ANDREW ROUNCEVILLE
EBONY DOUBLE BUTTERFLY
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Andrew Rounceville is known around the world as being the builder of the finest cue blanks. He's been doing so for many years and cue makers line up to buy his blanks at prestigious cue shows and exhibitions. But until recently he was not finishing his own blanks into finished cue sticks. But as this cue demonstrates, he is now, and players and collectors both are much the better for it.
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Proving that his expertise doesn't end with unfinished blanks, Andrew took this ebony double-butterfly blank and made it into a fine cue that anyone would be proud of. It is rich and colorful, meticulously built and finished, and strikes the ball beautifully. Full spliced cues like this always have a different feel, and many people feel they are the closest feel you can get to a one piece cue.
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Usually referred to as a double butterfly, this design could also be called a double eight-point, as it has two complete sets of traditional points with elaborate butterfly patterns between the points. At least, that's one way of looking at it ... it's really difficult to comprehend and describe what's going on in a cue of this complexity.
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If you've ever had the opportunity to see a butterfly cue "glued up" in the shop before it has been turned in a lathe, it's hard to imagine that it could be turned into something so beautiful. You start with a block of different colored thin, flat veneers glued in on top of each other, at various angles, at first glance it appears to be randomly arranged. But the genius of this craft is there is nothing random about it at all - each blank is a master plan carefully thought through to its ultimate finish, resulting in a highly precise series of traditional points, rounded points and butterfly scallops that mystify the imagination.
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This is a beautiful full-length ebony cue - jet black and pure.
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The colors in these butterflies are vibrant, a combination of blues, grays and white, overall yielding an icy look. They go through a spectrum of light blue, dark blue, black, gray, natural wood and then reverse.
Then the traditional "pointed" points are veneered with natural wood, light gray, black, light blue, dark blue, light blue, black, gray and natural again.
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The closer you look, and the more you study this cue, the more you appreciate just how amazing it is.
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Here's a really close look at
these crazy butterflies ...
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He builds it with a white LBM joint, and a set of dash rings with veneers of the same colors as the points.
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He adds a white "Hoppe" style butt ring, and tools his own rubber bumper with the AR logo.
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He builds it with a G-10 resin pin, for extra strength and flexibility, with a 3/8X10 thread. It weighs either 19.6 or 19.9, depending on which shaft is used (15.75, MPL 3.8, CF 4.1). It comes with two shafts - one in maple and one made from a Jacoby V4 carbon fiber. Both have matching ringwork. They are made with short LBM ferrules and Whitten layered medium tips.
This is an exceptional cue made by one of the biggest names in the cue industry. He isn't making many cues into the finished product, so this is a rare opportunity.
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He does a nice job of building a set of matching rings into the carbon fiber shaft.
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A final look at the full cue with the two shafts - a work of art, a thing of beauty, and a very playable cue.
PRICE: $4000 PLUS SHIPPING
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