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McDermott History
MCDERMOTT CUE MANUFACTURING INC. Maker of pool cues from 1975 to present in Menomonee Falls Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee . McDermott has become one of the most recognized and respected names in the billiard world. It all started when Jim McDermott was repairing cues in the mid-1960s at home in the Milwaukee area. Jim would regularly travel to all of the local bars and pool rooms, picking up and delivering the cues he repaired. It was in 1966 that Jim met master cuemaker Rollie Welch and worked with him for several years.
The first official line of McDermott cues was introduced in 1975, all ten of which featured the now-famous McDermott interchangeable weight bolt system that has appeared on almost all McDermott cues produced since then. Although many collectors and players refer to these as the A-line due to the later alphabetical progression, they were actually called the M/R Line at the time. These cues all featured the McDermott flat faced, wood-to-wood joint, and had color coordinated bumpers.
One year later, in 1976, the B-Line was introduced. The line consisted of the original ten M/R cues with some minor changes, plus six new cues, all of which had black bumpers. The six new cues were the first McDermott cues with points.
In 1980, McDermott introduced the C-Line that was made up of 21 all new cues. In this collection was the C-1, the only two-piece hustler cue that McDermott ever made and, today, examples are being sought by collectors. All of the C-Line cues are desirable today, especially the more intricate examples. The C-21 is arguably the most sought after standard production cue McDermott ever made.
The D-Line came out in 1984, featuring 26 new cues. The line started with the D-1, a simple cue without points or inlays, and progressed to the D-25 and D-26, both of which had floating inlays in the forearm instead of points. Now that these cues have been discontinued, they are being purchased by collectors. In the past, it had been possible to order early cues as custom models. But now that McDermott no longer uses splices for points, B, C, or D-Line cues with points can no longer be made. Other discontinued collectible McDermotts include the original Harley Davidson series from the 1980's, which are now sought after by cue collectors and fans of Harley Davidson memorabilia.
There was also the Wildlife Collection, made from 1987 to 1988, which featured six cues that had intricate wildlife scenes depicted in wood inlays. Very few Wildlife cues were made. The Legend Cues featured images of Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe in the mid nineties. The Masterpiece Series utilized the most intricate designs ever done on McDermott cues and featured the patented "centric" joint.
The Revival Series, introduced to commemorate the company's 20th anniversary, brought back some of the basic wood inlays and joint rings which made McDermott famous. The Commemorative Series included the 1996 limited edition Founder's Cue. Only 1,000 of these cues were made, and each was be numbered. They were individually signed on the forearm by Jim McDermott.
In 1988, McDermott moved to its new state-of-the-art production facility, custom designed for the art of cuemaking. It features several climate controlled rooms individually designed for their different cuemaking steps. Jim McDermott sold the company in 1994 to his son Jesse, and Larry Johns. Today the company has new owners.
McDermott is now making several different series of cues. The 2001, 2002, and 2003 series cues feature designs introduced in those years. The Legacy cue series is a collection of some of the more popular designs going back into the 90's. The Transfer series include images of the art of Frank Mittelstadt, a Wisconsin native famous for his depictions of wild animals. New Harley Davidson cues, Jack Daniels Limited Editions, Metal X Series cues, E and M lines, Prestige series cues, a new design every month, etc. are also available.
McDermott launched, in 2004,the following: Intimidator shafts, a series of high-performance shafts that fit any cue; Shooter?s Collection Cases, a series of seven cue cases; Lifestyle Collection Clothing line, an exclusive line of apparel for the McDermott enthusiast; V2 Series of cues, cases and clothing for women players and designed by Vivian Villarreal; M2 Series of cues designed by Mike Massey; Lifetime Maintenance, FREE lifetime maintenance of your McDermott cue?for life.
McDermott cues have become collectible for a number of reasons. Each of the individual lines have been made up of cues that were well-designed and well-marketed. The success of McDermott has resulted in familiarity with many of the C- and D-Line cues by players that were active when these cues were available. All McDermott cues are guaranteed for life, for the original owner, against construction defects, including warpage, that are not the result of abuse.
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