Production Cues

I play with a Schon CX-06 and a McDermott I-3 shaft. I prefer small tip diameters and the I-3, with a 11.75 tip diameter, allows me to hit the cue ball with geometric precision. The CX-06 and I-3 form a perfect combination which together yields a cue with perfect balance and hit. Those Schon's are hard to beat.
 
If someone makes cues, and they are all clones.. They aren't custom. Whether one at a time or 500 at a time, production is making clones. Custom means changed from original in looks or feel. If you buy a production Viking and change to a leather wrap and have the shaft shaved down to 10mm, its custom. If you are a cue maker, number and sign or date them, adds value.. custom make cues based on individual orders, then they are custom. If you have a great hand made cue, market it as MasterCrafted. I have a lot of respect for cue makers, but saying custom is like saying cue stick.. I'm sure plenty will argue, but I say we should give a lot more respect to our Master cue makers who hand tool works of art by crediting them with being more than just custom.
 
Huebler Cue

I currently play with a John Nemec custom cue, but my favorite production cue has to be my Huebler Silver Jubilee SJ-3. I think I will hang onto that one for a while....
 
Webbs Billiards said:
Bob has been cleaning house a lot lately. The cues I've seen made this year have had no defects. It takes 4-6 weeks to get one made now because of how particular he's being. He isn't happy with the negative feedback and is working hard to recover.
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Thats good to hear. I love a lot of the Meucci designs but fear the lack of quality control.
I have heard horror stoies about the cues warping and falling apart. Now who would pull the trigger for 6 or 7 hundred after hearing that.
So if a person orders one how do they know if they are getting one that was made after Bob has upped the quality control?
Also I had one back in the late '80s and I have not since found a cue that could move the cue ball as easy. Flick of the wrist and a full table draw was effortless.
 
measureman said:
Thats good to hear. I love a lot of the Meucci designs but fear the lack of quality control.
I have heard horror stoies about the cues warping and falling apart. Now who would pull the trigger for 6 or 7 hundred after hearing that.
So if a person orders one how do they know if they are getting one that was made after Bob has upped the quality control?
Also I had one back in the late '80s and I have not since found a cue that could move the cue ball as easy. Flick of the wrist and a full table draw was effortless.
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The cue I had made specificly for me lists at $1018, and is pictured below. It's awesome in every detail. If you want a newly made Meucci, order it from me. I won't pull it off a shelf.. I phone in each order, and I talk to them a few times a week. I'll deal with them, you deal with me. But I'm not going to rush them. I also have a Meucci Merry Widow made this year, its gorgeous.
 
I have one of the "limited production" BMC Casino cues. When I got it, the #2 die on the shaft collar had clearly started out life as a #3, and when they realized the mistake they just filled in the middle dot.

This forum has heard several times during just the span of my membership that Bob is "cleaning house" and is unhappy with how things are going. That promise seems about as valid as the Meucci repair shop telling me they're shipping a cue out on Monday. How they shipped the same cue over 20 times remains a mystery, and the subpar job ensured that none of my money or recommendations will go their way ever again.

My favorite production cue, incidentally, is Players. I haven't used most of the others mentioned in this thread. Players to me is Meucci at the correct price point. The sneaky I have of theirs and the Jump/Break are great.
 
Webbs Billiards said:
If someone makes cues, and they are all clones.. They aren't custom. Whether one at a time or 500 at a time, production is making clones. Custom means changed from original in looks or feel. If you buy a production Viking and change to a leather wrap and have the shaft shaved down to 10mm, its custom. If you are a cue maker, number and sign or date them, adds value.. custom make cues based on individual orders, then they are custom. If you have a great hand made cue, market it as MasterCrafted. I have a lot of respect for cue makers, but saying custom is like saying cue stick.. I'm sure plenty will argue, but I say we should give a lot more respect to our Master cue makers who hand tool works of art by crediting them with being more than just custom.
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Oh OK. So it was just a troll. ;)

And for the record I don't agree that swapping a wrap on a production cue makes it custom. Nor would I say if your "custom" has a "list price" then its hardly customs well.

:)
 
Nice..

...but I saw more customs on this thread than production ones...
I use to play with Lucasi. I've played 10y with these cues...from SP to high-end ones. My last Lucasi was a L-2004, a beauty which I regret losing it.
Recently I discovered Joss, I already owned 2 of them. Nice cues and very balanced for the money. My player is a JOSS #4 (year 2000)
I can't say I hate customs but I hate custom produced in tons. I love 1/1 cues from DP or Jacoby, I do love cues from Michael Webb, Tascarela, BSzambotti (hope I spell it well) and many more. The thing that I don't understand is: Are you a pool player or a collector? 'Cause if it's the first one you should find a cue to play not to shine in your friends eyes. IMO.
I've played with low-low-low end cues that for me were Tascarela's or McDaniel's. I don;t care how the cue looks if it plays lights out.
and yes I LOVE LUCASI, VIKING, MCdermott, JOSS! They make cues for everyone but the playability is almost the same for all models. Why? Because there are production cues!

