Last night, my first ever custom cue arrived. (See pics below.) I ordered it from KJ Simpson: 19 oz., balance point about 19"-20" past the butt, thinner butt like Schon cues have, Predator 314-2 shaft to fit, and Sniper tip. I just finished a four-hour "break in" session with it.
Now I know what "custom" really means. My cue is an inexpensive plain jane, but KJ treated me like I was spending thousands. Every time he made significant progress on the cue, he e-mailed me pictures. When a customer with a very similar order canceled that order, KJ offered to shave several weeks off my wait time by converting the canceled order to my order, at the cost of a slightly different appearance, and he e-mailed me images of what "slightly different" really meant. I decided to accept an adjusted appearance in exchange for getting the cue about six weeks faster.
It's exactly what I wanted in weight and balance. The butt is 15.5 oz and the 314-2 shaft is 3.5 oz, yet the cue feels forward-weighted. My previous cue was a 15.1 oz Viking butt with a 3.6 oz. 314-1, which, despite being lighter, was definitely butt-heavy. I hated the balance on that cue. This cue is balanced just as I wanted, but it takes some getting used to.
The hit is solid--much more so than with my "frankencue." I think the big pin straight into wood has a lot to do with that. It hits like a much heavier cue, without being one. I get more power with less effort. (Translation: my speed control was awful for a while.) The thinner handle means I need to adjust my grip, which, believe it or not, is *too* light--the cue slips back and forth with that new Irish linen. I don't normally use that much of a slip stroke, so again, it's adjustment time for me.
My old cue felt like two different cues screwed together and it never seemed right. This one, even though it also has a Predator shaft, feels like it was born a solid one-piece cue. And it didn't cost as much as a used car, unlike some customs.
I'm going to SBE on Saturday, but I don't think I'll bring the new cue. I'll bring my old one, because I'm just not used to the custom one yet. It feels great, but its new feel distracts me, whereas I know every nuance of my old unbalanced cue inside and out. I'm going to have enough excuses to play badly at SBE, if I match up with anyone. I don't need any more. When I get back, though, I doubt I'll ever use my "frankencue" again.
Here are pics.
Now I know what "custom" really means. My cue is an inexpensive plain jane, but KJ treated me like I was spending thousands. Every time he made significant progress on the cue, he e-mailed me pictures. When a customer with a very similar order canceled that order, KJ offered to shave several weeks off my wait time by converting the canceled order to my order, at the cost of a slightly different appearance, and he e-mailed me images of what "slightly different" really meant. I decided to accept an adjusted appearance in exchange for getting the cue about six weeks faster.
It's exactly what I wanted in weight and balance. The butt is 15.5 oz and the 314-2 shaft is 3.5 oz, yet the cue feels forward-weighted. My previous cue was a 15.1 oz Viking butt with a 3.6 oz. 314-1, which, despite being lighter, was definitely butt-heavy. I hated the balance on that cue. This cue is balanced just as I wanted, but it takes some getting used to.
The hit is solid--much more so than with my "frankencue." I think the big pin straight into wood has a lot to do with that. It hits like a much heavier cue, without being one. I get more power with less effort. (Translation: my speed control was awful for a while.) The thinner handle means I need to adjust my grip, which, believe it or not, is *too* light--the cue slips back and forth with that new Irish linen. I don't normally use that much of a slip stroke, so again, it's adjustment time for me.
My old cue felt like two different cues screwed together and it never seemed right. This one, even though it also has a Predator shaft, feels like it was born a solid one-piece cue. And it didn't cost as much as a used car, unlike some customs.
I'm going to SBE on Saturday, but I don't think I'll bring the new cue. I'll bring my old one, because I'm just not used to the custom one yet. It feels great, but its new feel distracts me, whereas I know every nuance of my old unbalanced cue inside and out. I'm going to have enough excuses to play badly at SBE, if I match up with anyone. I don't need any more. When I get back, though, I doubt I'll ever use my "frankencue" again.
Here are pics.
