Meucci & Earl

fat Albert

fat Albert

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Lest you forget when the Pearl was at his best in his youth he was playing Meucci. For all the critical comments of long and flemsy ect ect ect I think they must have worked pretty well. Do you know anybody that played any better ?? Earl is arguably the greatest Nine baller ever. He could have played with what ever he wanted but he chose Meucci .
 
fat Albert said:
Lest you forget when the Pearl was at his best in his youth he was playing Meucci. For all the critical comments of long and flemsy ect ect ect I think they must have worked pretty well. Do you know anybody that played any better ?? Earl is arguably the greatest Nine baller ever. He could have played with what ever he wanted but he chose Meucci .
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I'd be willing to say that the cues Earl got were hand-made by Bob, in which case I'm sure they played awesome. Ever since Meucci went to mass production, the quality has suffered tremendously. And to be fair, Earl could play great with any stick. Meucci just gave him the best sponsorship deal. Hell, Earl had a sweetheart deal with Cuetec and even won a WC playing with Cuetec (and that was back when Cuetec was pure firewood). Of course, then he shot himself in the ass & blew that deal.
 
I think I remember reading something his wife/exwife/daughter? posted saying he went back to Meucci recently, anyone else remember this?
 
fat Albert said:
Lest you forget when the Pearl was at his best in his youth he was playing Meucci. For all the critical comments of long and flemsy ect ect ect I think they must have worked pretty well. Do you know anybody that played any better ?? Earl is arguably the greatest Nine baller ever. He could have played with what ever he wanted but he chose Meucci .
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For one, he was sponsored to play with a Meucci.


Secondly, his best pool was played using a Cuetec, also a sponsor. That was during the peak of his game.


Finally, the cue he played with had no bearing on his game. Earl is great because Earl is great. He can beat you with a broom stick.


The truth is that for any pro, it's better to be sponsored than not. They'll play with whatever they're paid to play with.
 
Earl is playing with one of my cues that he personally designed, and I have come to love this cue. Most of all it is the shaft taper that has improved my cue ball. The SPT taper, originally designed as the Strickland Professional Taper is the best shaft I have ever played with. The deflection is minimal and the energy transfer is huge. I can draw further spin more accurately and pocket balls with extreme spin which is something that has been a mystery for me all my 42 years of playing. Can Earl play with any cue? Well I am sure he can but at what cost. It has been 8 years since his last major win so the cue can make the difference. I have worked on Earl's cues for the past 5 or 6 years as his cue repair person. The cue that he was sponsored to play with was unbelievable. It took sanding off the coating to have a chance and with the coating gone it was as flexible as a fishing pole. It is hard to believe what he accomplished with this cue. but remember that it has been 8 years since he has played well in a major. Earl is playing the best he has ever played right now. I saw and played him when he was player of the year several years in a row when he won and finished 2nd in a lot of tournaments. He is a better player now. He is the best player I have ever seen and I grew up playing with Buddy Hall and Efren Reyes, as a matter of fact I beat Efren once in the Camel tour and playing Buddy I have more wins over him than loses and I played Buddy more than any other player that I played on the Pro tour.
 
gulyassy said:
Earl is playing with one of my cues that he personally designed, and I have come to love this cue. Most of all it is the shaft taper that has improved my cue ball. The SPT taper, originally designed as the Strickland Professional Taper is the best shaft I have ever played with. The deflection is minimal and the energy transfer is huge. I can draw further spin more accurately and pocket balls with extreme spin which is something that has been a mystery for me all my 42 years of playing. Can Earl play with any cue? Well I am sure he can but at what cost. It has been 8 years since his last major win so the cue can make the difference. I have worked on Earl's cues for the past 5 or 6 years as his cue repair person. The cue that he was sponsored to play with was unbelievable. It took sanding off the coating to have a chance and with the coating gone it was as flexible as a fishing pole. It is hard to believe what he accomplished with this cue. but remember that it has been 8 years since he has played well in a major. Earl is playing the best he has ever played right now. I saw and played him when he was player of the year several years in a row when he won and finished 2nd in a lot of tournaments. He is a better player now. He is the best player I have ever seen and I grew up playing with Buddy Hall and Efren Reyes, as a matter of fact I beat Efren once in the Camel tour and playing Buddy I have more wins over him than loses and I played Buddy more than any other player that I played on the Pro tour.
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Them's some pretty strong statements right there! I hope you're even just half right and Earl's Seminole win was not a fluke. The 2 streams I watched of his Seminole matches were some the best and most powerful, precision pool playing I've witnessed.

The pool world would accept a major Earl resurgence with open arms. :thumbup:

KK9 <-- was offered the 7 and out in 9 ball by Earl this week. Thanks, but no thanks, I got ass blisters last time I tried that game!
 
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KoolKat9Lives said:
Them's some pretty strong statements right there! I hope you're even just half right and Earl's Seminole win was not a fluke. The 2 streams I watched of his Seminole matches were some the best and most powerful, precision pool playing I've witnessed.

The pool world would accept a major Earl resurgence with open arms. :thumbup:

KK9 <-- was offered the 7 and out in 9 ball by Earl this week. Thanks, but no thanks, I got ass blisters last time I tried that game!
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Next time Earl offers you that, ask him for the 5-out & the breaks.
 
