Pics are in the post below this one.
Jim Lee (J&D Customs) finished my amboyna burl and quilted maple wrapless plain jane cue a few weeks ago but I've been putting off doing this review for the past 3 weeks or so because I wanted to give the cue a full workout before commenting on it.
As it stands, I've been playing with the cue a lot these past few weeks and feel that I can give it a fair review which will give better indication and insight into the quality and playability of Jim's cues.
I had contacted Jim in March about getting a cue made, originally we had planned on using a specific type of wood but when that didnt pan out, we decided to switch to an amboyna burl plain jane with a wrapless quilted maple hande. This change occurred in May. I had requested that Jim make the cue's forearm and buttsleeve out of a piece of amboyna which shows more colour than the standard brownish hue that amboyna is known for. Jim picked out a very nice fiery orange piece of amboyna for me as well as a very quilted piece of maple for the handle. As well, he added decorative rings at all positions. Furthermore, the shaft wood used is very straight grain and is a nice piece of maple. I had ordered it with a 30 inch shaft and with a 29 inch shaft. The 29 inch shaft had less growth rings than the 30 inch shaft but not by much. It's still a very nice piece of maple and is a great shaft to shoot with. As it stands the quality of the wood used in both the cue and the shaft are high quality and I have no problems with it.
Regarding playability, the cue provides a stiff and solid hit. When talking to Jim about the cue, I mentioned that I would like a stiffer hitting cue and was told that his cues are stiff by standard. Of course, a customer can request that it be softer but Jim said that his cues are generally stiffer. In comparison to the cues I currently have, I would say that the cue is stiffer than a schon, joss, espiritu, mottey, and possibly the scruggs. The 30 inch shaft is softer/whippier than the 29 inch shaft but thats to be expected. The cue hits very solid with no rattling and provides good feedback. The vibrations travel all the way down to the butt so you can feel some of it in the handle. While some may prefer the hit of a ss piloted joint which reduces vibrations in the butt, I prefer to have more feel so I tend to go with big pin flat faced joints and this cue was no exception. Jim installed a brass 3/8x10 pin and it provides great feedback.
The fit and finish of the cue are excellent as well. At the time of completion, Jim had applied his new type of finish on the cue. I'm not sure what it is but it seems to be holding great. While I've only had it for 3 weeks and can't give any info on how well it'll last after years of use, for the 3 weeks that I've had it I've had absolutely no problems with it. As mentioned, I have used this cue a lot in the past few weeks and as a result, I've banged it on a few things. However, after every time it hit something, I would always check and there would be no damage. Not even a scratch, dent or chip. So I can say that the finish is very strong and does not get damaged easily...at least mine doesnt. The shafts fit tightly on to the cue which provides great feedback. It's not as tight as an olney or whatever but it's tight enough that you would never wonder if it'll come loose during play. The shafts also fit pretty flush and while you will feel it if you run your fingers over the joint, it does not stick out in any way.
Now for the problems...not many and not major but just thought I'd point some of them out.
1. The shafts weren't entirely smooth when they got to me. While they weren't rough and I and everyone who used them could shoot perfectly fine with them, I found that I would prefer them to be smoother. I put some carnauba wax on it and smoothed it out so its perfect now.
2. The rings at the joint and shaft dont line up. Don't know how much of a problem this is for some people but I don't really care so it's not a big deal for me but I just thought I'd point it out for those who wanted to know.
3. This isn't really a problem but the cue has a thicker butt. Something similar to my mottey and james white. It works fine for me cuz I have longer fingers but might not be ideal for others. Of course, you can just talk to Jim about this when you're getting the cue made, but I had neglected to ask him about this during the process so he provided me with a cue that has his standard taper in the butt.
4. Not sure who's fault this is but the ferrules seem to scratch fairly easily. I notice some on mine and I'm not sure what it's from but none of the other shafts in my case have any scratches in the ferrule, not even the ones that used to occupy the same slot as I have them in now. It could just be that the ferrule he uses are more prone to scratches or maybe it's my case I really can't say. Though the scratches are there, it's not affect the hit of the cue so I'm confident that they're just cosmetic scratches and aren't actual problems with or in the ferrules.
