I can't decide who I want to have build my first high end custom.

[Bavafongoul]

Baron is correct about considering Jerry R..........my OP was limited to the cue-makers on your list.
Jerry's talents compete with anyone & his cues have a superb hit......ditto on doing repeat business.

Matt B.

 

[billiardthought]

I'm pretty sure diveney isn't taking orders until 2017

Is there an underlying issue or is he just really busy? He is making me a cue that should be ready any day.

 

[PocketPooler]

Forget about the cue! Does she have a sister????!!!!

after making a couple of sacrifices and moves to improve our financial situation, things are looking up. My wife told me i should get a cue made. Price range would be around $1200-$1500.

The makers i had in mind are:

Bob owen
bob dzuriky
andy gilbert
leon sly
paul drexler
pat diveney
mike durbin

i can't afford to do anything extremely fancy, but i want the cue to be black and white to the t.

My design "idea" is alternating black and white. Black g10 pin (or anodized steel) white joint, bw rings, ebony forearm, bw ringtail lizard wrap, bw rings, ebony butt sleeve bw rings, white butt cap with a black bumper (lol)

i thought about doing ebony into ebony points with 3-4 veneers. Bridge points would look great but i also don't want to break the bank. I know i am looking at 9-12 months.

Anybody have another cue maker in mind i haven't thought of?

Who would you or who have you had build cues for you?

P.s. The white doesn't need to be ivory, just...well white.

 

[ChopStick]

Take some time to think about it. Choose carefully. I understand the feeling of looking forward to finally getting a cue made to your specifications. I have been through this a few times and what you finally receive can be a big disappointment. I have owned four custom cues in my life. The only one of the four that was any good was a Jerry Franklin Southwest which I sold on here a couple of years ago. The other three were crap.

My current experience that I am going through has left me so disgusted with custom cue makers I do not believe that I will ever deal with them again. I am seriously looking at Mezz/Exceed.

 

[Drop The Rock]

Forget about the cue! Does she have a sister????!!!!

She bought me a hanshew jump cue for my birthday last year. We met in a pool room. She is an amazing wife and amazing mother too. Our schedule is set up so I can play 3-4 times a week with 1 (now 2) alnights race included. How strong is that!?

But no, no sister.

 

[PocketPooler]

She bought me a hanshew jump cue for my birthday last year. We met in a pool room. She is an amazing wife and amazing mother too. Our schedule is set up so I can play 3-4 times a week with 1 (now 2) alnights race included. How strong is that!?

But no, no sister.

Seething with jealousy...

 

[BmoreMoney]

while you have a nice list i'd consider bob frey. 2nd choice would be leon sly

+1............

 

[TheBook]

You may be limited to a cue maker that has ebony, and if they do it may cost you more than what you are willing to pay.

There was a thread where SW wasn't doing cues in Ebony anymore because of the price and poor quality.

Best is to go to a big venue like the SBE where there are a lot of vendors and try their cues and talk to them about what you want.

You could also look on sites that sell custom cues like Cornstone, New2youQs, Indycue, and etc to get some ideas of what cues are available for.

 

[Veteran68]

All good choices but I would suggest adding Steve Lomax to the list.

I'll second adding Steve to the list. I just don't know if you can get what you want in ebony for that price, especially if you want points. I think his basic 4-point cues start at around your budget. But I would encourage you to reach out and see what he can do for you. Besides making a great cue, his wait times right now aren't bad -- he quoted me 4-6 months on the cue he's building for me, and said it could possibly be sooner.

 

[cubswin]

Bob Dzuricky is a great choice. He will give you a timeline, and it will be accurate. His workmanship is top notch, and his cues play great.

 

[stormshadow1]

I recommend frey,ae, and ernie martinez. Recently picked up a new blackcreek and I am very impressed. Also highly recommend.

Keith in Colorado

 

[Ken_4fun]

My advice

Well -

I think you may not want to hear this, but with the cue market down so low, I would recommend looking on the secondary market.

You will get ALOT more cue for the dollar, I think cues that at one time were $2000-$2500 could be had near your price range.

IMO, that would be the best approach.

Ken

 

[HouTexPlayer]

Best hitting cue I've ever hit with was a Leon Sly, Lomax a close second. I'd have no hesitation recommending either for quality of work or the hit.

 

[Drop The Rock]

Well -

I think you may not want to hear this, but with the cue market down so low, I would recommend looking on the secondary market.

You will get ALOT more cue for the dollar, I think cues that at one time were $2000-$2500 could be had near your price range.

IMO, that would be the best approach.

Ken

The only way I'd go down that route is if I could finance the cue. I don't have to pay the cue maker everything up front.

 

[BmoreMoney]

The only way I'd go down that route is if I could finance the cue. I don't have to pay the cue maker everything up front.

Not trying to be too repetitive , but with all the recent talk about ebony I figured it's worth memtioning. Me and several others mentioned Frey. Just as an example , I just offered a Frey Ebony SP into Birdseye and it came in sub $600 which I feel is a great price with the quality of work. I'd imagine with what you want his price may be around or a little under your budget and I also don't think it would be as long of a wait as other cue makers. Anyway probably worth a phone call to ya just to check out. Good luck!

 

[Texas Carom Club]

gilbert was a pretty quick turnaround for me 4 months, but it was just a simple cue though

 

[Drop The Rock]

Not trying to be too repetitive , but with all the recent talk about ebony I figured it's worth memtioning. Me and several others mentioned Frey. Just as an example , I just offered a Frey Ebony SP into Birdseye and it came in sub $600 which I feel is a great price with the quality of work. I'd imagine with what you want his price may be around or a little under your budget and I also don't think it would be as long of a wait as other cue makers. Anyway probably worth a phone call to ya just to check out. Good luck!

Thank you for the input!

 

[Allen Brown]

I would take Ken's advice before commissioning a cue maker. As far as financing goes I had a cue maker on here let me pay him in payments for a cue, but he is definitely not like most cue makers. Just save your amount that you are willing to spend unless you find a trustworthy member or maker to finance one that has already been finished.

 

[Drop The Rock]

I would take Ken's advice before commissioning a cue maker. As far as financing goes I had a cue maker on here let me pay him in payments for a cue, but he is definitely not like most cue makers. Just save your amount that you are willing to spend unless you find a trustworthy member or maker to finance one that has already been finished.

Most if not all the makers I listed take a deposit. I can give the money over the course of the build.

 

[63Kcode]

Have you played with cues made by the people on your list? If this is going to be your first build. It may be a good idea to know how the makers cues play before you pick him!

Congratulations on having a wonderful wife!

Larry