I am looking for cuemaker opinions about building 59" cues. Is it advantageous to make them with a 30" butt and 29" shafts, or split them evenly at 29 1/2", or just make the butt 29" and the shafts 30"?? Does it make any significant difference as long as the balance point is a certain distance from the butt?
Fifty Nine!
- Thread starter Quesports
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Split it , if you ask me.
It helps a little if you are tall or have a long bridge , imho.
It helps a little if you are tall or have a long bridge , imho.
50/50 split.
30 inch shaft
the pin in the butt makes a 29 inch butt 30 inches overall length, so in order to keep both halves equal and fit the case best, make the shafts 30 inches. Unless one uses the pin in the shaft style cue of course.
the pin in the butt makes a 29 inch butt 30 inches overall length, so in order to keep both halves equal and fit the case best, make the shafts 30 inches. Unless one uses the pin in the shaft style cue of course.
Thanks to all for the replies. Fitting it in a case is not an issue. I am more concerned about the construction of longer cues. The standard seems to be 58" cues split 50/50. I am currently playing with a standard 29" butt and have a 30"shaft. I'm considering having a new cue made and wanted to know if it made any significant difference to have it made one way or another. I respect everyone's opinions and wanted to know what different cuemakers thought of building them at that length..
59 inch cues
As a player I never liked the shaft longer because it seemed to add a whip to the hit. Just me.
As a player I never liked the shaft longer because it seemed to add a whip to the hit. Just me.
I had chance to speak with Dave Kikel this morning and he agrees with Murray and Joey that he would split it 50/50.. Thanks to all that replied I'll be going 50/50 on my next 59" cue... The thing I find really odd is that the extra inch makes so much difference in my game. The beginning of this experiment is due to Frank Stellman, the maker of Sailor Cues. I spent a day with him several years ago in Racine Wisconsin, he watched me shoot for over an hour without saying a thing. Out of nowhere he said, "I don't know much but you'd be better off with a 59" cue." He wasn't in a particularly chatty mood at the the moment so I decided not to ask him why. Now I wish I had!!
I prefer a 59" cue. I have them done both as 29.5/29.5 and 29 butt/30 shaft. Both work well IMO.
One thought passed to me by a cue builder is that if you think you will ever sell the cue, having a 29" butt may make it easier because the buyer can have the 30" shaft replaced or shortened/retapered.
Scott
One thought passed to me by a cue builder is that if you think you will ever sell the cue, having a 29" butt may make it easier because the buyer can have the 30" shaft replaced or shortened/retapered.
Scott
I know I am in the minority here, but I think putting the extra inch on the butt is the best way to go, since the case length is not an issue. The cue will be less whippy than putting it in the shaft and you will be able to buy any of the 29" shafts you want and they will be the right length for your 59" cue.
Long butts
Chris, I agree. I make 30" butts all the time and people love 'em. They balance well and 29" shafts are stiff and easy to get.
In fact, even longer butts work well too. Mike Davis used to play with one that looked at least 31'', perhaps more. I don't know who made it. It didn't seem to hold him back... he said he liked it a lot. I believe this was in the year he won the Reno Open.
Robin
Chris, I agree. I make 30" butts all the time and people love 'em. They balance well and 29" shafts are stiff and easy to get.
In fact, even longer butts work well too. Mike Davis used to play with one that looked at least 31'', perhaps more. I don't know who made it. It didn't seem to hold him back... he said he liked it a lot. I believe this was in the year he won the Reno Open.
Robin
I build them any where from 58 to 60 inches. When I build a 59 inch cue I build 29 inch butt and a 30 inch shaft. This way if you dont like it all you have to do is have the shaft cut down a inch and put a new ferule and tip back on. A 60 inch cue I build 30 inch butt and 30 inch shaft! When they started building 58 inch cues I think the average height was 5'8" tall. Now the average height is around 5'11". So a longer cue could be better for the taller players. JMO....
You're right about the difference IMHO...I shot my best pool for years with a GEM that was 59", evenly split between shafts and butt. I used a standard 58" Schon for several years after that, then got a 60" CC (50/50 split). I'm almost 6-3 and always felt constrained with a standard cue. The extra inch (and 2 inches) made a HUGE difference in my stroke staying straighter and overall comfort. I don't have a huge opinion on whether or not it has to be equally split (I've been told that's best). For resale value some might tell you it's best to keep the butt a standard length and put the extra length in the shaft...but I think you need to think about the balance of the cue, too.