I just got a Merry Widow cue from Keith Josey, bocote forearm and sleeve with a black handle. I normally play Pechauer and love their cues, but I thought I'd try a stick by a custom cue maker out of curiosity and in my research I never saw a bad word about Keith Josey. He normally makes, from what I've been able to learn, thick-butted cues so I gave him my desired smaller butt diameter and that was no problem. I ordered 19.25 ounces with a 12.75 tip. He recommended a medium Kamikaze tip and said that's what he uses.
The cue has a great feel and balance, a little forward weighted as his website says. Cosmetically it is flawless, as I expected. The shaft looks a little thicker than the desired 12.75 and I found out he prefers a conical rather than pro taper which to me affects the sight line, so I would bear that in mind going forward.
Sherri, his wife, handles the phone and order process, and she was great to work with. The price and lead time were both very reasonable and far better than some of what I've heard customer cue makers are quoting. If you're interested in having a cue made by a custom builder with, as far as I can tell, a spotless reputation, give Josey Custom Cues a call.
The cue has a great feel and balance, a little forward weighted as his website says. Cosmetically it is flawless, as I expected. The shaft looks a little thicker than the desired 12.75 and I found out he prefers a conical rather than pro taper which to me affects the sight line, so I would bear that in mind going forward.
Sherri, his wife, handles the phone and order process, and she was great to work with. The price and lead time were both very reasonable and far better than some of what I've heard customer cue makers are quoting. If you're interested in having a cue made by a custom builder with, as far as I can tell, a spotless reputation, give Josey Custom Cues a call.
