What does the butt actually do?

B

briskx

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hey guys

I spent about £100 on my Lucasi E7 a few years ago but I want to get a new shaft as i believe it will help me etc. I'm considering getting a Z2 shaft as they seem to be the best these days but there is also the OB-2 or something?

But anyway I mainly wanted to know would it be okay to just get a new shaft or does the butt of a cue play a big role? I can only think that it's purpose is for looks and to help with weight. Just would like to know if its really that important in case that I should get a whole brand new cue from the brand I get my shaft from.

Thanks a lot for taking time to read and for help!!
 
briskx said:
Hey guys

I spent about £100 on my Lucasi E7 a few years ago but I want to get a new shaft as i believe it will help me etc. I'm considering getting a Z2 shaft as they seem to be the best these days but there is also the OB-2 or something?

But anyway I mainly wanted to know would it be okay to just get a new shaft or does the butt of a cue play a big role? I can only think that it's purpose is for looks and to help with weight. Just would like to know if its really that important in case that I should get a whole brand new cue from the brand I get my shaft from.

Thanks a lot for taking time to read and for help!!
Click to expand...

I have been told that behind every great shaft is a great butt. You can't drive in a spike with a tack hammer.
 
hard to say

briskx said:
Hey guys

I spent about £100 on my Lucasi E7 a few years ago but I want to get a new shaft as i believe it will help me etc. I'm considering getting a Z2 shaft as they seem to be the best these days but there is also the OB-2 or something?

But anyway I mainly wanted to know would it be okay to just get a new shaft or does the butt of a cue play a big role? I can only think that it's purpose is for looks and to help with weight. Just would like to know if its really that important in case that I should get a whole brand new cue from the brand I get my shaft from.

Thanks a lot for taking time to read and for help!!
Click to expand...

If you are fairly satisfied with your cue now you will probably be satisfied with the same butt and a new shaft of similar weight and balance. A really bad butt and a really great butt do make a substantial difference, maybe 20-30% or more. The difference is a little in actual hit and a lot in feel and feedback. The vast majority of butts are somewhere in the middle and will make less than 10% difference in hit.

I tried to make a sneaky out of an absolute piece of junk three dollar Budweiser cue. I replaced the black plastic joint collar with phenolic, cored the forearm and put a maple dowel in it, and I put a quality pin in the center of the joint. Then I turned a good quality shaft to go on that butt. Nice brass insert, phenolic collar, Ivorine ferrule, Moori tip.(which stood out like a hooker in church!) Anyway, this was a good quality shaft in all respects and plays quite well on another butt it fits. On the $3.00 butt it plays terribly. Taken to extremes the cue butt matters, in the vast middle ground it probably doesn't matter enough to justify getting a new butt to go with your new shaft.

Hu
 
I sat and thought about this for several minutes, wondering whether I should say something or just let it go...but, I can't. It' not in my nature to let a question like "What is a butt for?" slide by.
So let's make a list. I'll go first then someone else can add to it.
1. A butt is the bottom end of a poop chute.


I kind of needed this after reading Artie Bodendorfers great tribute to Bugs.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
So let's make a list. I'll go first then someone else can add to it.
1. A butt is the bottom end of a poop chute.
Click to expand...

To answer the OP's question of "What does the butt actually do?"

Well......mine makes a lot of weird noises and feels squishy all the time :o!!!

Maniac (methinks this is TMI)
 
Lacking extensive playing experience, I lean on my insights as an engineer.

I believe the following affect the game, in the following order of importance:

The tip.......The shaft......The joint.....(and last) the butt
(and sometimes, the joint is less important than the butt)

I can't prove any of this. I would like to see robot testing on this question. I am not a heavily experienced player, so I would be interested in opinions from players who have played a long time with different cues.

On a break cue, the relative importance might level out. That is, the joint and butt might have a higher relative importance on a break cue than on a playing cue, but I still believe the order of importance would still be the same.

