Black Boar a collector or a player cue?
- Thread starter egon
- Start date
The vast majority of how a cue plays is in the shaft. Shaft preference is an individual matter. For example, some players prefer high-squirt shafts because that's what they are used to, and others cannot play well with high-squirt shafts. People fret about the joint, but the joint in any well-constructed cue has almost no effect in how the stick hits the ball.
Shafts from an individual cue maker can vary. A lot.
If you are looking for a cue you intend to play with, and it's costly compared to your budget, be sure to play with it for half an hour or so before buying it. Maybe you can't play with the stick before purchase, so here are three exceptions to this approach I can think of: if you are willing to put the cue into your collection and not play with it if it plays badly; if you are certain you can resell the cue with no loss; if you intend to get a custom shaft of a style you know you like.
Before you purchase a playing cue from a custom cue maker, you should think for a while about the significant specs. The handle needs to be functional -- most people don't think about its function. The joint needs to be durable. The weight, balance, length, butt diameter, shaft taper and shaft diameter are all important to how the cue will work for you. Do you know what you like? Can you give specifications for all of these to the custom cue maker?
Good luck with your search.
