Definitely a beauty to my eye. I continue to be surprised at customs cues, expensive ones that do not come with matching joint protectors. Not trying to offend you as you are selling a great cue by a great cue maker. I've just seen so many without matching protectors lately.
Building matching joint protectors is like building another shaft (ask any builder) but they get paid a fraction of what a full shaft costs. So they try to charge as much as a shaft but the customer doesnt want to pay it and as a cue dealer my customer also does not want to pay the upcharge. I don’t even ask for them unless its a special order, the customer has asked, and is ok with paying the extra for them.