Could not agree more. Also reminds me of the "butane flame" veneered cue that Mobley (a Haley protege if I understand) did a while back. I'm a stone sucker for the blues & blue/greens. That inlay's not to be discounted either.
When I see that kind of intricate inlay stuff - this is an isolated version of what Scianella, Manzino, Aurthur Cue, etc, are doing so much of... I talked about this with Marcus Diest (sp?) at the Cuemaker's show in KC...
Imagine putting all that work & time into doing that inlay work - design, pockets, pieces, etc... then you chuck it up in a lathe to start turning it down. Would you be outta your comfort zone or what?