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Right, I had the Mac Chambers cue which was a lovely cue but just didnt feel quite right so off it went to Hong Kong! My next cue was from an ex pro (Jon Birch) who had spent a year or so choosing a cue and entering a few ptc events however he then gave up the game again and sold me his cue, a maple 3/4 Master cue. Lovely cue, silky smooth and very responsive but I just couldnt get used to maple again so off the cue went to a new owner!!
I then fell in love with antique cues again and bought in quick succession a totally original Eureka one piece ash, a Burwat Champion ash and a stunning pearwood Mannock. Whilst they were all wonderful cues none of them were good playing cues so after a brief love affair they all went to fellow collectors.
I then bought a 3/4 ash John Parris Ultimate from my old pal, Andrew Ramsay. The cue had just about perfect arrows, just as I like them and dead straight side grain BUT the splicework was horrible. I was so staggered by how bad the splicework was that I telephoned Andew to ask him how he could advertise the cue as 'perfect'.......and he corectly ponted out to me that nearly all of my previous Parris Ultimates had been made for Pros and were 'the best of the best' and this one was a typical example. It was actually a very good playing cue but for some idiotic reason the horrendous splicework put me off the cue so off it went.........
Next cue was a one piece Niche ash ultimate, perfect in every way apart from 'feel' so i didnt keep it long and it was followed by a 3/4 join Glover ash cue. This cue really is stunning, 6 absolutely perfect well spaced arrows, as straight side grain as is possible, lovely weight and balance but it was just a little bit long at 59in and 9.3mm so I took it thro to Stu at GBL and he sent it to Alan Day. Su couldnt miss with the cue, he tried deep screw shots, ultra side shots, straight pots......but he just couldnt miss!! I tried to sell him it for £1000 but he just laughed!! The cue came back a week later at 58.25in and 9.5mm and Stu still couldnt miss with it so I know its a great playing cue. I used it for my team match that week and won easily, but was not totally sure about the cue so off it went to my cupboard as a sunning cue to maybe be used in the future...........
My next cue was a lovely original 1980s 3/4 ash Hunt & Obyrne which was in beautiful condition. It was 59in long and felt nice apart from the weight which was over 19oz so I didnt keep it long. I then bought a Maximus Ultimate 3/4 joined ash cue, 58.25in long but after a week or so decided it wasnt 'the one' so off it went.
My next cue was an old Tom Reece ash cue in pristine original condition. The owner was in his 70s and it was his Dads cue and his Dad had died in 1959. He told me that his Dad had bought the cue at an auction in 1955. The cue is beautiful but sadly not a player!
I then borrowed a Dave Coutts stunning Laminated cue from my old mate Pete Hutchinson. The cue is a work of art, it was so perfect to look at that it deserved to be hung on the wall rather than used. I tried it out in my wednesday night team match and won 96-18 against a really good player. I then wondered if I had found the Holy Grail but the next week I played a singles comp and played like a beginner so the cue went back to Pete!!
My next cue was an original ash Burwat Champion that was actually a great playing cue. I was so happy with this cue that I used it for a month or so and still love the cue although it now sits in the cupboard with the Glover cue and my old 80s Cannon cue!!
I then bought a very VERY special cue. In the 1980s a guy walked into Hunt & Obyrnes show room in London and bought a display cue, a 3/4 ash cue, 58in long, 10mm tip and 18oz complete with case and extension for £563 which was a lot of money in those days for a cue. Over the next 30 odd years he hardly ever used the cue. To this day it has only ever had three tips on it, the first two fitted by Will Hunt and the last by Robert Osborne. Pete Hutchinson had then bought the cue from the guy who didnt want to post it so drove to Pets house from London! I fell in love with the cue and am now the proud owner.......i am willing to bet that its the best original example in the world of a Hunt & Obyrne cue. For the first week that I owned it I left my wife and moved into the spare bedroom and slept with the cue!! It is even a great playing cue.......it got the seal of approval from my cue guru, Stu Green!
