BILL McDANIELS
FAMOUS "KLING" BOX CUE
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Although Bill McDaniels retired from cuemaking many years ago, his cues have, in the years since, gained him a reputation as being one of the best cuemakers of his time. His sticks have the well-deserved reputation as some of the best built ever.
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This particular cue is one of three he made in keeping with the same design. If you've been around pool loong enough, you may remember the famous Brunswick Balke Collander "Kling" tables, one of the best known tables of their era. They were well-known, expensive and professional tables that filled big-time pool rooms across the country. This cue takes its design from the Kling table.
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For anyone not old enough to remember, the Klings all used a design that emulated the old chalk olders that were suspended from the ceiling by each table. They were weighted, and hung near your head. When you needed to chalk, you reached up and pulled one down and when you released it, it went back up out of your way. The inlay design in the table legs and rails crudely copied that design, as does the inlay in this cue.
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There were three of these cues made, but this was the only one made with custom joint protectors. It was made in the 1990s, and believe it or not, this one has never been played. It has been in private collections all that time.
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The nose and butt sleeve are made from a lightly stained maple. The "Kling" design is basically repeated in both the nose and butt. It is a simple box design, utilizing long rectangles and small squares. Each of the squares has been inlaid with beautiful chunks of mother of pearl.
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Each small square and the long rectangles are outlined with ivory. For the butt cap, he used creamy delrin.
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He builds it with a piloted stainless steel joint.
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| The ring pattern is interesting, in that Bill uses them to introduce another subtle color into the cue. It is a wide ring of darker, reddish wood, probably rosewood, using more small mother of pearl squares to complete it. All this is then outlined with two white rings (probably a linen-based material) and then ebony rings. He then puts this ring pattern in all locations - above the butt cap, below and above the wrap, at the joint and on the ring collars of the shafts.
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He engraves his well-known McDaniels logo on the butt cap. Then as a final touch, he wraps the handle with a nice textured black leather wrap.
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This is a really pretty cue, very unusual in its design, and one of few box cues Bill McDaniels made.
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It comes with a complete set of special matching joint protectors made by Bill. They're simple and pretty, made from ebony, maple and ivory, with the McDaniels logo.
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This cue is, amazingly, still in mint condition. It appears to be unplayed. I know the collector who has owned this cue for many years, and he told me the cue had been test hit only. The shafts appear to be new. One is 12.8mm and one is 12.9mm, and the cue weighs 19.1 ounces with one shaft, and 19.2 ounces with the other. The ferrules are ivory. This stick is highly collectible and very, very playable - McDaniels' cues had a great reputation.
PRICE: $3650 PLUS SHIPPING
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