What happened to Meucci cues?

[ShootingHank]

I started playing pool in my teens so well over 20 years and I remember most people played and bragged about their Meucci. They were sponsoring tournaments and people swear by them. Over the span of years I hear of them less and less almost to the point where the younger players never heard of them. Did they scale back? At one time they were what Predator is now.

My shooting partner stopped playing just around the same time I stopped but after talking to him last night....he says he still had his Meucci, which he let me borrow countless times when I didn’t bring my cue. As I can remember they played pretty well. A lot of action and whippy.

I looked on their site and they’re still making cues it seems but I hardly see anyone playing with one today. Thoughts?

For example...Dale Perry’s were hot too and I don’t think they followed his business model.

 

[MANPUSS]

still got my meucci cues from 80ties , i got a 5 model with butt black and white blocks
and i saved up to buy at the time was the highway stick . never will sell it

my meucci shaft is straight rolls right . the shafts had some pop and flex back then

back in them days you broke with your cue . and you could see the flex / i love em because man i can put some spin on the cue

 

[white1]

Nothing happened to them

Just played a race to 13 with one.
Hit the balks as good as any cue on the market for my money.

 

[Korsakoff]

I have a Meucci I bought in Nashville in 1975. Couldn’t afford to get the points ($120) so I got no points but with a wrap ($80). The vendor told me it was the first batch of Meucci’s they got in. Haven’t hit a ball with it in at least 30 years. Will try it out when the new Diamond gets here (hopefully late August early September).

 

[David in FL]

I’ve played with this Meucci for over 35 years. It’s still as clean and straight as it was in 1984.

Think I paid $350 for it, or some such. Wouldn’t sell it for anything. Just too many good memories there!

 

[Thunder Thighs]

I believe the decline in their popularity has to do with quality issues. Less popular brands from 15 years ago have been making really good cues lately. It’s going to take a massive overhaul in quality control, and a comprehensive marketing campaign to change their current image. Not impossible to do. But it will need a team that understands both manufacturing and retailing.

 

[gregnice37]

I think somewhere along the lines in the mid 90's til about 2010 there were some really bad production years where the cues had some issues. There are still tons of people that play and buy Meucci's. The new BMC line has some really good cues, IMO. The pro, ultimate weapon & carbon pro shafts are 3 quality products. In my area tons of players still use Meucci cues and my buddy probably has the best collection of Meucci's around.

Lots of pros are still sponsored and use the cues like Sky Woodward, Mike Massey, Corey Duell, Dennis Hatch, Johnny Morra and a few others that are slipping my mind at the moment.

 

[RDeca]

I love meucci classic designs. But yes quality control issues was their downfall.

 

[TATE]

A great observation Hank comparing Predator's domination today versus Meucci in the 1980's and 1990's.

The short story is Meucci got worse and other cues got better. Meucci developed a lot of quality issues with an emphasis on sales and flash over substance. Predator has done more than adapt to the market. They have set standards for the market with everybody else constantly playing catch up.

 

[lorider]

I live about 10 minutes from the meucci factory but hardly ever pass by it . i was running an errand for my son last saturday which took me in that direction and as i passed by meucci i saw their side lot full of cars. Bussiness must be good if their employees are working on a saturday.

 

[Straightpool_99]

Meuccis are still used quite a bit around the world. When you read this forum, you'd think that they are never seen, which frankly is far from true. Some still swear by them.

They have been victims of a campaign on here, I think, from affiliates of other companies, disgruntled customers and sellers. But they have also dug their own grave by having crappy quality control. I've personally witnessed cues from Meucci falling apart and have a wreck lying in my closet.

Not every Meucci is a broken mess, in fact the overwhelming majority aren't. That shouldn't be forgotten. Many have cosmetic imperfections, and this forum has people who literally go over their cues with magnifying glasses looking for them. Meanwhile, a crooked inlay won't stop you from running 100's and most customers don't really care. They want a cue that looks flashy with a normal gaze, and plays well. Most Meuccis do that, if you like their style of hit, which is just a matter of preference.

"Fashion" in cues have changed a lot since Meuccis heyday. Many people now want simple cues and don't care about having many inlays and intricate designs. That has worked against them, as well. The preference of many players have also been towards stiffness in their cues. So Meucci always delivered on flash and soft hitting cues, which now is exactly what people do not want. They did change the stiffness of their cues, but maybe to late. Meucci also made some questionable choices, like the "power piston" line of cues, which had a plastic tube around the butt. Wtf was that? They also had problems with warping of their black dot shafts.

The carbon craze is a golden opportunity for Meucci, I think. No more problems with wood instability etc., make some fancy, all carbon cues, that appeal to your target demographic. People are nuts about carbon anyway, they won't mind paying ridiculuos prices for carbon cues made in the US.

 

[garczar]

I started playing pool in my teens so well over 20 years and I remember most people played and bragged about their Meucci. They were sponsoring tournaments and people swear by them. Over the span of years I hear of them less and less almost to the point where the younger players never heard of them. Did they scale back? At one time they were what Predator is now.

My shooting partner stopped playing just around the same time I stopped but after talking to him last night....he says he still had his Meucci, which he let me borrow countless times when I didn’t bring my cue. As I can remember they played pretty well. A lot of action and whippy.

I looked on their site and they’re still making cues it seems but I hardly see anyone playing with one today. Thoughts?

For example...Dale Perry’s were hot too and I don’t think they followed his business model.

One of the big issues was when Bob kinda stepped back and allowed his daughter and son-in-law to run the place. Quality during that period really was really a hit-or-miss proposition. The daughter left to run Budget Billiards selling cues, mostly Meucci's. Bob got back in the shop and things got better. I've seen a few cues made in last few years that have been pretty well made and the Pro shaft is very good. They still sell a lot of cues and most owners are quite loyal to the brand.

