This is such a cool idea...I just had to share it with you. Shawn Smith of FT Gibson in Oklahoma (AKA FTGoki on the AZ forums) put together a custom cue building contest.

He found 6 custom pool cuemakers to participate in his grand idea. They all agreed to build a cue to the same basic specifications. Then, the cues would be sent to pre-selected (LUCKY) players around the country for them to evaluate how the cues play, look, feel, etc. The cues do not have any identifying marks, so the participants don't know who made them.

That's what makes this so cool. They will be giving a totally unbiased opinion of the cues.
In the video below, Shawn is showing the cues that have been made by the cuemakers.  The case was made and supplied by John Barton of JBcases.com (his cases are THE BEST, IMHO).   Now, these cues will travel to the participants for their review.  I can't wait to see what they have to say.

I forgot to mention that the cues and cases are going to be raffled-off to one lucky winner, when this project is completed, so stay tuned.  I'll keep you well informed.  I'll try to get more details from Shawn on the progress of his American Cue Build-off.

Here is a list of requirements that were given to the cue builders (from PoolGoog.com)

Cheers,
Skippy

I love this cue!  This is classic Gus Szamboti work.  It isn't fancy, but in my mind it is what a cue is "supposed" to look like.  I'd love to be able to play with a Gus Szamboti cue to see how it plays.

This cue is owned by the legendary Danny DiLiberto and was used to achieve his personal best run of 14.1, which must have been a pretty big run.

This is Danny DiLiberto's personal Gus Szamboti cue.

This cue is featured over at Cuezilla.com.  If you haven't checked out that site, you should.  They have some very unique cues that you can enjoy and give your rating and opinions.  It is a great site for cue enthusiasts.

Here is their description of the cue...

The pictured Gus Szamboti cue features four ebony points each with four veneers of black/mahogany/blue/natural into a Birdseye maple nose. The butt is Ebony with Birdseye Maple boxes and two stitch rings. The cue is all original and was made for Danny Deliberto. There is documentation that makes claim to it being used in Danny’s highest run in 14.1 straight pool. This cue also features four Ivory spearhead inlays in the base of the points...(go to Cuezilla...)

I love the look of a full-spliced cue and the classic spear-heads that Gus used in his designs.  This cue may seem very plain to many pool players and cue fans, but I love the classic design of this cue.

What do you think of this cue?  If you've played with a Gus Szamboti cue, let me know what your experience was.

Cheers,
Skippy

P.S.  Gus' son, Barry, is now carrying on the family legacy and makes some awesome cues as well.

Hi folks. I was contacted by one of my readers about a Jim Rempe Meucci cue that he acquired.

This cue is pretty cool. It has an inlaw (or scrimshaw?) that is an outline of Jim Rempe in his shooting stance. I've never seen this Meucci cue before. Have you?

He is trying to get some background on it and find out if any others were produced. Check out the pictures below. Please, comment if you have any insights, questions or facts about this particular cue stick. My readers are GREAT...I'm sure someone out there has seen this vintage Meucci before.

Rare Jim Rempe Meucci cue - complete cue.

Meucci cue picture 1

Meucci Pool Cue picture 2

Rare Jim Rempe Cue pic 3

Rare Jim Rempe Meucci cue - butt cap.

Rare Jim Rempe Meucci cue - butt cap closeup

Leave a comment or contact me if you have any helpful information or thoughts about this cue.

Cheers,
Skippy

Recently, I was contacted by someone who has a rare Jim Rempe series cue.  We discussed the cue and were trying to determine it's history and value.  This cue is pretty cool.   The first thing you notice is the extra insert that splits up the wrap area.

Check out the insert and graphics inside the wrap area.

Vintage Jim Rempe cue by Meucci

I've never seen a Meucci cue quite like it before.  You can tell to look at it that it is from the 80's time-period.  If you don't know, Jim Rempe was "The King" back then.  He was still playing world-class pool and was the face of Meucci cues.  There were many pro pool players sponsored by Meucci back then, but Rempe was the leader of the pack, IMHO.

I was hoping that someone out there that might know more about it.  The owner purchased the cue brand new some time in the late 80's from a cue dealer named Joe Davitt (I think in the .  He had talked with Jim Rempe about the cue years ago.  Rempe called the cue a "JR Special" and thought it could be quite valuable.  Also, he talked to Bob Meucci (Owner of Meucci Cues) about the cue.  Bob thought it was a rare cue with a very limited production of maybe 50 cues.  That being said, it looks like this cue is quite unique and valuable.

