Ive seen a good amount of cues that are pre made blanks or blanks that are made by prather or other companies. Ive seen some blanks that are made and they are for sell only to people who are going to send them to a reputable cue maker to have them finished. Regarding these types of cues, onec they are sent to the maker and the maker finishes the cue, whats the status of the cue after that? Do you call it a Prather blank finished my xxxxxxx or conversion(although it hasnt been converted from or to anything) Also, what would be the pros of having a huge name maker finish once of these blanks or would there be any besides aesthetics? i realize some makers do a better finish and their own tapers and joints and pins and different wraps. I know if you sent a blank to a maker you could have it somewhat customized as far as what pin u want and all that but if the cuemaker doesnt splice the cue himself or make the whole butt really for that matter does the cue play like the other cuemakers cues? Would a Prather blank finished by josey play like a prather cue thats been refurbed by josey? does it make it a Josey cue? How much of the process is done when the blank is done? is there alot left to do as far as things that really effect how the overall cue will shoot? This is a little long and sounds more complicated then what im really trying to ask but im sure someone will understand what im trying to say so im not gonna go back and edit anything. i dont have time.thanks in advance. charlie
A pre-made blank finished by a reputable maker will play like that maker's cues, as a rule. The reason is that the maker isn't doing anything different, or changing what their philosophy is in regards to what they feel makes a great playing cue, when finishing a pre-made blank. A lot of how a cue plays is in the shafts and their respective tapers.
Some feel that the butt of a cue has no bearing on how a cue will play. I do tend to disagree with this somewhat, in that some players prefer cues with a lot of feedback, while others, not so much. The wood(s) used in the butt can determine just how much the cue 'talks' to you in terms of feedback. True rosewoods (dalbergia genus) transmit great feedback, as they have a higher resonance value...hence why acoustic guitars with rosewood are highly sought after, and getting near impossible to find any more, due to many species of rosewood being on the endangered species list. While not a rosewood, I like bocote for feedback as well. Cocobolo is favored by many.
To the best of my knowledge, Lambros only makes short-spliced cues himself...hence the uber long points. There are a few select makers who can make their own full splice blanks, but as a rule, those cues are going to command a higher premium, due to the extra work and materials waste involved.
It should also be noted, there are many makers that will not accept a customer-supplied blank. The reasoning being, primarily, that they cannot predict when a blank may go 'wrong', and the ensuing issues that may arise as a result can be a bit of a spider's nest when dealing with the customer who supplied the blank. I can't blame them on that, honestly. When you don't have control over the materials used first-hand, it can be a bit of a crap shoot. Wood moves, and sometimes it happens when you least expect it.
My approach has been, in the past, when approaching a maker concerning the use of a pre-made blank, to send them the blank for inspection prior to any commitments. If they are wary of the blank, it's best to know prior to work being commenced. Saves both parties a lot of potential headaches down the line.
