Pro's don't need that fancy $5000 crap to do well

JCIN said:
Why?

It ain't like these guys are running around with Gina Rasputin break cues to go with their diamond encrusted Joss West. I can't really think of too many guys who use a cue that would cost over $2000. Many play with cues that can be had for far less.
Click to expand...
You are correct that many do not play with elaborate cues. Most sponsored pool players either use a fairly basic cue by a production company or are swinging a fairly nice custom as advertising. Many of them keep their savings account in their front right pocket and would never lay down very much for a high end cue. There are some exceptions for every rule though. Next time you have a chance check out Shannon Daulton's JW, it is a bad MF'er. (shut yo mouth)
 
Some pros play with high end cues, some do not. Some are given the cues as part of sponsorship, but not all. I play with custom cues because I like them. So do many pros and non-pros. I know one guy, personally, who has a $5,000 dollar cue, among others. So what? This just gets the age-old argument going about whether custom cues are better than cheap production cues. So what? Most pro caliber players could beat you and me with a mop handle with a tip on it. So what?
 
supergreenman said:
ok I disagree. the performance of a cheap players cue compared to even something around the $300 mark is night and day.
Click to expand...

Sorry to put you on the spot my friend from the land of the rich, but I gotta ask : "How do you measure the performance of a cue?" I really want to know this, because I think it could be quite important. I'm gonna stick my neck out and suggest that there are no measurements, the above statement is simply your opinion, a subjective thing, influenced by whatever influences you (price, color, quantity of beer consumed, etc).

I know how to tell the difference between night and day, you can measure the luminosity of the sky. How do you tell the difference between a good cue and a bad cue in measureable terms ?

Dave, who watched Saskatchewans best pool player leave the hall for 8-ball provincials a few days ago with his pair of house cues wrapped up in his hockey-tape case ... he mighta won (he did win the snooker provincials, and lost the finals of the 9-ball, so the trifecta was out)
 
Strickland said it best, the cuetec cue kept him at a 2-3 ball handicap.

Now I know for sure that when you are talking the engineering that goes into a cue, and how it is assembled- NOT ALL CUES ARE THE SAME.

The engineering, balance, and flex that are in a specific cue greatly affect how, even a pro will play the game. For example: if a pro plays with a very whippy cue then he needs to choke up on the cue and have a tighter grip, this will change how the cue plays. SO summarizing if the cue does not match the style of play for the pro, then he has to compensate and maybe play a shot a different way than he normally would.

Bottom line: Tiger Woods could probably beat all of us with a set of golf clubs from Walmart, but when he needs to play "world class" he always relys on his equipment that was specifically made for him.

The inlays and CNC work in cues (which most people value-(stupid)) has absolutely nothing to do with how the cue plays.
 
I think, in general, all other things being equal, a given Indian will kill more buffalo with a perfectly straight arrow that has a razor-sharp arrowhead, than that same Indian would with a bent arrow and a dull or missing arrowhead. :confused:

I guess the question isn't about performance, but rather the fanciness of the cue... fanciness may not make the cue play any better, but if a pro, or anyone, likes "nice things", I have no problem with them owning/using nice things. Some people like to wear jewelry; some don't. Some people like inlays; others may not.

I know that if I were a pro, sponsored by a cue company, I would want to help that company make money. I wouldn't lie to someone and say that the secret to my skill is all the inlays in my cue. However, one way that might help the company make money could be to show off their fancy, expensive, cues. JMHO, and I don't really see what's wrong with that.

Personally, I'd be more annoyed to discover that a pro endorses a cue that she/he personally feels is crappy because the company pays her/him a lot to use it. The flip side is that the advertising dollars that are required to sell that junk is better for the sport than not having those dollars there, I guess. LOL.
 
8-Ball Player said:
All the pro's use a very high class cue, I know they get them for free because they are sponsored, but is it really necessary? The idea that they are giving the smaller pool players is that you need a really expensive cue to be the best. I would love to see one of the pro's use a cheap Players cue or something, and just kick butt! I know they could, they just like all the expensive inlays and custom crap.

Feel free to disagree...
Click to expand...

First, not all pros use a high class cue because alot of pros are not sponsored. It may not be necessary for the ones that do have expensive custom cues, but if you were offered a free cue at that price, would you pass it up?

Playing occassionally on the women's pro tour I have seen many players that play with older beat up sticks that have come up through the ranks with them. I know that I prefer my old, beat up Schon for any other cue that I have ever tried, including the custom cue that was made for me by a sponsor. My cue is still in the $700 range, which is above the $300 you recommended, but I guarantee, in it's condition, it's not worth that to anyone but me!
 
I think it's a matter of dignity.

Great topic guys!

What I'm going to say is unrelated to how well a pro can play with a production cue. It's a subjective presentation on the general level of dignity in pool today. Here goes:

One of my pool teachers told me, "Having a nice cue doesn't mean you're good, it means you're serious. It means you care about pool."

I would add one more caveat to that. Having and playing with a custom cue means you have respect for the game of pool. You are raising the dignity of this game by using a custom made pool cue.

