JCIN said:
The fact that you may have the ability to beat some people you know who have expensive cues really has no bearing on the fact that there IS a difference between production and custom cues. I get the fact that that you don't care cause you don't need 'em. To state that the only difference between a production cue and a true custom is just cosmetics and the owners vanity is wrong.
A great player can play with virtually anything. Earl with a Cuetech, Thorsten Hohman is playing with a Lucasi, Buddy Hall played with one also for years. But, they are Paid to use those cues. When is the last time a pro lost a deal and kept playing with the cue because it hit so good?
I also disagree that Players and Lucasi are anywhere near the same class as Viking and McDermott. The former are junk in my opinion, while the latter have a well earned reputation for quality and service. As for not caring about service, I think that would change if 4 days after you bought your $250 cue the joint pin started wobbling, the shaft warped, or the cue cracked at the joint while you were breaking. I have personally seen or experienced all of these things.
It's like saying a Kia and a Ferrari are the same thing. They both can get you to the store. If you don't think there is difference thats fine.
You and I are both entitled to our opinions. I said more than once that ALL cues differ. Absolutely there is a difference between production and custom made cues. So we obviously agree there. Whether the difference is good or bad, important or not, is a matter of personal preference and maybe a touch of hypnosis and marketing.
I should have been more specific when I said the differences were cosmetic. Sure quality, fit and finish of custom cues are far better than production cues. You are also paying thousands more for that. None of that has a bit to do with playing pool IMO so long as they are not falling apart.
Yes, many times production lower end cues don't feel so good right out of the wrapper, but that isn't a 2000 dollar issue. A lot of what we feel in these cues is based on what we are used to in the cue we currently play with. I also agree with you that Viking and McDermott are much better cues than Lucasi or Player. I base that judgment on the fact that the former feel much more like what I'm used to, but they are all production cues and the higher their prices the more inlays they have, not the better they play.
I mentioned that these lower end cues could be made to play much better with a personalized change of tip and the shaft taper. Maybe even an entire shaft replacement. Never the less, this is not a huge dollar issue.
They are made of wood. Rock maple for the most part on the shafts. The craftsmanship is in the butt for the most part. Yes they play differently, yes they feel differently from each other, but one high end cue feels differently from another high end cue also. What does that mean?
I think Byrne said something like, if you put a good tip on a broomstick you could play a good game of pool and sweep the floors afterwards. Now that may be an exaggeration, but the point is
you simply don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a cue stick to get something perfectly fine to play pool with.
I think that holds true even more so for intermediate players. IMO they get all this squirt, squat, deflection and whatever else in their heads and its going to be more difficult to concentrate on hitting the ball where there's a hole.
I used to smile listening to some of the players that came into my room and spread their sticks out over the table then one by one hit balls trying to make the cue ball spin in place. Ridiculous IMO. If you blindfolded them and replaced the tips on those sticks, they would think they were testing a whole different group of sticks.
Its like getting together and trying to determine what's better, vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
Of course there comes a level of cheapness that is unacceptable. Wide grain woods, screw on tips, and those 12 piece cues that fit into a 6" long case are good examples.
There is quite a good portion of this game that is mental. If spending money on some exotic stick makes one feel better, and that subsequently makes them play better, then the value of a custom cue stick goes beyond cosmetics and hand made craftsmanship for that person and tangable value may be realized in their game from it. That's the hypnotic value.
Shoot, there's a ton of sneaky pete sticks out there that play every bit as good as these multi thousand dollar art works and they cost below 300 bucks commonly. In fact most of the custom sneaky petes use the same damned shafts as the companies 5000 dollar cue.
This thread has gotten me very curious about the newer meucci sticks as I have not seen one for at least 15 yrs. I will be on the lookout to see just how bad they are these days.
My point is not to have new players or even advanced player bull#$#ed into thinking they need to spend 1500 to 2500 to get a cue stick thats worth playing with. I'll go to my grave believing you don't need to spend any more than 300 bucks TOPs to find a stick with as good a play as any stick made.
Again, if Meucci went down the toilet so badly that they fall apart out of the wrapper, then so be it, that would be a valid reason not to buy one. I don't know cause I've never seen the new ones, mine play great for me. There are a number of alternatives in the same price range that will be absolutely fine to play with. **edit One bit of advice for anyone who is buying a cue. Never do it over the internet without holding it and hitting a few balls with it if possible. (even if you are not allowed to chalk it)
If you collect cues then thats another story all together. If you have the money and enjoy showing off other peoples fine works of art, then thats another story as well. If you want to play with a unique cue for the sake of it being unique, thats ok too. You just don't need to to run balls.
) for USA only.
Too proud that I don't use it [no sarcasm on this one]. I ended using a Mike Sigel signature cue. I have no idea what brand it is, but it hits good. Wrapping is lose now though.