Tim Scruggs Cue Discussion

[Cezar Morales]

Hello Azers and Tim Scruggs lovers,
Can i please seek your advice n opinion in how they play as i'm interested in buying one.
Please bear with my questions as i'm still new in the custom cue world !

Does it have solid stiff hit like Josey or Southwest ?

Hows d balance ( rear or forward ) ?

Does the signature steel joint of Scruggs cue results in a softer hit ?

IN YOUR OWN OPINION, what do u think Tim Scruggs cue is KNOWN FOR as compared to any other cues like Judd, josey, southwest, Jeff Olney ??

(P.S I'm not comparing as hit n feel is subjective , would prefer to use the signature charateristic of a cue maker as a reference point. For example, Josey- stiff hit , Southwest -Solid stiff , Judd - medium hit, lively etc )

I would really appreciate it if you can help me out and thank y'all in advance for reading.

Sincerely
Ryan

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Scruggs cues are typically very crisp, stiff hitting cues that offer great feedback.

Dense shafts typically at or near 4 oz are common.

best materials used and made with precision to very high standards.

best,
brian kc

 

[alstl]

I've never owned one but they are universally recognized as being excellent playing cues.

 

[Pushout]

The one I had was, I guess, softer hitting than my Southwest. Mine had a steel joint, though. A friend of mine had two that were wood to wood joints and I saw a lot of them before Tim retired. My cue was more forward balanced. I think there was quite a bit of difference in the steel jointed cues versus the wood to wood joints.

 

[Cezar Morales]

Appreciate your opinion Brian !!
Keep it coming guys !!
I notice too that Tim uses alota ivory for his cues, like ivory ferules , joint ?
Will ivory joint and ferules result in more deflection and softer hit ?
Does Tim still makes cue ?

Thankz
Ryan

 

[Pushout]

Appreciate your opinion Brian !!
Keep it coming guys !!
I notice too that Tim uses alota ivory for his cues, like ivory ferules , joint ?
Will ivory joint and ferules result in more deflection and softer hit ?
Does Tim still makes cue ?

Thankz
Ryan

Mine had ivory ferrules. As to the deflection, I couldn't say. As I said above, Tim is retired far as I know.

 

[Cezar Morales]

Whats the difference btw the wood and steel joint for a scruggs cue in terms of the hit then ?

 

[Pushout]

Whats the difference btw the wood and steel joint for a scruggs cue in terms of the hit then ?

As I remember, the wood to wood hit not quite as stiff as the Josey that the same friend owned. My steel jointed one hit a bit softer, I guess, but I haven't owned the cue in a long, long time, since the mid 80s'.

 

[Bamacues]

According to my records, I have owned about 40 Scruggs cues since 2008. The balance points vary somewhat, depending on the cue and who it was made for. For the most part, they balance right around 19".

The hit depends on the joint, etc, with steel having a typically harder hit, and ivory being somewhat softer, but in all cases, there seems to be a clean, crisp feel to his cues.

He and Mike used top grade materials, great machine work, and some different build techniques. The result was that they are one of the best player's cues available.

Mostly, they feel like an old friend, from the first time you hit with them. Ask who all owns a Scruggs cue, if you want to know.
Joe

 

[Cezar Morales]

Thankz guys !
Maybe someone would like to chip in and explain as
to why Steel joints produce a harder hit then wood joints ?
Doesnt wood joints allows more energy to be transferred from butt to shaft ??

I understand that its subjective and i respect your opinion, would just like to hear your views on them

Thankz
Ryan

 

[Cezar Morales]

And just something that makes me curious ...
If Tim Scruggs cue are really awesome playing cue, why do i see on one on sale a day in Az on average.
Whereas Josey n Olney cues are rarely or less often and if they r for sale, they sell out really really fast?

Not tryin to bash anyone here, i hooe to keep this discussion open n healthy but if i offend anyone, pls pm me and i will try my best to rectify my actions ! I apologize if i offend anyone beforehand!

Thankz
ryan

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

And just something that makes me curious ...
If Tim Scruggs cue are really awesome playing cue, why do i see on one on sale a day in Az on average.
Whereas Josey n Olney cues are rarely or less often and if they r for sale, they sell out really really fast?

Not tryin to bash anyone here, i hooe to keep this discussion open n healthy but if i offend anyone, pls pm me and i will try my best to rectify my actions ! I apologize if i offend anyone beforehand!

Thankz
ryan

prob because the ts brand had been around so long and were so widely acclaimed there simply were that many more of them produced.

best,
brian kc

 

[Cezar Morales]

prob because the ts brand had been around so long and were so widely acclaimed that there's simply were that many more of them produced.

best,
brian kc

Hey Brian,
Appreciate u chipping in with ur valuable opinions, ppl like u make az a condusive place for helping ppl like me trying to acquire knowledge and improve our game.
Btw, i finally bought the Olney cue of my dreams, getting an extra shaft fitted, i believe its the most awesome wrapless figured cocobolo Jeff has ever made.
Cant wait to play wit my baby.

