scruggs or frey sneaky?

scottycoyote

scottycoyote

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ok thinking about treating myself to another cue........always wanted a scruggs sneaky. Then of course I heard about bob frey and how he worked in tims shop and made alot of his sneakies supposedly. So do i get an old scruggs, a used frey or order a new frey. Im looking for whichever cue will give me that classic "scruggs hit". Can i get it with a frey or do the old scruggs have magic in em? Anybody hit with both? Not much pool going on around here and hardly nobody even has a custom cue, so dont say hit with both, i wont get the chance......need my azbilliards pals to give me some guidance :)
 
Scruggs or Frey

Both the Scruggs and Frey cues are excellant choices. Cue construction has improved over the years, and both Tim Scruggs, and Bob Frey constantly try to make better cues. Older cues have older technology. As Tim is currently only making custom cues, why not order a new Bob Frey to your specifications. It only takes about a month. Please advise if I can be of service to you JP WWW.CUESNTHINGS.COM
 
I have Bob Frey Sneaky Pete and I love it. My friend had it up on a lathe the other day and he said the shaft was as straight as he's seen. (also, center drilled properly and tapered properly.) And it hits great.

I got my cue from JP and I think I got it either the very next day or the day after in perfect condition. He was honest and I can definitely vouch for my business dealings with him...
 
I'll chime in here becuase I bought a Frey sneaky based upon the glowing reviews of the cues and of JP on this board.
As far as I'm concerned that's something I wouldn't do again. The cue wasn't what I was expecting, and as far as J.P. that guy is a straight up jackass! He had no clue what was going on the entire transaction! Even after the cue showed up he was telling me it'd be here in 2 days.. LOL


I ordered a cue a few weeks prior to my b-day from cuesnthings..

Now bear in mind my b-day is Oct 1st, and I ordered the cue on Sept 11. The thought process being that I'll have it before my b-day.

Ordered the cue on sept 11th, and was told that they were currently out of stock but would be receiving and shipping middle of the following week or there abouts. I was also told my credit card would be charged the day the cue shipped.

Fast forward two days, I goto the bank and low and behold my credit card is charged. No big deal right? Cues came early and I should be receiving it soon. Well I wait and I wait.. No cue, so I call ole J.P the following Friday to see what's up? No problemo shipping out today..

That bullshiat went on for weeks and weeks. I called once a week to check status. Finally on 10 - 18 I was told the cue shipped you should have it tomorrow!!

Fast forward it's now 10 - 24 when the cue shows up and it was more whippy then I was expecting. I call J.P. to inform him of the cue being whippy, and the fact that two large peaces of cocobola were rattling around inside of it when I recieved it. (Had to pull the rubber off the end and use a stick to get them out).

The guy had the nuts to tell me that "I was impossible to please and to just send it back and he'll refund my money." You heard that right..

After being told my credit card will be charged the day it ships.. (not 4 weeks prior)

After being told 5 or 6 times that it's going out tomorrow, or that it already went out and did I get it yet? etc.. etc..

After being possitive about this whole deal and ending every phone call with "Take your time, I'd rather have something built right, then have it rushed"

And finally, getting a phone call the morning the cue showed up to be told that it'd be there in 2 more days.. (WTF?) Which affirms that this jackass has no clue as to what's going on anymore.

I'm "impossible to make happy." LOL.. I would've sent it back but I had a pretty distinct feeling I wasn't getting my money back or a cue back so I just kept it and ended up selling it.

If you think I'm joking about the dates.. read this thread.

Step by step from me ordering the cue

I never really got that negative in it, for fear I'd never end up getting my cue or my money back.

Now I'm not getting all crazy trying to put this guy outta business or anything, but I would've appreciated reading an HONEST bum deal with this guy before I ordered.

DJ
 
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scottycoyote said:
ok thinking about treating myself to another cue........always wanted a scruggs sneaky. Then of course I heard about bob frey and how he worked in tims shop and made alot of his sneakies supposedly. So do i get an old scruggs, a used frey or order a new frey. Im looking for whichever cue will give me that classic "scruggs hit". Can i get it with a frey or do the old scruggs have magic in em? Anybody hit with both? Not much pool going on around here and hardly nobody even has a custom cue, so dont say hit with both, i wont get the chance......need my azbilliards pals to give me some guidance :)
Click to expand...

I'd personally get a old scruggs if you can find one. Much better resale, and I like them better personally. I've only hit a couple freys though, so I'm not the best judge.
 
PlynSets said:
I'll chime in here becuase I bought a Frey sneaky based upon the glowing reviews of the cues and of JP on this board.
As far as I'm concerned that's something I wouldn't do again...............

DJ
Click to expand...
Sorry your transaction wasnt as you would have liked it, but name calling etc are not called for at all. JP has WAY more satisfied customers than nonsatisfied ones.
And speaking of Frey cues, they are by no means whippy. I dont know about the cue you have/had....but a 9-10' pro taper is very far from whippy.
Anyhow, I would strongly recommend Frey sp's to anyone, especially when compared to Scruggs. People tend to let nostalgia and popular trends change/shape their opinion about whether a cue plays good or is worth having.
Chuck
 
Bob Frey

I have a Bob Frey sneaky pete and I would highly recommend it. I also have a Tim Scruggs cue and I think the hit is almost the same.:)
 
RiverCity said:
Sorry your transaction wasnt as you would have liked it, but name calling etc are not called for at all. JP has WAY more satisfied customers than nonsatisfied ones.
And speaking of Frey cues, they are by no means whippy. I dont know about the cue you have/had....but a 9-10' pro taper is very far from whippy.
Anyhow, I would strongly recommend Frey sp's to anyone, especially when compared to Scruggs. People tend to let nostalgia and popular trends change/shape their opinion about whether a cue plays good or is worth having.
Chuck
Click to expand...