Collectible Muecci Cue with very few produced

JR Special Meuccie Cue - Forearm

He might part with the cue someone is serious of acquiring it.  He has the original shaft that came with the cue.  He also has an It's George eelskin case that he purchased at the same time 20+ years ago...

It's George Eelskin tube cue case

Do you have any ideas about the history or value of this cue?  If so, please comment below or send me a personal message through my contact me page.

If your interested in making an offer on this cue, contact me through my conact page or call me at 240.344.6035

Cheers,
Skippy

Every time I go to a yard sale or public auction, I always look for vintage or collectible billiards equipment, especially old pool cues.  I always dream of finding some lost gem like an old Herman Rambow, George Balabushka or Frank Paradise cue that someone had tucked away in their basement or garage.  Of course, I've never found anything that was worth much, but it is fun looking.  Many times people don't know the value of items that they have.  

If you have similar interests, you might want to check out some of the listings on this page to get a feel for what old cues look like.  Sometimes they don't look like much, compared to the elaborate cues that are so commonplace today.  These listings can give you a good idea of what these types of cues are worth.  

If you are even considering searching for or buying a new or vintage cue, then you really should pick up a copy of the Blue Book of Pool Cues
.  This book is an invaluable resource for learning about the history of cuemaking and the components and tools used to construct a cue.  The book is on its third edition now.  The author, Brad Simpson, has put a ton of work into each edition to continually add more and more value and great information.  Whether your looking for classic cues from Gus Szambotti or from modern masters like Richard Black, this book is filled with information and contact information for most cuemakers.   Almost 300 pages longer than the 2nd Edition, this new book is packed with illustrations, images and loads of new information on cue makers, cue models, and up-to-date pricing. There are many color images.

This book is worth every penny. At Amazon, you can look inside the book before you buy.

There is another book that I highly recommend. It is The Billiard Encyclopedia. It is now on its third edition, too. I bought this book when the first edition came out. This is a great book. It is jam-packed full of historical information about billiards. It has lots of great illustrations and photos throughout. It is the type of book that is a good "coffee table" book that looks great and is a good conversation piece, even to those that aren't die-hard pool fans. There are sections on legendary cue makers that is a great resource for people that want to learn more about collecting. I have to tell you, this book is hard to find. If you find one and can afford it, you should buy it. I'll post the link to Amazon, sometimes they have copies available.

I did another search for you to find a copy, below...

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards by Michael    US $26.50

The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards Complete    US $8.75

The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards by Mic    US $65.04

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards Michael Ian    US $11.80

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards    US $18.20

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I hope you find these resources helpful to you. Searching for and collecting vintage cues can be very rewarding. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions or tips that could help others.

Cheers,
Skippy

The guys at TheActionReport.com (TAR) covered the International Cue Collectors Show earlier in the year. Below is the video feed that is on their site. This video is 3 hours of interviews with great custom cue makers and prominent cue collectors. If your a fan of great custom cue craftsmenship, you don't want to miss this video. If your looking for a custom cue or would like to find out more about custom cues check out the video.
The video interviews the following cuemakers and collectors...

Jim Brennan (cue collector...Jimboarmy.com)
Dennis Searing (cuemaker)
Bill Schick (cuemaker)
Andy Gilbert (cuemaker)
Bill Stroud (cuemaker...Josswest)
Paul Drexler (cuemaker...pfd Studios)
Ken Kerner (cue collector/sales...highendcues.com)
Will Prout

You'll also see some great cues from other cuemakers like Phillippi, Arthur Queue, Palmer, Balabushka and much more.

It is amazing to me how these cuemakers and collectors keep coming up with new and innovative cue designs pushing the limits of what we think is possible. There are some nice examples of cues with scrimshaw work, by Bill Schick, too. That guy is really talented.

I would like to thank Justin at TAR for taking the time and effort to travel to the ICCS show and capture some great footage and information from some interesting cuemakers and collectors.  I encourage all of my readers to check out TheActionReport.com for great pool match videos and information about great cuemakers.  I really enjoyed the video.  Someday I hope to attend a show.

Cheers,
Skippy