Cues and what you prefer or class as the best

[timcunnell]

JP needs to be judged on his total output, not just the pro work.

I totally agree with this. Yes, JP cues are used by most pros. But without question, he makes sure the world's top players are getting the best timber.
Bottom line is, cue making is an art - no question of that. But its not magic. once you're good at it, you're good at it. I don't see how one guy could make a cue any better that anyone else who's got a talent and dedicated their life to it.

[guernseygooner]

I totally agree with this. Yes, JP cues are used by most pros. But without question, he makes sure the world's top players are getting the best timber.
Bottom line is, cue making is an art - no question of that. But its not magic. once you're good at it, you're good at it. I don't see how one guy could make a cue any better that anyone else who's got a talent and dedicated their life to it.

And don't forget that the likes of Ronnie will have at least 5 cues to choose from and play with all of them before choosing one. Joe Public doesn't get that luxury. A 'normal' persons cue won't hit a ball until the customer gets their hands on it so how can you tell if the cue is decent?

That goes for most cue makers I would have thought

[timcunnell]

And don't forget that the likes of Ronnie will have at least 5 cues to choose from and play with all of them before choosing one. Joe Public doesn't get that luxury. A 'normal' persons cue won't hit a ball until the customer gets their hands on it so how can you tell if the cue is decent?

That goes for most cue makers I would have thought

That's very true as well. A cue could be beautifully crafted, and look amazing with perfect grain and immaculate splicing. Yet be fairly hopeless to play with!

Imagine ordering a JP Ultimate, waiting over 2 years for it. Then getting it up the club first night and realising it doesn't feel nearly as good as your old Peradon etc that you from a mate for 20 quid!! I think I'd be near suicidal!!

[Dozza19792]

John Parris no longer makes cues so he can't really be compared. John Parris has become more of a brand than just a cue maker.

Agreed.....

[2v1977]

Until someone like Ronnie wins a tournament with a Hunt, Cook, White or any other brand JP will always be at the top.

Just look how many people have enquired about the Elk master tips Ronnie has commissioned by Tweetens. I wonder how many players out there would refuse to use a tip if Ronnie said he wasn't going to use one. haha

on another point, I do want to add that I believe players like Ronnie get pushed to the front of the queue when he needs a cue.There is a video on youtube with John Parris saying it would normally take up to 2 years to make an Ultimate but Ronnie's was done in 8 weeks due to having shafts already in production. That means Ronnie took someone else's cue.
This then adds to the argument that I believe everyone gets the same standard of material used for cues as the pro's do.

That in my opinion is why he is the best around. And I also know that JP checks all cues at all stages of production. Yes he has others do some of the work but its to his standard.

There is a lot of fakes out there and thats where the bad examples come from.

im looking forward to the replies

[2v1977]

That's very true as well. A cue could be beautifully crafted, and look amazing with perfect grain and immaculate splicing. Yet be fairly hopeless to play with!

Imagine ordering a JP Ultimate, waiting over 2 years for it. Then getting it up the club first night and realising it doesn't feel nearly as good as your old Peradon etc that you from a mate for 20 quid!! I think I'd be near suicidal!!

So are we to believe that you go to the person who makes your cue and you take shots with it at different stages of production to make sure it hits a ball correct.
Or maybe you go to your local Sports direct and use a few cues before buying them.
If you don't do either of these then you must also only know if your cue is correct for you once you are at your local club with it for the first time.

[Dozza19792]

That's very true as well. A cue could be beautifully crafted, and look amazing with perfect grain and immaculate splicing. Yet be fairly hopeless to play with!

Imagine ordering a JP Ultimate, waiting over 2 years for it. Then getting it up the club first night and realising it doesn't feel nearly as good as your old Peradon etc that you from a mate for 20 quid!! I think I'd be near suicidal!!

That's exactly what happened with my JP.....I was alot younger, got caught up in the excitement of buying what at the time was the "Holy Grail" didn't have the opportunity to really test it in the shop, the place was packed.....not the best experience.

To put my experience into perspective, the guy I went down to London with, went to collect the bespoke cue he had ordered over 6mths previous, never tried it in the shop at all, just put in the case and paid his money.....a week later he equalled his highest break.......and tbh, his overall play was inferior to my own(and no i'm not being a big head)......just goes to show, you "Can" be lucky buying blind!

[timcunnell]

Until someone like Ronnie wins a tournament with a Hunt, Cook, White or any other brand JP will always be at the top.

Just look how many people have enquired about the Elk master tips Ronnie has commissioned by Tweetens. I wonder how many players out there would refuse to use a tip if Ronnie said he wasn't going to use one. haha

on another point, I do want to add that I believe players like Ronnie get pushed to the front of the queue when he needs a cue.There is a video on youtube with John Parris saying it would normally take up to 2 years to make an Ultimate but Ronnie's was done in 8 weeks due to having shafts already in production. That means Ronnie took someone else's cue.
This then adds to the argument that I believe everyone gets the same standard of material used for cues as the pro's do.

