MIKE DURBIN
SIX POINT CURLY HONEY MAPLE CUE
WITH WHITE JUMA POINTS
AND THREE PART HANDLE
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Here is a very handsome cue from Mike Durbin, who is known for making very good playing cues for many of the top players across the country. He's pulled out the stops on this one, and created a stunning stick.
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He starts this cue with a basic eight point design - four long, four short - into a pretty honey maple forearm and butt sleeve. But, that's where "basic" ends.
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He builds the points from white Juma, frames each one with heavy black veneer, and tops them all with ebony spearheads. Then, in the base of each point he inlays a black bar with small spearheads on each end.
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He builds a solid white ring into the butt sleeve, divided by black veneer into eight separate blocks. And then inlays a black bar with small spearheads into the center of each. It creates a stunning effect.
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And while his creative juices were running hot, he decided to add not just a traditional linen wrap, but rather to build a segmented handle with another pretty piece of maple in the middle.
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I can't describe this cue without putting a lot of emphasis on the rings. Not only does he build a really fancy set of rings, but he uses them generously throughout the stick.
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These rings are so complex that I'm not even going to try to full describe them. To call them a set of "dash" rings would be vastly oversimplyfying them. I'll just let the pictures tell their story. And, he uses them eight times. (Most cue makers price their cues partially by adding up the various things they've included in a cue's build. With rings, they usually add up to $300 a ringset for fancy rings. If you conservatively priced these at $200, you're looking at $1600 worth of rings.)
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Two of the handle segments are wrapped in white Irish linen with double black specs. This is a lot of people's favorite wrap, and it certainly looks good on this cue.
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A few views of the handle area of this spectacular cue ...
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This contiguous circle of white boxes circling the butt sleeve is a great design. I'm surprised cue makers don't use it more.
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These white points, framed in black, stand out beatifully against the rich honey maple background. This is an exquisite cue.
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A closer look at the pretty linen wrap on the handle.
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And the pretty curly maple in the middle segment.
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And another look at the dazzling curly maple in the forearm.
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He builds it with a white Juma joint to match the white butt cap.
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He builds it with a flat faced joint with his usual 3/8 X 11 steel pin. It comes with two of his premium maple shafts (13 mm) with white Juma ferrules and LePro tips. It weighs 19.4 ounces (15.4, 4.0, 4.0) and is 58 inches long. As with most his cues, he engraves his name on the butt cap. This is a very appealing cue by a guy who knows how to make cue that look good, and better yet, play good.
PRICE: $3250 PLUS SHIPPING
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