If You Could Only Have One...

ridewiththewind

ridewiththewind

♥ Hippie Hustler ♥
Silver Member
I know a similar thread had surfaced over the years, but my question here is...from a playing standpoint alone...which cue would you keep or save?...and why?

I am not looking for responses with regards to the cues' investment, provenance, or aesthetic value. It does not matter if it is a custom or a production, because that all kinda goes out the window when the cue is just 'right', for you. I am looking for responses with regards to the cue you reach for, almost religiously, when it comes to getting down and actually playing...your 'money' cue, as it were....the one that would be your 'road warrior' day in and day out.

Since there are more players out there than there are collectors, I am hoping for a lively thread, with a variety of responses.

Lisa
 
I have been playing with my Viking & OB-1 combo for a few years now, and I really like it. Considering I've only been playing semi-serious pool for a handful of years, I'm not very well-rounded when it comes to having tried a lot of cues. I guess that's also a testament to how much I like my current set up.
 
I have two Southwests, and I would be happy with either of them for life. That said, I have been playing with a cue Mike Gullassy made for me that comes very close. It has Mike's new extended taper shaft, and it plays awfully well. But when I pick up my Southwest and hit a few balls, it's not long before I say, "Damn," and smile. In fairness to Mike's cue, I should try it with a taper similar to my stiff Southwest cues. I'm old school and prefer the hit and feel and control of the Southwest taper.
 
My keeper is my Capone.I've let go of all my other cues and shes the one for me. Even though its been a love hate relationship for the last 7 years.lol
For me the cue just fits me, very easy to move the cue ball with control and if need be, it can bring a big stroke as well.
 
Nice to ponder, Lisa.

My go to cue is a very plain, pointless, bacote Scruggs with his typical stainless steel joint. It does have an ivory Hoppe ring and I use a Predator 314-2 shaft with it. It plays beautiful. Thus far the only cue that comes close to the Scruggs is my dark cocobolo Jeff Olney cue. What a sweet hitting and sounding cue it is. Ping..... lol.

I'm always tweaking and trying other weapons but I won't ever be letting either of these go.

Best,
Brian kc
 
ridewiththewind said:
I know a similar thread had surfaced over the years, but my question here is...from a playing standpoint alone...which cue would you keep or save?...and why?

I am not looking for responses with regards to the cues' investment, provenance, or aesthetic value. It does not matter if it is a custom or a production, because that all kinda goes out the window when the cue is just 'right', for you. I am looking for responses with regards to the cue you reach for, almost religiously, when it comes to getting down and actually playing...your 'money' cue, as it were....the one that would be your 'road warrior' day in and day out.

Since there are more players out there than there are collectors, I am hoping for a lively thread, with a variety of responses.

Lisa
Click to expand...


If I could have only one playing cue, It would be my Jim Buss. I have a new Mark Bear on order but obviously haven't hit with it yet so I might change my mind.

I have shot with many fine cues, Black Boar, Scrugs, Hubler, Palmer, Richard Black, Ray Schuler, Gina Cue, Szambotti, Thomas Wayne, Mike Bender, Joss West, Rick Howard, Joss (Danny Janes), Schon, Viking, McDermott (several other production cues). All fine instruments for playing pool, there's just something about that Buss.
 
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Only one cue

I guess I would have to go with my old R series Schon. I have shot with several different cues from several different eras and I always come back to this one. Then again there was that real nice Philippi..........
 
I had a Schon STL-11, a few years ago, and sold it on a spur of the moment kind of thing, that I wish I had back. It played wonderfully and had a crisp, bright look to it. :)
 
Dale Patten... NOT Dale Perry!!!!

Hands down the best playing cue I've ever shot with was my old Dale Patten cue. It was actually one of the 1st custom cues I ever owned.

It was a birds eye plain jane with a steel joint, ivory ferrules, and a nice white and green speck wrap. It had a fairly plain ring above the delrin butt cap that gave it the look of a Tad cue.