In terms of customer service, Jim is definitely worth dealing with. All questions are answered promptly and problems are always worked out. I won't go into the details but when we decided to switch woods, Jim was very accommodating. He is easily accessible and is very helpful, even if you aren't a customer. His turnaround time is quite reasonable and is fairly accurate. From my experience he will get the cue to you within 1-3 weeks of his quoted delivery date which is reasonable considering the work that's being done. His prices are also very modest. I'm not sure if his pricing is still the same as when I first ordered from him. I ordered in march and he has since become a full time cue maker and taken on a lot of orders to the point where he is no longer taking any new orders so I'm not sure if his prices are still the same. If not, they would only be slightly higher which makes them still more than reasonable.
Things to consider if you are going to have Jim make you a cue in the future:
1. Specify the ferrules and tips you want.
2. If you like thinner butts or softer shafts let him know.
3. Joint protectors (at least ones as nice as mine) are not included with the cue. So if you want a nice matching set, make sure you ask him to make it for you.
4. I believe Jim only makes cues with a 3/8x10 joint as I have yet to see one of his cues with something different. So if you absolutely must use something else make sure you talk to him first.
5. Jim's standard 3/8x10 joint pin has a more squarish tip, much like a southwest, carolina, or carmeli joint pin. This should be noted as some shafts made on 3/8x10 joints with rounder tips like the ones jensen cues have MIGHT NOT be interchangable. While Jim's shafts will fit on other cues with 3/8x10 joints, other shafts might not fit on it. Even if this is the case it'd only be a small percentage that won't fit on it as I've only ever had 2 shafts not fit a similar pin on my carmeli.
6. IMPORTANT - As mine is a wrapless cue, I don't know about Jim's wrapped cues. Don't know what woods are used in the handle, whether the hit and feel becomes different etc. I also don't know about the quality of his linen wraps etc. I would assume that they're more than good enough to use but I can't say for certain.
As it stands right now, I am contemplating switching this to my main playing cue. Not sure if I will as I love my carmeli but even if I don't I'd like to point out that no other cue has made me come close to thinking about switching cues up to this point. I have and have had cues by very famous cue makers too. So that should say something about the playability of Jim's cues. Everyone that I've let try it also expressed how much they like it. It looks nice and hits great.
Jim Lee (J&D Customs) finished my amboyna burl and quilted maple wrapless plain jane cue a few weeks ago but I've been putting off doing this review for the past 3 weeks or so because I wanted to give the cue a full workout before commenting on it.
As it stands, I've been playing with the cue a lot these past few weeks and feel that I can give it a fair review which will give better indication and insight into the quality and playability of Jim's cues.
I had contacted Jim in March about getting a cue made, originally we had planned on using a specific type of wood but when that didnt pan out, we decided to switch to an amboyna burl plain jane with a wrapless quilted maple hande. This change occurred in May. I had requested that Jim make the cue's forearm and buttsleeve out of a piece of amboyna which shows more colour than the standard brownish hue that amboyna is known for. Jim picked out a very nice fiery orange piece of amboyna for me as well as a very quilted piece of maple for the handle. As well, he added decorative rings at all positions. Furthermore, the shaft wood used is very straight grain and is a nice piece of maple. I had ordered it with a 30 inch shaft and with a 29 inch shaft. The 29 inch shaft had less growth rings than the 30 inch shaft but not by much. It's still a very nice piece of maple and is a great shaft to shoot with. As it stands the quality of the wood used in both the cue and the shaft are high quality and I have no problems with it.
Regarding playability, the cue provides a stiff and solid hit. When talking to Jim about the cue, I mentioned that I would like a stiffer hitting cue and was told that his cues are stiff by standard. Of course, a customer can request that it be softer but Jim said that his cues are generally stiffer. In comparison to the cues I currently have, I would say that the cue is stiffer than a schon, joss, espiritu, mottey, and possibly the scruggs. The 30 inch shaft is softer/whippier than the 29 inch shaft but thats to be expected. The cue hits very solid with no rattling and provides good feedback. The vibrations travel all the way down to the butt so you can feel some of it in the handle. While some may prefer the hit of a ss piloted joint which reduces vibrations in the butt, I prefer to have more feel so I tend to go with big pin flat faced joints and this cue was no exception. Jim installed a brass 3/8x10 pin and it provides great feedback.
