John Parris, the renowned South London-based cue maker, is at the centre of one of snooker’s most exclusive operations. Often referred to as snooker’s version of a “wand-maker,” his craftsmanship comes with extreme demand, a high price, and a massive waiting list.
Parris’s cues, which are crafted from high-quality ash and maple wood he personally sources, are a highly coveted commodity in the snooker world:
Waiting List: The general waiting list to acquire a cue from Parris is an astonishing EIGHT YEARS.
Price: Each custom-made cue costs around £3,000.
Creation Time: The production process for a single cue takes approximately one year.
Parris’s 40-year client list includes legends of the game such as six-time world champion Steve Davis, Alex Higgins, and Jimmy White.
Parris’s long-standing relationship with Ronnie O’Sullivan—which began when “The Rocket” was just 11 years old—has been in the spotlight during the 2025 World Snooker Championship.
SOS Call: O’Sullivan was forced to call Parris before the tournament after he snapped his previous cue in frustration and binned it at the Championship League in January, prompting his withdrawal from nine subsequent tournaments.
Current Cue Unhappiness: Throughout the World Championship, O’Sullivan has been openly complaining about his new cue, labelling it as “awful,” despite reaching the semi-finals against Zhao Xintong.
Parris’s Perspective: Parris, 73, acknowledged O’Sullivan’s struggles, noting: “He’s not happy with it but he’s managing. We’ll get there – we’ll get the perfect one in the end.”
Always Preparing: Parris and his 14 staff are currently halfway through a nine-month process of crafting what they hope will be O’Sullivan’s next long-term cue, a common practice as Ronnie often asks for new cues “just to see if it could be that little bit better.”
The Broken Cue: Parris described the moment O’Sullivan snapped his last cue as a “tantrum, a rush of blood,” and confirmed the break was so bad it was unrepairable: “It was just a tantrum, a rush of blood… This was a real job! It was never going to work.”