That in my opinion is why he is the best around. And I also know that JP checks all cues at all stages of production. Yes he has others do some of the work but its to his standard.

There is a lot of fakes out there and thats where the bad examples come from.

im looking forward to the replies

To be fair mate, most of what you've written here is rubbish!

Where to start!!? The success/popularity of JP cues has little to do with Ronnie in the eyes of serious snooker players. Most of the top players use JP cues because he's very good at looking after players. And he's been around making top cues since the 80's.

Almost everyone uses Elk Master tips - its got nothing to do with Ronnie. Its well-known he uses hard Elks, but that goes for most players I think.

I think most people on here seriously doubt that he checks ALL cues at ALL stages of production. He might keep a close eye on Ultimates, and especially if they're going to top players. But he has others do work to his standard!? Seriously!? If I was paying over £1,000 for a Parris cue, I would want to know that it was being made by the man himself. No way I am paying a grand for a cue that's been done by someone else!

The "bad examples" you refer to aren't fakes. They're just bad examples.

[andi mack]

So are we to believe that you go to the person who makes your cue and you take shots with it at different stages of production to make sure it hits a ball correct.
Or maybe you go to your local Sports direct and use a few cues before buying them.
If you don't do either of these then you must also only know if your cue is correct for you once you are at your local club with it for the first time.

If you order a custom cue, that's the chance you take. Some will allow you to make changes / have it remade etc if it's not right, but others won't.

There are at least a few places in the UK where you can go along and try out pre made ready for sale cues before you buy them. Hell i spent about 3 hours in craftsman cues trying out around 20 different cues before i found one that was just right.

Even the old rileys clubs and the like have cues for sale that they'll let you play a frame or two with before parting with your cash.

[DeanH]

Until someone like Ronnie wins a tournament with a Hunt, Cook, White or any other brand JP will always be at the top.

sorry but that does not work, many players have won many tournaments including the triple crown with cues that are not JP, Stamford (Selby/Ding), Powerglide (Hendry), DeRoo (Fu), the list is endless
what Parris did very well in the 80s/90s was to get his name publicised and appearances on BBC WSC programmes, etc.; it is correct to say that (outside TSF ) most snooker fans/players only know one name (if any) of a cue maker and that would most probably be Parris - that is the success of Parris in getting his name "out there"

[Leo]

To be fair mate, most of what you've written here is rubbish!

Where to start!!? The success/popularity of JP cues has little to do with Ronnie in the eyes of serious snooker players. Most of the top players use JP cues because he's very good at looking after players. And he's been around making top cues since the 80's.

Almost everyone uses Elk Master tips - its got nothing to do with Ronnie. Its well-known he uses hard Elks, but that goes for most players I think.

I think most people on here seriously doubt that he checks ALL cues at ALL stages of production. He might keep a close eye on Ultimates, and especially if they're going to top players. But he has others do work to his standard!? Seriously!? If I was paying over £1,000 for a Parris cue, I would want to know that it was being made by the man himself. No way I am paying a grand for a cue that's been done by someone else!

The "bad examples" you refer to aren't fakes. They're just bad examples.

Spot on post Tim.

[timcunnell]

So are we to believe that you go to the person who makes your cue and you take shots with it at different stages of production to make sure it hits a ball correct.
Or maybe you go to your local Sports direct and use a few cues before buying them.
If you don't do either of these then you must also only know if your cue is correct for you once you are at your local club with it for the first time.

This is the exact point that Guernseygooner and I were making (which you seem to have missed!). If you pay £1000 or whatever - and wait 2 years - for a cue, you've got absolutely no guarantee that its going to be any good to play with. What Guernseygooner was saying is that top players have the benefit of getting 5 or so cues to try out, and pick the one that they like. The rest of us are stuck with whatever we get!

[timcunnell]

Spot on post Tim.

Thanks mate!

[2v1977]

I didn't have to wait long for the posts to fly in after that last one I made. I do appreciate a good laugh. Whatever or whoever you decide is the best cue make and cue for you then good luck. I have mine that I am happy with. I won't let myself get drawn in to an argument about it anymore because its something we won't agree on.

lets say there is no BEST out there, just equal greatness.

good luck to you all

[ghost121]

would love to see your top 5.

What's the point? You have made your mind up already; JP is the best no matter what anyone else says here. No matter plenty of players have had negative experiences with JP cues and service. No matter his output quality is varied. No matter he doesn't actually make cues personally anymore. You have the trump card - Ronnie uses one and he's the best player ever. Laughable in its playground logic.