thread I posted a few photos of 3 cues I picked to play with next week.
It’s the 1st time I’m playing pool after 14 months of COVID not even touching a cue.

Purely coincidental but the designs are probably the style that aligns with your tastes.
Personally speaking, the older classic cue designs are my favorite style for a pool cue.

Funny you should mention.
Wednesday was 2 weeks after my second Moderna shot so I hit the poolroom today for an hour and a half.
Went to a room about 20 minutes away that recently opened, just as the pandemic hit.
Not a bad room.
7 9 foot GC 5's and a few Valleys.
They had darts, shuffleboard, foosball and a poker room.
Took a GC at the end of the room about 50 feet from the nearest player so I played without a mask.
Only saw a couple of guys I knew.
After playing at home for a year, the switch took me a little while to get used to a different table.
It sure was fun.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Funny you should mention.
Wednesday was 2 weeks after my second Moderna shot so I hit the poolroom today for an hour and a half.
Went to a room about 20 minutes away that recently opened, just as the pandemic hit.
Not a bad room.
7 9 foot GC 5's and a few Valleys.
They had darts, shuffleboard, foosball and a poker room.
Took a GC at the end of the room about 50 feet from the nearest player so I played without a mask.
Only saw a couple of guys I knew.
After playing at home for a year, the switch took me a little while to get used to a different table.
It sure was fun.

That is what I am hoping....just to enjoy pool again....my two weeks isolation ends Thursday at 3 pm.
So for sure next Friday I will be playing pool at my friend’s house until the pool rooms open again. It’s
been awhile since I got excited just to hit balls again.....can’t wait and I hope that all pool rooms flourish.

 

[dukeboy1977]

I had a piloted ivory joint Bushka cue from Richard Black that I acquired through Bill Grassley @ Cornerstone.
Richard told me he only made a handful of Bushka cues with ivory joints and I wound up trading it for a Mottey
cue that’s no longer with me as I ultimately traded that for an Ed Prewitt cue with flat ivory joint. To this day I regret
getting rid of that Richard Black cue which was a classic design with an ivory joint. It was a custom made 1 of 1.

Next week I will play pool for the first time in 14 months and earlier tonight I selected three cues to bring instead of
carrying my 6x12 case. And one of the cues is the Ed Prewitt cue I mentioned above which is still with me. The other
two cues I’ll take are one of my Bob Owen cues & one of my Jerry Rauenzahn cues. I have a couple of 3x7 Instroke
cases in the closet so I’m set for next week. I’ve got some new sets of Brunswick Centennials sitting on the shelf
waiting for a reason to get used and what better time than after a long hiatus from pool. All the cues I have are really
for passing along to my kids and grandchildren as keepsakes to remember me, plus a bunch of guns I’ve got. I prefer
to think the cues will bring more enjoyment than any of my guns would. The cues we own will belong to someone else
after we’re gone and I just wanted my children to have something that’s becoming rare nowadays and even more so
in the future. And since I came up with the designs for many of the cues I own, it makes them even more special to my
children. I think it’s a cool thing to be able to do, especially when the person winding up with the cue is in your family.

These are the 3 cues I choose to bring next week. I’m pretty sure if I still had that Richard Black cue earlier mentioned,
it likely would have replaced one of these to bring. Darn it; I kick myself for not keeping that cue but I learned from it.
Hang onto what you really like because you do not want to remorsefully think back how you should have really kept it.

I whole-heartedly agree. I have let go of many cues I should have kept, but hopefully I don't go through that again. Fingers crossed! My other items I will pass down are my cameras, as I am between an enthusiast and a pro. Better than most but I do not make my living from it, so.... Anyways, thanks for the response. Just what I was looking for. Take care, Jeff

 

[71dewajack]

I had a piloted ivory joint Bushka cue from Richard Black that I acquired through Bill Grassley @ Cornerstone.
Richard told me he only made a handful of Bushka cues with ivory joints and I wound up trading it for a Mottey
cue that’s no longer with me as I ultimately traded that for an Ed Prewitt cue with flat ivory joint. To this day I regret
getting rid of that Richard Black cue which was a classic design with an ivory joint. It was a custom made 1 of 1.

Next week I will play pool for the first time in 14 months and earlier tonight I selected three cues to bring instead of
carrying my 6x12 case. And one of the cues is the Ed Prewitt cue I mentioned above which is still with me. The other
two cues I’ll take are one of my Bob Owen cues & one of my Jerry Rauenzahn cues. I have a couple of 3x7 Instroke
cases in the closet so I’m set for next week. I’ve got some new sets of Brunswick Centennials sitting on the shelf
waiting for a reason to get used and what better time than after a long hiatus from pool. All the cues I have are really
for passing along to my kids and grandchildren as keepsakes to remember me, plus a bunch of guns I’ve got. I prefer
to think the cues will bring more enjoyment than any of my guns would. The cues we own will belong to someone else
after we’re gone and I just wanted my children to have something that’s becoming rare nowadays and even more so
in the future. And since I came up with the designs for many of the cues I own, it makes them even more special to my
children. I think it’s a cool thing to be able to do, especially when the person winding up with the cue is in your family.

