http://cuezilla.com Monster Cue or Not? Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:49:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://cuezilla.com/archives/696 http://cuezilla.com/archives/696#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:40:46 +0000 Godzilla http://cuezilla.com/?p=696

General Cue Description-

Cue #150 from Ron Haley is a 6 point cue with 3 long purpleheart points and 3 short ivory points with 3 veneers and 4 of Ron’s signature paper veneers into an ebony forearm and a purpleheart butt with 3 mitered boxes with ivory centers. The cue is a true hoppe butt with an ivory butt plug in place of a bumper. This cue is a rare collaboration cue where Ron worked hand in hand with HOF cuemaker Bill Schick, Ron built the cue and Bill did all the scrim work in all the ivory right down to the skull head on the butt plug. this is the first and only time that Bill has ever done work on another cuemakers cue. The cue also features 6 barbells made with ivory spearheads, an Ivory joint and a black leather wrap.

Here’s what the experts think- they are limited to 500 characters!

	Dick Abbott Ron Haley is an up and coming cuemaker who has made a name for himself with excellent execution and attention to detail. This cue is eye catching with its vibrant colored veneers over purpleheart and ivory prongs into ebony. The veneer work on the prongs and around the windows appears perfectly executed. The silver décor rings are understated and tasteful and the ‘Hoppe’ butt plate with the scrimshawed ivory butt plug is very cool. The scrimshaw theme is not to my liking and the barbells in the forearm and butt sleeve seem to be an afterthought to fill space. Not a monster.
	Fred Agnir Every cue Ron Haley makes borders on perfection. The collaboration with HOFer Schick makes this cue possibly his best cue to date. The Purple Heart twist on the Flame Cue, especially with purposefully short points as “little flames” on which Schick is able to continue the scrimshaw in the forearm works for me. The theme is nicely carried and balanced from the bumper-less butt cap to joint protectors. The double spear point barbells however look a bit like an add-in. I’m not ready to call this a monster because there is no doubt that Haley will build cues that will greatly overshadow this one.
	Deno Andrews Haley’s execution and Schick’s collaboration make this a really valuable and collectible cue. I love the mitered boxes and the unique scrim work. However, many cue makers don’t get the aesthetic awkwardness of framing short points with the same thickness as the long points. Basically, it’s completely wrong and looks bad. Short points inside long points should almost always have thinner framing. This mistake disqualifies the cue in my opinion. Not a monster.
	JimBo Ron Haley’s execution is flawless and it’s great to see inlays into purpleheart rather then hidden in ebony as we see so many times. His veneer work and boxes are exceptional. The joint protectors and ivory plug are fantastic. I feel this cue falls a little short in it’s design. The fact that a HOF (Bill Schick) cuemaker did the scrim work adds to it for me where as I normally deduct points when someone else does that work on a cue. For me that collaboration alone makes this a Monster.
	Jim Stadum Ron Haley’s work is impeccable as usual. I am not sure I like the color scheme in the overall cue and Bill’s scrimshaw is on the morbid side, but considering that this cue was ordered by Jimbo I think he nailed the assignment. In a strange way I am really starting to like this cue. The Ivory butt plug is very unique and adds a new twist. I like the idea of two cuemakers collaborating on a cue especially when one of them is a member of the HOF. This cue is a perfect fit for Jimbo and if I were him I would consider it a Monster. For me it is very close but just shy of Monster status.

What do you think? Submit a comment and rate the cue. Justify your rating!-

]]> http://cuezilla.com/archives/696/feed 6 http://cuezilla.com/archives/535 http://cuezilla.com/archives/535#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:10:32 +0000 Godzilla http://cuezilla.com/?p=535

General Cue Description-

Hall of Fame Cuemaker Bill Schick built this conversion cue in 2009 and is one of the finest examples of conversion creativity. Born from the fanciest of Brunswick cues, these early 20th-century pieces continue to inspire modern butterfly-splice cue makers. Schick’s conversion features a Brazilian Rosewood forearm with purpleheart points and butt sleeve. Schick used the bottom set of points (the 360 normally has three sets) to create the forearm, while connecting it to the butt sleeve with a smooth leather-wrapped handle. The wedge design in the butt sleeve is carried through from the Brunswick 360 to this conversion with Schick replacing the original mother-of-pearl design with ivory. He finished the cue with an ivory collar and what is now his signature ivory-tipped pin. Alton Takata of Cue Caps provided the spectacular matching joint protectors. This beautiful conversion is in the collection of Chris Grader.

Here’s what the experts think- they are limited to 500 characters!

	Dick Abbott The Brunswick~Balke~Collender models 360 & 36 ½ are the monsters of all production cues. Introduced 120 years ago, and selling for under $20, they were true works of art and continue to stand the test of time. Mr. Schick has created a gorgeous conversion. I would like to see if he spliced the second set of prongs into the shaft, as that would be a great touch in keeping closer to the original design. I assume he wrapped the cue to add length as the butt would be about 24” otherwise. The ivory dots in the joint collars are somewhat distracting. The joint protectors are a nice addition. Super conversion but not a monster.
	Fred Agnir The Brunswick 360 was way ahead of its time. It would be nice to see an original vs. this end result for people to appreciate the full story of this cue. Schick did a masterful job using as much of the original cue to build the forearm, while keeping the same wedge design element in the butt sleeve. He added a lot of elegance to this historic cue using ivory and a smooth leather wrap. It’s hard to even classify this as a conversion cue. I would have liked to have seen the joint protectors match the collar design, but this doesn’t detract from the fact that this conversion is a Monster.
	Deno Andrews Brunswick 360 cues were the wildest thing on the market 100 years ago. I can appreciate Schick’s paying homage to these great cues by converting one. Bill Schick is one of our industry’s treasures and his body of work is vast and impressive. I love this cue and how Schick converted it, meaning that his work and the original cue blend into a cohesive look. In the end though, it is a simple conversion cue, which it should be. Basically what I am saying is that Schick didn’t over-produce this cue, which was the right thing to do, but it also doesn’t register as a Monster to me.
	JimBo When you take the Brunswick 360 arguably the biggest cue from the company that is synonymous with pool for the last 150+ years and have a living legend and Hall Of Fame cuemaker convert it into a modern day player you can’t lose. Toss in a set of caps from Alton and we have ourselves a Monster. This cue is not only a great collectable but a piece of history, the Purple Heart gives it added points in my book. Monster for sure.
	Jim Stadum The Brunswick 360 is one of my favorite designs of all time and Bill did a first class job with the conversion. I would like to see an image of the whole cue including the shafts. The joint caps add a nice touch. Considering that this cue is probably over 100 years old, and was converted by a HOF cuemaker makes this cue highly collectable and quite valuable. I have seen numerous Bill Shick cues that are way over the top in comparison to this one. Very close but “No Monster” for me.

What do you think? Submit a comment and rate the cue. Justify your rating!-

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