I want to say that I had the nicest conversation with Mr. Sumrall and he seems to be a great guy to deal with. I purchased a Goncalo Alves plain jane that Paul had up for sale. The shaft has a parabolic taper and was a tad larger than I like, but Paul was nice enough to trim it down for me and get it out rush delivery to me in a matter of hours. Things being the way they are now days kindness from a cue maker is not something I take for granted. I will tell you up front I am impatient and it shows... but Paul was super understanding and very accommodating.
Enough on that subject so here we go with my cue review. When I received the cue I was pleasantly surprised at the figure of the Alves used. Mr. Sumrall's choice of shaft wood is awesome...straight grained and 30+ g.r.p.i. I must say I am pretty impressive. Upon inspection I noticed the only fit and finish flaws I could find are a few tiny needle head size sink spots (I don't know what else to call them) in the finish. Not a big deal it looks like where finish might have been sucked into porous wood? The second thing that stuck out to me is that for some reason the finish Paul is using looks like it doesn't stick to the brown phenolic on this cue very well. The joint fits together completely flush, the shaft fits super snug on the stainless pin, and the cue I will have to give an eight and a half on fit and finish. My recommendation is that Paul work on the finish. And maybe find a logo or something other than the forearm signature that looks like stenciled wood burning. If the signature is something you like it's your choice Paul, but I find that it kind of takes away from the beauty of the wood.
Now we get to the nitty gritty as I chalked the Moori and began to hit a few balls with the cue. The first thing I noticed is the cue is amazingly well balanced. The cue plays stiff with very good feedback. I am sure the ivory ferrule probably softens it up just a hair but it feels very similar to the Sugartree cues I have owned in the past. From the moment you pick it up it feels like you have shot with it forever. The cue plays lights out no less. After only hitting two racks with it I was comfortable enough with it to put my Scruggs back in the case and shoot with the S&S during league play. I put up an 18-2 on a very formidable opponent in A.P.A. nine ball shooting with it. I must say I was highly impressed with the playability and feel of this cue... WOW! I will give it a ten on the playability side and another ten on the budget side.
I think if you are looking for a phenomenal player and have a budget Mr. Sumrall has the cue for you. I am sure his prices will be going up soon...you can almost count on it. I am gonna post a couple pictures but it was really bright out so they aren't great.
Enough on that subject so here we go with my cue review. When I received the cue I was pleasantly surprised at the figure of the Alves used. Mr. Sumrall's choice of shaft wood is awesome...straight grained and 30+ g.r.p.i. I must say I am pretty impressive. Upon inspection I noticed the only fit and finish flaws I could find are a few tiny needle head size sink spots (I don't know what else to call them) in the finish. Not a big deal it looks like where finish might have been sucked into porous wood? The second thing that stuck out to me is that for some reason the finish Paul is using looks like it doesn't stick to the brown phenolic on this cue very well. The joint fits together completely flush, the shaft fits super snug on the stainless pin, and the cue I will have to give an eight and a half on fit and finish. My recommendation is that Paul work on the finish. And maybe find a logo or something other than the forearm signature that looks like stenciled wood burning. If the signature is something you like it's your choice Paul, but I find that it kind of takes away from the beauty of the wood.
Now we get to the nitty gritty as I chalked the Moori and began to hit a few balls with the cue. The first thing I noticed is the cue is amazingly well balanced. The cue plays stiff with very good feedback. I am sure the ivory ferrule probably softens it up just a hair but it feels very similar to the Sugartree cues I have owned in the past. From the moment you pick it up it feels like you have shot with it forever. The cue plays lights out no less. After only hitting two racks with it I was comfortable enough with it to put my Scruggs back in the case and shoot with the S&S during league play. I put up an 18-2 on a very formidable opponent in A.P.A. nine ball shooting with it. I must say I was highly impressed with the playability and feel of this cue... WOW! I will give it a ten on the playability side and another ten on the budget side.
I think if you are looking for a phenomenal player and have a budget Mr. Sumrall has the cue for you. I am sure his prices will be going up soon...you can almost count on it. I am gonna post a couple pictures but it was really bright out so they aren't great.
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