These are the 3 cues I choose to bring next week. I’m pretty sure if I still had that Richard Black cue earlier mentioned,
it likely would have replaced one of these to bring. Darn it; I kick myself for not keeping that cue but I learned from it.
Hang onto what you really like because you do not want to remorsefully think back how you should have really kept it.

All 3 are really classy, sweet looking cues. Can you describe the hit with an ivory joint please?

 

[Bavafongoul]

I won’t try to describe the feel. There’s so much endless discussion, debate and disagreement over cue joints, tips and ferrule material that it only leads to endless rancor. The only way to ever find out is to actually try different joints. Piloted joints steel joints are by far the most popular. I found them to have a really solid hit, almost like it was reinforced at the joint. Well, it is. The shaft and butt both have metal that secrets together. Flat joints do not. There isn’t any receiver so I like that the joint pin screws into the shaft wood, not a brass receiver. It means the shaft weight is comprised of a little more wood since there’s no receiver in the shaft. Ivory is also softer than brass & steel and I like that. I found the hit to be more discernible than with piloted joints. Ivory ferrules, and of course the type tip on the cue, play a part in the way your fingers detect vibration and acoustical sound of your stroke. I also found an ivory joint makes it easier to achieve the weight balance ratio that I want and most cue-makers find it easier to achieve using a flat ivory or even wood joint.

Now there there are the naysayers that express aberrant opinions about how the ivory in your cue contributes to the illegal poaching of elephants which is of course bullshit since there’s an abundance of ivory already here in the USA that’s more than 50, 60, 70 years old. Those pachyderms died a long time ago and their ivory tusks were legally brought into the USA. Even the ivory ban explains possession of ivory before the ban was enacted is completely legal. You can’t easily date the age of ivory so a more basic, simple legal approach is to just be time specific and ban ivory.

I am so glad to have acquired my cues before all the legal hassles started. Cue makers don’t like the ivory ban either but it is what it is. Flat ivory is the only joint I’ll use on a cue and a cue looks much more handsome with an ivory joint. It is the piece de resistance when it comes to cue construction but that’s just my opinion.....and a bunch of noteworthy cue makers as well.

 

[dukeboy1977]

Ok, so I have done what I kinda expected, but really wanted to stay away from. Oh well, it is what it is! With me trying to get back into playing, my focus was on getting ONE well performing cue and get used to it. Yeah, that happened for a minute. Lol I initially had a cue on order but that didn't pan out so I was back on the hunt. I had settled on a Predator sneaky with a 314 (3) and I liked how it played. I had only gotten to use it twice when I spoke to a friend I used to swap cues and related items with. He knew a local that was selling 4 cues; 2 of which I had previously owned, but 3 I knew how they would play. The day before we were to meet, another guy I knew had offered me a Predator SP2 maple butt for a price I was OK with. I set it up to meet both of them the same time and look at their items. I ended up getting the Predator SP2 from the one guy as agreed, but the other guy had a cue I just had to have. This was Friday night and I have yet to use them, but I have them when I make the time. I now have 2 Predator butts, (1) 314^3 shaft, and (1) 4 point DZ with a shaft I swear I had made for me years back. It has curls, birdseyes, and is just an awesome, dense shaft. Looks like the JB 3x4 case I purchased, that I PLANNED to be big enough for 2 players and my old Joss break cue, is no longer big enough. Now I need a 4x8 again. Looks like old habits are tough to break. Years away didn't stop me from wanting multiple great cues that were being sold for what I thought was fair. A JB 4x8 will have to wait a few weeks or until I actually get my taxes back but that's OK. I need to learn some patience lol I enclosed a pic of my butts

 

[dukeboy1977]

So...last night I had the opportunity to pick up one of my old DZ sneaky pete cues I had made back in 2002 and it looks minimally used, if at all. Its an ebony sneaky with a shedua forearm and ivory diamonds in the points. Of course I bought it! The ebony has alot of grain in it which was how I liked it! I will post pics later

 

[garczar]

I have a Mezz, a Jensen 'bushka and a old JossWest. I use the Mezz. That's all. No pics. The list of what i've owned/used over 40yrs of playing would be LONG to say the least. Never owned a Gina, a real 'bushka, a Szam or a Tasc. Had about everything else.

 

[dukeboy1977]

Ok, so the sneaky I picked up has become my main cue. I have considered selling the leather wrapped, 4 pointer ( no veneers ) I picked up right before it, but I am gonna probably wait until I get in a Predator shaft I ordered. I always did prefer wrapless, and it seems nothing has changed. Maybe I will sell my wrapped cues if I get proper offers?

DZ ebony sneaky

I have for your consideration, a DZ sneaky from 2002 that is made from ebony into shedua. The white diamonds in the points are ivory so I need to find out where exactly I can ship but I know it will need to be in the CONUS. I have no scale but I do not believe it to be more than 19.5. The shaft...

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