Plain model cues,$1000-$1500 retail price,who is best custom cuemaker?

it isnt about the maker it is totally about if it hits the way you want.

you always get the best deal on a used cue you get to hit before you buy. as any cue you buy will be a used one in a short time.

no need to spend 1500 or even 500. if you are after a playing cue rather than a show piece. and any 1500 dollar cue isnt going to be a show piece.

just my take on cues. i have about 30 or so cues ranging from one piece that came with a table to ten dollar thrift store cues up to a balabuska.

many dozens have been given away or sold that do not give the hit i like. and all those i kept even the cheap so called junk shoot extremely well.
 
I'm also a Joey Bautista fan, however, he's been sending his cue's to Asia for apprx a couple of years, starting PP 3K

They rarely come up for sale, if they do give one a test drive, you might get a deal if the owner has had it for a while and doesn't know the current market condition and subsequent value
 
maha said:
it isnt about the maker it is totally about if it hits the way you want.

you always get the best deal on a used cue you get to hit before you buy. as any cue you buy will be a used one in a short time.

no need to spend 1500 or even 500. if you are after a playing cue rather than a show piece. and any 1500 dollar cue isnt going to be a show piece.

just my take on cues. i have about 30 or so cues ranging from one piece that came with a table to ten dollar thrift store cues up to a balabuska.

many dozens have been given away or sold that do not give the hit i like. and all those i kept even the cheap so called junk shoot extremely well.
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You are absolutely right when you are referring to cues already built and lots of people buy cues from the secondary resale market hoping to save money since the cue is pre-owned (or used) and sometimes has minor issues, like a rewrap to something you like better or tip replacement, maybe a small nick or ding in the sleeve so they do expect to pay less.

However, when it comes to ordering cues, you can’t wait to see how it plays. The cue is already made and you bought it.

Instead, it’s always about the cue maker and how he builds the cue you ordered and his choice of materials to use. The cue maker determines how the cue hits by the way he builds it. Finding out afterward is too late to decide to buy the cue because you have to purchase and pay for the cue to find out how it actually hits. So always try to play with a cue made by a cue maker you’re thinking of having a cue built by. You can’t order it to find out…by that time, it’s too late to cancel or back out.
 
all true but nothing beats hitting the very cue you are going to buy and use.

but if you have a certain cue maker you want from then you take what you get. but can always sell it.
 
maha said:
all true but nothing beats hitting the very cue you are going to buy and use.

but if you have a certain cue maker you want from then you take what you get. but can always sell it.
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Again, you are right on the bullseye. Now if you wanted to try a Joel Hercek cue, that isn’t going to be easy. I’ve only seen 2 Herceks in a pool hall since Joel started building cues under Burton Spain’s tutorage. So if you wanted a Hercek cue built, there’s lots of times that prior experience playing with one of Joel’s cues isn’t possible before ordering one.

I played with the two Hercek cues that I saw. The owners were very accommodating. I know that if Joel built a pool cue
using my specs that other cues in my case have, the cue would play fabulous. But I know what I like and want in a cue.
Thereafter, it’s the cue maker that brings my cue to life and no one does a better job than Joel Hercek creating dreams.

I find that lots of pool players will try a cue, like one of mine, and maybe ask a question or two afterward but all pretty basic like how much does it weigh. The funny part is most players, unless they ordered the ordered their cue, don’t know what their pool cue weighs. How many pool players even understand the anatomy of a pool cue and how a full splice is built differently? You don’t have to become a obsessed with your pool cue’s specs but you at least should find out what you like and why?

Otherwise you are just part of the milieu of pool players that will never find out if there is something, some combination, they like better so they wind up playing better. The sad part is so many players don’t even know what they don’t know, i.e., pool cue anatomy 101. It took me 40 years to discover what I like. Lost time that can never be recovered. I wish I knew 40 yrs ago what I’ve learned since. Ergo, I switched my approach to cues & retired my piloted steel joint pool cues starting over anew.







.
 
