GBL info | Green Baize (2024)

Craftsmanship and Quality

The craftsmanship and timbers used in our cues are comparable to, and often better than, some of the best cue makers in the world today. When you order from our shop stock, your cue will be with you in days, not months or years. Total satisfaction is guaranteed, but numbers are strictly limited due to the time-intensive methods of manufacture.

GBL cues are all custom made to order but made to the specifications that I place myself. The feedback from many years has enabled me to order what is required to stock our shop.

Specifications

Snooker Cues:

• Tip Size: 9mm – 10mm
• Length:56″ – 60″
• Weight: 17oz – 20 oz
• Butt Diameter: 29mm – 30mm

Pool Cues:

• Tip Size: 8mm – 9mm
• Length:56″ – 58″
• Weight: 16oz – 18 oz
• Butt Diameter: 28mm – 30mm

We do have cues made outside of these specifications, I’m always looking to cater for different players requirements.

Cue Range

• Classic - Standard Range Cue Prices£225.00 – £340.00
• Special - Premium Range Cue Prices£320.00 – £645.00
• Vanquish – Ultimate Range Cue Prices£520.00 – £825.00
• Special FS - Premium FS Range Cue Prices£440.00 – £765.00
• Vanquish FS – Ultimate FS Range Cue Prices£700.00 – £1080.00

New Model - Chinese 8 Ball Range

Currently all cues are made on plain ebony butt design.

• Special -Premium Range Cue Prices Ash £360.00 / Maple £380.00
• Vanquish -Ultimate Range Cue Prices Ash £560.00 / Maple £580.00

What is Chinese 8 Ball ?

Chinese 8-ball is a cue sport that merges elements of American 8-ball, snooker, and English 8-ball pool. It is played on a 9-foot pool table with 2 1/4" American-style pool balls, but features tighter pocket openings similar to those on snooker tables. This combination creates a unique and challenging game that has attracted top players from various cue sports and has rapidly gained popularity, especially in China and now in the UK.

Professional Insights and Specifications for GBL C8B Cues

We have collaborated with top professionals and cue makers to develop the ideal specifications for Chinese 8-ball cues. Our GBL C8B range features:

• Tip Size: Tips range from approxamately 10.5mm to 11mm, providing a balance of control and power.
• Titanium Ferrules: All our C8B cues are fitted with titanium ferrules as standard. These minimize deflection and enhance spin, improving overall playability
• Shaft: We use only Special (Premium Grade)orVanquish (Ultimate Grade), to ensure the necessary strength for handling heavier balls.

How good are GBL cues ?

• The expertise I have gained enabled me to select the best craftsman to make our GBL brand of cues. Because of the time and care that goes into making GBL cues we only have a limited amount made every year. This is one of the reasons why I prefer not to have cues custom made to order for customers. We have approxamately 5 deliveries a year. No need to wait when we have an excellent selection of cues in stock, when visting you can compare and try before you buy!
• All GBL cues are custom made to my exact specifications and designs. Because there are so many different combinations of splices, exotic woods and veneers, cues made can be one of only a few made to a particular wood combination and design.
• When buying a GBL cue customers can be assured that they are purchasing a truly top quality product. A very strict and time consuming process is undertaken when choosing only the finest cuts of timber to make our cues, shafts have been carefully selected for straightness of grain and are seasoned and dried at different stages of process, making sure that the cue has the necessary rigidity and firmness to produce a full range of shots. Splices are perfectly formed and even, something only the finest craftsmen can achieve. Cues are naturally weighted when possible, balanced and finished off with a blend of oils to give a smooth and beautiful finish to compliment a perfectly made cue.

Key Features

• Finest grade Ash and Maple shafts. Pro Quality.
• Strength is a must when finding suitable shafts for all GBL cues. We know strength is a very important factor to a cue’s playability. You can be safe in the knowledge that your cue shaft will good strength and feel.
• Every shaft is carefully tapered in stages and left each time so that the natural stresses in the wood can settle, avoiding unnecessary warping.
• Vanquish & Specials have the highest grade of ebony for butt splicing. The Classic range has a slightly lower grade, ebony will have some brown figuring, adds individual character.
• Extra splices only the finest quality exotic woods are used.
• Each butt is individually hand spliced onto the shaft to the very highest levels of craftsmanship.
• Finished cues are not only made to the highest standards but also beautiful to look at with great feel and playability.
• An extension thread is fitted into the end of the butt as standard on all cues.

There are a lot players on the main tour who use GBL cues.

• One of the most notable was 4 x world champion John Higgins who looked for the help of Green Baize when trying to find a suitable new cue.

  Written by Raymond Cohen – Exquisite Cues Scotland - John Higgins Cue Update!

  As I’ve been getting asked lots about John Higgins and if he has a new cue? Well the answer is Yes. After many alterations to his now old cue Exquisite no 388 John felt like he went too far with alterations and wanted a fresh start, however I never had any suitable shafts to suit John as it’s a very specific grain pattern/flex/ash colour and density of shaft he likes, also most importantly it has to play well and not easy to find.

  As I found it very difficult to find another shaft even close to Exquisite 388 I advised John it might be a good idea to try Stu Green at Green Baize Cues as he has so many cues therefore more chance of finding one. That’s exactly what he did, and was lucky enough to find a great cue to his taste, however John still asked me to splice it to suit his overall spec and feel.

  Credit must go to Stu Green as he had to search long and hard to find a suitable cue for John and fully understands exactly what he’s after.
  I’d recommend anyone to visit Green Baize if you want to try out some nice cues, Stu is a top bloke to deal with.

  I altered Johns new cue to make it more to his exact spec, which included four lower Cocobolo splices and slight adjustment to weight, also changing base joint to my one to fit his current extensions.
  John also was kind enough to give me back Exquisite 388 to keep which has had a great run in Johns career.

  John is now currently using Ton Praram III Phantom (9/5/24)

  Thanks to Raymond Cohen for his kinds words, and much appreciated.

• Another notable player is former world number 5 Stephen Maguire. Stephen was using a GBL C8 1pc maple. Just 10 days after selecting his cue from the Green Baize shop he won the 1st UK PTC event of 2012, Stephen went on to win the Welsh Open using his GBL cue in February 2013, this put an end of the 5 year drought without a ranking title.
• Congratulations to Stephen Maguire who has won the 2020 Coral Championship. Picking up a cool £150,000, in addition to this the £10,000 highest break prize plus the £100,000 for winning the series. Back using another GBL maple cue bought just 4 weeks prior to this event.
• Currently we have 2 players in the top 16 world rankings using GBL cues, Current World Champion Kyren Wilson & 3x ranking event winner Gary Wilson. ( 09/05/24 )

World Champions who have bought GBL cues over the years.

• 4 x World Snooker Chamiopn John Higgins
• 2 x World Snooker Champion Alex Higgins
• 2 x World Pool Champion Chris Melling
• 13 x World Professional Billiards Champion Mike Russell
• 5 x World Professional Billiards Champion Peter Gilchrist
• 1 x World Snooker Champion Kyren Wilson

Thanks for your time.