Playing with a cue you made.

[Master Blaster]

I wouldn't class myself a cuemaker, I don't earn my living this way but I've mucked about enough with them. To be honest, I don't really feel anything 'emotionally' different for the cue, at the end of the day its just a cue, I either like it or I don't.

It has given me the opportunity to try a few interesting specs out though, just to put those niggling thoughts one has to bed - I wonder what if I change this or that etc. The best bit about it though, its a hell of a lot cheaper!!!!

Best cue I have made was probably a recent one which I had a knock with before the final finish, but it was an order For me the cue is all about the shaft. What do I look? - a very tight side grain but the shaft still has to be stiff enough. I'm not too bothered personally about even arrows, but I don't like too many as I find it a little distracting. I actually have a cue in progress for myself exactly like this. As for the butt anything but plain ebony, just a bit boring for me. Balance anywhere between 16.5" - 18.5" not too fussed.

Who would I order from, well I can give quite an honest opinion on this having bought from most. For me either Tony glover or Trevor White. Although Trevors finish is far superior imo, both are quite good value in comparison to others and nice guys to deal with. Although I do have an Ultimate on order, never really like their finish though.

Why order an Ultimate if you don't like their finish? Was it the desire for angel ash? What's not to like about JP's finish?

[RogiBear]

Interesting - getting back to the thread before it develops into the master blaster show again - thanks for your input Adam

Why a cue maker would buy from anyone else is intriguing - as I'd have thought you are the type of person that could make a cue what you like yourself.
Maybe its like cooking for me - always tastes better when someone else makes it for me - or is that just my cooking?

As for the finish I prefer a less smooth finish as I like to get a little feedback on the bridge - I feel it helps my timing of the shot. Had a cue that had a flat spot - hard wood underneath I got used to feeling this go over the bridge just before the pause at the back.

Well as I said before, for me the cue is all about the shaft. Unlike the professionals I do not have the time or storage facilities to buy and sort through £1000s of ash at a time to pick exactly what I want. At the end of the end of the day I'm just like anyone else looking for 'the cue'. If I find a shaft while going through mine that I like I will put it aside, but I will probably have a better chance of finding it by either ordering through a range of cuemakers or by buying second hand. You can also potentially learn something from said cue once received.

Yes I also prefer to feel the grain ever so slightly, which is how I've developed my own finish. I sense you're getting at the fact that Trevors finish is so smooth it's almost like maple? Nothing wrong with that and in itself is a remarkable feat. When I referred to it as superior I was leaning towards it being very good in various conditions.

Why order an Ultimate if you don't like their finish? Was it the desire for angel ash? What's not to like about JP's finish?

For a couple of reasons but nothing to do with wood being felled while unicorns being sacrificed, angel ash or any other terms used for kiln-dried ash. With an ultimate you can specify what characteristics you want the shaft to have and secondly if I don't like it I can shift it fairly easily for the same price I paid with little hassle. I may have just been unlucky but I haven't been satisfied with any of the finishes on the cues I have bought directly from him, seem a little slap dash and sort of 'un-finished', the open grain wasn't filled properly and pulled my facial hair out. I also find it discolours very quickly from chalk. I'm not too bothered though, if I like the cue its a simple fix for me.

[Master Blaster]

Well as I said before, for me the cue is all about the shaft. Unlike the professionals I do not have the time or storage facilities to buy and sort through £1000s of ash at a time to pick exactly what I want. At the end of the end of the day I'm just like anyone else looking for 'the cue'. If I find a shaft while going through mine that I like I will put it aside, but I will probably have a better chance of finding it by either ordering through a range of cuemakers or by buying second hand. You can also potentially learn something from said cue once received.

Yes I also prefer to feel the grain ever so slightly, which is how I've developed my own finish. I sense you're getting at the fact that Trevors finish is so smooth it's almost like maple? Nothing wrong with that and in itself is a remarkable feat. When I referred to it as superior I was leaning towards it being very good in various conditions.



For a couple of reasons but nothing to do with wood being felled while unicorns being sacrificed, angel ash or any other terms used for kiln-dried ash. With an ultimate you can specify what characteristics you want the shaft to have and secondly if I don't like it I can shift it fairly easily for the same price I paid with little hassle. I may have just been unlucky but I haven't been satisfied with any of the finishes on the cues I have bought directly from him, seem a little slap dash and sort of 'un-finished', the open grain wasn't filled properly and pulled my facial hair out. I also find it discolours very quickly from chalk. I'm not too bothered though, if I like the cue its a simple fix for me.

I think you should have said something to JP. That's not unlucky, it's simply not good enough at those prices. If you try a Phoenix etc, you get an ultra smooth top shaft for cueing and a flat belly, very smooth indeed. No problems with facial hair but the it does mean there is a lot of filler in this grooves on the top side. Some cue makers don't prefer this and use a less bulky filler mostly for colouring rather than filling the grooves to the top.