Hey, Mike! I think the shaft you referred to that Earl designed is the same one you made for me. I have to say, I was skeptical of that taper from the moment you suggested it. But when I tried it on your table, I could not deny it did not feel like I thought it would; I was sure it would whip all over the place and not offer the kind of precision I sought. It didn't! But I still wasn't convinced. That said, who among us wouldn't like a bit more--more draw, spin, etc--without losing control? So I tried it with the new cue (last year) you made me.

I"ve been meaning to write a review of it. Partly my review has been delayed because I don't get to play enough. But it's also because I have been so skeptical of the shaft design, I find it hard to accept how it plays.

So here we are now, a year later, and I believe it, but I don't understand it. The shaft glides through my short fat fingers with ease. It does not whip. It hits very solidly. I can control the cueball with finesse shots and power it with forced draw or follow; I can 'walk' it with ease (so critical to a straight pool player like me). In short, the damn shaft is awesome! And I love the cue. Thank you!

I still might order a traditional stiff conical taper, though. LOL

Ted

gulyassy said:
Earl is playing with one of my cues that he personally designed, and I have come to love this cue. Most of all it is the shaft taper that has improved my cue ball. The SPT taper, originally designed as the Strickland Professional Taper is the best shaft I have ever played with. The deflection is minimal and the energy transfer is huge. I can draw further spin more accurately and pocket balls with extreme spin which is something that has been a mystery for me all my 42 years of playing. Can Earl play with any cue? Well I am sure he can but at what cost. It has been 8 years since his last major win so the cue can make the difference. I have worked on Earl's cues for the past 5 or 6 years as his cue repair person. The cue that he was sponsored to play with was unbelievable. It took sanding off the coating to have a chance and with the coating gone it was as flexible as a fishing pole. It is hard to believe what he accomplished with this cue. but remember that it has been 8 years since he has played well in a major. Earl is playing the best he has ever played right now. I saw and played him when he was player of the year several years in a row when he won and finished 2nd in a lot of tournaments. He is a better player now. He is the best player I have ever seen and I grew up playing with Buddy Hall and Efren Reyes, as a matter of fact I beat Efren once in the Camel tour and playing Buddy I have more wins over him than loses and I played Buddy more than any other player that I played on the Pro tour.
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I feel any player can play as good with a older meucci. I have bought around 20 cues since i've been back playing and go back to my 80's meucci everytime. Mike, i don't remember you having any weakness in your game in the 80's! I would like to have a white hardrock maple shaft if you can make me one with no sugar or stand out grain marks within 10 inches of the taper. If you can, send me a message. I need it yesterday. I had one made a few months ago and its now warped.Billy Kuykendall.
 
Earl's cue viberations

gulyassy said:
Earl is playing with one of my cues that he personally designed, and I have come to love this cue. Most of all it is the shaft taper that has improved my cue ball. The SPT taper, originally designed as the Strickland Professional Taper is the best shaft I have ever played with. The deflection is minimal and the energy transfer is huge. I can draw further spin more accurately and pocket balls with extreme spin which is something that has been a mystery for me all my 42 years of playing. Can Earl play with any cue? Well I am sure he can but at what cost. It has been 8 years since his last major win so the cue can make the difference. I have worked on Earl's cues for the past 5 or 6 years as his cue repair person. The cue that he was sponsored to play with was unbelievable. It took sanding off the coating to have a chance and with the coating gone it was as flexible as a fishing pole. It is hard to believe what he accomplished with this cue. but remember that it has been 8 years since he has played well in a major. Earl is playing the best he has ever played right now. I saw and played him when he was player of the year several years in a row when he won and finished 2nd in a lot of tournaments. He is a better player now. He is the best player I have ever seen and I grew up playing with Buddy Hall and Efren Reyes, as a matter of fact I beat Efren once in the Camel tour and playing Buddy I have more wins over him than loses and I played Buddy more than any other player that I played on the Pro tour.
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Mike,
I was watching Earl practice the other day and I noticed that after his cue struck the cue ball his shaft vibrated like nothing I've ever seen before. I mentioned it to him and he laughed and said that's the way he likes it.

I would assume that with this much vibration one would say that this is a high deflection shaft? With all the talk about low deflection shafts these days maybe more people should explore the HD Shafts. I wonder if a LD Shaft is more effective on the break than a HD? Maybe that’s why Earl’s break isn't what it should be.


Rick (the note taker at Q-Master)
 
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gulyassy said:
The SPT taper, originally designed as the Strickland Professional Taper is the best shaft I have ever played with.
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Could you give a some more information about this taper without disclosing a trade secret? You sure have piqued my interest....
 
gulyassy said:
Earl is playing with one of my cues that he personally designed ...
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Mike -- I seem to have an "info gap." After Earl left Cuetec, he began working with you, right? Then didn't we all read that he was again going to be representing Meucci cues? I'm thinking that might have been 6 to 12 months ago, but I'm just guessing. Now he is using your cue again.

Did he ever rejoin the Meucci fold and play with their cues for a while, or did that whole thing just never materialize?
 
When I was at valley forge last March whenever they introduced him they said his sponser was meucci... So at least for a time he was.
 
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