9-Ball
Topic: Sneaky Pete cues

I was wondering if anybody could recommend where best to custom order one of these.

Cheers,

Carl

Many of the main production cue manufacturers produce absolutely superb quality Sneaky Pete models, including Predator and Mezz, with all sorts of options including stainless steel or wood-to-wood joints, number of points and wood or linen wrap areas.

The Pro Shop (re-opening tomorrow after the Holiday break) can deliver all these for you.

Let me add some links for when The Pro Shop reopens...

Predator Sneaky Pete Series




-----------------

Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor

Mezz Sneaky Pete Cues....




-----------------

Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor

If you still fancy having one custom made, give me a call and we can chat about what YOU want precisely, and I can give you some contacts suited to your specific requirements.


-----------------

Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor

There are hundreds of cue makers and they all make sneakies. You need to decide which custom cue maker you like and contact them directly with your exact specifications.

Thanks for the info BigDave but I don't think I can fork out the cash for a predator or Mezz.
You're definitely right about the list of cuemakers Robbed. There's just too manu too choose from.


Below are some links to some threads in AZ which are what I'm sort of looking for.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=65937

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=249577

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=240593

In terms of the specs of the cue;

Bocote/Ebony/Cocobolo/Pau Ferrro
12.5/12.75mm tip
Really long pro taper (20 inch)
19oz
Wood to wood joint
Radial or 3/8x10 joint (Not really fussy just something that fits firmly)
Logoless
60 inch (if not don't mind 59 or 5
Sniper or Milk Dud tip

No decorative rings just a simple, high quality and solid hitting stick.

Branded mass produced so-called "Sneaky Pete" cues are a load of tosh.

The only real "Sneaky Pete" cues are exact copies of regular 1piece house cues, 0 veneers on the points, high grade maple shaft, stronger ferrule and better quality cue tip - and if it's a 2 piece cue, then a plain wood/wood joint without any collars or decorative rings.

Anything else such as point veneers, SS joints, etc, is nothing more than cues that are modern copies of old "Titleist" style cues that were made by Brunswick, Frank Paradise, Herman Rambow, etc, back in the early - mid 20th century.

Willie


-----------------
If ya got 'em, smoke 'em

im looking for my first american pool cue and what you described willie is just what im after. Where can i get one made like that,and how much am i looking at?

Hey searsy, welcome to Pro9 pal.

The cheapest and easiest way to do is is to buy a plain American Pool house cue that is to your chosen weight, have it split and have a cuemaker to just make you a good quality shaft that is to your requirements, e.g. length, taper, choice of ferrule material and choice of cue tip.

There are 1 or 2 cuemakers/repairmen in the UK that could do that easily enough without it costing the earth amd it'd be a better option for your 1st American Pool cue, rather than lashing out £100's on highly price production cues that are made in Japan.

1 thing I will say though, it's best to have 2 shafts made and just one, because if you're playing and a tip comes off during practice or a tournament, you can then just switch shafts, instead of having to wait for X amount of time to glue the tip back on again

Willie


-----------------
If ya got 'em, smoke 'em

ok cheers mate, is there anyone you recommend? and where can i get a decent house bat?

Check out ebay for a fairly decent house stick, the best on the market are still "Dufferin" which are made with Canadian 'rock' maple.

The guys I know most that can do it are:-

Paul Morgan - Usually plays at the Rack'N'Roll in Leicester.

Or

Andy Nicholson "The Cue Doctor"
Mile End Snooker & Pool Centre
229 Mile End Road,
Tower Hamlets,
London,
E1 4AA

I know Paul Margan can make new cue shafts no problem and so, anyone on here who can PM you his contact number, would be able to help further.

I hope you get sorted out with a cue stick pal and good luck

Willie

My heart is in the same place as Willie's... (Man, that came out sounding all wrong).



There's nothing quite as cool as a Sneaky Pete with a Dufferin maple leaf lozenge embedded in the butt.

However, if you were to use a real Dufferin house cue as the sole source material you'd merely end up with the best house cue in the country, made from a cue that probably cost less than four dollars originally - so you can imagine the poor quality of wood used.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with cues made in Japanese factories. I'm not saying anyone said there was, but it may have been inferred from statements above. No one should confuse Japanese factory craftsmen with the poor standard of "sweatshops" that you may have seen elsewhere in the world, where low paid workers produce substandard products for poor wages.

Japan, despite looking like a small chain of islands similar to the UK, is actually much larger than Great Britain, is a very modern country with twice our population, and has a thriving economy with a GNP second only to the USA and China, and it achieves all this with barely any of the natural resources found elsewhere in the world.

Please don't forget, Japan is the home of Sony, makers of everything from the original "Walkman" to today's highest quality broadcast industry video equipment. Home of Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan, some of the world's largest motor companies. Home of Canon - the cameras and lenses used by many of the world's professional photographers.

Japan's cue factory workers are well paid craftsmen and woman, capable of consistently making some of the best production cues in the world. One of Japan's biggest imports is wood, and they certainly know a thing or two about it!

When you hold a Predator or Mezz cue in your hands you can see the quality, when you play with it you can feel the quality.

Here's an interesting thought... What effect would it have had if Willie Mosconi was playing with one of these new laminated, (hollow-point - I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT, EVEN IF IT'S NOT STRICTLY ACCURATE) low deflection shafts?

