What Do You Hate To See In A Cue?

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Rubber bumpers – been used for years w/o redesign to better integrate with the cue (why do an expensive cue is both design and materials then screw on the same old $1.00 rubber bumper)
Butterfly points – too feminine
Delrin – cloudy and translucent
Floating points and rounded points or inlays
Tulipwood, purpleheart, holly, and pink ivory
Bad veneer work and gobs of glue
Uni-loc joints and shafts that screw loose all the way to the joint
Poor over all design - too many copycat designs and “tribute” cues
Nice cues that are not available at reasonable prices because most of their production goes to lucky
Cues by cue makers that take full credit even when someone else did the design or scrimmed the cue
Huge gaps b/t cut and inlay
That craig peterson died young
Gina’s “rainbow” cues

 

[BillYards]

Oh, I forgot, but to be honest I... just don't... like... a lot of Balabushka's designs.... -GASP!- Yes, it is true! I finally said it! (To be fair, I have seen some that were awesome.)

 

[Koop]

Floating points and rounded points or inlays
Uni-loc joints and shafts that screw loose all the way to the joint

I'm with you on both those counts.
I don't hate Purpleheart but don't like Holly.

Give me ebony, cocobolo, bocote, or brazilian rosewood.

 

[bruin70]

Bruin and I have some similar tastes. Here's a few of mine in no particular order.

2) floating points (generally don't like 'em)

4) ULTRA fancy cues with only a thin silver trim ring at the joint collar (never have understood that)


it.

good ones!!!! i'd have to qualify and say 96% of all floating points

 

[ridewiththewind]

Crap Sean, your words are my words too!
Let me add: notched diamonds
a cue devoid of ringwork
notched diamonds
any MOP
notched diamonds
abalone
notched idamonds
points without veneers
notched diamonds
point wood too similar to forearm wood to distinguish
notched diamonds

I have to agree on most of what you have to say, but...yikes!...my new cue Skip is building for me is going to have his slotted ivory diamonds. I am told they are super-crispy sharp! I did stay away from the abalone or MoP for the diamonds...does that count for something?!

Lisa

 

[Mystick Cue Fan]

tulip wood

Tulip wood is an awesome wood espescially matched with perple heart. Also goes great on ebony. Tulip wood in my opinion is one of the prettiest woods out there. Malachite shouldn't be put into cues. I hate ebony that is too black. To where there is no figure at all. Curly maple with no curl. lol. And I don't like too big of a joint made of ivory. I like the way gilbert does his ivory joints. Short and classy. Sets off the whole cue. Short points get on my nerves. Along with rounded points and no veneers on points. JMHO. All the other stuff I kinda agree with. Some I don't.

 

[bruin70]

Tulipwood, purpleheart, and holly
n

i forgot holly.

 

[bruin70]

I hate ebony that is too black. t.

have you ever seen african blackwood? i don't know if they're all the same, but the ones i've seen are very dark, but on close inspection, they have a nice minute pattern

 

[coastydad]

What do you hate to see in a cue.

Agree with most of the above, with the exception of Delrin butt caps. Think they look OK on most cues. Also, Abalone or mother of pearl inlays. Think they look OK too used sparingly in "Old School" designs ala Szamboti and Balabushka (sorry Jimbo). Can't stand floating points, stone, malachite or whatever inlays. Think butterfly points are kind of gay. Definitely can't tolerate rounded points and inlays. Notched diamonds are nice if well executed and sharp. Hate glue lines! Ferrules that are not completely flush with the shaft wood make me want to barf. Uneven points turn me off. A lot of high dollar cues just seem to be overdone and too busy. Saw a super high dollar Schon the other day somewhere on the internet with all these rubies and stuff sticking out of it, horrible, couldn't sleep all night.

