The story of how you found your cue...

I've always wanted a Schon - since I had started playing at 18, I wanted one.
After college, I got a decent job and figured I'd treat myself to a nice cue, and retire my plain McDermott that I bought for 150. I met a guy that ran a pool and spa place and gave him a little help, and he told me I could order any cue he could get at his cost. :eek:

Well, of course I quizzed him on what brands he could get, and if he had any connections with custom makers. He really didnt, but he did deal schons. I picked up a nice STL-18.
 
Well dont know if i should really tell this story but here it is. Had only real cheap cues growing up heck one was a cane as well. So im 16 or so going to pool halls with a cheap cue and wanting a meucci like no other. So my father played in this pool team at a local bar. The owner of the bar let me come in and another guys son when they played at home. When league was over we all would play each other and have a good time with all the old guys. Well the other kid that was able to come in shot with a meucci i was jealous of course. After about a year or so of this the kids dad came in with his sons stick and handed it to me. Come to find out his son had a accident and passed. My father ended up throwing him like a 100 or so for the cue. I still shoot with the cue and still use the case that i got with it. Dont know what im going to do with the cue when my doug patrick is finished. Was thinking of trying to look the guy up and give it back to him. Or sell it for a few bucks maybe even using as a break stick. I left all names out in case someone on here knows the family.
 
A very good friend of mine used to live near Portland, Oregon, and was pretty heavy in the pool scene out there, hanging with the likes of Glenn Atwell back in the 90's. I guess he came across cuemaker Rich Benson's step-son one day, who was in college and in need of some cash. My friend bought a cue that Rich had made for his step-son from him. Fast forward to 2005 and my friend needs some cash, so I buy the cue from him. It's a beautiful, sweet hitting cue and it still has Rich B's step-sons name on the butt cap. I love the cue, and I like knowing the story of how the cue came to me.
 
I sometimes feel like how you play with a supposedly great cue is largely in your mind. There have been times when I have shot great all night with a house cue, then when I'm finished I roll it across the table and realize it was warped terribly. Yeah, the cue matters, but I feel like concentration and confidence matter a lot more.
 
Getting my cue was an interesting story, by way of the luckiest night at the casino you can imagine.

It was over Christmas week one year, where I had the whole week off work between then, and new years. I was living in Omaha, and we could drive about 8 miles to Council Bluffs to play the riverboat casinos.

The first night I went and took $200.00. I told myself that I would play until I made $500.00 and quit. I made it in about 45 mins, so went home.

Came back 2 days later and was going to do the same thing... but the luck was there in BJack, and in 3 hours I won about $1500.00.

It was now 1:00am, I was tired so I cashed out. On the way out the door, I passed the craps table (my favorite game), and realized I still had 6 green chips ($25.00's) I forgot to turn in. I figured I would waste them on the table then head home.

By the time the dice got to me I was up $500.00. I threw and hit 2 points, then threw a 5 coming out. I threw twice more, and then on a whim threw a green chip to the stickman and said, "2 - 3 on the hop". It hit 2 - 3 (30 to 1 payback), and I ended up with another $1200.00 when I was done.

So, I figured I couldnt leave with this luck and went to play Caribbean Stud poker. Within 3 hands I hit a flush and the dealer qualified on a 50/100 bet. (with progressive, I got $750.00). After 20 hands I noticed the dealers was not qualifying 7 out of 10 times, so I decided to bet 200/400 and play blind. I played for over 2 hours blind, betting 600.00 a hand. The pit bosses jaws were dropping. (I ended up betting so much that they comped me a room, dinner, and tickets to their New Years Eve party.

So... I was really getting tired and cashed in. As I was leaving, I wanted one more shot on the BJack table, so I put down $100.00 each in two boxes. I drew a 7-7 and 7-2. I split the first 7's and got another 7. split that and ALL 4 of my hands were double down hands... so I did. I now had 4 hands, and $800.00 total in play.

The dealer had a Jack showing. Dealer flips the under card (6), draws a 7 and busts.

I would have kept playing, but it was 8:00am, and I could hardly see straight. Went home with $7850.00 from my initial $200.00.

Slept most the day, and went and bought my capt hook meuci that same day. :)

Argonath
 
the test I would like to see

westcoast said:
I sometimes feel like how you play with a supposedly great cue is largely in your mind. There have been times when I have shot great all night with a house cue, then when I'm finished I roll it across the table and realize it was warped terribly. Yeah, the cue matters, but I feel like concentration and confidence matter a lot more.
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I'd like to see many of the top and mid ranked cue makers all make their typical cue but then add color to their finish so that they all looked much the same when done. Give the cues to players at major events and let them try to rank them. I suspect there would be some things as expected and some very unexpected things also. Hit and playability are both subjective so several hundred players would need to play with one or two dozen cues before real patterns started emerging.

