what makes a cue a GREAT playing cue?

rzaloshnja

rzaloshnja

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there are so many cues out there that are so pretty and unique. i am new at this (custom cues) so i am very interested : what makes a cue a great playing cue? i have friends that prefer their 300$ cues over their 3000$ cues. i wonder why? to all the great players out there that have been playing for years whith number of cues, what is the secret? is it the balance, is it the butt, is it the shaft, is it the tip, is it the hapiness of the tree that the wood came from (lol). is there a difference if you buy a sneake pete or a custom full of inlay cue? PLEASE give me some honest answers because ì,m loosing my hair thinking about this question?
 
For me it's the right weight, balance and the shaft that makes the cue. O.2 oz can make a lot of difference in balance of the cue. Designs of cues are just for beauty and self expression imo. :smile:
 
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#1 in my book is thorough and cooperative dialogue throughout the build process. If the maker can best accomodate the needs and concerns of the customer, the results are usually whatever the player wants to manifest in his own opinion. Many of these mystical elements, the 'hit', are subjective views that can vary to an infinite degree.

But for myself, an off-the-rack or used cue that works best for me has two strong qualities: the feeling of a slightly forward balance (around 19" or so on a 58" cue), and is wrapless.

Of course that's with the ability to change to a tip of my liking. I'd say a good 3/4ths of a cue's playability is in the tip and ferrule combination, tapered to best fit your style of play and hand size. Butt construction is important, but you'd be surprised how well a crap cue can play with, say, an OB-2 attached...if that makes any sense.
 
Each player has preferences, what is a great hitting cue to me may not be great hitting to you, what looks great to me may not be your first choice, there is no one cue that is the best, there are lots of great choices for lots of different players.

If it feels good to you and looks good to you, its the right cue.
 
rzaloshnja said:
there are so many cues out there that are so pretty and unique. i am new at this (custom cues) so i am very interested : what makes a cue a great playing cue? i have friends that prefer their 300$ cues over their 3000$ cues. i wonder why? to all the great players out there that have been playing for years whith number of cues, what is the secret? is it the balance, is it the butt, is it the shaft, is it the tip, is it the hapiness of the tree that the wood came from (lol). is there a difference if you buy a sneake pete or a custom full of inlay cue? PLEASE give me some honest answers because ì,m loosing my hair thinking about this question?
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Well I can't call myself a great player, but I don't think it is "one" thing... I feel that each part of the construction of a cue would play a vital part on how it performs. I am certainly no cue maker but I have shot with at least 75 "quality" cues and some will play different from the others even if it is the same brand with all similar specs.
 
rzaloshnja said:
there are so many cues out there that are so pretty and unique. i am new at this (custom cues) so i am very interested : what makes a cue a great playing cue? i have friends that prefer their 300$ cues over their 3000$ cues. i wonder why? to all the great players out there that have been playing for years whith number of cues, what is the secret? is it the balance, is it the butt, is it the shaft, is it the tip, is it the hapiness of the tree that the wood came from (lol). is there a difference if you buy a sneake pete or a custom full of inlay cue? PLEASE give me some honest answers because ì,m loosing my hair thinking about this question?
Click to expand...

Quality.

Other than that, pool cues have a dozen or so parameters. Most can play with anything especially if it is made with quality materials and has high quality construction (fit, assembly, finish). But, we're all different people so a difference in one parameter will make a difference due to our taste and comfortability. There is no one brand that's better than another.

And do people really still need to ask about whether a fancy looking cue is different as far as GREAT playing is concerned? Are you really losing your hair over that one?

Fred
 
A custom cue made by an experienced cue maker will most likely feel good to most players.

I've been playing just long enough that I've learned some of the things that I like to have present in the design of a cue.

I like a hard, layered tip. I like a small diameter ferrule and I like a conical taper with low deflection characteristics... a Z2 by Predator fills my needs for a shaft.

I like a light weight butt.... about 12.5 to 13.5 oz, so the total cue weight comes in at about 16.5 to 17.5 oz. I don't know what build characteristics are needed to obtain those weights.

I like the feel of South West and Sugartree cues so I know that I probably like a 3/8" pin and a wood to wood joint. But.... I play with my Sailor cue that has a 5/16x18 pin and I like the feel of all my Sailor cues.

I've read that purpleheart and maple provide the most feedback and solid feeling hit and I know that I like to feel the vibration of the hit in my butt hand. I think this means that I want very few, if any, inlays.

I don't care about having any decoration so my current plan is to have a butt made out of purple heart, no points, no wrap, no inlays... just purple heart and resin butt and joint collars. I have 3 z2 shafts that I use on my Sailor cues so I'll probably have the butt made to match the shaft collar diameter.

I know that I like a very small butt diameter and it's a good thing I do because the 16.5 to 17oz total weight of the cue would probably dictate a small diameter butt be used.

I don't know if I prefer points or a solid forearm.. as far as hit is concerned. I really don't have a preference as far as looks goes either. Points can be very good looking but I also like the uninterruped flow of a great looking piece of wood with lots of character/grain.

I know I prefer a nowrap handle or a stacked leather handle is ok when it's broken in.

It has taken me about 10 years and quite a bit of experimentation to find out what I like. If you have a friend who has several cues and is willing to let you use them and discover what you like that would be the best possible way for you to find your preferences.

My first cue was a nice looking, rather plain, Joss and it was ok while I discovered things one by one that I liked better.

I know I've probably confused you even more. The point I wanted to make is that there are so many things to consider that there is no way you can make a decision now that you'll be happy with a few years down the road but you can find a cue now that just feels good to you and that's where you should start. Then as time goes on and you get the opportunity to play with more cues and your touch and feel become more acute you'll discover what individual cue characteristics fit your needs.

For now.... keep it simple. Just get a cue that feels and looks good to you.

I guess my adivce is to find a cue maker in your area and go talk to him. See if he has some cues with different characterists that you can try.

This is just my opinion and I'm not knowledgeable but I think that the well known custom cue makers... the 'famous' ones.. like South West cues, or Sugartree, or Gina's, or Cognscenti's, or Tad's or Tascarellas or Shick's or whatever are all great playing and great looking cues but the key word is famous. You local cue guy that has a few years of experience probably makes a cue that looks just as good and plays just as good as those famous guys. Find him.. drive a few miles if necessary and make him your cue guy. Become a real customer and he will take care of you and value your business and the referrals you send to him. You can help to make him famous.... and then pay his famous prices :)

I plan to have Steve Klapp build me a cue soon.
 
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