Growing up in the Princeton / Trenton NJ area and my Dad working close by in eastern PA, somehow through his work he found out about this guy, very close to where he worked, in Feasterville, PA, named Doc Frye, who made cues out of his home. In the early 70's, in my early high school years, twice my Dad took me to Doc's workshop to order a cue from him, which he made for me, and which I played with for a few years.I've probably owned about 35 cues...I had a Bludworth that hit super..I loved it...BUT...Let it go...I had a Predator P-2 that shot lights out..Yep..Let it go...I had a Olivier I loved and had it refinished...It came back with a leather wrap I hated so, yep, got rid of it...
But of them all, I had a TAD 1-M cue that was FANTASTIC.......It paid for itself a hundred tImes over...Got it on a Friday...Went out that night and played in a big tournament..Won the tournament undefeated...Best hit of any cue I've had so far...The wrap started coming loose and the clear coat had a flaw which got worse...My friend said it looked like it had been refinished...I checked and it would take Tad forever to re-do it so I sold it...Now I wish I would of waited...Really, really miss that cue...
I have bought 2 just like it since then but none hit like that one...
So...What's your story??? What cue do you wish you had back???
At some point not too many years after that, likely 1976 or 1977, I thought I was upgrading big time when I purchased a new Meucci from a vendor when attending a big pro event as a spectator at Asbury Park or Atlantic City. Not too long after that, I think I either sold or gave up my Frye cues for next to nothing, not knowing what I had. It wasn't until probably 20+ years later that I learned about Doc's tutelage of Gus Szamboti, and that Doc's cues are quite sought after, although certainly nothing like Gus's cues. I did not make the same mistake with a Gus cue I purchased from a friend around 1980, not knowing what it was, but luckily I still had it when nearly 15 years later I found out what it was, and I still have it today.