I wish I would have owned a caliper and a digital scale back then to see exactly what the specks were. I can tell you the cue was very light. Probably around 18 oz. It had fairly thin (12.25-12.5 mm) shafts with ivory ferrules and LePro tips. The cue was also a bit shorter (57-57.5"???) than normal as well.

That cue was my player for years, and it felt like an extension of my arm. The only time I even noticed the cue was when something was wrong with the tip. Other than that... it was magic!

Unfortunately I sold it because it wasn't fancy enough, and I wanted to try a few higher end models.

If there was one cue I wish I still had, THAT would be the one!!!
 
First cue that Mason Houghland sold me. That cue was just the nuts, not sure why I sold it other than I needed the cash badly. Wish I still had it, single best playing cue I've ever owned. The last one I had from Mason was a close second. Those two cues, were perfect to me. And both of them I let go when times were tough.

My current player, and a cue I won't ever sell, is my third favorite. It is a sugartree, and is the cue I'm most attached to for a few reasons. Got it from Eric at Dayton last year. We traded fish fillets and beer for it, I still owe him the beer. The reality is, if I had paid for it I'd of already of sold it when I needed money. As it is this cue will be with me for a long long time.

After that, well I'd pick something from Joey or Murray. Only common thread is all the cues are from limited production makers, who make stiff hitting cues that are well balanced. All of them make very good hitting cues, all somewhat rare, and with the exception of Murray I've owned more than one and regret deeply selling all of them.

Of course I'm on Joel H's list, and if my name ever comes up I have a feeling I'll really enjoy that cue too. Have one coming this year from Joey that I think is going to be a great cue, and a rumor about Murray having one for me this year too. I'm really really hoping I'll never sell another one of my cues. If I can add a Mason cue back in then I'll have my personal playing cue collection that I don't think I'd ever complain about.
 
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Although I do love my current player, JMW, my all time favorite cue was a Paul Mottey that I mistakenly sold to a friend during a time when I thought I was finished with pool. I'd like to have it back.
MULLY
 
I only have one cue.But I've had many and if I could snap my fingers and get one of them back it would be the ebony Schon I had in the mid 80's.
From a money stand point it would be the Palmer original I sold for $65 in 1980.
 
Hey Lisa, without a doubt it would have to be my Tascarella hoppe style cue. I love everything about it. I love how tight the wrap is, the handle diameter, the hit, the old brown phenolic, the feel of the old shafts, the weight....just everything about it makes me feel like I am playing a lot better than I am.

When I bought the cue I got a pretty damn good deal on it. I sent it to Pete right away to have it refinished from head to toe. Pete could not put an exact dat on it but he told me it was "twenty something" years old. I could not believe the original shafts were still a full 13mm.

Funny thing is, I actually sold the cue shortly after having it refinished for about a $700 profit. I very quickly realized how big of a mitake that was and called the guy about three weeks after I sold it to him and practically begged him to buy it back. Amazingly he had not even hit a ball with the cue yet and agreed to sell it back to me for the same price I sold it to him for.

I had the cue refinished in 2008 and to this day only one shaft as been hit with. The other shaft remains unchalked. These are the only pictures I have of the cue as of now.

GREAT THREAD LISA!!!!

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Go To Cue

Lisa,
My MasonH cue is my current playing cue and my go to cue. I've own and played with a number of high end cues over the years, this cue seems to work for me. I had Mason retaper the shaft the rest is history.
 

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I have a keeper

Lisa,

As you know, I am not one to keep a cue for very long, but I have kept my Jim Lee Mardi Gras cue since I received it - it is perfect for my game. But I also picked up a unique Sugartree that also plays very well for my game. So I actually have 2 keepers, though money is very tight at this time, either would be very difficult to let go.
It is always a difficult decision, but with no money, they are easier to keep, since I cannot replace them.:D

Michael

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