The fit and finish of the cue are excellent as well. At the time of completion, Jim had applied his new type of finish on the cue. I'm not sure what it is but it seems to be holding great. While I've only had it for 3 weeks and can't give any info on how well it'll last after years of use, for the 3 weeks that I've had it I've had absolutely no problems with it. As mentioned, I have used this cue a lot in the past few weeks and as a result, I've banged it on a few things. However, after every time it hit something, I would always check and there would be no damage. Not even a scratch, dent or chip. So I can say that the finish is very strong and does not get damaged easily...at least mine doesnt. The shafts fit tightly on to the cue which provides great feedback. It's not as tight as an olney or whatever but it's tight enough that you would never wonder if it'll come loose during play. The shafts also fit pretty flush and while you will feel it if you run your fingers over the joint, it does not stick out in any way.
Now for the problems...not many and not major but just thought I'd point some of them out.
1. The shafts weren't entirely smooth when they got to me. While they weren't rough and I and everyone who used them could shoot perfectly fine with them, I found that I would prefer them to be smoother. I put some carnauba wax on it and smoothed it out so its perfect now.
2. The rings at the joint and shaft dont line up. Don't know how much of a problem this is for some people but I don't really care so it's not a big deal for me but I just thought I'd point it out for those who wanted to know.
3. This isn't really a problem but the cue has a thicker butt. Something similar to my mottey and james white. It works fine for me cuz I have longer fingers but might not be ideal for others. Of course, you can just talk to Jim about this when you're getting the cue made, but I had neglected to ask him about this during the process so he provided me with a cue that has his standard taper in the butt.
4. Not sure who's fault this is but the ferrules seem to scratch fairly easily. I notice some on mine and I'm not sure what it's from but none of the other shafts in my case have any scratches in the ferrule, not even the ones that used to occupy the same slot as I have them in now. It could just be that the ferrule he uses are more prone to scratches or maybe it's my case I really can't say. Though the scratches are there, it's not affect the hit of the cue so I'm confident that they're just cosmetic scratches and aren't actual problems with or in the ferrules.
In terms of customer service, Jim is definitely worth dealing with. All questions are answered promptly and problems are always worked out. I won't go into the details but when we decided to switch woods, Jim was very accommodating. He is easily accessible and is very helpful, even if you aren't a customer. His turnaround time is quite reasonable and is fairly accurate. From my experience he will get the cue to you within 1-3 weeks of his quoted delivery date which is reasonable considering the work that's being done. His prices are also very modest. I'm not sure if his pricing is still the same as when I first ordered from him. I ordered in march and he has since become a full time cue maker and taken on a lot of orders to the point where he is no longer taking any new orders so I'm not sure if his prices are still the same. If not, they would only be slightly higher which makes them still more than reasonable.
Things to consider if you are going to have Jim make you a cue in the future:
1. Specify the ferrules and tips you want.
2. If you like thinner butts or softer shafts let him know.
3. Joint protectors (at least ones as nice as mine) are not included with the cue. So if you want a nice matching set, make sure you ask him to make it for you.
4. I believe Jim only makes cues with a 3/8x10 joint as I have yet to see one of his cues with something different. So if you absolutely must use something else make sure you talk to him first.
5. Jim's standard 3/8x10 joint pin has a more squarish tip, much like a southwest, carolina, or carmeli joint pin. This should be noted as some shafts made on 3/8x10 joints with rounder tips like the ones jensen cues have MIGHT NOT be interchangable. While Jim's shafts will fit on other cues with 3/8x10 joints, other shafts might not fit on it. Even if this is the case it'd only be a small percentage that won't fit on it as I've only ever had 2 shafts not fit a similar pin on my carmeli.
6. IMPORTANT - As mine is a wrapless cue, I don't know about Jim's wrapped cues. Don't know what woods are used in the handle, whether the hit and feel becomes different etc. I also don't know about the quality of his linen wraps etc. I would assume that they're more than good enough to use but I can't say for certain.
As it stands right now, I am contemplating switching this to my main playing cue. Not sure if I will as I love my carmeli but even if I don't I'd like to point out that no other cue has made me come close to thinking about switching cues up to this point. I have and have had cues by very famous cue makers too. So that should say something about the playability of Jim's cues. Everyone that I've let try it also expressed how much they like it. It looks nice and hits great.
I've shot with two Jim Lee's now, and can say both have great balance points and both shot very strong. I'm still getting accustomed to the cue coming from a Moochi with the speed, etc. but my shot making is 10 times better without a doubt. I dont regret going with Jim one bit!