To adapt a phrase from golf, "the butt is for show, the shaft is for dough."
 
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Okay, going back to the more serious aspects of this thread: The Butt specifies/establishes/controls (some word like that) the balance, the feel (wrap, no wrap, smooth wrap, etc), and the weight of the cue.

If you are happy with how your cue feels and handles .... you have the proper cue butt.

Hope that helps.
 
I'm by no means an expert, but in my opinion, the butt plays a very minor role in the overall picture. It does effect the "feel" of the cue. I shoot with a Dale Perry butt and a McDermott I-3 shaft. I'll agree that's a strange combination but it works for me. The balance and feel of the cue is just perfect for me. Almost forgot, I did have a leather wrap installed and that also improved the "feel" of the cue. I also have a McDermott with an I-3 shaft but I don't have the same good "feel" of the cue. So it would seem that butt does play a small role and it's very subjective and personal. I don't think you should buy another butt but a new shaft may help you.
 
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good post

Shaft said:
Lacking extensive playing experience, I lean on my insights as an engineer.

I believe the following affect the game, in the following order of importance:

The tip.......The shaft......The joint.....(and last) the butt
(and sometimes, the joint is less important than the butt)

I can't prove any of this. I would like to see robot testing on this question. I am not a heavily experienced player, so I would be interested in opinions from players who have played a long time with different cues.

On a break cue, the relative importance might level out. That is, the joint and butt might have a higher relative importance on a break cue than on a playing cue, but I still believe the order of importance would still be the same.

To adapt a phrase from golf, "the butt is for show, the shaft is for dough."
Click to expand...

A good post but don't forget the ferrule. The role of the ferrule can be fairly minor or can be nearly as much as the tip, some say more than the shaft.

Like really good or bad cue butts, any other component that is out near the end of the spectrum can have a disproportionate affect on play. There can be a lot of movement in a soft plastic ferrule on a cheap stick for one example. There may be no movement in a short hard ferrule, or none for all practical purposes.

Hu
 
I'm in nearly the identical spot... I, too, have a Lucasi L-7 (this L-E7 to be exact) and am trying to decide if I want to only replace the shaft or go with a whole new cue?

The problem is, I've sorta convinced myself that I want an OB-2 - so even if I order a new custom, I'll end up replacing the shaft anyway... As such I've decided to stick with just getting the new shaft for now. I really like my cue for the most part - but after playing with some other friends' cues (a few Schons, a Carolina, a Prather), I know there's something out there that fits me better.
 
briskx said:
Hey guys

I spent about £100 on my Lucasi E7 a few years ago but I want to get a new shaft as i believe it will help me etc. I'm considering getting a Z2 shaft as they seem to be the best these days but there is also the OB-2 or something?

But anyway I mainly wanted to know would it be okay to just get a new shaft or does the butt of a cue play a big role? I can only think that it's purpose is for looks and to help with weight. Just would like to know if its really that important in case that I should get a whole brand new cue from the brand I get my shaft from.

Thanks a lot for taking time to read and for help!!
Click to expand...

The butt of the cue gives your hand something to hold onto! :D

Actually a well balanced, good playing cue begins with a solid butt/forearm. There is a difference (a big one) between a well made butt/forearm and a cheapie. I most often prefer using the matching butt and shaft that comes from the original cue maker.
 
While I will agree that the butt is a part of the cue I would have to say that the butt has one main purpose, and that would be to hold the shaft! LOL

If the butt feels good, and has the right weight, wrap, etc for you then in my opinion I would just focus on finding the right shaft for you. Everything in pool is subjective to personal opinion as far as the equipment you use.

So find something that works for you, and that feels comfortable to you and don't worry what anyone else thinks or says! I know people that love to shoot with a good old scorpion or cuetec that has the fiberglass coated shaft. I can't stand to play with those because I don't like the feel, but I know people that play with them and play darn good! So who cares what you use as long as it is comfortable to you?

