Something was burning a hole in my pocket
What made you decide to get a new cue.
- Thread starter strmanglr scott
- Start date
Well I think I may be one of those extreme crazy cases of cue obsession. I was a semi pro for many years all over the place and constantly looked for something to add a slight edge to my game. I have bought well over 100 cues in the last 20 odd years from Black Boar - Tad, Tacarella, Samsara you name it and have had a lot of cues custom built to my specs. I know of quite a few snooker players who have owned a similar amount of cues including Peter Ebdon etc so I don't think this is that uncommon.
Initially, I played with a snooker cue and when i converted to pool I had no idea about American cues and became obsessed with reading articles and reviews of different American cue makers and just wanted to experiment with different balances and hits and it just grew from there because they are so much more complex than basic hand spliced snooker cues and offered a broader range of shots.. For example, try playing a masse with a 9.5mm tip.
Factors for buying a new cue may have included playing for long periods. For instance, I found some cues became really heavy in my arm after many hrs of playing and affected my play. I also played in a lot of conditions such as high humidity in the Far East and found different hardwood's sweated more or certain shafts reacted better on sluggish cloths, heavier/lighter balls etc or just that I wanted something that didn't look too fancy if I was playing in dubious places. Also for a while when travelling around playing small money games I wanted a very compact discreet case so looked for cues that i could break well with and also play with.
Lastly, it came down to finding cues that handled more complex shots with greater ease under pressure. For example, if you had a long pot and had to use reverse english to move the white around the table or even play swerve shots etc, I was always searching for something with would make these shots more consistent with less effort so I didn't have to think too much about them when my legs were wobbling.
So everytime I would get a new cue I would try 15 or so very difficult shots over and over for a week or so and if it didn't handle as well as the last cue then I would sell it on. Sometimes I would base this decision on not being able to play 1 shot with less ease than another cue. I think this is why a lot of the custom cues on the threads here are test hit only? not sure.
So all of these issues became factors in continuing my search for the perfect all round playing instrument.
In the end everything just became irrational and border line to madness and I found that had gotten better overall results with my old snooker cue which has a very solid hit and a big mushroom tip and have basically gone around in a complete circle. But its been an interesting experience and I amassed a small collection of custom cues which i like to take out now and then and would never part. Lastly, I have discovered that the perfect cue doesn't necessarily exist and that a lot of it is in the mind but it still doesn't stop the urge to buy something new every now and then
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Why I bought a new cue?
Gotta go back to the early 70's, when I was dating my wife. We played local tavern pool tournaments. Neither of us were serious players, just more of a social thing. But we did have our own cues.
Life being what it is, after marriage we quit playing pool. A child to raise, a business to run...well, you know the routine. So, the cues got placed in a closet and pretty much forgotten about.
Fast forward the decades. Boy did they go fast. The child grown and out of the house. Our physical states had fallen enough that we could no longer sail our 15' dinghy. Retired, looking around for something we could do for recreation. I thought of pool.
So, we dug our old cues out of the closet. Hers an Adam merry widow. Mine? Well, at the request of a friend who said he could get a real bargain price if he bought two, I had a "Palmer Supreme"..now known by collectors as a Model M from the 2nd catalog.
With the attention this cue drew when I was in a pool hall and opened that old coffin case? Well, I soon knew I shouldn't be flashing it around. I can't sell it though. After all, it has my name embossed in foil under a clear plastic ring. Cindy also still has her old Adam.
So, that is why we bought new cues....We didn't plan on having something highly collectable. It just evolved that way.
Gotta go back to the early 70's, when I was dating my wife. We played local tavern pool tournaments. Neither of us were serious players, just more of a social thing. But we did have our own cues.
Life being what it is, after marriage we quit playing pool. A child to raise, a business to run...well, you know the routine. So, the cues got placed in a closet and pretty much forgotten about.
Fast forward the decades. Boy did they go fast. The child grown and out of the house. Our physical states had fallen enough that we could no longer sail our 15' dinghy. Retired, looking around for something we could do for recreation. I thought of pool.
So, we dug our old cues out of the closet. Hers an Adam merry widow. Mine? Well, at the request of a friend who said he could get a real bargain price if he bought two, I had a "Palmer Supreme"..now known by collectors as a Model M from the 2nd catalog.
With the attention this cue drew when I was in a pool hall and opened that old coffin case? Well, I soon knew I shouldn't be flashing it around. I can't sell it though. After all, it has my name embossed in foil under a clear plastic ring. Cindy also still has her old Adam.
So, that is why we bought new cues....We didn't plan on having something highly collectable. It just evolved that way.
Wife told me not to !!!
every time i take a beating on the pool table
the cue i have goes up for sale
i then get a new one
why else would i need a cue if my present cue was winning
i can not be expected to play with a cue that dogs it for the money
i am not joking or exaggerating
some people think i am a dealer because i have so many cues for sale
i also sell when i am offered a good price for my existing cue
even before i lose
this is why i buy a new cue
the cue i have goes up for sale
i then get a new one
why else would i need a cue if my present cue was winning
i can not be expected to play with a cue that dogs it for the money
i am not joking or exaggerating
some people think i am a dealer because i have so many cues for sale
i also sell when i am offered a good price for my existing cue
even before i lose
this is why i buy a new cue
Now that's the best reason to buy a new cue I've heard yet!
I bought my current tim scruggs sneaky because I wanted it to just collect. I was going to have it refinished. then I played with the damn thing and it had the sweetest most consistent hit of any cue I ever played with and the predators went to the collection case lol
Curiosity mainly.
After shooting with my friends cues and building a list of characteristics I liked, I just got a cue that had most if not all of those things I liked. This may be a calamity, sure. There may be good reasons why certain characteristics are not found alongside one another, but I think I have made good choices. My new cue (just received a little over a week ago) feels great and shoots well.
And yes... I do play better. Im more comfortable and trust my choice.
Confidence can do wondrous things as much as the lack of it can destroy.
Lesh
The same reason you decide to get a new wife. Just for the hell of it.
I started this thread cause I thought, my cue plays fine, I have no issues w it, have confidence in it, its in great shape, don't know why I would ever change.
Lol, after reading replies, I'm looking at cues to buy.
Lol, after reading replies, I'm looking at cues to buy.
I had the money, and wanted a nicer cue.
A guy walked into a pool room, said "come here, I have a cue you may like". Played with it, loved it, still love it. Ned Morris with several shafts starting from the originals to Players HXT to OB.
It helped that the cue I was using at the time I did not like too much, it was an ivory joint and ivory ferrule and just did not feel right, although it's still my profile pic, the Arthur cue.
I really don't think I will change cues again, shafts maybe but not this cue. Tried quite a few cues since I got my Morris from $300 McDermotts to $5,000 Shicks and many in between, nothing quite matches the hit of the Morris. For some magical reason, almost every shaft I put on it ends up with the same feel, stock, OB, Players HXT, McDermott, all end up with the same sweet and smooth feeling hit.
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