I usually never post much about cue transactions, seems like so much bad stuff going on lately, but I had to chime in and relay my story about my transaction with Mike Lambros. I picked up a Lambros cue from Bamacues about a year ago and it has become like part of my arm. I rarely buy cues in the secondary market as I usually prefer to deal direct with the cue-builder, so I was really amazed at how perfect this cue was suited to my game. A few months back Ribdoner offered me a like new Lambros maple 5 ring that he was done trying out and I bought it with no hesitation based on my love of my 01 Lambros. This new cue had the new ultra-joint with the radial pin and different shaft taper. I called Mike and described the cue and asked him if he could re-taper the shafts to be exactly like my player. I fully expected to pay for this service and would have been glad to do so. I sent the shafts to Mike along with one of my original cue's shafts for comparison and waited on the job to be done. About a week later, Mike calls me up and tells me that instead of trying to re-work these shafts to make me happy with my new cue, (which I did not purchase from him), he thought he should just make me a new cue with his old ultra-joint configuration and shaft taper. I was completely blown away by this incredibly generous offer and of course offered to pay any charges associated with this project. Mike refused my money at every turn and just asked for an honest comparison of the two cues. Mike stated that a lot of his customers much preferred his older ultra joint and taper and he thought he was going to return to this configuration permanently and I would be his beta test. I shipped up the butt of radial pin screw and patiently waited. In the interim, Mike built me a new shaft for my existing cue just to see if I thought he had the taper the same for no charge. I got the new maple five ring cue in last week, and it hits the balls just as good as my player. I have been buying custom cues and cases for the last 20 years and have never experienced this level of service from a cue-builder. You have to remember while reading my gush about all of this, I have never spent a penny with Mike directly, I simply love the cues and what they have done for my game. I will be placing an order for a custom in the very near future, and I would encourage anybody in the market for a player or collector piece to do the same, Mike truly is one of the good guys.
One Of The Good Guys, Mike Lambros
- Thread starter pathman
- Start date
got any pics, love to see those Lambros
nice story - always great when you hear of somebody going out of their way to help.
I play with a Lambros and I concur, he's made of gold. On top of Mike being an original, I personally think his cues hit better than anything. I'll never play with anything but a Lambros.
I agree with every post so far. Mike's cue's are the bench mark to which I strive for. I don't believe anyone on earth makes a better player than Mike, I know different strokes for different folks, i've had alot of customs, and his are the best IMHO. When is comes to playability on a scale of 1-10 Lambros is a 10 if not higher, when it comes to his designs, and points and venners, finish, 9.
There are alot of cuemakers that make a good hitting cue now a days, so to say that's difficult is stretching it.
There are cuemakers that build beautiful cue's, they may make Lambros cues look a little plain, but most of these cue's don't compare to the overall finished product.
I was at the BCA trade show with my uncle, 8 years ago, there was one of the bigger/well known cue collector/sellers next to my uncles booth, there was a man who came over to our booth to use our pool table to test out a Mottey, this man said if you want the best cue on earth, buy a mottey, I'm buying this one. I asked him if he'd ever shot with a Lambros, he said no, he shot for five minutes w/mine, then the words came out of his mouth "OK HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT", not for sale, so instead of buying that cue, he went around to every booth at the trade show to find a Lambros, NO DICE, so he came back and said, Thanks alot A--hole, I drove here from Dallas TX to buy a cue, now I have to go home and call this guy, order the cue and weight.
Bryan Fisher
Fisher Cues
There are alot of cuemakers that make a good hitting cue now a days, so to say that's difficult is stretching it.
There are cuemakers that build beautiful cue's, they may make Lambros cues look a little plain, but most of these cue's don't compare to the overall finished product.
I was at the BCA trade show with my uncle, 8 years ago, there was one of the bigger/well known cue collector/sellers next to my uncles booth, there was a man who came over to our booth to use our pool table to test out a Mottey, this man said if you want the best cue on earth, buy a mottey, I'm buying this one. I asked him if he'd ever shot with a Lambros, he said no, he shot for five minutes w/mine, then the words came out of his mouth "OK HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT", not for sale, so instead of buying that cue, he went around to every booth at the trade show to find a Lambros, NO DICE, so he came back and said, Thanks alot A--hole, I drove here from Dallas TX to buy a cue, now I have to go home and call this guy, order the cue and weight.