........which brings me to my next cue........as I seem to spend half my life at Greenbaize I run the risk of buying a new cue everytime I go there and found a beautiful Maximus Ultimate one piece ash cue with perfect arrows on the top and a totally blank underneath so of course I just HAD to buy it........and its now sitting in the cupboard with all its mates!!
I then bought a 22 year old red glue Parris Special 3/4 joined ash cue. It is a lovely golden aged colour and perfectly made with lovely ash and the joint low down at 11in so it feels more like a one piece. The only problem is that its 57in long and was originally 9mm alhough the ferrule has been worn away at the top to 8.5mm. I asked Stus opinion (as usual) as I was thinking of getting it altered to 58in and 9.5mm but Stu ried it out and told me that it actually plays like a 9mm cue and is a good playing cue and if I alter it I may ruin it.....so its consigned to my cupboard of treasures!!
Now........finally about 3 weeks ago, I bought an old 1990s Cannon 3/4 ash cue (the badge is the three biliard balls) from a cue collector and he had got the cue from Dave Smith (Cues n Views). It arrived at my house and I unpacked it and did what I always do, took it thro to Stu for a new tip. Stu fitted an elkmaster and the ried out the cue. He old me it was a good playing cue and 'very lively'. I then went to my club and couldnt miss with it!! I abslutely LOVE the cue. It is 16.5oz weight, around 57.75in and 9.4mm tip and just feels pefect. I have played well with this cue for the last 3 weeks and still love it which is a good sign so who knows, it may even be 'The One'!!
.........so last night I bid on ebay and was the winning bidder of another of these old Cannon cues, this one in its original case complete with extension. I got a nice email from the owner who has owned the cue from new who wished me all the best and old me that it is a lovely cue and he got to be in the top ten in Wales as an amateur with the cue and had a 139 clearence with it so last night i went to bed dreaming of 139 clearences!!
So thats my Search for a Cue story up to date. Ive loved every moment of it and when the latest Cannon cue arrives it will be cue Number 140 since my Search began.......hmmmmmm.......maybe I should carry on buying until I get to Cue Number 147!!
Good luck with all your Cue Searches......
Oldgit
I then fell in love with antique cues again and bought in quick succession a totally original Eureka one piece ash, a Burwat Champion ash and a stunning pearwood Mannock. Whilst they were all wonderful cues none of them were good playing cues so after a brief love affair they all went to fellow collectors.
I then bought a 3/4 ash John Parris Ultimate from my old pal, Andrew Ramsay. The cue had just about perfect arrows, just as I like them and dead straight side grain BUT the splicework was horrible. I was so staggered by how bad the splicework was that I telephoned Andew to ask him how he could advertise the cue as 'perfect'.......and he corectly ponted out to me that nearly all of my previous Parris Ultimates had been made for Pros and were 'the best of the best' and this one was a typical example. It was actually a very good playing cue but for some idiotic reason the horrendous splicework put me off the cue so off it went.........
Next cue was a one piece Niche ash ultimate, perfect in every way apart from 'feel' so i didnt keep it long and it was followed by a 3/4 join Glover ash cue. This cue really is stunning, 6 absolutely perfect well spaced arrows, as straight side grain as is possible, lovely weight and balance but it was just a little bit long at 59in and 9.3mm so I took it thro to Stu at GBL and he sent it to Alan Day. Su couldnt miss with the cue, he tried deep screw shots, ultra side shots, straight pots......but he just couldnt miss!! I tried to sell him it for £1000 but he just laughed!! The cue came back a week later at 58.25in and 9.5mm and Stu still couldnt miss with it so I know its a great playing cue. I used it for my team match that week and won easily, but was not totally sure about the cue so off it went to my cupboard as a sunning cue to maybe be used in the future...........
