i play with both a gilbert and a nitti
Cues:
i have a nitti with a phenolic joint and radial pin
i use the gilbert as my jump break - phenolic joint with 3/8x10 pin
The Hit:
Both hit very similar - the nitti has a slightly softer hit. The hit is awesome on both cues. The gilbert JB is a better value since its cheaper. The gilbert JB comes standard with a WB med, so i changed it to a hard tip and it makes a good difference. Jumping isnt as easy with a phenolic tip...better control of the cue ball and less miscues with the leather tip though. The gilbert plays better than it JB, which is a big surprise to me.
I'm gonna get a J&J JB with a phenolic tip because I hate breaking with a $550 cue, eventhough it breaks and jumps great. I break really hard and dont want to take a chance warping the gilbert. The gilbert JB is the best all-purpose cue IMO.

I wont feel bad breaking the crap out of the balls when I get the J&J JB.
Craftsmanship:
Both of my cues are just 4 points with no inlays in the forearm or butt
The nitti's points are perfect and all points are perfectly even
The gilbert JB has one point which isnt perfect and all points arent perfectly even. The butt is slightly thicker than the nitti. I also had a gilbert playing cue and its points were perfect and even, so im thinking its just the lower price cues that there could be imperfections, but thats no excuse to have imperfections in the first place, IMO.
Price:
The nitti was $850 w/ 2 shafts
THe gilbert JB was $550 w/ 2 shafts -- 1 shaft w/ moori med for playing --1 shaft w/ hard WB for JB.
Resale value:
I think they're about equal in trying to resell it. I dont think one will sell any faster than the other. I wouldnt put these two against a Tim Scruggss, James White, Paul Mottey, or a Southwest when it comes to resale value though.
Service:
Nitti hands down. Very easy to get into contact with by phone. Great cue maker to work with. He'll tell it to you straight.
Going through gilbertcues.com...sometimes i call the number there and no one picks up. email replys arent very fast. sometimes i have to email twice.
Personally, I like Nitti's high end cues a lot better than Gilbert's high end cues, especially the red/white/bue one cornerstone showed in his thread. The lower and middle end cues are about even.
If money was no object, I'd get the highest level Nitti.