Respect for the dignity of the game of straight pool means you have a very high dollar custom cue which you only use when you play straight pool and, additionally, you have a nice set of highly polished balls like the Brunswick Centennials. You should keep these balls separate from your regular playing balls and reserve the Centennials for straight pool and one pocket. Another requirement would be for you to wear either a full two or three piece suit or, at least, a nice sportscoat when you play either 14.1 or one pocket. It's all about the dignity of the game :D

I wish ALL pro's would play with custom cues. I know some of the production cues are perfectly good playing cues. But a top pro using a Scorpion? Or a Fury? Or a (I know I'm going to get flamed) Predator? Perhaps the sponsorship money really is that good. Cliff Joyner must be a superman at the table because Meucci knocks 25-40% off his game. If he ever puts down that Meucci and picks up ANY house cue, he'll know what I know. And Cliff will snap that Meucci with his bare hands :o

The pro's should toss away the baggage of playing with plastic and pick up a custom cue. Nice leather or Irish linen wrap with or without points. The pro players could increase the dignity of this game if they would use custom cues.

Most pro players are using production cues with a replacement shaft made by a mystery maker... :cool: I suspect this, anyway.

Hey, custom cues aren't all $5k beasts either. To the lover of the sneaky pete's, Paul Dayton makes some outstanding sneakies at a great price with only a 4-5 week wait. You're going to love the way those cues play. I think Jeff Olnay's cues look great too. Probably play great. Ted Harris also. Mike Webb. Lots of great cue makers. John Madden comes to mind. Dick Neighbors. Jim Buss. Jerry Olivier. Philippi. Great cuemakers all.

Sugartree cues are fantastic plain jane custom cues. Then you find out that there are a lot of local cuemakers who deserve our patronage. There are more high quality custom cuemakers than I could shake a Meucci at. ;)

That's how I think on this subject. Hope I don't get flamed because I'm not knocking production cues, I'm elevated the custom cue as an agent of dignity for pool.

From the Desk of the One-Eyed Jack!

Your's truly,
The Woim
 
I guess What It all comes down to is what you like.
Weather it be because of the Price, Hit, Feel, Looks, Base Model or High End It's What's inside that compells you to get it. It's not always able to be seen on the outside, But It's there.

Weather it's the Lawyer who uses a $3,200.00 Capone or the 17 year old Road prodigy using a $300.00 Dale Perry Sneaky Pete on the next table, People Buy Cues For Diffrent Reasons. It Stands As It Is.

Diffrent Reasons For Diffrent People...
-Vincent Mazza
 
So what do your drive to work and why? Same topic different machine and we could get many different answers.

BTW my cue has a little knob on the back that I can wind up to get more accuracy -- and its better than x-cue.
 
JCIN said:
Why?

Pro's don't get to be pro's because of the cue they play with. Alot of the Pro's who do play with High $ cues, have them so beat and dinged up (from playing with them) they would need to be refinished and have new shafts made just to get anything out of them. Take a look at Chohan's South West some time.

It ain't like these guys are running around with Gina Rasputin break cues to go with their diamond encrusted Joss West. I can't really think of too many guys who use a cue that would cost over $2000. Many play with cues that can be had for far less.
Click to expand...

I agree. The original poster made it seem as though most pros play with $5000+ cues. I would bet that very, very few actually do. He must have something against all players with these kind of cues, not just the pros. If anyone was to play with a very spendy cue, you would figure it would be the pros. We should get Mark Tadd's take on this. You want to see someone who was beating everybody with a cheap cue- well there you go! And he wasn't getting paid to do so.
 
JoeW said:
So what do your drive to work and why? Same topic different machine and we could get many different answers.

BTW my cue has a little knob on the back that I can wind up to get more accuracy -- and its better than x-cue.
Click to expand...

Usually you will drive the car that gets better gas mileage figuring its 3 bucks a gallon. But if you prefer to drive a 6' lifted Hummer H2 to work then thats fine as well.;) You just have to pay more money to have style, but it is not necessiary.
 
The Woim said:
Cliff Joyner must be a superman at the table because Meucci knocks 25-40% off his game. If he ever puts down that Meucci and picks up ANY house cue, he'll know what I know. And Cliff will snap that Meucci with his bare hands :o [/B]
Click to expand...


What? :confused: So, he would be able to beat Efren if he played with a house cue? :eek:
 
rossaroni said:
What? :confused: So, he would be able to beat Efren if he played with a house cue? :eek:
Click to expand...

Originally Posted by The Woim
Cliff Joyner must be a superman at the table because Meucci knocks 25-40% off his game. If he ever puts down that Meucci and picks up ANY house cue, he'll know what I know. And Cliff will snap that Meucci with his bare hands
Click to expand...

Well, I sure as heck wouldnt play with a cue if it knocked me off that much. He might as well lose the sponsor and win a heck of a lot of tournaments. Or grab another one...
 
8-Ball Player said:
Well, I sure as heck wouldnt play with a cue if it knocked me off that much. He might as well lose the sponsor and win a heck of a lot of tournaments. Or grab another one...
Click to expand...