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Bavafongoul said:
Anyone ordering a cue to be built, which is different than buying from a billiards supply website, should be able to
specify to the cue maker exactly what they want. If you encounter a cue maker that’s uncooperative, just don’t bother and find another builder. They aren’t painting you a family portrait and they’re the only one who can do a great job.

You are hiring a cue maker, paying him for his time and material that are marked up as in any business. He doesn’t get to tell you what you need or want. That’s arrogant and dismissive of your desire to get what you want made. Just walk away. Every cue maker should respect your wishes but may charge accordingly. You are entitled to get what you want.

Keep in mind sometimes cue makers are wrong like the ones that told me a heavy Kielwood shaft had to have weight added if the shaft was flat faced wood. I started a minor debate with my threads but I was right and they were proven wrong.

The KW shafts are in my cue case so Nuf Ced. When you speak with a cue maker, do not rely on verbal communication only. Always followup in writing promptly confirming what you discussed and what your pool cue specs are incldg. cue tip type.

Cue makers are people and people can forget or get orders confused. About a month before the cue is due to be finished, confirm your specs one last time. Mistakes are unintended but can more easily happen when the builder gets preoccupied.
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I agree that you could and should be able to ask for specs but you have to listen to your cue maker, he is more experienced and more knowledgeable and his advice will guarantee a better cue. And not all fantasies and desires can be made into a playable cue.

Now some might say that they can’t do this or that, that’s fine. I don’t want a cue that a cue maker is not sure about it. A different cue maker might be able to the job and that’s fine as well.
You need to choose a cue maker that is right for the specific job/cue.

I look at cue makers as artists, and cues as functional art and if I want a cue from a certain maker, it’s because I want his art, I want the style that he is known for and his trademarks.
A custom cue is a joint effort by the cue maker and the customer.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Again, you are right on the bullseye. Now if you wanted to try a Joel Hercek cue, that isn’t going to be easy. I’ve only seen 2 Herceks in a pool hall since Joel started building cues under Burton Spain’s tutorage. So if you wanted a Hercek cue built, there’s lots of times that prior experience playing with one of Joel’s cues isn’t possible before ordering one.

I played with the two Hercek cues that I saw. The owners were very accommodating. I know that if Joel built a pool cue
using my specs that other cues in my case have, the cue would play fabulous. But I know what I like and want in a cue.
Thereafter, it’s the cue maker that brings my cue to life and no one does a better job than Joel Hercek creating dreams.

I find that lots of pool players will try a cue, like one of mine, and maybe ask a question or two afterward but all pretty basic like how much does it weigh. The funny part is most players, unless they ordered the ordered their cue, don’t know what their pool cue weighs. How many pool players even understand the anatomy of a pool cue and how a full splice is built differently? You don’t have to become a obsessed with your pool cue’s specs but you at least should find out what you like and why?

Otherwise you are just part of the milieu of pool players that will never find out if there is something, some combination, they like better so they wind up playing better. The sad part is so many players don’t even know what they don’t know, i.e., pool cue anatomy 101. It took me 40 years to discover what I like. Lost time that can never be recovered. I wish I knew 40 yrs ago what I’ve learned since. Ergo, I switched my approach to cues & retired my piloted steel joint pool cues starting over anew.







.
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Since Joel is passed yeah that would be a tall order.
 
alphadog said:
Since Joel is passed yeah that would be a tall order.
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Passed…….I never heard he was even in ill health…….I just called him just now but he wasn’t available. His voice mail greeting works. Several years ago he offered to build me a cue but the CA ivory ban was too big hurdle which I understood.

Burton Spain passed away 30 years ago but Joel, the best American cue maker in my opinion, is still with us and God hope he stays with us a long time. He is a terrific gentleman and a great cue maker that will go down in history as such.
 
One of my favorite quote from Joel from his old web site when it used to offer orders options was - “you can any color Irish linen as long as it’s black”
 
My bad I have a friend who is related to Joel and 4 years ago he said something like i wish I got a Hercek before he passed??
I guess I didn't hear him correctly or he misspoke?
 
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