Your favorite custom cue maker

  • Thread starter Thread starter FearlessInc
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opinion

i think guys like this let there egos get the best of them and thats why they expect to get such prices for there products......this is not the first time i have heard some say that a guy like the one you have spoken of cant make a cue that plays for crap........i would just like to know what makes these guy think they are so special that they can ask the prices they ask for cues that dont play worth a crap......there are several i can put in this group....off the top of my head are keith josey,prewitt,i know there are others ......i hate to say it ....keith has such a great following but the hit of his cues cant compare to guys like dayton,zylr just to mention a few.......and then there are those that no one has even bothered to mention.......mike wheeler....can make a cue to rival any cuemaker out there and guess what people they play out of this world.......i would let him make a copy of a schick and then lay them side by side and bet you couldnt pick out which was which without a signature to seperate them........i just think it is very shitty that guys like roy malott and others have driven the prices up to try to keep all the money thats out there to be made in their pocket..dick abbot also falls in this category.....im not bashing just making a statement that if these people werent so greedy that maybe everyday people could afford cues......but instead send it all over to japan......they are known to take the best in the world and make it there own......well why dont they have a good cuemaker......would love thoughts on this subject......juston
 
DDKoop said:
I haven't hit with a lot of cues but I have played some really nice production and custom cues and my favorite is an older sneaky pete by Mike Webb. It is my buddies cue and the thing hits a ton. He bought it a while back and I don't think you could pick up a shaft for the price he got that cue for. I know Mike posts here and take it from me, this guy makes a beautiful hitting cue.

Dave
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I agree!!! I never knew what the big deal was with his cues, until I shot with a teamate's. It changed my mind because the hit seemed so perfect.

Then you talk to the guy and he makes you feel like a long lost friend, no ego, no b.s., and he does the best leather wrap's around. IMHO
 
FearlessInc said:
Who's your favorite custom cue maker, whym and how does it shoot?
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Nobody's mentioned Joel Hercek and since I have two of his cues I'll have to go with him. One is a stainless joint with ivory ferrule and has a super solid hit to it. The other has an ivory joint and also feels super. The workmanship with inlays and the sharpness of his points is right up there with the best of them. For anyone interested, www.hercek.com
 
Tascarella Is Worth The Wait And Price

....Whats the deal with tascarella.......i dont see anything that makes his cues so special that they can command that kind of price....so what he has equipment that balabushka used to own......i think it is a crying shame.......i can understand making money but no need in being greedy and making it where everyday people cant afford or get a cue...

I DON'T LIKE TO PUT MY 2 CENTS IN ON OTHER PEOPLES OPINIONS BUT PETES' CUES ARE SOME OF IF NOT THE BEST PLAYING STAINLESS JOINTED CUES ON THE PLANET. HIS WORK IS TOP NOTCH. HE HAS EARNED HIS REPUTATION. I HAVE OWNED AND DO OWN SEVERAL OF PETES' CUES AND THEY HAVE ALL PLAYED GREAT AND HIS WORK IS FLAWLESS. HIS LEATHER AND LINEN WRAPS ARE ABOVE ANYTHING I HAVE SEEN FROM ANYONE ELSE. IT SUCKS TO WAIT AND TO PAY TOP DOLLAR, IT'S LIKE ORDERING A FERRARI INSTEAD OF A CHEVY. DO YOU OR HAVE YOU OWNED A TASCARELLA?
 
cuewhiz189 said:
.and yes ill put southwest in that same group.....great cues but please.....8 years.....thats crazy and people that do have them want an outrageous price for them......
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Juston, this is my opinion on why SouthWest has an 8 year wait list. High demand, low supply. Plain and simple. When that happens, prices go up. Just plain old economics. And living in a capitalistic society, they can price their cues way up there because people will pay for them. Not that I agree with that, but its their right and any cuemakers right to make money. Nobody is in business to lose money. Everyone wants to make as much as they can. Thats how our society is... My doctor once told me "There are only 2 colors that are important in this world, green and pink" and he's right.... :)
 
Terry Erdman said:
I have been using a Southwest and like the hit of it but there is so much deflection when using English! It would be a sin to put a Predator shaft on one but I sure don't miss as many shots spinning the ball with my Predator 2.
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Why is it a sin if you play better? I have a friend who has 3 Tads, 1 plays as if it were made by "The Pool God", 1 hits great and 1 is below average. If you play better with a Predator put one on and don't pay any attention to the moaning of so called purists. JMO
 
I'm always curious to know how many people with megabuck cues have the game to back them up. From what I've seen, usually the answer is a resounding no. Case in point: I spent a couple thousand on a custom cue, and got whooped this weekend by a guy playing with a cuetec. :) I still love my cue though. I just think that all this talk about how a cue hits, is 98% bull$#!+. So many top pros play with the cue of whomever pays them the most in sponsorship $.

cheers,
chump with expensive cue
 
As far as playability and workmanship, the 2 best today are Searing and Tascarell.

They must be. I have had cues ordered from both for 2 years.

