Once you go "custom" you'll never go back :grin:
Richard Black cues only.....
Once you go "custom" you'll never go back :grin:
Wow, those look very nice indeed.. So you guys are saying, once you go Black, Richard....?Richard Black cues only.....
Wow, those look very nice indeed.. So you guys are saying, once you go Black, Richard....?![]()
A lot of people say this, and you are just dead wrong, period. Cues are not like cars, as there is some objectivity with cars. Cues are mostly subjective. With relatively few exceptions, one cue is not inherently better than any other cue in terms of how well they play. Specific cues are just better suited for some people than others, but in the hands of someone who likes the cue they are all capable of running a 526 in straight pool if the person playing with it had the talent to do it.
What makes people be able to play consistently at their highest level is having a cue that fits their preferences perfectly, which will not be the same cue that it will be for you or the one that it will be for me. And almost every cue out there has somebody that it is best for.
Absolute rubbish. Seriously. Shane switches from a Schon (with a crappy Joss shaft), to a Cuetec, and keeps winning. Thorsten goes from an Arthur (I think that was the custom he was using) to a Lucasi, and still runs 400s. John Schmidt goes from a Hunter Custom, to an OB, to a Fury, and still runs 400s.
I had a pretty sporty friend borrow my Joss one time. He is a pretty competent player - uses a Predator shaft on all of his cues. He used my Joss to play his set, because he came from work and didn't have his cue. He lost the first rack, and then proceeded to run off the next 7 to win his match. His exact words regarding the cue: "I had to get used to the throw. Once I figured out how much it chucked, it played lights out. If it had a harder tip, it would be a weapon". No critique of the cue being garbage. He also ran sets with a sneaky Dufferin, and someone's Meucci. Never, once, did he call someone's cue "garbage". "Hit" isn't a playing characteristic of a cue. It's a subjective feeling, but has absolutely nothing to do with the ability of the wooden rod to pocket balls.
Very cool, thank you for sharing and for the recommendation. I will go check those out for sure.. Seems like the older versions of cues tend to play better than the newer ones.. Made by better hands or materials, perhaps?If I was buying one, I'd look for the j-18 version from the 80's. They are still out there, and in my opinion better hitting cues. I've owned multiple versions of the cue, and a ton of joss cues over the years. The old gold letter j series is easily my favorite.
As for how they play, I like joss cues. I have had plenty of custom and production cues, and joss and schon cues both have a hit I like.
Thinking about obtaining one but obviously would like any input possible, as this isn't a cue I can just walk into a store and try.
No buddy YOU are the one who is wrong.. I stake my reputation as a player AND being involved in building cues for 25 years... Just because someone has their "preferences" does NOT mean the cue HITS good... As I've stated, they may be able to make balls but if you give that same person an ACTUAL good playing cue with their preferences, they'll play even better more consistently.. That's a FACT... Obviously YOU are one who can't tell the differences...
And we are both right.....for us. This is why the "what cue plays good" question (or answering that question) is so dumb, because it is all personal preference. What one guy loves the next guy hates.
There's nothing that says that YOU have to reply if you don't want to or find something about it that's dumb.
"I had to get used to the throw. Once I figured out how much it chucked, it played lights out. If it had a harder tip, it would be a weapon". No critique of the cue being garbage.
Interesting! Any suggestions?My opinion is you can get a great used custom for a small amount more than you'd pay for this.
Many cue makers hold your belief (of course they do, it helps sell cues) and it is dead wrong. But go ahead and explain exactly what you think an objectively good hitting cue is and in what ways you feel this makes it inherently better than another cue and tell us what evidence supports those claims.
The evidence that supports that all cues are inherently fairly equal in their abilities is that just about every cue has been used by pros to play at the highest level possible. And has been pointed out previously in this thread, sometimes the same pro even uses various cues and plays at the highest possible levels with all of them. Pretty much all cues are capable of playing better than the person using it ever could. If you can't play consistently well with a cue it is either because you are not yet totally familiar with it yet or you just simply don't like it. There is somebody else who could play at the very highest levels with it though. It isn't inherently inferior to other cues.
Who said a cue was trash in a black and white manner as in that wouldn't be good for anybody? Nobody said that. In fact what was said could not possibly be more opposite from that. What was said was that for them, and their personal preferences, in that regard the cue was trash for them but may in fact be the best cue in the world for the next guy. In other words there was nothing inherently wrong with the cue, it just wasn't right for them.But to say it's strictly black and white, that it's all about the individual, (and that this cue is "trash") is wrong too
It's like saying a set of old Wilson Staff irons from the 70s are just as good as a new set of forged Mizunos, or that a Chinese made Les Paul, no-name copy is just as good as the real thing.
You bring me 10 cues... I will explain the differences in hit... I'm in the Chicago area.. Let me know when you want to bring them.. You may just learn something.