Well I suppose that's a matter of opinion now isn't it. Personally after having endured what I did, I think letting it go at "jackass" was pretty light all n all. As far as a 9 - 10 inch pro taper, I suppose the rigidness, or whippiness of a cue might also have something to do with the wood that it's comprised of would (pun intended) it not?

DJ
 
I guess I can only speak to my dealings with JP, and as I've already commented, he had it to me within days. I guess I should point out that I didn't have the cue custom made for me, it's just one that JP already had arriving, so maybe that was the difference? I'm not sure, but it got here quick.

In regards to the whippiness of a BF sneaky pete, I didn't think mine was whippy at all. Over the years, I've had two McDermotts that were 10 times whippier. (Both of which warped within 6 months of getting them :-P)

Playn sets - I think in another post, you've mentioned you're in No. Co and I go by there about once a month to visit my mom in Chula Vista. If you want to get together and hit a few cheap sets, PM me. I'll let you test out my cue... Maybe you'll change your mind, maybe you won't..

Anyway, I've never had a chance to hit with a Scruggs cue (never even seen one in person), so I can't really compare the two, which I guess was the original intent of this post.
 
Wow

It took a long time but I finally heard something bad said about JP. So maybe in another 20 or 30 years it might happen again maybe not. I have sold and bought many many Tim Scruggs and Bob Frey sneakies and I can't tell the differance between them. They both have the same tapper and unless you ask for a pro tapper they are about as far from whippy as can be. I will have a Scruggs sneaky or two for sale probably this week with a delrin butt plate for $650.00. But for under $400 you can get it new from Bob just say you want his 9 inch tapper.
I blind fold you and you will not be able to tell the differance and I would not hesitate to order one form J.P. ever! Yes you might have to wait a month but it will be well worth it especially if you beg for a purple heart model my personal favorite!
Nick
 
Best Sneaky Pete / Hustler?

First with the disclaimer: Each of our opinions are limited by our own experiences. Hit, feel and playability are VERY subjective.

I rotate play between two TS's, Diveney and Josey. Owned a Bob Frey SP too - (my purchase with JP Nussbaum went perfectly). All have buttcapps and phenolic joint collars. The shaft tapers are almost identical, the joint screws vary. IMO the 4 mentioned above play and feel VERY similar.

They all play great but if I had to rank the ones I'm familiar with it would be close:

1. Scruggs Bacote Hustler <<< maybe the best cue in the world...lol
2. Diveney butterfly cocobolo, a very close second place and classy, nice action in the shaft
3. Josey ebony, solid as a rock, stiff shaft, smidgen butt heavy imo
4. Frey cocobolo, could feel each of the seams in the points

Wouldn't hesitate to use any of them anytime but buy the TS Sneaky/Hustler if you can find one in reasonable condition with a good full-sized shaft. You can always have the butt refinished. Pat Diveney makes an excellent player and might be the very best value in cuedom. I believe Pat goes by butterflycues here on AZB.

Dave << always trying to play up to my equipment:)
 
Which cue is considered the Scruggs hustler?
I have a few, I've asked Mr. Scruggs before and was told that you can call his cue whatever you like. I don't know if he meant that others named it the hustler but it sounded like he didn't name it himself. Not sure. Anyway could you describe what you consider the hustler?
 
twilight said:
Which cue is considered the Scruggs hustler?
I have a few, I've asked Mr. Scruggs before and was told that you can call his cue whatever you like. I don't know if he meant that others named it the hustler but it sounded like he didn't name it himself. Not sure. Anyway could you describe what you consider the hustler?
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There are no hard and fast rules - but these days, most people
use the term 'hustler' to mean a housecue looking 2 piece cue.
'Invisible' joint - no collars, no butt cap, no ornamentation.

Sneaky Pete now seems to encompass most any cue
that is based on a nonveneered, 4 point blank, that may
have been a housecue, or may have been built from scratch.

Many are far from being 'sneaky'

Dale Pierce
 
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from what I've been hearing especially on this forum, what you have described is exactly the opposite from what I've been told.
Hustlers have joint collars (or something that makes them not look exactly like a house cue) / sneakies don't and lookd exactly like a house cue.

This is why I'm asking for clarification on the "scruggs hustler" everyone has a different name for them, I'm looking for Jigger's description of what he considers the Hustler
 
ok thanks for the input, im watching some auctions and i also emailed diveney to get an idea of his prices.....gonna have to mull this over
 
I agree with Twilight above ----My thinking was the term Sneaky Pete technically meant to describe no buttcapp and no joint collars, a very plain/stripped down house cue appearance.

Hustler would be used to describe the Fancy SP's w/collars and buttcapp, nice rings or even Josey's cutsey little inlays.

FWIW I tend to use Fancy Sneaky Pete and Hustler interchangeably.
 
Jigger said:
I agree with Twilight above ----My thinking was the term Sneaky Pete technically meant to describe no buttcapp and no joint collars, a very plain/stripped down house cue appearance.

Hustler would be used to describe the Fancy SP's w/collars and buttcapp, nice rings or even Josey's cutsey little inlays.

FWIW I tend to use Fancy Sneaky Pete and Hustler interchangeably.
Click to expand...

Well, as I said, that was the original definition of a Sneaky,
but since it has been next to impossible to fool anybody with a SP
for a couple decades now, Hustler is the term for a cue
you want to "hustle" with

maybe thats is why Timmy declined the question.
Dale
 
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