Hu
 
cubswin said:
The cue I'm playing with is a sugartree. I had one on order for a long time, finally got tired of waiting and just cancelled the order. I had had one of his sneaky conversions and really wanted a custom. Talked to him about a year after cancelling my initial order, and asked if he had any without a name on it. As luck would have it he said he did. Time went by, and I realized that I didn't need a cue so emailed him and explained my thinking and that if he hadn't started he could cancel that cue as well.

As it turned out, he had started on it and had it done for dayton cue show last year. I didn't have any money, was short notice like a week before the show and I wasn't expecting it. He gave me the cue. I've asked more than once what I owe him for it, but he won't take any money. I did give him some fish fillets, but he was getting those with or without a cue because I like Eric. Have since I first talked to him.

I do owe him some beer, plan is to give him that in Dayton this year. Its worked out nice having this cue, because if I paid for it it would have already of been sold. When I need money I sell my cues, just a fact of life. I've held onto this cue, even when I badly needed the money, and have no plan of selling it.

Eric, thank you again for the cue!!!!
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What an awesome story! Very nice RAOK! (random act of kindness)
 
HUMMM....my favorite cue?

It would have to be the first cue I got when I had first moved up to tulsa...

I was playing on table 1 at the palace later in the evening and this guy is showing a handful of cues off on table 2....I remember turning and seeing the most gorgeous 4 point sneaky I ever saw.

It was a Curly Walnut with great detail, stainless joint. Cue just screamed at me "PLAY WITH ME!!!!" So i started chatting with the guy and told me his name was Joel Weinstock...little later we got to talking and he needed a tile job so i did the work and got the cue and he repaired the broken norwela which i was able to then sell. We've been best of friends ever since, thats also how I got started making cues :), it was great meeting such a nice guy so far from my territory that was interested in the same exact things i was and was willing to share knowledge....awesome experience

I had that cue for quite some time and won quite a bit with it, I ended up trading it back to him for an upgrade :) he inlaid some diamonds in the points, sold it and I havent seen that cue in ages :( wish i would have kept it b/c it sure was a sweet hitting cue.

I'm glad you brought that up I hadn't thought about that night in a while, must be going on 8 years ago that happened....time flies by when your having fun and on the run :)

-Grey Ghost-
 
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Collector Cue

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Here's my story...

Back in the day after getting out of the corps and not really having anything to do. I went and started working for my buddy running his pool hall. Then we started a business together, buying and refurbishing pool tables and selling them. In fact, every table in the hall was for sale.

One day I get a call from him that we need to go pick up a pool table. Turns out, this guy in beverly hills is getting divorced and has to sell his pool table. He sells us a turn of the century brunswick ninefooter with one piece 2" slate, took nine of us to lift the sucker and three identical eight point 36 MOP inlayed rich cues made back in 74 all for 2500 bucks.

So I ended up with one of the cues and scott and his brother ended up with one of the cues. Then a couple of months later someone breaks into the poolhall and steals every one of the cues in there. Luckily I had gone out of town to play at another hall that night and had my cue in the back of my car.

One of the cues ended up owned by tommy baker who used to own baker's billiards in fontana.

He's since moved to colorado last I heard.

Jaden
 
very old schon

It was maybe 15 years ago and I got a job working in a pool hall up in Chicago. I got on with the owner very well from the start. I was maybe 21 at the time. I was already very well into the game and was already obsessed well before this time. I have always loved pool and cues. Up until that time I had owned various McDermotts and meucci's and various mid level production cues. I used to go through cues semi regularly at that time. I ended up buying a nice Viking from him at cost for about $180 and was happy to have it.

Well, I was always talking pool and cues with him, and mentioned how much I would love to own a Schon cue. He tells me that he has one, a very old one that was actually found in the back room when he bought the pool hall. I was immediately interested in it and wanted to know everything about it! I was told it was in the process of being refinished and was not at the pool hall, but would let me have a look at it when it was completed. He just said it was a four point with veneers. He was going to let me have it for a very fair price, and I agreed to buy it without even seeing it.

Well, the cue was being refinished by Ray Schuler, a close friend of the owner, and it was at Schuler's shop for quite some time. I could barely wait for the cue to be done, and asked for status updates often.

During my agony of waiting, the owner passes away. Well, I really did not think too much about the cue after that, and never expected to ever hear anything more on it. More months go by, and the owner's step son who also manages the place comes in one day and hands me a cue case. He said he just picked it up from Schuler, and that he knew that his step dad would have wanted me to have it. I was blown away by this! I offered to at least pay the bill for the refinish. I actually do not even remember now if he accepted my offer or not, but I am pretty sure he declined.

The cue was wonderful. A newly refinished and re wrapped old schon. It was Brazilian rosewood into straight maple with veneers and windows with mitered frames. I am pretty certain it was one of the first schons ever made when they were still made in the back of the pool room in Wisconsin.

Anyways, great cue and it meant a lot to me to get it.
 
