Why buy a cue that is over $300?

Delaware Lar said:
Dan Janes says, "Their is no such thing as a Joss production cue". He says his cues are made side by side with like designs. This way he can meet the demand for his high quality cue at a reasonable price. He will occasionally make a one-of-a-kind cue just for fun or if there is a special order.

I recently bought a Joss from Pool Dawg. Then I took it to Dan (one hour away). I bought a weight kit, bought a longer shaft, and had it retapered to just the way I like.

I let Tommy K take a few shots with it. He says it plays better then his $10,000 Tad cue.
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:yes:


Well if you know Dan, you certainly know to not take everything he says serious. His machines spits out lots of production cues.

Just bought 5 new Joss cues last week and the one cue has lots of saw dust in the sealed bag.:eek:

And another has a shaft that you can almost use as a boomerang.:frown:
 
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Delaware Lar said:
Dan Janes says, "Their is no such thing as a Joss production cue". He says his cues are made side by side with like designs. This way he can meet the demand for his high quality cue at a reasonable price. He will occasionally make a one-of-a-kind cue just for fun or if there is a special order.

I recently bought a Joss from Pool Dawg. Then I took it to Dan (one hour away). I bought a weight kit, bought a longer shaft, and had it retapered to just the way I like.

I let Tommy K take a few shots with it. He says it plays better then his $10,000 Tad cue.
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Good point.That's why I put production in quotes.Love my Joss collection.
 
9Cheeser said:
First off let me say that McDermott makes junk. None of their cues hit right and the gcore shaft has horrible deflection. I play with a $3k+ ariel Carmeli cue. It was custom built specifically for me and helps differentiate me from the standard fish in the pool hall playing with a production McDermott. Your question is rhetorical and ironic. Would you rather drive a Ford focus or a Ferrari?

Sent from my C5155 using Tapatalk 2
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Thats why my McD with an i3 shaft shoots so good.
 
Looking at the OP’s first post, then looking at post count and content, I’ll admit to being a mite suspicious. These threads are reminiscent of the “Why Do People Gamble at Pool?” threads and often rile things up for no reason, other than venting. I’ve been playing pool seriously since 1973. My first cue was an Adam with a Ramin wood shaft. When I could play a bit better and knew a bit more, I sold the Adam and bought a Palmer. Sold the Palmer and bought a Meucci Original, which played good for that time period. After playing with a friend’s Joss {East}, I called Dan Janes and ordered one. This was long before Joss Cues; LTD was a going concern. Several years later, I sold the Joss {I regret this one} and bought a Scruggs. I didn’t play well with the Scruggs, even after sending it back to have the shafts adjusted. I sold it and ordered the first of two Southwest cues. All this time my playing ability and knowledge increased. I changed cues because I liked the feel of that particular cue in my hands and liked the workmanship. Honestly, sometimes I just wanted something different.
I’ve had, roughly, about 30-some cues over the years. I had a couple of Palmers, one a sneaky-pete. I’ve had a few Meuccis. But, mostly, I’ve stayed with so-called custom cues. Sometime after I moved to SC, I returned to NYS and ran into a local good player who had recently acquired an older Schon. He’d wanted one for years and was real happy with it. Sometime later I returned to NYS again and he was playing with a Pechauer{pronounced, according to Jerry, as Peach-hour.} When I asked why, he said he could do stuff with the Pechauer better than with the Schon. He didn’t elaborate. Different cues do different things differently, regardless of the operator. I remember reading in Billiards Digest about Bobby Hunter winning, I think, the US Open Straight Pool title. Bobby attributed his winning to his newly acquired cue, a Southwest. Bobby began making cues himself not long after this. I remember hearing that Jim Rempe was asked what he would be playing with if he were not being paid to play with a Meucci. Without missing a beat at the practice table, Rempe replied “Southwest, absolutely!” This is not a plug for SW, just what I read/heard.
Choice in cues is like playing pool for money or not, a very personal thing. You may get a good/great production cue or not. Same with custom cues, some play good/great, others do not. I have never once hit a production cue that had the feel and tone of any of my custom cues. {Sorry, Dan, really} If I did, I’d buy it. Some people, very few in my experience, think there really isn’t any difference. Others think there is a lot. If I say a cue plays great, it plays great for me. The same cue may not feel the same to you. I currently have a 19 year old Dan Dishaw and a newer Kevin Varney. The Varney has 13 mm low deflection shafts, the Dishaw 12 ½ mm standard shafts. Both cues weigh the same, 19 ½ ounces. I pocket balls more consistently with the Varney but experience more cue ball movement, good for clusters but not so good for precise position. I don’t think I pocket ball as well with the Dishaw, but have less unwanted cue ball movement. I can play very well with either one. You can hit balls with several identical cues or several cues from the same maker with the same basic characteristics and it’s likely that no two will feel the same, at least in my experience.
Buy what you want but please don’t disrespect the rest of us who buy what we want, spending what we choose. I’m surprised that nobody in the thread to date has used that old saw, “It’s not the arrow, it’s the Indian!” May not be as true as some believe, in my opinion.
 
The same reason a dog licks his balls....because he can.
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Yeah, I hate dogs for that too. You see, when a person passes and reaches Nirvana, you are reincarnated as a dog in your final life.

They have it great, and being able to lick your own balls is just one perk.