Thankz
Ryan

 

[Colonel]

SS piloted joint cues are a stiff crisp hit, his other cues with different joints are solid but softer. One of the big differences for me is the difference between Scruggs cues made along with Bob Frey & others made with Mike, they play differently to me. I prefer the Bob Frey era myself, your mileage may vary.

 

[mia]

And just something that makes me curious ...
If Tim Scruggs cue are really awesome playing cue, why do i see on one on sale a day in Az on average.
Whereas Josey n Olney cues are rarely or less often and if they r for sale, they sell out really really fast?

Not tryin to bash anyone here, i hooe to keep this discussion open n healthy but if i offend anyone, pls pm me and i will try my best to rectify my actions ! I apologize if i offend anyone beforehand!

Thankz
ryan

Tim Scruggs made cues for maybe 30+ years before retiring. Once he retired (and Mike Cochran passed), the shop stopped producing cues, thus driving up the value of the cues he had built previously.

I think the reason you see so many on the market these days is, people are looking to make a profit off something they have.

That being said, I have owned several and, for the most part, I wasn't a tremendous fan of the hit. To me, it was mediocre. I preferred the South West hit/feel and the hit/feel of a number of other cuemakers. But that's just a personal preference so don't put any weight behind it.

 

[Pushout]

I sold mine because I just could not get used to it/play well with it. I even had Tim rework the shafts, change the taper a bit, but it didn't help. Mine was a maple four pointer with three veneers, ebony points and butt sleeve, leather wrap. It might have been the wrap, I don't know. Anyhow, I sold it very quickly and think I bought my first Southwest shortly after.

 

[Mkbtank]

I had a Scruggs with an ivory joint which I loved. Sold it on a bad month and regret that decision almost daily.

 

[BmoreMoney]

Hello Azers and Tim Scruggs lovers,
Can i please seek your advice n opinion in how they play as i'm interested in buying one.
Please bear with my questions as i'm still new in the custom cue world !

Does it have solid stiff hit like Josey or Southwest ?

Hows d balance ( rear or forward ) ?

Does the signature steel joint of Scruggs cue results in a softer hit ?

IN YOUR OWN OPINION, what do u think Tim Scruggs cue is KNOWN FOR as compared to any other cues like Judd, josey, southwest, Jeff Olney ??

(P.S I'm not comparing as hit n feel is subjective , would prefer to use the signature charateristic of a cue maker as a reference point. For example, Josey- stiff hit , Southwest -Solid stiff , Judd - medium hit, lively etc )

I would really appreciate it if you can help me out and thank y'all in advance for reading.

Sincerely
Ryan

Let me begin by first telling you I absolutely not the one to discuss or offer any opinion as to the technical aspect of cues. But what I can offer you is my 20+ years of playing with literally several hundred cues.

Out of every cue that I've ever played with ( and this includes many high end customs - the likes of Black Boar and the such - and not taking anything away from any of these cues, but every Scruggs I've owned has played just awesome. So much in my opinion that of maybe the 15 or so Scruggs I've owned over the years I can honestly say that every one of those Scruggs played better than any other cue I've used ( with the exception of one - The Tomahawk - but I will come back to that in a moment.

All of the Scruggs I've owned with the exception of one TS Fancy custom have been either true sneakies ( my personal favorites by far ) or fancy sneakies. Im sure it is a matter of preference; but imo the wood to wood joints are the only way to go for me. The price on Scruggs' now a days are getting up there but in my opinion whatever the price you pay for one is a good investment because I believe while other cues has lost a lot of value Scruggs' have and will continue to rise. On top of that it may end up being the last player cue you ever buy??? Never know. I was very lucky because every TS I've owned was just right place right time. What I mean by that is every one was a result of either being won in a game, or buying one on the very cheap after someone went bust and needed some pocket money.

The one thing I was gonna mention was if u did not want to drop the money right away on the TS, I could also highly recommend a Bob Frey ( Bob worked for Timmy for years and built just about all of the sneakies that came out of Timmy's shop ) . They play bout identical.

One last thing; and I cant really say why, but I def prefer the older Scruggs with the old logo as opposed to newer ones with newer logo. Hope this all helps a little - good luck brother.

 

[Billiardbills]

I've owned 5 Scruggs cues and have a beautiful 4 point 5 veneer custom for sale that came from Dick Abbot and literally is in 98% condition (nudge nudge). I'd agree 95% with the above comment.

The 5% I'm not sure of is the shaft. I've hit with a lot of Frey cues as well, the Scruggs are a bit firmer. No clue why.

Scruggs cues hit very firm but super well balanced and do have excellent feedback.

Here's the eye candy. $1999.00 and the price is as firm as his cues hit. Lol.

Play Well!

Billiard Bill's
Buying-Selling-Trading
Text/call Bill 239.823.0408 (8am-7pm EST please)
billiardbills@gmail.com
Southwest Florida

 

[Cezar Morales]

Hey Bill, thanks for your offer, i will consider it but l'm particularly looking for an ebony scruggs, have always been a sucker for ebony cue, love the way they generate power lol.

Once again, i would like to thank everyone who contributed your valauble opinions on this thread !