I got a laugh out of your first post...first thing that went through my mind was.....did you just ask a room full of fat kids....what's the best candy to eat....LMAO
Recmoment a custom cue maker
- Thread starter johnnysd
- Start date
I got a laugh out of your first post...first thing that went through my mind was.....did you just ask a room full of fat kids....what's the best candy to eat....LMAO
Lol, yes. Notice the smiley face in my post. Still lots of good feedback
Ling Chou Lucasi would be my pick.
He will make you 10 cues for 2500 bones.
He will make you 10 cues for 2500 bones.
Rick Howard without a doubt !!!
My first custom cue was a Dan Janes. When I got back into pool after 20 years I called Dan and found he still hand makes the "customs" he his listed on his site. So I bought a plain one from him that he had handmade. It is a very nice cue and very solid, but plays harder and stiffer than I like. Not like the Joss I had in the 80s which was more medium. Also got a Dominiak, which is a fantastic cue, but this 2 sort of solidified what I want in a cue and they are likely headed ty o the for sale section on the cheap.
Quick update for everyone. There were actually a few people named and doing some additional research it looks like there are several that provide the hit I am looking for and were mentioned here as well multiple times including Runde, Omen, Cognoscenti, Josey and Bender.
Someone mentioned Josh Treadway and I already have a cue on order from him, but it will take 2 years. I am looking further into the others. I am also getting a cue made by Kim Walker who posts here and makes beautiful cues that seem right up my alley.
I will be selling the Joss and the Dominiak. The Dominiak is AWESOME. It is just awesome in a way not for me, just like a Franlklin SW is completely and totally wrong. But obviously right for at least the 3000 people currently in line.
Short term I decided to buy a used cue that was listed on EBAY this week. It is a particularly clean JT-1 from Judd, which was my 2nd favorite hitting cue I have ever had. Hopefully it hits the same, but Judd's cues are supposed to be very consistent.
I am pretty excited. I just got my Gilbert break cue on Friday too.
Full disclosure I also have a Lambros cocobolo/bubinga merry widow on order already in addition to the Treadway and Walker.
All of them are different, and hopefully I find the hit I want. I do not mind collecting the others.
Here are some pics of the Judd
Someone mentioned Josh Treadway and I already have a cue on order from him, but it will take 2 years. I am looking further into the others. I am also getting a cue made by Kim Walker who posts here and makes beautiful cues that seem right up my alley.
I will be selling the Joss and the Dominiak. The Dominiak is AWESOME. It is just awesome in a way not for me, just like a Franlklin SW is completely and totally wrong. But obviously right for at least the 3000 people currently in line.
Short term I decided to buy a used cue that was listed on EBAY this week. It is a particularly clean JT-1 from Judd, which was my 2nd favorite hitting cue I have ever had. Hopefully it hits the same, but Judd's cues are supposed to be very consistent.
I am pretty excited. I just got my Gilbert break cue on Friday too.
Full disclosure I also have a Lambros cocobolo/bubinga merry widow on order already in addition to the Treadway and Walker.
All of them are different, and hopefully I find the hit I want. I do not mind collecting the others.
Here are some pics of the Judd
Attachments
I truly don't know if Nitti cues are the best in the world or not, but I've never, ever seen a better website for cues. The hi def photography is amazing.
If he takes that much care with the visual presentation of his cues, I have to imagine his attention to craftsmanship & detail is even more impressive. WOW! -Z-
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The best fit for IN MY HUMBLE OPINION is Andy Gilbert n Keith Josey but i will lean more towards Andy Gilbert for flexibility in design as Josey will stick to his particular style which ensures n guarantees the playability n integrity of a cue as a priority such as he dialed radial pin and his famous sneaky n he Wont use other pin.
Btw, im playing with a Josey which i love , balance is nice but a little too forward , full splice wrapless but only downside is deflection is a little high BUT PARTLY becoz i ask for a old school 1 inch long ferule instead of his 3/4 ferule.
Josey is more limited on design in terms of his floating points n inlays which is fine if u like it .
It may be a little challenging if u want traditional pointed cue with veneers ( he does them but i feel a little weak )
Andy on the other hand is incredibly flexible from buskha tribute to southwest to full splice with traditional sharp points and veneers.