Sleeping on the couch all day is another. Crap, my dogs eat better than many people do. Steak, prime rib etc.

But, the topic at hand. People buy custom cues for many reasons. The reputation of the maker, the playability, being able to design the cue down to the last inlay.

Of all the cues I own, the one cue that I keep in my case as a back up is a under a hundred dollar cue that I redid myself. It plays great.

I agree with my Bud Joe (Sniper) Building a cue is no easy task. It takes
tons of money invested in equipment etc and a vast amount of knowledge,
which also includes lots of wasted time and materials in trial and error to even think about putting your cues out there in the market.

I stick to the repair side of things and am going to dabble a bit more in the future in building myself. That said, I think I am going to own a ton more cues myself if that happens as I don't have a desire to enter the cue market place. As a hobby alone and 3 lathes later, supplies, a river of wood sleeping in the shop, plus other necessary types of power tools, I think I have close to 12 to 14 K invested
and that is just for hobby purposes. Many have much more than I.

So yes, when a cue maker hits his place in line, he has to charge for his craftsmanship and when you consider that if a cue maker were to charge accordingly for every minute of his time, custom cues would be more expensive ten fold.

Just know that whatever decision you make regarding a playing cue for yourself is going to be the right one.
 
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Me my self went from gcore shaft to ob classic ill never look back I've also had 1000 dollar customs now I'm using 335 dollar ob sneaky love it its all what's best for u!
 
Blue Hog ridr said:
Yeah, I hate dogs for that too. You see, when a person passes and reaches Nirvana, you are reincarnated as a dog in your final life.

They have it great, and being able to lick your own balls is just one perk.

Sleeping on the couch all day is another. Crap, my dogs eat better than many people do. Steak, prime rib etc.

But, the topic at hand. People buy custom cues for many reasons. The reputation of the maker, the playability, being able to design the cue down to the last inlay.

Of all the cues I own, the one cue that I keep in my case as a back up is a under a hundred dollar cue that I redid myself. It plays great.

I agree with my Bud Joe (Sniper) Building a cue is no easy task. It takes
tons of money invested in equipment etc and a vast amount of knowledge,
which also includes lots of wasted time and materials in trial and error to even think about putting your cues out there in the market.

I stick to the repair side of things and am going to dabble a bit more in the future in building myself. That said, I think I am going to own a ton more cues myself if that happens as I don't have a desire to enter the cue market place. As a hobby alone and 3 lathes later, supplies, a river of wood sleeping in the shop, plus other necessary types of power tools, I think I have close to 12 to 14 K invested
and that is just for hobby purposes. Many have much more than I.

So yes, when a cue maker hits his place in line, he has to charge for his craftsmanship and when you consider that if a cue maker were to charge accordingly for every minute of his time, custom cues would be more expensive ten fold.

Just know that whatever decision you make regarding a playing cue for yourself is going to be the right one.
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Tap tap we are in the same boat. I have been going to the expo for the last 12 years and pick up cue parts, lathe tools and voila I might have invested a fair amount of money for this hobby. Someday I will "build" my own cue a dream you and me probably share...
 
If you just wish to play there is no reason to. However if you choose to sell a $300.00 cue u may get $100.00 for it. I bought a Gus Szamboti from Gus in 1982 shot it for 19 years and sold it for $6750.00. Barry made me a cue for $2500.00 I sold a year later for $3500.00. Will you always make $, NO, but if you buy quality you should always recoup 80 percent and have the pleasure of having played it.
 
tank69 said:
The same reason a dog licks his balls....because he can.
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that's 'bout right. that's why i spent the money on all of my gear. not because i could lick my balls, if that were possible it would be the reason i stayed home. i spent it because i had the money to spend. i shot just as well with my meucci ($180), my players ($20) as i do with my custom ($i'm not telling).;)
 
+1 on this comment. It's really that simple IMO.

JumpinJoe said:
Theres really no reason to, theres great hitting cues at all price ranges. And McDermotts have always played very well..

It's the same reason people by Mercedes and BMWs instead of Chevys or Fords. Just because they feel the need or want to. All personal preference.
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Let's alter the question slightly.....

"Why buy a cue that is over $300?"

I will take your thinking a bit further and pose this question"

Why buy a cue?

Jay
 
Type79 said:
"Why buy a cue that is over $300?"

I will take your thinking a bit further and pose this question"

Why buy a cue?

Jay
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Good point ... I read when Mosconi was a kid he could clear the table with a broom handle as a cue. Broom sticks are a lot cheaper!! :grin:
 
I have heard that broom stick story for 40yrs. The first time was Surfer Rod came to our town going to play any body him using a broomstick. He got a snap for gas in that mercedes. Remember a pro can play with any cue.
 
Expensive pool cues

Well, a $15 watch will tell perfect time. Why spend any more?

$20 earrings will dangle, why get diamond studs?

A SmartCar will get you around, why buy a Lexus?

If it plays well for you, it is priceless. If it hits poorly for you, a $5000 cue is useless.

I've crushed and been crushed by Sneaky-Pete owners and crushed and been crushed by top-of-line Richard Black cue owners.

I have 50 cues, some expensive, some quite cheap. They are the art on my wall in old cue racks.

Here's a corny article about the cost of cows, err, I mean cues.
www carlopool com / cues htm
 
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