Cue makers with excellent craftmanship

[GeordieDS]

wait your three years

I would say keep it to yourself if you're prepared to do this because if it gets out they may come and take you away

[itsnoteasy]

I think he made Shaun Murphys' to the almost exact spec of his old broken one. The feel of the shaft was of course different and took a little time to get used to.
When he finally got it he went to the practise room and got on with playing with it rather than go over it with a magnifying glass to see if the splices were millimetre perfect.

That's the main problem with too many punters buying up these expensive hand made cues, they're not looking for a tool to play a game with that might just give them that little bit extra control like a pro does (Stephen Hendry ?), they want something to change their game completely, and that simply can't happen and doesn't, so they moan about the aesthetics.

BTW if someone is turning out cues with lots of nice chevrons, then they're not using prime straight grain ash which tends to show very few. This of course will suit the majority of players who have learned the game with such cues, but it's the prime stuff that gives the best response and is what you should be paying a premium for because it's quite rare.

So choose a cue made to your specs but with a prime shaft, wait your three years and then knuckle down and get on with it or choose something radically different that maybe forces changes to your cue action that gives benefits; if it doesn't you can always go back.

Do you think he made just one cue to Murphys specs and gave him a take it or leave it option? I honestly don't know but I would be surprised, even if he did and Murphy said I don't like the way it plays, I reckon he would have been straight back in the shop whittling another one , I know I would have if it was my business.You will know better than me but most cue makers should be able to take measurements from another cue and replicate it, but getting the same hit or something close could take a few goes, or maybe they can tell from the vibe from the shaft how it might play before the final specs are decided on? All those years of making shafts and handling wood must give them a very good insight into a piece of woods character.

[billabong]

BTW if someone is turning out cues with lots of nice chevrons, then they're not using prime straight grain ash which tends to show very few. This of course will suit the majority of players who have learned the game with such cues, but it's the prime stuff that gives the best response and is what you should be paying a premium for because it's quite rare.
.

I'd say EVERY bit of wood is different, and feels different to different players.

I've just bought a cue from Andy Hunter with lots of chevrons along the shaft, little in the way of straight grain,

and it played the best for me, out of the 3 or 4 that I tried.

I don't look at the chevrons, so it didn't matter a jot, how the one I picked, looked.

Saying that, I know folk who specify how many equally spaced chevrons they want, but I'm with you on that.

It's just a looks thing, and won't help their game IMHO.



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[Mellow Yellow]

Most people never mention dave brown at craftsman cues, he makes fantastic custom cues to your specs.. i have had three cues now, one was stolen another i still have after four years of play and its an amazing cue.. triple butted one piece with perfect splicing.. i also have a new cue coming in one week double butted with single veneer splicing one piece. All of my custom cues have lovely ash shafts with 6 or 7 chevrons, but the best bit is his cues are only £350 to £500 . My new cue cost £413 with postage and a three week wait.

any pics mate?