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yally said:
Let's hear some stories about how you got that first, best, or most important cue you were chasing! (ie. flying all around the US to find that magic BB!)

I'm sure you heavy hitter collectors must have some good ones!!! (C'mon Tikkler, Will, Fatboy, please share!!!) :thumbup:

Here's mine:

When I just started playing pool, and was dying for a cuetec <insert gigling here>. Seriously, I would be up at night trying to figure out how to save up for the plain gray stained model. Anyways, guy I met playing pool a few months later we started becoming fast friends. He knew a guy at a place called "Billiards and Bagels", and the guy kept talking about Jensens.

Well, we got Mike on the phone and started talking about cues, and he offered to build us both cues at a great price if we paid together. I wasn't sure since it was more money, and I reallllly wanted the cuetec and didn't know a thing about custom cues. Well, I ordered my Jensen to the same color specs as the cuetec <lol>, and he ordered a tulipwood 4 point. Couple months later we started worrying as the cues hadn't arrived, and we started worrying about this Jensen guy...well lo and behold a few days later our tube arrives, and two of the most beautiful cues pop out. I went from craving a cuetec to never wanting to play with anything but a Jensen after that. Mike, and June have been friends now for many years!

Small addition to the story. I had custom made joint protectors made to match my cue by Mike. He cursed me out for convincing him to make them as they were so intricate and detailed. Real work of art when they arrived. Week later, someone went into my case when I wasn't looking and stole them. Never been so mad :angry:
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Great story.

i bought mine right here on az. Steev sold it to me
 
Kent davis cue

well after having my players cue stolen out of my truck plus a stereo ,, and i loved that cue ,played great! then I bought some cue and joined apa ended up breaking it . soon after going though mcdemott cues that the shaft warps or the pin ,just ridiculous plus they were not the cheap mcdermotts, bought a scorpion and had a lucky mcdermott cue all basically junk in my opinion.

Finally I meet kent davis and bought one of his custom cues, has amazing feel and plays great. Still rolls striaght after 2 years of play plus I break with it.
 
Fortunate One

I got my Schon off of EBay. Paid a price that was more than fair (>50% less than retail). When the tube got to my house, I opened it and a cue that was far nicer than mine slid out. This thing was loaded with Ivory and probably at least quadrupled the value of the cue I had bought. Well, being one of the good guys, I got the situation straightened out with the seller and he knocked another 10% off for being honest. What goes around comes around.

I have never played with a better-hitting cue than my Schon. I'd recommend them to anyone who doesn't like whippy shafts.
 
pulzcul said:
Actually 2 cues. My first custom was a Lebow. I was layed over in Reno on a weekend waiting for a load on monday. It was my birthday and I decided to hit a few pawn shops for a nice watch. I walked into the first one and went over to the jewelry case. There were 2 instroke cases setting behind the case so I asked to see them. The 5x7 that I still carry today had a Sheldon Lebow w/3 shafts and the other 2x4 case had a jump stick in it. I got the whole package for $450 and sold the 2x4 for $150.
I've since sold the Lebow and now have a Madden that Jack built for me from a 60 yr old 1 pc. Hoppe. I had found a 1908 Southern Brunswick table years ago[still have it]. The stick came with a hand full of house cues,balls,racks,brushes and a bunch of old stuff that had been with the table and several owners for years. That stick rolled perfect after 60 years! Jack did a fantastic job on it. This one I'm keeping. Its the nicest cue I've ever owned or shot with.http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=136128&highlight=madden+titelist
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Its the only one:smile: And its beautiful.

Don, hope to see you in a month or so.
 
My first Cue :)

I don't recall the exact year , but it was 96' or 97' when I played in my first tournament. It was a BB tourney in Asheboro, NC at one of those not so legal pool rooms (beer in a dry county). I didn't know what to expect playing in the tourney, but I looked for a house cue that was only warped in one direction:) and had a reasonable tip. It was an 8 ball tourney with the standard bar rules, and I won the darn thing. My friend that invited me to the tourney had a Meucci that he didn't use, so I spent $75 big ones to purchase that first cue from him. I went on to win many more tourneys at that place with the Meucci.
 
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Early eighties....

A very good freind of mine had a beautiful 4 point JW that I'd been admiring ('lusting' after) for quite a while. Well, he decided one day
that he was going to sell it.... offered it to me for a deal @ $175.

I wanted to try it out before I bought it, even though I knew it was
going to be mine no matter what. So, I'm hitting some balls and
someone woofs at me to play some with the 8.... I accepted, and
a short while later and $75 richer (I know....) he doesn't want to
play anymore.....

So, for the nice price of $100 and the $75 I already won with it,
I had myself a nice JossWest... which still is, and ALWAYS has been
my player. I did buy her a nice dress and a couple of walking sticks
2-3 years ago though.... so she's not original anymore (even though
Bill did the work) but I still love her. :D

td
 
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