His cue hits a little softer than my Josey but its more balance according to my preference ( Josey has a more forward balance ) and has a real sweet medium stiff hit with relatively low deflection.
( i based this according to a couple of Gilbert i tried )
Cant go wrong w both of em but im leaning towards Gilbert due to MY PREFERENCE but i will advise u to try each one out if possible as they are both quite consistent and they seldom come out for sale which speaks a lot.
Good luck w ur choice
The best fit for IN MY HUMBLE OPINION is Andy Gilbert n Keith Josey but i will lean more towards Andy Gilbert for flexibility in design as Josey will stick to his particular style which ensures n guarantees the playability n integrity of a cue as a priority such as he dialed radial pin and his famous sneaky n he Wont use other pin.
Btw, im playing with a Josey which i love , balance is nice but a little too forward , full splice wrapless but only downside is deflection is a little high BUT PARTLY becoz i ask for a old school 1 inch long ferule instead of his 3/4 ferule.
Josey is more limited on design in terms of his floating points n inlays which is fine if u like it .
It may be a little challenging if u want traditional pointed cue with veneers ( he does them but i feel a little weak )
Andy on the other hand is incredibly flexible from buskha tribute to southwest to full splice with traditional sharp points and veneers.
His cue hits a little softer than my Josey but its more balance according to my preference ( Josey has a more forward balance ) and has a real sweet medium stiff hit with relatively low deflection.
( i based this according to a couple of Gilbert i tried )
Cant go wrong w both of em but im leaning towards Gilbert due to MY PREFERENCE but i will advise u to try each one out if possible as they are both quite consistent and they seldom come out for sale which speaks a lot.
Good luck w ur choice
Keith is by no means limited in design... He will make any type cue you like. He does his own traditional sharp points with veneers and they are FAR from "weak" LOL.. His blanks are top quality as is the rest of his workmanship.
There have been some great suggestions here, and I'm going to throw my hat in the ring as well. Jerry Rauenzahn makes a phenomenal cue, and I believe it fits all of your hit requirements. My personal cue is a 360 tribute, and the workmanship is incredible (pics are in the gallery if you are interested).
He could definitely build you what you want, and well within your budget. Plus he is great to deal with.
He could definitely build you what you want, and well within your budget. Plus he is great to deal with.
Actually Jerry is retiring and wont build me a cue. I did run a wanted ad for buying a used one, and several people linked some awesome -R- cues, but none of them really grabbed me to spring for them.
Yeah, I already have one on order from Josh, but it is 2 years away.,
Your best bet is to find people with cues by makers you're interested in and see if they'd allow you to take a few shots with it. Hit is so highly subjective, and difficult to define in words, that what some might feel fits your criteria perfectly might be way off the mark for you, yourself.
That said, while there are still many extremely highly respected cuemakers whose work I've never had the opportunity to shoot with, the one I've settled in with as matching your performance criteria (which seems to be in line with mine) is Ned Morris. I'm not saying he makes the perfect cue, but I have yet to find another that surpasses his cues for my own definition of optimum hit (we have some differences in style and materials preferences, but that's something that he can easily cater to and won't impact the hit).
I strongly recommend if you encounter someone with one of his cues to give it a shot. At the least, you won't be disappointed, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if you find it making it to (or to the top of) your short list. His cues start well under your budget for simple designs like merry widows, within your budget for moderately complex designs, and of course like any premier builder can go well beyond depending on how crazy you want to get with the design and exotic materials.
That said, while there are still many extremely highly respected cuemakers whose work I've never had the opportunity to shoot with, the one I've settled in with as matching your performance criteria (which seems to be in line with mine) is Ned Morris. I'm not saying he makes the perfect cue, but I have yet to find another that surpasses his cues for my own definition of optimum hit (we have some differences in style and materials preferences, but that's something that he can easily cater to and won't impact the hit).
I strongly recommend if you encounter someone with one of his cues to give it a shot. At the least, you won't be disappointed, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if you find it making it to (or to the top of) your short list. His cues start well under your budget for simple designs like merry widows, within your budget for moderately complex designs, and of course like any premier builder can go well beyond depending on how crazy you want to get with the design and exotic materials.