NORTH DEMON
SPRING MORNING
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Here is one of the "biggest" cues ever built by North Demon. And if you're a collector looking for a truly exquisite and extraordinary cue to anchor your collection, this one is difficult to top.
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It is, in the simplest terms, a four point cue in ebony and tulipwood. But, it has an unusual point design, with a massive amount of elaborate inlay in silver and copper, with gorgeous rings, fancy matching joint protectors, and a segmented leather wrap. Oh, and it plays well too.
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The greatest attribute of this cue is the overall design. It all comes together so well. No area of the cue is neglected, and all the different sections blend together. Too frequently we see cues where the cuemaker has intensely worked on the butt sleeve and then neglected the forearm, or simply where the forearm and butt sleeve are both nice, but don't really go together. This cue is a perfect example of "synthesis."
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The elaborate ringwork in the cue, which is repeated over and over, is another striking feature. Again, he doesn't spare any detail. The rings are filled with more of the delicate, flowing inlay work, all in silver and copper.
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The detail in this inlay work is extraordinary. First, there is just so much of it. But quantity isn't everything, and the quality of this work is what makes the cue shine. Just look closely at the detail - even to the extent of "shading" in the leaves and petals of the delicate flowers by the use of minute ebony inlays.
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Cheng, at North Demon, has the rare eye of the artist. And part of his success is his nice selection of woods. In this case, he chose a beautiful cut of tulipwood. It does a good shop of showing off all the silver veneer work - in this case, long silver points with a silver "tulip" sitting at the end of each.
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He also uses the tulipwood to build additional rings to use as a part of each ring to accentuate them. I don't think I've ever seen a butt sleeve on a cue more elaborate and detailed, and yet as balanced as this one.
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I think the same can be said of the forearm. It has lots of work, which perfectly complements the work in the butt sleeve, and at the same time is a beautiful, unusual design. I love the points.
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Here's a good look at the joint, again making great use of the gorgeous rings.
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Here are a few close-ups that give an even better look at some of the detail and inlay work in this stick. Only a high level machinist, with the eye of an artist, and lots and lots of expensive machinery can even attempt to build a cue like this.
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More silver, copper
and detail, detail, detail.
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It has a truly unusual point design, with floating ebony points inside the long ebony points radiating from the handle.
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And again, one more look at this incredible butt sleeve.
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As with all the North Demon cues I've seen, the logo is engraved in the butt cap.
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The handle is superb - three pieces of superlative elephant ear, separated by the beautiful rings. And the leather is gorgeous, black, but with slight accents of brown, all perfectly applied.
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He has his own proprietary layered tips made, and includes an extra with each cue, along with a set of weight bolts to adjust the weight.
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He builds a matching set of joint protectors from tulipwood, elforyn, and ebony, with the North Demon logo engraved on top. The joint butt cap has a final ringset on it, as well.
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Cheng covers every detail with the build on this stick. It really is the complete masterpiece.
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As with all the North Demon cues, it is built with an extension kit in the butt. Even this cue, as "high end" as it is, is built to play. It comes with two of his very finely tuned premium maple shafts with a stiff taper that really keep deflection to a minimum. The cue itself is very well-balanced and has a firm, stiff, yet soft hit. Even though this cue isn't likely to be carried out to many bars or pool rooms, it has the capability of doing all a good cue stick should do.
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It is built with a titanium alloy radial pin in a flat-faced joint. It weighs 20.1 ounces, and is 58 inches long.
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Spring Mountain is a one-of-a-kind cue built by a great cue-maker, and it is very special. As a lot of cue officionados say, it's a "monster." And what a monster it is. It is one of the finest cues we've ever offered on this site, and is built for someone who wants the absolute best.
THIS CUE HAS BEEN SOLD.
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