juicing a cue stick

S

sluggerknuckles

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi everyone and thank you in advance for a pool stick.

I would like to ask your opinion on getting work done to a cue. I recently purchased a brand new with sticker on it huebler from the 70"s. I plan on sending it to a cue maker to get the shaft tapered down and retipped.

I know you can't make a 300.00 cue shoot like a 1500.00 cue, but can i send it to a cue maker and ask him to work it over to make it a better quality playing cue by changing the ferrule and the tip?

I am sending the cue out to get a linnen wrap put on it (its plain cocobolo wood straight down) and get the weight bolt changed. The shaft is a little thick but I figure why not let the cue maker try to juice the cue as much as possible.

Is this common with your customers who want work done?
 
I know it's not the most expensive cue out there, but If someone came to me with one from the 70's and It was good mint example of the cues from that era, I would probably suggest they put It away, and keep It safe as one option. If the shaft was mint with the original taper, and they were stuck on changing It, Then I would probably suggest keeping It original, the way It is, and have another shaft with the custom taper made to fit the cue. Of-coarse that's really up to the customer though. A re taper of the original shaft is the lowest cost, but once It's been re tapered, It cannot be reversed without making a new shaft, and the shaft will no longer have the original specs.

To Your other questions, Yes It is pretty common for customers to request these things, although these days more and more people want those thicker shafts, so I have to make those from scratch if there is not enough room to work with. I use to do more re tapers then I do now, but I still get them, and yes a lot can be done with a ferule or tip change. I'm not sure what effects the insert in that shaft would have on what Your wanting to achieve though. If It's one of the soft inserts and you want a harder hit by some chance, then It's possible that some work there may need to be done as well.

Good luck with It, Greg
 
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So I got to ask ... why did you buy a cue with so many things you did not like about it?
Cant be the price cause by the time you get done it aint gonna be a cheap cue anymore. (if it was to start with)

I would first recommend you find a cue you really want to start with because there is no guarantee you are going to like this one after it is modified and has cost a ton of money.

If you really must change the shaft have another shaft made for it by a cue maker that makes a cue that is more suited to your preferences.
That way you will have the original shaft for the cue when you sell it.

And yes ... you can make a $300 cue shoot BETTER than a $1500 cue.
Expensive cues derive their value from the cue maker's name and reputation and also the amount of points, inlays, and materials in the butt.
Most of the playability comes from the shaft of a cue.
The bling factor has little effect upon improving the "hit" or "feel" of a cue.
 
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The total cost of a cue has less to do with the hit than you think. As far as juicing the cue, I would get an Ivory or old Micarta ferrule and a Kamui Black tip.
 
Get it done the way you'd be happy to play with.
If you want a 12 MM tip and a long cylinder, so be it.
 
I was always a fan of the old Huebler cues. They hit & play great. Everybody always complains about not being able to get tips like they used to have, or ferrule materials they used to have, etc. You got all that great old stuff in brand new condition. Why not give it a good try before you alter it?

Can you show pics of the cue? I might wanna talk you out of it if you wanna get rid of it.
 
response

Thank you all for your input. To answer some of the questions, yes I realize what I have. I purchased a huebler 7 months ago I read a story about how paul huebler refused the more modern machinery and turned all his cues by hand. I thought it would be cool to have a hand turned cue because prior to that I was shooting with production cues. I love the cue and it is my normal hitter.

Then I got hooked and started watchin ebay and otehr sites and now own seven hueblers and got them all a great great prices.

I figured I would take one of them and start messing with it to see what I like and don't like. I read a lot of the forums here and have not had to opportunity to play with stiff hitting cues, soft hitting cues, crisp cues, different tips, different ferrules, etc. It is frustrating because at this point, I am ready for a custom cue but have a lot of hesitation due to my ignorance and lack of opportunity. Thus, I thought I would find a reputable cue maker on this site, send him the cue and ask him to simply do what he can to improve the overall quality of the cue and give him free reign as long as the shaft is less than 13 mm.

He is the expert and he can tune it up since I really do not know what I like.

To me, cues are meant for playing. I am really not into spending several thousand dollars on a cue and waiting for it to increase in value keeping it mint. I will shoot anything as long as it hits well.

Also, I have to wait until March to buy it because I am an hour away from Philly and Allen Hopkins Expo is the only place around here I have found to hit a lot of top end cues.

I would also like to thank Sugar Tree cues. He is a super guy who is going to take me around to the different cue makers and help me with my new purchase at that time. I can't say enough nice things about them.
 
sluggerknuckles said:
I would also like to thank Sugar Tree cues. He is a super guy who is going to take me around to the different cue makers and help me with my new purchase at that time. I can't say enough nice things about them.
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That's me. Thanks for the kind words. Not really super nice, but willing to help. I didn't put two & two together. Last I spoke with you, you hadn't bought any cues yet. Nice to see you have been experimenting!!! I'm looking forward to the show & seeing you there. Should be fun. I'll introduce you to several builders & dealers who hopefully should be able to find something to fit you. If you can't find a cue at the expo, then there's no cue for you.
 
qbuider and beer

I am very much looking forward to it. Like I said, Im bringing about 1200 bucks. That's a grand for the cue and 200 for your beer.....welcome to yuengling lager country
 
sluggerknuckles said:
I am very much looking forward to it. Like I said, Im bringing about 1200 bucks. That's a grand for the cue and 200 for your beer.....welcome to yuengling lager country
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LOL I couldn't drink $200 in beer in a year. For that money i'm certain somebody will have just the right cue for you. There are lots of qualified builders to choose from.
 
Thanks Sugerknuckles you just made my day!!!!!!! I live in Shamokin. I KNOW Ying-Yang!!!! Eric you are in for a treat. Dick Y shore knows how to make a real beer.

As for the Heubler I'll add my 2 pennies. I bought 2 older used Heublers recently. They hit fantastic. I would save the original shaft as others have suggested. I had Kevin Varney make me a shaft for the one. I'm sure one of the many fellows can hook you up. Have the shaft made the way you want and save the original.

Put a linen wrap on it. I think it would not hurt any value too much. Most players (but not me) would like the linen. I play wrapless.

Eric is right. I went to the SBE for the first time this year. It's cue porn at it's finest. You'll find something for sure. Give Kieth and Sherry Josie a look. Mine's almost ready, ordered it at the SBE. Nice people to deal with. Maybe Eric can hook you up himself. Eric builds a mean cue. Good luck at the SBE. Heck we may meet. Look for a bald coal hunkie with a glassy eyed confused look. That would be me.

Mark Shuman
 
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