My next cue was a lovely original 1980s 3/4 ash Hunt & Obyrne which was in beautiful condition. It was 59in long and felt nice apart from the weight which was over 19oz so I didnt keep it long. I then bought a Maximus Ultimate 3/4 joined ash cue, 58.25in long but after a week or so decided it wasnt 'the one' so off it went.
My next cue was an old Tom Reece ash cue in pristine original condition. The owner was in his 70s and it was his Dads cue and his Dad had died in 1959. He told me that his Dad had bought the cue at an auction in 1955. The cue is beautiful but sadly not a player!
I then borrowed a Dave Coutts stunning Laminated cue from my old mate Pete Hutchinson. The cue is a work of art, it was so perfect to look at that it deserved to be hung on the wall rather than used. I tried it out in my wednesday night team match and won 96-18 against a really good player. I then wondered if I had found the Holy Grail but the next week I played a singles comp and played like a beginner so the cue went back to Pete!!
My next cue was an original ash Burwat Champion that was actually a great playing cue. I was so happy with this cue that I used it for a month or so and still love the cue although it now sits in the cupboard with the Glover cue and my old 80s Cannon cue!!
I then bought a very VERY special cue. In the 1980s a guy walked into Hunt & Obyrnes show room in London and bought a display cue, a 3/4 ash cue, 58in long, 10mm tip and 18oz complete with case and extension for £563 which was a lot of money in those days for a cue. Over the next 30 odd years he hardly ever used the cue. To this day it has only ever had three tips on it, the first two fitted by Will Hunt and the last by Robert Osborne. Pete Hutchinson had then bought the cue from the guy who didnt want to post it so drove to Pets house from London! I fell in love with the cue and am now the proud owner.......i am willing to bet that its the best original example in the world of a Hunt & Obyrne cue. For the first week that I owned it I left my wife and moved into the spare bedroom and slept with the cue!!
It is even a great playing cue.......it got the seal of approval from my cue guru, Stu Green!........which brings me to my next cue........as I seem to spend half my life at Greenbaize I run the risk of buying a new cue everytime I go there and found a beautiful Maximus Ultimate one piece ash cue with perfect arrows on the top and a totally blank underneath so of course I just HAD to buy it........and its now sitting in the cupboard with all its mates!!
I then bought a 22 year old red glue Parris Special 3/4 joined ash cue. It is a lovely golden aged colour and perfectly made with lovely ash and the joint low down at 11in so it feels more like a one piece. The only problem is that its 57in long and was originally 9mm alhough the ferrule has been worn away at the top to 8.5mm. I asked Stus opinion (as usual) as I was thinking of getting it altered to 58in and 9.5mm but Stu ried it out and told me that it actually plays like a 9mm cue and is a good playing cue and if I alter it I may ruin it.....so its consigned to my cupboard of treasures!!
Now........finally about 3 weeks ago, I bought an old 1990s Cannon 3/4 ash cue (the badge is the three biliard balls) from a cue collector and he had got the cue from Dave Smith (Cues n Views). It arrived at my house and I unpacked it and did what I always do, took it thro to Stu for a new tip. Stu fitted an elkmaster and the ried out the cue. He old me it was a good playing cue and 'very lively'. I then went to my club and couldnt miss with it!! I abslutely LOVE the cue. It is 16.5oz weight, around 57.75in and 9.4mm tip and just feels pefect. I have played well with this cue for the last 3 weeks and still love it which is a good sign so who knows, it may even be 'The One'!!
.........so last night I bid on ebay and was the winning bidder of another of these old Cannon cues, this one in its original case complete with extension. I got a nice email from the owner who has owned the cue from new who wished me all the best and old me that it is a lovely cue and he got to be in the top ten in Wales as an amateur with the cue and had a 139 clearence with it so last night i went to bed dreaming of 139 clearences!!
So thats my Search for a Cue story up to date. Ive loved every moment of it and when the latest Cannon cue arrives it will be cue Number 140 since my Search began.......hmmmmmm.......maybe I should carry on buying until I get to Cue Number 147!!
Good luck with all your Cue Searches......
Oldgit
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