Well, it's been a long time coming, but finally ready to write a review for my first custom cue :grin:
As seems to be the case with every custom I've read about, this one did take longer to complete than was expected, but there were excusable hiccups along the way. If you've ever worked with wood you'll know sometimes you're at it's mercy.
Then once it finally arrived, I was just recovering from surgery on my dominant eye....got to shoot with it only a few hours over 2 occasions, then I went and dislocated my shoulder before I could make it out to the pool hall again. Can't win for trying lately LOL
Anyway, "Newsheriffintwn" was a pleasure to work with...and I know I was a pain.
I went looking for someone to build a cue of my own design, with measurements I provided down to the width of the individual segments and spacing of the rings. We emailed back and forth for quite a while before work began to be sure he understood exactly what I wanted, and I understood exactly what was and wasn't feasible. In the end I gave him measurements down to .005" for all 30 pieces that make up the butt (not counting the black paper spacers between rings) and 6 parts that make up each shaft.
He took it all like a champ, even seemed genuinely happy that I was so deeply invested in the process. It made the whole experience so much more fun.
Once woods were ordered I got pics of his stock so I could pick the actual piece of olive for the segments.
And once work was started I received many pics along the way of the progress so I could watch how it all comes together.
Initial impressions of the cue itself:
We do have one issue here, the rings have popped through the finish just the slightest bit already....going from Arizona to New York during a real damp spring...unfortunate, but always a risk of movement with rapid climate changes.
He was more than reasonable about this, asked me to give it a little time and play with it a bit to see where the wood settles here (it doesn't effect playability, just that I can feel where the rings are), then offered to refinish it for me when I'm ready to send it back. Very impressed by that. Classy move. I know many makers don't warranty against warpage and things of that nature during shipping.
In the limited time I played with it, it's an incredibly nice stick, I'm extremely happy. Gorgeous as all hell and plays great. Nice solid hit. A little heavier than I wanted, but that's on me for choosing copper rings and joints, a risk I knew I was taking from the start.
Specs:
Materials - Black linen micarta; copper inlay, rings, and joint; purple heart; olivewood
Butt - 16.2oz
Shaft 1 - 3.8oz - Pro Taper - Juma ferrule - 12.35mm Med Kamikaze tip
Shaft 2 - 4.0oz - Euro Taper - Micarta ferrule - 12.55mm water buffalo tip
Joint - 3/8x10 aluminum pin with wood to wood contact, a nice solid feel
And what everyone is waiting for, the pics:
First up, the comparison shot. My photoshopped creation on top vs the actual product below.....did he nail it or what?!?
(slight difference at the width of the black micarta and the copper joint was a design change after discussions that I didn't update in the "prototype". Everything else looks spot on, forgiving differences from photo perspective vs flat photoshopping
He also did a WONDERFUL job keeping the original grain of the olivewood lined up between segments Something that would've driven my nuts if it didn't line up.
Next, a close up on the tips and a ring segment:
(Yes, I need to re-shape that bottom tip a bit)
The Joint Protectors:
Now for these, I told him to do what he liked for them, my only stipulation being that I definitely wanted to be able to differentiate between the 2 shafts without pulling them from the case. And that it would be nice if he could do some sort of branding on the butt protector.
I love what he came up with for all 3. The "1/1" and date made me kinda giddy when I saw it hahaha
And last....I actually just needed a picture of these knives to share with someone else, so I took it while I had all my lighting set up, and I like the pic, so sharing it here too :grin:
All in all, I'm very happy I stumbled across this guy here and gave him a chance.
I don't expect I'll ever need a second custom, but if I do, I know who I'm asking first.
Again, he was great to work with, the quality seems great to me, and the pricing for all I got was way beyond fair :thumbup:
As seems to be the case with every custom I've read about, this one did take longer to complete than was expected, but there were excusable hiccups along the way. If you've ever worked with wood you'll know sometimes you're at it's mercy.
Then once it finally arrived, I was just recovering from surgery on my dominant eye....got to shoot with it only a few hours over 2 occasions, then I went and dislocated my shoulder before I could make it out to the pool hall again. Can't win for trying lately LOL
Anyway, "Newsheriffintwn" was a pleasure to work with...and I know I was a pain.
I went looking for someone to build a cue of my own design, with measurements I provided down to the width of the individual segments and spacing of the rings. We emailed back and forth for quite a while before work began to be sure he understood exactly what I wanted, and I understood exactly what was and wasn't feasible. In the end I gave him measurements down to .005" for all 30 pieces that make up the butt (not counting the black paper spacers between rings) and 6 parts that make up each shaft.
He took it all like a champ, even seemed genuinely happy that I was so deeply invested in the process. It made the whole experience so much more fun.
Once woods were ordered I got pics of his stock so I could pick the actual piece of olive for the segments.
And once work was started I received many pics along the way of the progress so I could watch how it all comes together.
Initial impressions of the cue itself:
We do have one issue here, the rings have popped through the finish just the slightest bit already....going from Arizona to New York during a real damp spring...unfortunate, but always a risk of movement with rapid climate changes.
He was more than reasonable about this, asked me to give it a little time and play with it a bit to see where the wood settles here (it doesn't effect playability, just that I can feel where the rings are), then offered to refinish it for me when I'm ready to send it back. Very impressed by that. Classy move. I know many makers don't warranty against warpage and things of that nature during shipping.
In the limited time I played with it, it's an incredibly nice stick, I'm extremely happy. Gorgeous as all hell and plays great. Nice solid hit. A little heavier than I wanted, but that's on me for choosing copper rings and joints, a risk I knew I was taking from the start.
Specs:
Materials - Black linen micarta; copper inlay, rings, and joint; purple heart; olivewood
Butt - 16.2oz
Shaft 1 - 3.8oz - Pro Taper - Juma ferrule - 12.35mm Med Kamikaze tip
Shaft 2 - 4.0oz - Euro Taper - Micarta ferrule - 12.55mm water buffalo tip
Joint - 3/8x10 aluminum pin with wood to wood contact, a nice solid feel
And what everyone is waiting for, the pics:
First up, the comparison shot. My photoshopped creation on top vs the actual product below.....did he nail it or what?!?
(slight difference at the width of the black micarta and the copper joint was a design change after discussions that I didn't update in the "prototype". Everything else looks spot on, forgiving differences from photo perspective vs flat photoshopping
He also did a WONDERFUL job keeping the original grain of the olivewood lined up between segments Something that would've driven my nuts if it didn't line up.
Next, a close up on the tips and a ring segment:
(Yes, I need to re-shape that bottom tip a bit)
The Joint Protectors:
Now for these, I told him to do what he liked for them, my only stipulation being that I definitely wanted to be able to differentiate between the 2 shafts without pulling them from the case. And that it would be nice if he could do some sort of branding on the butt protector.
I love what he came up with for all 3. The "1/1" and date made me kinda giddy when I saw it hahaha
And last....I actually just needed a picture of these knives to share with someone else, so I took it while I had all my lighting set up, and I like the pic, so sharing it here too :grin:
All in all, I'm very happy I stumbled across this guy here and gave him a chance.
I don't expect I'll ever need a second custom, but if I do, I know who I'm asking first.
Again, he was great to work with, the quality seems great to me, and the pricing for all I got was way beyond fair :thumbup:
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