All the best,

Chris
 
Mezz and Schon are my fav. i own both and they are awesome, I use a schon butt with mezz shaft.
 
I currently own a Mezz that is part of the ACE line and it is probably the best production cue I have owned. With that said it also retails for $1300!?! (I didn't pay that much LOL).

IMO the best production cues are as follows:

1. Mezz
2. Joss
3. Schon
4. Viking
 
Webbs Billiards said:
Bob has been cleaning house a lot lately. The cues I've seen made this year have had no defects. It takes 4-6 weeks to get one made now because of how particular he's being. He isn't happy with the negative feedback and is working hard to recover.
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Hopefully with the new employees working there, maybe it will make a difference?:rolleyes:


I've waited 2 years already for a cue to come back from repair. Right now I have a cue thats been there for 16 months. Yeah, I call them every other week too.


Same story..."your cue will be going out next week."
 
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Well I guess it is time for someone to say something nice about McDermott. I have 8 McD's, several full splice and mostly Ms. I think that this thread had great potential when it stated it was about production cues, then most focused on how much like a custom cue their production cue played and therefore that made it a great production cue. I like the idea of considering what a production cue offers that is different from a custom cue instead of how similar it can be. McDermott cues are reliably manufactured such that there is little reason to hit with one to see if it is OK, they are all OK. The odds on a second slipping out of the factory is very low, I have bought most of my cues sight unseen and they have been exactly what I have hoped for. The warranty is terrific; that is something a production cue can do better than an overworked artist a year behind on stick delivery. If McDermott needs to eat a stick on warranty their bottom line will not blink, again advantage production cues. The variety of designs and price points makes it so that regardless of how much I want to spend I know the caliber of product I will get. Am I proud of my sticks? Yes every one of them; and I consider all of them too nice to take to league play and feel comfortable. So would I appreciate the cuemaker's craft I can only find in a custom? Of course. Do I find my McDermotts money well spent? You bet.
I am a very low end collector, in fact not a collector at all. I have bought sticks to make my table as nice as I can afford for my family and guests. If I had to cut back from my 15 playable cues to only four, my Players, Vikings, and Perrys would go and I would keep my D-12, D-17P, my M-12L, and my M-33A.
 
Webbs Billiards said:
All I hear about on here all day every day is about "Custom" cues, which aren't really custom but merely cues made by independent cue makers, or cues that aren't on the production line. With all that said...

Tell me about your Favorite Production Cues!!

Maker and Model if possible...
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JOSS Ltd

Balabushka & Helmstetter by Adam


Meucci (when it's brand new - you secret Meucci lovers know what I'm talking about)

That one in twenty Cuetec with the good taper

Huebler, especially their Sneaky Petes

Pechauer - I know it's tough to put them in this category but I don't think it's an insult

Schuler - see the Pechauer comment

Schon - see the Schuler comment
 
Not one vote for Predator? What IS it with Predators and this forum? They sell millions (for one reason only) and this place snubs them.

Why?
 
TheThaiger said:
Not one vote for Predator? What IS it with Predators and this forum? They sell millions (for one reason only) and this place snubs them.

Why?
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I am sure a lot of people use a predator shaft. IMO the problem is they are expensive and manufactured in china.
 
Webbs Billiards said:
If someone makes cues, and they are all clones.. They aren't custom. Whether one at a time or 500 at a time, production is making clones. Custom means changed from original in looks or feel. If you buy a production Viking and change to a leather wrap and have the shaft shaved down to 10mm, its custom. If you are a cue maker, number and sign or date them, adds value.. custom make cues based on individual orders, then they are custom. If you have a great hand made cue, market it as MasterCrafted. I have a lot of respect for cue makers, but saying custom is like saying cue stick.. I'm sure plenty will argue, but I say we should give a lot more respect to our Master cue makers who hand tool works of art by crediting them with being more than just custom.
Click to expand...

Then my favorite is South West!
:thumbup:
(shhhhh!)
 
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poolguy4u said:
Hopefully with the new employees working there, maybe it will make a difference?:rolleyes:

Meucci has been cleaning house ever since they built the new factory.
And now I see on some new cues, they aren't using a stainless steel pin.

Looks like a piece of galvanized piece of cold rolled steel with hardly any threads. When you measure over the pin, it is .015 undersize. Not much thread and when you put the shaft on, there is so much play you wonder if your going to strip the thread if you tighten too much.

In the last 8 months, the shaft inserts are not as good as they used to be. Not solid brass. Sometimes I need to deburr all the shaft collars and butt collars. Since Bob is not happy,:D hopefully he'll get this straightened out.

I've waited 2 years already for a cue to come back from repair. Right now I have a cue thats been there for 16 months. Yeah, I call them every other week too.


Same story..."your cue will be going out next week."
Click to expand...

Mr. Webb is optimstic and your post shows business as usual or worse.
And I'm not trying to bring down Meucci cues. I would hope they would get thier act together and sell lots of cues.They are an American business.
 
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