**Post Pictures of your cue!**

[deant1982]

I posted this picture in another thread so apologies in advance if this is against forum rules . .

. . this is my new Mastercraft cue following the untimely demise of my John Parris Ultimate. Dave has made pretty much everyone's cue here in Shropshire so I popped over and he had this half made 'experiment' in the factory. It's on a really nice shaft and always being one for something different it'll be my new cue when it's finished. As you can see it's a 1pc Ash shaft with eventually, 32 splices of Ebony and Maple.

It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea I know but it'll certainly be a conversation starter

Your honest thoughts please . .

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...astercraft.jpg

If it plays well, it doesn't really matter what it looks like.

Looks wise, I'm not keen to be honest. I wouldn't have bought it. (which could have meant I was missing out on the best playing cue I ever could have had, but still).

Not keen on the Stanford mega splice cue either, or even this Trevor White -
http://www.therightcue.com.hk/trevor_white.html (images 29 or 32)

Still, to each his own I suppose...

[JP1]

Post pictures of your cue

Very nice indeed, this has been a great thread with the exception of a few pushing their product it did give an insight into what others are looking for, like to hear a few more comments how the cues feel in your hand and play as well the lovely pics;

I have been impressed of late by the quality and play ability of the LP cues, let me say right from the outset that I have no affiliation with LP my comments relate purely to cue purchased for my own use and or to satisfy my own curiosity, I don't care if you buy an LP as result of my comments or not I am simply offering those members that are interested an open and honest opinion. I have owned and still own a host of high quality cues from just about every name cue maker in the UK incl. Master Cue, Phoenix, O Min and a few other exotics from the Far East.

The UK made cues are the most expensive for obvious reasons quantity plus labor costs and materials dictate the price, some cue makers like Robin Cook who will custom make you a cue for around 500 pounds that equals or betters anything else you can buy in the UK today for three times that amount.

I have seen a great number of LP cues in use at the IBSF world championships for a few years now which prompted me to take a closer look, the top two styles are the King Cue which has a price tag of 19800 RMB and the Duke with a price tag of 6500 RMB both plus postage and tax if applicable for your country, now 6500 RMB very expensive for a Chinese cue was my first thought, even after the IBSF discount the cue was still 420 pounds, which was about 200 pounds less then my other custom cue on order from a UK cue maker, at that time, so I decided to buy not 1 but 3 of the Duke in plain ebony.

After receiving them, I took the cues to the local club, I did not change the tips at all, normally even with top UK cue makers the tips they come with are changed almost immediately. Having over 30 players all of them of a reasonable standard, look over the cues and have a hit with them was great, and to my surprise all of them were absolutely wrapped in the cues, the features they thought most apparent was the easy balance, the power of the cue and the ability to play top spin and draw shots they felt was much easier then with whatever make they were using themselves.

The butts of the 3 Duke cue I got are made of quality ebony of even black color and the shafts are something else again, they have that lovely dark patina you get from antique cues, the best even grain I have seen on any cue, I would go as far as to say that of all of my cues these shafts are the best I have yet come across.

The cues made such an impression that two of the three found new owners immediately, the one in the pictures is mine and is NOT FOR SALE.

I have decided to get the King Cue now, just waiting on a decent discount, as I cannot see what can be improved on a cue costing nearly 3 times as much as the Duke, when I have it I will post the pictures and my comments.

There is always someone who feels that a Chinese cue must be inferior, such comments are infantile as everyone knows that quantity makes quality, and most UK cue makers source their products be it cue blanks or finished cues from China, LP manufactures a host of cues for other well known cue makers including Acuerate Cues which make sit possible for them to select their ash from container loads they import, my guess is that the very best of the best will be used on the King and Duke models.

The Duke here is the very same model and quality standard to the 3 Ronnie O Sullivan took back to London with him when he was given one to try at the pre Masters Tournament in Shanghai, Ronnies comments which are pretty much what I am saying here are on the web, if you get to China5 Sports channel you can watch them, Liang Wenbo left his previous cue at the exhibition and changed to an LP Duke immediately.

Latest, both with beech veneers, 1 with 4 tulipwood splices other with thuya burr

[jim evans]

update for the nearly mannock now sold slight mod to nidi butt put a snakewood front splice on,.com/albums/xx152/mijco/005-12.jpg[/IMG] thanks for watching progress lads getting there i think

[chris433]

Looking nice there Jim..

[jim evans]

another 1 nearly finished very similar to last 1 but with 4 snakewood splices to buttjpg[/IMG]

[Wayne G]

Jim,

Is the snakewood over tulipwood splices?

[deant1982]

To answer for Jim, yes it is.

His other "nearly Mannock" is a beautiful creation too.

[jrc750]

Here is my latest
GBL one piece C4 design, i'm loving it !
Specs are: length 58 1/4", ferrule diameter 9.6 mm, weight 18 oz, butt diameter 29.5 mm, balance point 17"

[jim evans]

looks good jr are you playing well with it

[jrc750]

looks good jr are you playing well with it

Yes Jim, sometimes i feel getting hold of a different cue gives you a new found vigour for the game

[jrc750]

Here is another, early Robert Osborne cue, very nice cue indeed.
Specs are: length 58", ferrule diameter 9.7 mm, weight 18.5 oz, butt diameter 29 mm, balance point 18 1/2", jointed at 16"

[jim evans]

no what you mean jr i played last night with a 100 yr old orme and sons and the 1 ive made in the previouse post and never lost a frame

[jim evans]

Here is another, early Robert Osborne cue, very nice cue indeed.
Specs are: length 58", ferrule diameter 9.7 mm, weight 18.5 oz, butt diameter 29 mm, balance point 18 1/2", jointed at 16"

i like that 1 jr

[willtyson]

My Andy Travis, it plays fantastically. Plain ebony and ash. The pictures don't do it justice though :snooker:

[Inoffthered]

My Andy Travis, it plays fantastically. Plain ebony and ash. The pictures don't do it justice though :snooker:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8690[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]8691[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]8692[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]8693[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]8694[/ATTACH]

Awesome. Plain ebony 4tw!