This cue was a surprise offer on May 4,
2007. I placed it online and said the first $5,000 gets it.
A man offered $5,000 exactly one hour later, but was
too late.
The value will increase past the $5,000
because the owner wants scrimshaw work. Its will
easily value between $6,500 and $7,700 when finished.
Shafts: Two super-low deflection Prodigy
old growth maple shafts. These are 3 steps lower in deflection
than any Predator shaft.
Forearm: Credit goes to Predator for their
original Predator design. I improved
the white inlay into black wood by adding an ebony border
inside and outside of this inlay and I tightened up the knotted
layers in the center.
Wrap: Black Monitor lizard wrap.
Ring work: Black phenolic and ebony with
french diamonds.
Scrimshaw: The buyer has bought additional
and intricate scrimshaw work, see below.
Joint sleeve: Scrimshawed
Butt cap: Scrimshawed
This cue was featured in the InsidePool magazine "Cue
Addition" in late 2007.
If, I said "If" I were to put
a ring
tailed lizard wrap on this cue, then this is what
it would look like.
This cue left in November 2007 with this black
monitor lizard wrap.
If I were to place a black one-piece
cowhide wrap on this cue, then this is what it
would look like.
Here is what the buyer (A Tournament
promoter and player) has to say of his new cue.
I have been playing pretty exclusively
with the bubinga cue MS 07-0005, and really getting the hang
of it. It does certainly put on more spin, and there is little
if any deflection that I can notice.
The hit is like no other
cue I have played with. It does take some minor adjustment
after playing with Predators, and other types of cues, but
once you realize you do not need to make the adjustments,
it is truly a pleasure to play with, The balance is extremely
nice, and feels lighter than it really is.
The
soft hit is to my style of playing, and is absolutely the
best hitting cue, producing the most spin with little effort,
and a masterpiece in cue making. I do still need to work
on my draw shot, as just about every one where I needed to
go 3/4 to full table length, drew further than I wanted it
to do. Just a matter of an adjustment, to compensate for
the tremendous spin I am getting. More play, slow things
down a bit, and all will be good. It is shoo cool to be able
to draw full table and more sometimes, but rarely is this
needed in a game, so will try to slow down the shot some
to get the cue ball position I need to win.
I played in a 9-ball tournament this past weekend, against many of the better
players locally. Lost the first match to a Philippino kid about 20 years old
that is a great shooter, but fought back on the B side, against all the good
players, and eventually won the tournament. It was a really nice feeling to be
back in the winner's circle after so many difficult tournaments, where I was
coming in really poorly or maybe in the top 10 at best, due to my erratic play.
One game hot then the next game very poor performance. Never did the cue
get me in trouble, and the cue ball did everything I expected it to do.
Able to
play the hard hit shot with accuracy, and able to play the
soft shots with accuracy, while still getting the spin I
needed to play the shot. I don't even need to think about
making the shots, just where I want the cue ball to end up.
Several times I had to play soft hits to get safeties and
everything worked as planned.
This control of the cue ball
is the main reason for me winning this tournament. The cue
has given me the confidence to play many shots that previously
I would have passed on and played a safety. Because the cue
hits so well, it has forced me to concentrate on my stroke,
rather than concentrating on the shot. I truly believe it
has caused me to become a better player, as no longer do
I need to be afraid of any shot - long or short, hard or
soft.
You are right that it takes some time to
get used to the hit of the cue, as I probably have in about
60-70 hours of dedicated playing time on the table. As I
mentioned to you before, I tend to not practice well, so
most of that time has been against competition, and I try
to play the players that in the past I rarely was able to
beat, but now there seems to be no-one that I am afraid to
play. As a mid level player, this cue, and the confidence
I have with it, and my improved stroke, ............as the
man on the cooking show says.............. has kicked it
(my playing skill) up a notch.
Thank you so much for this great cue, forcing
me to play more serious, and still having fun. As beautiful
as this cue is - it will not sit in a cabinet for all to
see. If they want to see it, then they will need to come
to the table with their best game, as I am surely now playing
much better than I have for years.
Overall I could not be happier with the
cue and the way it performs. I am really enjoying the game
again.
Thank you so much.
Regards and have a great New Year and prosperous 2008.
