Mismatched Butts / Shafts

neilhin

neilhin

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If this is the wrong section for this thread I'm sure someone will inform me soon enough, but I don't think it is.

Has anyone acquired a cue on AZ and discovered that the shaft doesn't quite match the butt? I have had a rash of these lately. In some instances the butt and shaft joint diameters vary by a significant enough amount to be an annoyance. In other instances, where standard maple shafts are involved, the shaft appears to be an aftermarket or at least not original? Cheap maple shafts are available for $20! So that "great deal" turns out to be not such a good deal after all. When questioned, Sellers often plead ignorance and perhaps justifiably so. After all, we know that cues tend to make their rounds on AZ. So I must accept the loss and move on or do the same thing to some other unsuspecting buyer? The latter doesn't suit me.

So, have I simply been unlucky? Has anyone encountered more than their fair share of mismatched butt/shaft issues? If so, does anyone care?
 
honesty is the lacking culprit

It seems to me that the seller should be honest enough to admit that the cue has a mismatch issue to begin with. I don't know how "high-end" a cue you're talking about, but I have always thought that great symmetry is one of the key elements of an expensive cue.
 
The cues I'm referring to are not particularly expensive and that is why its easy to rationalize the purchase and move on. I'm willing to cut the sellers some slack if they're not particularly attentive to these issues but "that is how I received it" gets a bit old after a while. Some time back I bought a cue without looking at the shaft. It wasn't pictured but I assumed it was a matching shaft. Well, the ringwork was completely different but once again it was "that was the shaft that came with it".
 
If you buy something sight unseen and assume something, it probably won't be what you think it is ;)

I ask so many questions in a sale that it usually gets on the sellers nerves. How's the condition of the shaft? Any dents/dings/nicks/scuffs on it? Is there a roll, and if so, how much? What tip is on it and how much life does it have left? How does the ferrule look, has it been replaced? How long ago? Do you know how many owners have had it?

I haven't bought near as much stuff on here as you have, but I know how to sell and qualifying is HUGE. Never assume, always ask questions, be mindful of their iTrader and regardless of the price, it's your hard earned money-I would definitely be concerned.
 
neilhin said:
If this is the wrong section for this thread I'm sure someone will inform me soon enough, but I don't think it is.

Has anyone acquired a cue on AZ and discovered that the shaft doesn't quite match the butt? I have had a rash of these lately. In some instances the butt and shaft joint diameters vary by a significant enough amount to be an annoyance. In other instances, where standard maple shafts are involved, the shaft appears to be an aftermarket or at least not original? Cheap maple shafts are available for $20! So that "great deal" turns out to be not such a good deal after all. When questioned, Sellers often plead ignorance and perhaps justifiably so. After all, we know that cues tend to make their rounds on AZ. So I must accept the loss and move on or do the same thing to some other unsuspecting buyer? The latter doesn't suit me.

So, have I simply been unlucky? Has anyone encountered more than their fair share of mismatched butt/shaft issues? If so, does anyone care?
Click to expand...

:angry:

The very first cue I bought from someone on AZBilliards was a complete disaster. The guy said both the butt and shaft was straight and they both were warped.

Then he come back and said he checked both the butt and shaft in the dark...without turning the light on.

And now I see people selling used cues at retail prices. I don't shop for cues on AZBilliards. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch, but I've seen more than one bad apple too many.
 
evanlockhart said:
If you buy something sight unseen and assume something, it probably won't be what you think it is ;)
Click to expand...

Well, I don't want to be quite that pessimistic. To be fair, most of my deals have gone well and the remainder have been resolved amicably. There are very, very few people with whom I choose not to do any business and they have either been banned or boycotted (more or less).

I simply wanted to know if this specific issue is commonplace. Its not always easy to know if you are receiving an original shaft but sometimes there are telltale signs.
 
evanlockhart said:
If you buy something sight unseen and assume something, it probably won't be what you think it is ;)

I ask so many questions in a sale that it usually gets on the sellers nerves. How's the condition of the shaft? Any dents/dings/nicks/scuffs on it? Is there a roll, and if so, how much? What tip is on it and how much life does it have left? How does the ferrule look, has it been replaced? How long ago? Do you know how many owners have had it?

I haven't bought near as much stuff on here as you have, but I know how to sell and qualifying is HUGE. Never assume, always ask questions, be mindful of their iTrader and regardless of the price, it's your hard earned money-I would definitely be concerned.
Click to expand...

This. Just what you said.
Ask as many questions as you can. If there's nothing to hide. There's no reason to get upset. An honest seller would want nothing more than to make it a great sale. Especially here on AZB. Negative feedback is something A member does not want here.
 
While I can appreciate the enthusiasm about doing your homework, that really isn't the point. Everybody does that.
Very specifically, how often do you ask ...
Does the shaft match the butt perfectly? We assume it does.
Does the ringwork match perfectly? We assume it does.
is the shaft original (if it isn't marked or serialized?) We assume it is.

I'm getting the impression that I have probably been more unfortunate than most when it comes to this specific problem but it has now become an integral part of my "due diligence" when buying a cue.
 
The worst that has happened to me is getting a cue with the wrong tips on the shafts.

As far as joints not lining up or ringwork not being a match, it would be a deal breaker for me. There is a cue on here now that I would bought the same day it went up if the ringwork matched. It's a shame really... I bet its a killer cue.


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