Cliff is not sponsored by Meucci.
 
Good topic, but im affraid it`s endless.Players with expensive cues cares about pool.They just feel good when they are putting together their Bushka,Szamboti...or any other piece of pool legends.pros make a living with cues.Im sure that they dont enjoy pool as much as we (bangers:D ).
And i would also like to know how to measure cue performance?:)
 
The Woim said:
I wish ALL pro's would play with custom cues. I know some of the production cues are perfectly good playing cues. But a top pro using a Scorpion? Or a Fury? Or a (I know I'm going to get flamed) Predator? Perhaps the sponsorship money really is that good. Cliff Joyner must be a superman at the table because Meucci knocks 25-40% off his game. If he ever puts down that Meucci and picks up ANY house cue, he'll know what I know. And Cliff will snap that Meucci with his bare hands :o
Click to expand...


Hmmm... 25-40%. Now that's quite an impressive statistic. How'd you come up with that sort of figure? Do you really think all Meuccis play the same?

Flex
 
Last time I saw Efren in person, he had a pretty basic Judd cue with a custom "Black Electrical Tape" wrap.

Jason Miller uses a very generic butt with a custom shaft.

As Jason said...the most important thing is that the cue fits you correctly and feels right in your hands.


The cue makes a difference....and actually the better you get at the game...the more difference it makes.

For a banger just trying to make balls it does not make much difference...for Mark Tadd, he wants a specific feel and hit of the cue...(I watched him fret for hours trying different cues to get the right "hit")...At that level of play, it not so much the making the ball part, its the action they get with the CB and the position control that get with the cue....Details that will likely go unoticed to the person watching..
 
The Woim said:
One of my pool teachers told me, "Having a nice cue doesn't mean you're good, it means you're serious. It means you care about pool."

It means you can afford a nice cue.

I would add one more caveat to that. Having and playing with a custom cue means you have respect for the game of pool. You are raising the dignity of this game by using a custom made pool cue.

Silly

Respect for the dignity of the game of straight pool means you have a very high dollar custom cue which you only use when you play straight pool and, additionally, you have a nice set of highly polished balls like the Brunswick Centennials. You should keep these balls separate from your regular playing balls and reserve the Centennials for straight pool and one pocket. Another requirement would be for you to wear either a full two or three piece suit or, at least, a nice sportscoat when you play either 14.1 or one pocket. It's all about the dignity of the game :D

Sillier

I wish ALL pro's would play with custom cues. I know some of the production cues are perfectly good playing cues. But a top pro using a Scorpion? Or a Fury? Or a (I know I'm going to get flamed) Predator? Perhaps the sponsorship money really is that good. Cliff Joyner must be a superman at the table because Meucci knocks 25-40% off his game. If he ever puts down that Meucci and picks up ANY house cue, he'll know what I know. And Cliff will snap that Meucci with his bare hands :o

You are clueless

The pro's should toss away the baggage of playing with plastic and pick up a custom cue. Nice leather or Irish linen wrap with or without points. The pro players could increase the dignity of this game if they would use custom cues.

Most pro players are using production cues with a replacement shaft made by a mystery maker... :cool: I suspect this, anyway.

Hey, custom cues aren't all $5k beasts either. To the lover of the sneaky pete's, Paul Dayton makes some outstanding sneakies at a great price with only a 4-5 week wait. You're going to love the way those cues play. I think Jeff Olnay's cues look great too. Probably play great. Ted Harris also. Mike Webb. Lots of great cue makers. John Madden comes to mind. Dick Neighbors. Jim Buss. Jerry Olivier. Philippi. Great cuemakers all.

Sugartree cues are fantastic plain jane custom cues. Then you find out that there are a lot of local cuemakers who deserve our patronage. There are more high quality custom cuemakers than I could shake a Meucci at. ;)

That's how I think on this subject. Hope I don't get flamed because I'm not knocking production cues, I'm elevated the custom cue as an agent of dignity for pool.

From the Desk of the One-Eyed Jack!

Your's truly,
The Woim
Click to expand...

This is probably the dumbest post ever on this forum. You could spot Travis Trotter the 6 in ignorant posting.
 
on the Meucci subject

Sooner or later, it seems someone just has to start bashing
Meucci cues. I have owned a few, but the two I played with
for very long periods of time played much differently. I like
their cues, but have only played with ones made in the 1990s.

The first one was an E6 which had the phenolic joint, and it
played much softer than the one I have now, which is a 95-17
and has the German Nickel-Silver (looks like stainless steel)
joint, and seems to hit much "harder" than the E6 did.

I only stopped using it, because it is "decked out" with colored
points and mother-of-pearl, and folks automatically and
incorrectly assume I'm an A+ style player when they see it, and
folks don't want to take a chance on even cheap gambling when
I visit a strange pool room.

In any case, I would not have any problem with using either of
those Meucci cues for the rest of my life as my playing cue.
As far as the newer ones, I have heard conflicting opinions, and
will refrain from commenting on them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top