An Important Update from Character Cues
After careful thought about customer experience, I’ve made a change.
From the beginning in 2022 I’ve offered unfinished cues (“hanging butts”) for sale. While this created excitement and allowed some of you to reserve special builds before completion, it also created unnecessary stress — for both you and me.
When a cue is purchased before it’s finished, the sale creates an obligation with a timestamp. Even when I’m careful to say “this is only an estimate,” folks naturally start counting days. I would too — especially me. I’m a wood freak and time is a construct.
But inside the shop, I’m over here refusing to rush the build because every cue deserves my absolute best work. The goal is not to beat the clock but to be oblivious to it.
I work through the clock, not to it.
Each cue is truly one-of-a-kind. Some finish smoothly. Others teach me something new and take far longer than expected. When that happens, I love the process — but I hate knowing that customers waiting down the line start to feel anxious or overlooked, even when they’re incredibly gracious about it. And the more times I have to tell everyone what’s going on with my estimates being off, the more time is lost and the more they are off still.
So I made a simple decision:
I removed the “Hanging” tab from the website. Going forward, I will only offer cues that are fully completed and ready to ship.
If You are Waiting on a Cue
Nothing changes. I have 19 butts to finish in 26 weeks. My capacity is well beyond that, even accounting for taking off hunting season. Whatever estimate you have still holds, and I’ll do my best to come as close to it as I can. I will be ahead sometimes and behind sometimes. Like always. I will continue finishing all the sold cues exactly as before — with the same care, same pace, and same commitment. If you’re already waiting on a cue, nothing has changed for you.
I will also post new completed/finished cues from time to time, with no particular timeframe imagined right now. Eventually it will be 2 – 4 per month.
Looking Ahead
This change also gives me breathing room to return to something I’ve always wanted to do: create richer, more in-depth videos that truly tell the story of each cue — the wood, the design choices, the challenges, and the little moments of grace that make every stick special.
I’m excited about this new chapter. It feels cleaner, calmer, and more aligned with the original vision I had for Character Cues.
Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and for supporting work that refuses to be rushed. I’m confident this change will result in even better cues and a much more enjoyable experience for all of you.
