Bert Schrager and Burton Spain have both been elected into the International Cuemakers Association Hall of Fame.
BERT SCHRAGER started building cues in the 1960’s and is credited with helping many up and coming cuemakers. We won't list names, but it would be a who's who list of today’s higher end smaller cuemakers who spent time in Bert's shop. Bert has always been very helpful to the beginning cuemakers and that is one thing the ICA stands for. Bert got his start in cuemaking from his close friend Harvey Martin who is a ICA Hall of Fame member. Bert was one of the earlier cuemakers to break into the high end cue market and one of the first few to crack open the Japanese market. Many famous people have had Bert build cues for them. He never went the CNC route and has produced some very high end cues with just a pantograph. He is credited with popularizing the 6 point cue design. Today at 80 years old he is still at his labor of love: Building Cues.
BURTON SPAIN was elected in the deceased cuemakers group. Burton started building cues in 1965. Burton built great cues using full splice methods that often combined standard full slice over the top of a butterfly full splice that was usually covered by the wrap. This allowed him to use any combination of woods without producing too heavy or too light of a cue. His method produced the most warp resistant butts around. The first thing that comes to most peoples minds when they hear the name Burton Spain is, "Point Blanks". When cuemakers saw that Burton was making his own full splice point blanks they lined up to buy them from him. He made them for Frank Paradise, Gordon Hart, Craig Peterson and George Balabushka just to name a few. He was part of a club called Mensa that only allows people who have IQ's in the very top of the population. Before he passed away in 1994 he trained and sold his business to Joel Hercek, who continues making cues with the same full splice method Burton made famous.
2-10-2005
www.internationalcuemakers.com
BERT SCHRAGER started building cues in the 1960’s and is credited with helping many up and coming cuemakers. We won't list names, but it would be a who's who list of today’s higher end smaller cuemakers who spent time in Bert's shop. Bert has always been very helpful to the beginning cuemakers and that is one thing the ICA stands for. Bert got his start in cuemaking from his close friend Harvey Martin who is a ICA Hall of Fame member. Bert was one of the earlier cuemakers to break into the high end cue market and one of the first few to crack open the Japanese market. Many famous people have had Bert build cues for them. He never went the CNC route and has produced some very high end cues with just a pantograph. He is credited with popularizing the 6 point cue design. Today at 80 years old he is still at his labor of love: Building Cues.
BURTON SPAIN was elected in the deceased cuemakers group. Burton started building cues in 1965. Burton built great cues using full splice methods that often combined standard full slice over the top of a butterfly full splice that was usually covered by the wrap. This allowed him to use any combination of woods without producing too heavy or too light of a cue. His method produced the most warp resistant butts around. The first thing that comes to most peoples minds when they hear the name Burton Spain is, "Point Blanks". When cuemakers saw that Burton was making his own full splice point blanks they lined up to buy them from him. He made them for Frank Paradise, Gordon Hart, Craig Peterson and George Balabushka just to name a few. He was part of a club called Mensa that only allows people who have IQ's in the very top of the population. Before he passed away in 1994 he trained and sold his business to Joel Hercek, who continues making cues with the same full splice method Burton made famous.
2-10-2005
www.internationalcuemakers.com
Sorry about the joke, I could not help it. 
They are a couple of real good choices.
