What is this cue?

[BadMadWicked]

Hi,

Any one got any ideas who made this cue?



I've owned it for 16 years, but have never known who it was made by as it has no name plate.

Thanks
BMW:snooker:

[franksandellsnooker]

It's practically impossible to say, but assuming that is a pure ebony hand splice and the joint looks like a solid brass 3/8th. whitworth it could be a Barracuda made for a clients spec. Having said that what I can see of the shaft shows a fast growth pattern which would make for a whippy shaft which is typical of early bulk imported cues of that period.

[Terry Davidson]

franksanddell:

Being a horribly lazy person and too damned lazy to do my own research, could I ask you to expand a bit on your 'fast growth pattern' comment?

It would be helpful to a lot of TSF members I think if we were able to spot that and determine from a picture if a cue was likely to be a bit whippy and all thanks to you! (what a suck-up!!!)

Thanks beforehand,
Terry

[franksandellsnooker]

Terry. It is only a comment of mine from experience of handling cues all my life and at one time selling them in large quantities.Basically shafts derived from cold grown areas like say Canadian hard rock maple or North American ash or Scandinavien timbers is less likely if the grain growth is evenly spaced and apart to produce a stiffer shaft. In this posting to identify the cue it struck me that it was very tight which is one indicator of warmer damper growth. a bit vague but hope it helps. Frank.

[BadMadWicked]

Thanks for the info its much appreciated :-) I can concur the shaft is quite whippy. I think Barracuda did operate out of the Midlands for a while which is where I first picked up the cue.

Thanks again
BMW

[franksandellsnooker]

If it is Barracuda it would have been made in Kirkham Lancashire. There were of course many distributors.