If it is comfortable to you, and you feel it gives you the edge then you have the mental edge you needed from your equipment. Practice, play, and have fun!


FYI: I used to use a production cue (McDermott to be exact) I had played with many different cues, Muecci, Schon, Joss, Viking, etc. They all felt fine to me and all had a different hit and feel. It wasn't until I picked up my first custom cue that I realized about the diameter of the butt! My two custom cues have a little bit smaller diameter than most production cues, and I found this extremely helpful to my game! This is because I don't have big hands, so this was a huge benefit to having a custom cue! The cue felt right in my hand! So I have two custom cues with OB-1 shafts, and an OB-2 shaft. This combination is perfect for me! I don't care if cue collectors don't like that I have an OB-1 or OB-2 instead of the cue maker's shaft. I care about how the cue feels and plays for me! And by the way my cue maker is the one that recommended OB shafts, and they have his ring work on them to match my cues! LOL
 
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briskx said:
Hey guys

I spent about £100 on my Lucasi E7 a few years ago but I want to get a new shaft as i believe it will help me etc. I'm considering getting a Z2 shaft as they seem to be the best these days but there is also the OB-2 or something?

But anyway I mainly wanted to know would it be okay to just get a new shaft or does the butt of a cue play a big role? I can only think that it's purpose is for looks and to help with weight. Just would like to know if its really that important in case that I should get a whole brand new cue from the brand I get my shaft from.

Thanks a lot for taking time to read and for help!!
Click to expand...



I do believe that the butt of a cue matters. You do not want the butt of the cue to hinder the performance of the cue. If the cue is absorbing energy it can certainly bring down the performance of the cue. I believe that the shaft is more important to the performance of the cue; however, you don't want to bring it to the extreme that the butt doesn't matter and choose a poor quality butt to go along with your high end shaft. Balance and the feel of the hit really do matter in bringing out the best in your game.

The Lucasi cues are good quality and offer a nice hit and balance. They are not ultra high-end, but the certainly are not junk, either. I would say that your Lucasi LE-7 will definitely benefit with a Z2 or OB-2 shaft. It will certainly be your least expensive way to significantly improve the playability of your cue.

Play well.
 
Demo it first

There's only one way to find out. Find a local rep and demo it. We have a rep here that has a few demo OB shafts that fit different joints. If you don't know of a local rep, surely someone here can flesh one out. GL!
 
I could've sworn that I read somewhere that the butt can affect deflection - I thought it was all in the shaft/tip? Is there any *measurable* truth to that?

(hoping this thread doesn't get derailed by another deflection debate)
 
stljohnny said:
I could've sworn that I read somewhere that the butt can affect deflection - I thought it was all in the shaft/tip? Is there any *measurable* truth to that?

(hoping this thread doesn't get derailed by another deflection debate)
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You probably read that due to the weight! Think about the old debate of what would be worse getting into a crash where a Geo Metro hits you and the Geo is going 55mph. Then get in the same type of crash with an 18 Wheeler and the truck is doing 55mph. Which one is going to deflect or move your vehicle more?

Of course that is the only theory I can come up with as to why someone would say the butt would affect this.
 
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I think you asked the right question

stljohnny said:
I could've sworn that I read somewhere that the butt can affect deflection - I thought it was all in the shaft/tip? Is there any *measurable* truth to that?

(hoping this thread doesn't get derailed by another deflection debate)
Click to expand...

Any measureable truth to the butt affecting deflection? Assuming a butt in the normal range of weight and stiffness, probably not. In theory the cue ball leaves the tip before it can be affected by more than four to six inches of the shaft. That theory is wrong but probably close enough as a working theory.

Hu
 
Here's my two cents
My stroke is really smooth,when I am stroking with a 19.5 because I can feel the weight,an don't grip the butt as tight..I also have a 17.5 cue I shoot with at times,but have problems keeping my stroke streight.the only thing I can think of,is I am gripping the butt to tight,an pulling out of my stroke..
 
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