Bryan Fisher
Fisher Cues
He must have changed his ways. I ordered 3 cues from him back in the late 90's and I sent him close to $20,000 up front. He told me it would take less than a year to get my cues done. After a year had passed I contacted him about them and got a story on problems around the shop etc... and they should be done in a month or so. Cool. 2,3,4, 5 months pass and I kept getting "about another month" replies. Best one was that one of the cues cost around 8 grand. At one point he told me he had that cue finished but a customer came in and he sold it to them. WTF?!?!?!?! Anyway, after a little over 2 years passed I had a trip to the US coming up so I contacted him and told him I'd make a trip up his way to pick up my cues or get my money back. He said he'd ship to my US address. I got home and a few days later my cues showed up...........not one of them was even remotely close to what I ordered. Wasn't worth the hassle to send them back and start all over again. Sorry, I can't jump on the "He's a jolly good fellow" bandwagon for this guy.
I'm glad you guys didn't have any problems though.
MULLY
I'm glad you guys didn't have any problems though.
MULLY
I've had about 15 of his cues (lost count to be honest) to include his new Ultra Joint and believe that his old Ultra Joint plays better (my playing cue is a Lambros with old Ultra Joint). I think he should just go back to that permanently. And having had hundreds of custom cues in the past, I firmly believe that his cues are in the top 1% as far as playability is concerned; they simply feel / play amazing and are worth their weight in gold.
I have known Mike Lambros for about 15 years and have been a dealer of his for about 10 years. My experience with Mike has always been exceptional. Excellent service is not something new with Mike (as someone else has posted without much substance). He is one of the precious few in the industry that I completely trust without reservation. Mike has exceptionally high integrity and takes incredible pride in his cues. I have never been disappointed by Mike's Cues or Service! Not one single time in 15 years - over a span of hundreds of transactions. There have been several times where Mike has done things that completely surprised me in his generousity; both for myself and for my customers.
In my humble opinion, Mike makes the best cue on the planet. There is no upgrade from a Lambros Cue. I get more positive feedback from customers about their Lambros Cues than anything else I sell. Many customers have purchased Lambros Cues from me purely on my recommendation and have called back thanking me profusely and have become longtime customers. The cues are THAT good!
Mike has officially gone back to the original Lambros Joint and original taper. I just received a new Lambros cue with the original Ultra Joint and decided to keep it for myself as my playing cue. I never had a problem with the 2nd Generation Ultra Joint, but I must admit that I like the original ultra joint and original taper a bit better. The hit and playabililty is second to none! The cue is staggering!
In my humble opinion, Mike makes the best cue on the planet. There is no upgrade from a Lambros Cue. I get more positive feedback from customers about their Lambros Cues than anything else I sell. Many customers have purchased Lambros Cues from me purely on my recommendation and have called back thanking me profusely and have become longtime customers. The cues are THAT good!
Mike has officially gone back to the original Lambros Joint and original taper. I just received a new Lambros cue with the original Ultra Joint and decided to keep it for myself as my playing cue. I never had a problem with the 2nd Generation Ultra Joint, but I must admit that I like the original ultra joint and original taper a bit better. The hit and playabililty is second to none! The cue is staggering!
mullyman said:
wow that sucks man! that's a lot of cash and time invested. i'm betting if you'd only put down half or less he would have gotten you what you wanted
Hi Greg! I love the Ebony Plane Jane Mike made for me and you help design. It is amazing how I received it in about 6 weeks after placing the order. I love the hit! It is exactly how you said it would feel. I will definetly consider getting another made in the future. Tell Mike thanks for making it so fast for me. I Just simply LOVE it.
ace911 said:
The original ultra joint uses the 3/8-10 pin; however, the actual shape of the bevel is also different. The original Lambros shaft taper is not quite as stiff as the 2nd generation taper. It would be much easier to see the difference in the joint. It is difficult to describe.