Mike T.
 
bludworth

Hell, got to come clean, I like my cues.
blud

ps this should get them started.hee,hee
 
jer9ball said:
I'm always curious to know how many people with megabuck cues have the game to back them up. From what I've seen, usually the answer is a resounding no. Case in point: I spent a couple thousand on a custom cue, and got whooped this weekend by a guy playing with a cuetec. :) I still love my cue though. I just think that all this talk about how a cue hits, is 98% bull$#!+. So many top pros play with the cue of whomever pays them the most in sponsorship $.

cheers,
chump with expensive cue
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Hey, as a seller of these high end toys I have said for years that no cue, regardless of how much you pay, makes you an instant pro. You may enter cuephoria for a few days and it will feel like you became the second coming of Mosconi, but trust me, it will wear off. What does tend to happen though, you get a nice cue, it relights the interest you have in pool, you play more and you actually do get better. But had you played more with your old cue, you would have gotten better ANYWAYS.
But remember this, while you are racking, lay that 5k cue on the table. This way you can let everyone see what a nice cue you have when you are racking for your opponent and he is running out on you. Believe me, its still a good feeling, that makes up for the "i am getting my butt whupped" feeling. :)

Joe
 
Heh heh. Good advice Joe! I played Dany Hewitt the other day. Well, actually I RACKED for Dany Hewitt the other day. Of course everyone was watching because Dany was one of the favorites to win the tournament. I made sure I laid my cue on the table, and took a long time racking. Ha ha ha!

Dany plays real good.

cheers,
jer9ball
 
cuewhiz189 said:
...keith has such a great following but the hit of his cues cant compare to guys like dayton,zylr just to mention a few.......and then there are those that no one has even bothered to mention... i just think it is very shitty that guys like roy malott and others have driven the prices up to try to keep all the money thats out there to be made in their pocket..dick abbot also falls in this category.....im not bashing just making a statement that if these people werent so greedy that maybe everyday people could afford cues......but instead send it all over to japan......they are known to take the best in the world and make it there own......well why dont they have a good cuemaker......would love thoughts on this subject......juston
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Juston,
First thing you will learn as a cuedealer in training is a: Don't make claims on the hit of a cue, because playability is very subjective. Your trash, maybe someone elses treasure. As a dealer you just want to make sure the cue is straight and it hits solid with no unnatural noises. After this, playability is in the eye of the buyer. b: Don't publically bad mouth the competition. Its in bad taste, do it in private e-mail. lol c: The price of cues is not the fault of dealers, dealers play pivotal roles in this market. From getting unknowns started, to buying collections, etc..

But cue pricing being what it is, go and see some foreign cue sites if you think domestic pricing is high. The reason cuedealers here can get 2200 for a South West is there are foreign sites that have them for 3500 USD. But in general, like someone else said, its supply and demand. There are "hot" cues that just cannot be found, hence the pricing. I watch my statistics all the time and the top 5 most loaded pages are South West, Mottey, Szamboti, Balabushka, Tascarella in no particular order. What that tells me is right now, they are the hot cues. I get alot of requests for Searings, also a hot cue. Thats doesn't mean any other cue is not worthy, its just a trend. A year ago, it was different.

Now as far as the wait, SW will hold todays price when you order a cue from them. So in 8 years when the price goes up, you only still pay the price when you ordered the cue. I think that is a phenomonal practice. Tascarella, is a throwback. He builds argueably the best "traditional" cue on the market. Will other cuemakers, such as the ones you mentioned, gain this following? Very possibly, but only time will tell.

Joe
 
Your favorite custom cue maker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who's your favorite custom cue maker, whym and how does it shoot?

Barry Szamboti. His cue floats in my hands.

Barbara
 
jer9ball said:
I'm always curious to know how many people with megabuck cues have the game to back them up. From what I've seen, usually the answer is a resounding no. Case in point: I spent a couple thousand on a custom cue, and got whooped this weekend by a guy playing with a cuetec. :) I still love my cue though. I just think that all this talk about how a cue hits, is 98% bull$#!+. So many top pros play with the cue of whomever pays them the most in sponsorship $.

cheers,
chump with expensive cue
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How many guys driving a Porsche or Corvette have gone to a good driving school to get the performance out of their car? I think it is great people spend money for nice products. And nobody should be criticized for playing bad with a great cue. I know you aren't doing this, but it should never be done.
 
thanks for the input erik.......and for fastnloose...i have never owned a tascarella and i dont think there is anything that makes his cues play so exceptional that he deserves that kind of money.....tad is the same way.....people have put guys like this up on pedestals and now we all have to pay for there egos.....juston
 
DDKoop said:
I hear Frey's are excellent cues but it is only from other people. If his cues are anything like the OLDER Meucci Originals then I would say it is a quality cue.
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I would expect them to hit more like a Scruggs cue since he used to work for Tim. I've hit briefly with a Frey sneaky pete and it did seem to me to hit like a Scruggs.
 
catscradle said:
I would expect them to hit more like a Scruggs cue since he used to work for Tim. I've hit briefly with a Frey sneaky pete and it did seem to me to hit like a Scruggs.
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You are absolutely correct. Who am I thinking of that used to produce Meucci and is now on his own?

Dave
 
Joseph Cues said:
DDKoop said:
You are absolutely correct. Who am I thinking of that used to produce Meucci and is now on his own?

Dave[/QUOTEI
I think you're thinking of Mike Erwin.
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Thank you. That's him. I've heard good things but have never played with one. Appreciate the input Joseph Cues.
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