What would you do?

Wheeljack

Wheeljack

You Know It!
Silver Member
Hey everyone,

About a year ago I bought a cue (old Mali) off eBay and really got screwed on the deal. The cue was not as advertised and I got stuck with it. Now, the cue shoots just fine, but I basically had a bad taste in my mouth from the deal so I never really shot much with it.

I was going to put it up for sale/trade and wanted to give a good description (that I never got from the origianl seller) of the cues flaws.

The butt of the cue is warped at the joint. The shaft when rolled on the table (IMO) has just a slight wobble, but when the cue is together, because of the warped joint, the tip of the shaft raises off the table when rolled.

So, I get the idea a week ago to try the shaft on my -R- cue butt just to see what it's like, how it rolls on a straight cue butt, etc... and WOW! I was actually really impressed with it. It honestly plays almost as well as my -R- shaft on that cue.

So, do I keep it? Still sell it? What? The joint collar doesn't match and that DOES get on my nerves somewhat, but I/m really torn now. What would you do? I've literally used this as my playing shaft for over a week now and am very happy with it.

Any thoughts are welcomed. Thanks in advance for your time-

J.
 
Not sure you can ever have too many shafts...

Somebody put up the pick of the Meucci plunger for the poor soul. There'll soon be a Mali one and he'll feel better after he uses it...for multiple reasons.:grin:
 
Wheeljack said:
Hey everyone,

About a year ago I bought a cue (old Mali) off eBay and really got screwed on the deal. The cue was not as advertised and I got stuck with it. Now, the cue shoots just fine, but I basically had a bad taste in my mouth from the deal so I never really shot much with it.

I was going to put it up for sale/trade and wanted to give a good description (that I never got from the origianl seller) of the cues flaws.

The butt of the cue is warped at the joint. The shaft when rolled on the table (IMO) has just a slight wobble, but when the cue is together, because of the warped joint, the tip of the shaft raises off the table when rolled.

So, I get the idea a week ago to try the shaft on my -R- cue butt just to see what it's like, how it rolls on a straight cue butt, etc... and WOW! I was actually really impressed with it. It honestly plays almost as well as my -R- shaft on that cue.

So, do I keep it? Still sell it? What? The joint collar doesn't match and that DOES get on my nerves somewhat, but I/m really torn now. What would you do? I've literally used this as my playing shaft for over a week now and am very happy with it.

Any thoughts are welcomed. Thanks in advance for your time-

J.
Click to expand...
Are you sure that the butt is actually warped? The kind of problem you describe could also be caused by a problem with the pin, e.g. if the pin is slightly bent or crooked, or it could be a simple facing issue. I suggest you take the whole cue to a good cue repair guy, if you can find one, and get an expert diagnosis of the problem. Many of these types of problems would be fairly easy to fix, provided that the butt itself is not warped.

If the butt is actually warped, you probably won't be able to sell the thing or fix it either. If you like the look of the butt and the shaft is straight, I suggest you just play with it. Put the bad deal behind you and pretend to yourself that you won the cue in a match. Then just make the best of it. The cue will play just fine if the shaft is good. My two cents worth.
 
No, it's warped. The butt is actually warped like an 'S'. There is a slight warp in the handle area and then the warp in the joint. When the handle is flat on the table then the joint is raised and when the joint is flat on the table then the handle is bowed a little. The handle warp is slight. The joint raises off the table a little more than a credit card thickness.

I call the cue my 'Beautiful Disaster'. It is a late 70's or early 80's full-splice Mali; Ebony into nicely stained BEM, with DoubleWhite/Green speck linen wrap. It was refinished and looks absolutely stunning. Then you roll it on the table... Lesson learned...
 
Wheeljack said:
... The joint collar doesn't match and that DOES get on my nerves somewhat, ...
Click to expand...

Have the collar changed.
Can't remember his user name (ratcues?) but a fellow here does cue work at
Muellers and may be able to make a cosmetic change for you.
 
If you like the shaft keep it the rings dont have to match. The only thing that matters is that it makes ball go in the whole and if you feel more confident with that shaft you will make more balls. Then if you want sell the butt to someone as a breaker for cheap to try to recoup some of the money you spent. Honestly i dont care if a cue is warped as long as the first say 12 to 14 inches in straight. Because i know its my stroke that needs to be straight not my stick :)
 
Dump It

My advice would be dump it.

As many flaws as you mentioned and the fact that you mentioned a difference of colors when it did play well on a different butt.

Too many bad thoughts that will surface the first time you play poorly with it.
 
Randyg: I was hoping to get $100 for it or possibly credit in trade toward a nice case. I paid a good bit more... Actually, I don't care to share that I paid $184 w/ shipping for it under the pretense that it was straight together and apart. I was also told the tip diameter was 13mm when it is really like 12.25 and the weight was described as 19oz. when the cue is really just over 20oz....

ne14tennis: I was just glad t ofind a positive aspect from the deal being that I like the way it shot on my main player :)

I appreciate the input guys-
 
use the shaft...and for your butt:
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Why would you want to sell a butt like that? You should not have paid much for a Mali on ebay so you probably got a pretty good deal on a decent shaft. Keep the shaft. If you have a shaft that you don't like that fits the Mali, put those together and donate it to the senior center or boys club or... and take a small write off for the donation and they will be thrilled even if it wobbles.

But the plunger idea is the best.
 
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