 

[ShootingHank]

Meuccis are still used quite a bit around the world. When you read this forum, you'd think that they are never seen, which frankly is far from true. Some still swear by them.

They have been victims of a campaign on here, I think, from affiliates of other companies, disgruntled customers and sellers. But they have also dug their own grave by having crappy quality control. I've personally witnessed cues from Meucci falling apart and have a wreck lying in my closet.

Not every Meucci is a broken mess, in fact the overwhelming majority aren't. That shouldn't be forgotten. Many have cosmetic imperfections, and this forum has people who literally go over their cues with magnifying glasses looking for them. Meanwhile, a crooked inlay won't stop you from running 100's and most customers don't really care. They want a cue that looks flashy with a normal gaze, and plays well. Most Meuccis do that, if you like their style of hit, which is just a matter of preference.

"Fashion" in cues have changed a lot since Meuccis heyday. Many people now want simple cues and don't care about having many inlays and intricate designs. That has worked against them, as well. The preference of many players have also been towards stiffness in their cues. So Meucci always delivered on flash and soft hitting cues, which now is exactly what people do not want. They did change the stiffness of their cues, but maybe to late. Meucci also made some questionable choices, like the "power piston" line of cues, which had a plastic tube around the butt. Wtf was that? They also had problems with warping of their black dot shafts.

The carbon craze is a golden opportunity for Meucci, I think. No more problems with wood instability etc., make some fancy, all carbon cues, that appeal to your target demographic. People are nuts about carbon anyway, they won't mind paying ridiculuos prices for carbon cues made in the US.

Very interesting.

Most Meucci cues I've played with has that Meucci characteristic and they were pretty consistent with their hit from what I can remember. Like I said, I don't know anyone with a newer model. They may have changed.

I remember Bob built that contraption to test deflection and he was ahead of his time. He was the only guy I knew that wanted to minimize deflection and now we have carbon shafts when he addressed the issues with actual wood.

The days of pie sliced shafts....oh my days!

 

[Scrunge19]

Quality concerns aside, their style hasn't really changed at all over the years. Which is fine if you have a market who likes your older, more traditional cue designs. So maybe the market for that type of design is shrinking while those who prefer a more modern design is expanding?

Personally, I've never really been a fan of their designs. You could show me one of their cues made this year and tell me it was made in 1973 and I'd believe you. They just look old. Also, I'm not a fan of the epoxy over irish linen look that many of their cues feature.

 

[Straightpool_99]

Very interesting.

Most Meucci cues I've played with has that Meucci characteristic and they were pretty consistent with their hit from what I can remember. Like I said, I don't know anyone with a newer model. They may have changed.

I remember Bob built that contraption to test deflection and he was ahead of his time. He was the only guy I knew that wanted to minimize deflection and now we have carbon shafts when he addressed the issues with actual wood.

The days of pie sliced shafts....oh my days!

The pro-series shafts are noticably stiffer than older style Meucci shafts.

 

[ShootingHank]

Quality concerns aside, their style hasn't really changed at all over the years. Which is fine if you have a market who likes your older, more traditional cue designs. So maybe the market for that type of design is shrinking while those who prefer a more modern design is expanding?

Personally, I've never really been a fan of their designs. You could show me one of their cues made this year and tell me it was made in 1973 and I'd believe you. They just look old. Also, I'm not a fan of the epoxy over irish linen look that many of their cues feature.

It already looked old in the early 00's.

It's still cool if people like that nostalgia.

Think about all those Balabushka style cues. They hold up the test of time or at least with modern materials the older Bushka designs are fantastic.

 

[Scrunge19]

Absolutely. Everyone has their own preferences so if you only offer one style of cue, you're going to live or die based on the market segment that finds your products desirable.

Predator is the one who has been gobbling up market share these past several years. Their marketing budget between tournament and player sponsorships must dwarf all of the other production cue makers. Being visible in the pool scene continues to be their driving force in the marketplace and a brand many players gravitate to. This is similar to Pepsi and Coca Cola continuing to spend millions of dollars on marketing each year despite practically everyone in the world knowing who they are. It shows just how important staying in the public's mind is to driving sales.

 

[measureman]

Quality concerns aside, their style hasn't really changed at all over the years. Which is fine if you have a market who likes your older, more traditional cue designs. So maybe the market for that type of design is shrinking while those who prefer a more modern design is expanding?

Personally, I've never really been a fan of their designs. You could show me one of their cues made this year and tell me it was made in 1973 and I'd believe you. They just look old. Also, I'm not a fan of the epoxy over irish linen look that many of their cues feature.

All Meuccis come standard like that.
But if you order off Budget Billiards they give you the option of no finish on the wrap.

 

[Bavafongoul]

In 1984, I was debating which cue to order. I was at the Inaugural BCA Trade Show that was in Fort Worth.
There were so many brands and cue-makers that it was confusing and head spinning. By the 2nd day, I’d
visited so many booths and tables it took hours sorting out the information, pricing and brochures. The cue
David posted pics of was a cue I looked at and back at that time, Meucci had a really good following. In the
end, I selected Bob Runde to be my cue-maker despite that Schon was only in business a couple of years.
I had Bob change the points from white to ebony & substitute really big, jumbo size ivory spears for my cue.

 

[gregnice37]

All Meuccis come standard like that.
But if you order off Budget Billiards they give you the option of no finish on the wrap.

I believe they even offer leather now too as a wrap option. Last time I looked, they had about 10-15 different leather choices as well as 10-15 different linen choices, covered or not.