Finally, Andy Nicholson has sold his cue making equipment, and not only is Paul Morgan the most difficult person to get hold of in the world, it sounds like he's had a fair share of customer service problems.

I think Paul Morgan has given up cue making/repairs for good. I suspect the wizard meant China, not Japan. Japan produces some excellent cues, but you'll pay for them. Chinese cues are cheaply made and cheap to buy, with good reason.

Anyone new to the game or wanting their first cue needs to consider how they'll cope with cue ball deflection before they make the decision. They are potentially in for a rocky ride if they don't know what it is or haven't played with a high deflecting cue before. Us Brits aren't used to it which is why Predators are so popular over here, even though they're poo pooed in much of the rest of the world. A newbie to American pool can point and poke with a Pred and the ball will go where intended, although at the expense of a satisfying hit.

Why are they called sneaky pete ??
Was Designer called Pete and was a sneaky so and so

On 2012-01-02 21:00 , cjj46 Wrote:

Two Joseys and a Sugartree - I like your style! If I were you i'd start a post on AZ asking for what you're after and see what you're offered. There are good prices about at the moment and there are a lot of desperate sellers, so play hardball over price.

Josey make excellent sneakies and I'm going to order one myself when I get some cash. You'll be looking at around $500 for one of those, however, so not cheap. Personally, I'd steer clear of Dufferin conversion type cues - that's not to say they won't hit great, but paying hundreds for a house cue that's been cut in half and had a joint inserted is not my cup of tea. Some go for thousands though!

Why do you want a sneaky anyway?

Those Joseys are bloody beautiful. I just like Sneakies because of their simplicity and are a great way to show off highly figured wood in a simple way.

Maybe if I make some more money in the future I'll opt for a Josey.

My problem with AZ is that many people are reluctant to ship to outside the US and if they do I'd have to pay for an escrow service.

If I really had the cash I'd get a Black Boar but that's well beyond my reach for now!

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=252079

From what I've read and heard about the guy who makes the cue in the link above, he makes a mean cue, plus it's around my price range.

I wouldn't worry about shipping for relatively low value cues - you'll get plenty who'll ship to the UK without escrow. I've bought several cues from abroad with no issues.

The AZ seller you link sells internationally - $40 to cover shipping. Bought my cue from him. He has an ebay site which is worth looking at or you could PM him on AZ to find out if he has any more. Dealers like him have good contacts and he won't rob you.

*Admin edit: You'll have to PM the eBay link to avoid breaking forum rules.

Anyway, a Black Boar? Pah. How about this bad boy then?

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=257162

Ok, I have read with interest and I wasn't going to post but I think it's only right to put a few points straight.

First thing...the Mezz and Predator cues are excellent quality. Really good. Call them Sneaky Pete's if you will but whatever, they really are good, well made cues....which leads me on to the next thing...

China....Like it or not, this country will be taking over the whole world very soon. The one thing they are good at is listening to feedback and doing something about it. The products they are producing are getting better and better. The cues produced there (and there are many of them) are getting better and better. The rest of the world cannot compete on price. Japan turns out a better quality product generally but pricing is a key factor and China is catching up. I know a few friends that own space in Chinese factories and its an unbelievable sight to see. Copyright laws are a joke and everything is copied...and I mean everything. All this flies in the face of the kind of cues I collect (hand made American billiard cues) but China cannot be ignored because their domination on the worlds markets will effect all of us.

Dufferin House cues....generally regarded to be an excellent start to a cue by most cue makers. Good glue, good points and straight....very solid full splice. That is why most cue makers use them when doing conversions. I have owned many Dufferin conversions and when James White makes you one (Or Jensen, Mottey...add a million other names....) you know where your $800 - $1400 has gone. Its not just a case of cutting it in half and adding a joint, a whole host of work goes on. So when a top cue maker puts out a Dufferin conversion, you can be sure you are getting the highest possible work from that maker. They wouldn't use them as blanks if they were not any good.

The reason why the UK is so hung up on Predator (me included) can be traced back to mid 1990s when a certain Mr Steve Knight brought a Predator shaft back to the UK after one of his American Road Trips. Soon other top players saw the benefit (Raj, Imran, Andy Richardson, Daryl) and it spiralled from there. As the sport was at its relative infancy in the 90s in the UK, we didn't know anything different and if most of the top boys were using Predator shafts, then thats what the general populous will use. I did a survey of UK Tour players a few years ago and I think we found 90% of them using Predator shafts. I think I will do the same thing again.

SPs really are cool to look at and play with. Whilst its nice to have a fancy super inlaid cue (or more than one ), there is something endearing and back to basics with the converted house cue. I buy them all time and can't help myself.

Paul Morgan certainly hasn't done himself any favours in the UK and still owes people money and work that has been outstanding for such a long time. I would be very cautious of sending him anything or asking him to take on a commission.

The new super star is Adam Shaw from the Wirral. He has already made me a Sneaky Pete conversion and I have to say it is an excellent cue. He does superb work.

Sorry for the long post.

Love

Si

I for one would be interested if you did a survey of who used what cue. Perhaps you could start a thread on here?

PM sent btw.

Robbed, Szamboti's don't really do it for me (I'm probably gonna go to the bathroom off a few cue lovers for this statement). Thanks for letting me know about the AZ seller. He might just be the guy I give up the cash to! what kind of you did you get from him?