 

[pharaoh68]

Things that I don't like to see on a cue:
1) Malachite, abalone, mother of pearl, turquoise, and gold.
2) Rounded CNC points. A point, by definition, should be round. Should it not?
3) Points that do not match the butt sleeve. There is no sense of uniformity there and it just looks like a mistake.
4) On a no-point, player's cue: when the butt and forearm don't match. Looks like someone is just recycling the leftover pieces on the shop floor.
5) Rounded inlays that aren't supposed to be rounded. Please guys. Put some effort into your work.
6) The name Richard Black. I know I'm pissing a lot of guys off with that statement but hey! I don't like his cues.
7) Floating points. Weird!
8) 95% of all linen wraps. White w/ brown spec and cortland are ok.
9) Finish that looks so dull it almost isn't noticeable.
10) Colored scrimshaw. Makes an expensive custom cue look like a production cue.
11) Uneven points. Just plain silly looking.
12) The PFD stamp because I know I'll be getting a cue that looks ugly, plays like crap, and has a truly tacky uni-loc joint.

Sorry to those of you that I may have upset or offended.

 

[icon]

2) Rounded CNC points. A point, by definition, should be round. Should it not? HUH?
12) The PFD stamp because I know I'll be getting a cue that looks ugly, plays like crap, and has a truly tacky uni-loc joint.

and nobody will take it off your hands

 

[icon]

crispy sharp!

cool description

 

[icon]

scrimshaw(only because i haven't seen any good artwork, and i generally don't like PICTURES in the butt)
colored scrimshaw

artists that whine about no good artwork in cues but dont do any themselves and they need new glasses

 

[pawnmon]

Forgot to mention this in my original post on the topic. I can't stand snakeskin/cobra wraps. These are almost as ugly as those old leather wraps from the 60's that looked like the wrap for a tennis racket handle. JMO.

 

[SPINTHEBALL]

Forgot to mention this in my original post on the topic. I can't stand snakeskin/cobra wraps. These are almost as ugly as those old leather wraps from the 60's that looked like the wrap for a tennis racket handle. JMO.

Add ringtail Lizard to that list for me

 

[ironchef.]

A R E . W E . C L E A R ?

Crystal...

 

[cueaddicts]

JimBo: Also... let loose on the cue design theft subject. I have not heard your take on that and would like to hear it. I am assuming you have a certain cuemaker in mind....

Oh.............GOD. Not again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cueaddicts]

I have to agree on most of what you have to say, but...yikes!...my new cue Skip is building for me is going to have his slotted ivory diamonds. I am told they are super-crispy sharp! I did stay away from the abalone or MoP for the diamonds...does that count for something?!

Lisa

Lisa, I too don't particularly care for slotted diamonds, per se. But.....having said that, you can tell a lot about a cuemaker's inlay skills by looking closely at their slotted diamonds. You'll be surprised how many will have noticeable glue lines with an overall sloppy, loose fit. From what I've seen, Skip's ivory slotted diamonds are about the best out there, plus he's actually cutting the inlays and creating the slots (i.e. not store bought like a lot of the new acrylic imitation MOP or abalone). When a slotted diamond work is done to this high a standard, then IMO you cannot go wrong.

Sean

 

[JimBo]

JimBo, I agree with much of what you said. However, Richard Black has a Bushka model, but if you look through his web page, he has a slew of unique designs that are quite artistic. So, just by offering a spin on an old design does not make a CM uncreative. Also, Hecek does great ebony and ivory... with original designs. I am on the list for one of his cues. (And it will be ebony and ivory.)

Richard Black is ONE OF the most creative cue designers out there, sure he's done old style cues, but keep in mind he's one of those crossover guys who was making cues 30 years ago when all they had were diamonds and limited resources to create new inlays. My point is with today’s technology the limits are endless and for these guys to just remake the same old things is very sad. I know, I know many people like that style, but the reason they do is because it's easy and nobody is pushing the envelope and giving them realistic options. There is so much crap out there that it's not hard to see why people cling to the old stuff. While looking through the new bluebook a friend of mine had an interesting thought, he said it's very sad that the number of cuemakers has now eclipsed the number of collectors. It's a sad truth. As far as the ebony and Ivory thing goes sure there are nice designs that use this combo and black and white will always be a staple but keeping with my original thought "it's been done" Gus and George didn't have the woods that are available now, they didn't have access to burls and they didn't have the ability or knowledge to use those unstable woods. Not that they would if they did, they both believe that a cue was made for playing and the woods they choose were woods that played good and didn't warp. But again we are in different times, let's use what we have and try to create things that are new and original.

Jim

 

[ridewiththewind]

cool description

Lol..crispy sharp is like redundant redundant.

Lisa