The Tad that I have is one I’d never seen before - until I came across the same rendition but with different color veneers in a issue of Billiards Digest Cue Collectors Edition (might have been Inside Pool?) that belonged to Lucky. Up until that point, I thought I was the only one who had that rendition. Even now, I’ve still never seen another with the same veneer colors scheme as mine.
A couple of years before Tad passed, I took my cue to his shop. When I handed it to him, he said, “Ahhh, I remember this cue. It’s worth a lot of money - do you know how much?” He also told me the story behind the longer butt cap, which I already knew.
He then gave me a full tour of his shop, showing me all of his equipment. Afterward, he and his wife sat down with us and shared their whole story. I was truly honored.
He didn’t say it outright, but when he mentioned remembering that cue, I couldn’t help but think he probably only made a couple renditions of it - that’s why it stood out in his memory? I don’t know that for certain, but I do know he made quite a few cues and this was not his usual/typical work.
