underrated wood

underated

maples are the most underated wood to me.i don't think there is another wood that has so many varieties and different looks.it is so common that we overlook it,just about every cue has some in it.how about a thread with cues that don't have any maple in them.
 
Joe Barringer said:
Chris....

This is one time I find myself disagreeing with you. I believe African Blackwood (AB) is underrated. Well over a decade ago I was stockpiling AB along with Pink Ivory aka Red Ivory (PI). Back then both were exceedingly rare and commanded premiums. I remember standing in front of PI logs well over 5 foot in diameter. My friend Mike brought them in but logs of this size are long gone. We bought huge quantities and are still selling from that stash. The quality is the best available anywhere. Today logs that are coming in are less than one foot in diameter (which is a crime or should be) and getting scarcer and nothing like the quality of years ago.

AB was and still is my favorite wood to use in making a cue and at one time more costlier than ebony. It just has so much more character than plain ebony. AB is a dark, dark brownish black but finishes black with magnificent silver streaking which I believe shimmers in the light. It's a beautiful wood and makes excellent hitting cues. I personally believe it's the best hitting wood out there and has great looks but that's my opinion and what the heck do I know.

Fast forward to today and AB is at this moment less costly than ebony and represents an excellent investment because just as PI and ebony have increased in price so too will AB when supplies are exhausted. That time is coming soon. The forests cannot sustain demands just as PI and ebony have increased so will AB; it's just a matter of time.

Ziricote is a fantastic wood and has great figure but the problem is that the beautiful figure is lost in a cue as it cannot be seen due to the small diameter of the cue. That being said, it does make for a great hitting cue and finishes beautifully even though you cannot see the figure.

In closing, I'd like to say God Bless and thank you to all our Veterans on this Veterans Day, 2012.
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How's this?
 

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Nice lookin Ziricote Bob.... I was "Down South" a few years ago and got a chance to buy a couple of nice pieces of it. Here's a pic.

ziricote.jpg
 
meridianblades said:
Nice lookin Ziricote Bob.... I was "Down South" a few years ago and got a chance to buy a couple of nice pieces of it. Here's a pic.

ziricote.jpg
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Beautiful eyes in that ziricote! High figure ziricote with a segmented ebony handle and attractive deco rings is a cue that I have in mind.

Martin
 
bdcues said:
way cool. always looking for high figure 1x5x30 boards.
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I would have to check these again, but I think they are 1.375-1.5 in thickness and about 4-5 ft long...
Hard to tell from the old pic. Probably hang onto these for a rainy day...
 
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Joe Barringer said:
Perhaps I should have qualified my statement by saying, highly figure pieces of Ziricote that look like this will not show much contrast when finished. Please see this link: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/cuecomponents_2233_26789360

Either way, Ziricote makes a great hitting cue and thank you for allowing me to clarify my statement.
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If on your monitor there is not much contrast than it is your monitors fault. I have 2 monitors, on one the figure is highly visible and on the other everything is darker and less figure shows. This is true with everything you look at on that particular monitor. Meridianblades monitor obviously shows the figure better.
 
African Blackwood has better tonal qualities than most woods the beauty may not be there but the play is
 
I believe African Blackwood (AB) is underrated.
In closing, I'd like to say God Bless and thank you to all our Veterans on this Veterans Day, 2012.

love that blackwood too
unfortunately you can barely see the figure in this pic,
but that whole piece shimmers in the right lighting
 

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BHQ said:
I believe African Blackwood (AB) is underrated.
In closing, I'd like to say God Bless and thank you to all our Veterans on this Veterans Day, 2012.

love that blackwood too
unfortunately you can barely see the figure in this pic,
but that whole piece shimmers in the right lighting
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I see the figure just fine. Personally, for making a cue I think it's the best choice; looks great and hits great! It doesn't get any better unless you combine it with some Amboyna. :-)
 
See I told you AB was overrated. Look at all the high ratings it has gotten. :grin:

The reason I think it is overrated is it has been proclaimed by more than one cuemaker to be the best cue building wood out there. It is not nearly as pretty as many Striped Ebonies. I cannot believe anyone that can run a few racks would proclaim it to be the best playing wood out there. But the thing about it that gets me is it is called Blackwood, when it is really just African Brownwood. I know it is a good wood. But those who think it is the best have it over-rated in my opinion.
 
cueman said:
See I told you AB was overrated. Look at all the high ratings it has gotten. :grin:

The reason I think it is overrated is it has been proclaimed by more than one cuemaker to be the best cue building wood out there. It is not nearly as pretty as many Striped Ebonies. I cannot believe anyone that can run a few racks would proclaim it to be the best playing wood out there. But the thing about it that gets me is it is called Blackwood, when it is really just African Brownwood. I know it is a good wood. But those who think it is the best have it over-rated in my opinion.
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so it IS BROWN
maybe im not as colorblind as i thought i was
it always looked brown to me
 
pooldawg8 said:
Hey Joey
Do you have any pics of these 2 woods that you mentioned;
Pernambuco & Granadillo

Thanks buddy
Jeff
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Pernambuco on the left and granad at the bottom.
I have a few of the pernams and a lot more of the figured granadillo.
 

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cueman said:
See I told you AB was overrated. Look at all the high ratings it has gotten. :grin:

The reason I think it is overrated is it has been proclaimed by more than one cuemaker to be the best cue building wood out there. It is not nearly as pretty as many Striped Ebonies. I cannot believe anyone that can run a few racks would proclaim it to be the best playing wood out there. But the thing about it that gets me is it is called Blackwood, when it is really just African Brownwood. I know it is a good wood. But those who think it is the best have it over-rated in my opinion.
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Well if more than one cue maker "proclaimed" it to be one of the best cue building woods out there then maybe it is. I genuinely think it is and have been using it for quite a while. It has much more character then ebony and hits as good or better; personally, I think it makes for a better hitting cue. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :grin:

And, when it's finished it looks black; not brown. It's not brownwood. It's called Blackwood for a reason. It's looks great when it's finished.

If you want wood that is black in color on your cue, you have several choices. You can pick usual and boring ebony, you can pick AB that has character or you can pick purpleheart that is dyed black (I wonder how many of those are out there!).

You know what -- it's ugly disgusting wood. Don't use it. It's overrated and no one should use it. I'll keep buying it and stockpiling it as I did with Pink Ivory, Brazilian Rosewood, Amboyna and a few other scarce species.

Enjoy your day.
 
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