Old Cues Play Terrible

What?

Did you say cues that are 10yrs old are old cues and dont hit good??? I dont get that at all, so what new cues that area lets say 2yrs old are there that play so good?

I have 10 cues now have bought and sold 60-70 cues of all types and I'm not having any trouble running out with my 20 yera old Tad!
 
maxeypad2007 said:
Not sure why this is but when comparing newer cues with cues that are ten years old ore more I find it much harder to play with those cues.


Again this is just my opinion but i'm wondering why this is.

I suspect it has to do with more forward balancing new newer cues, smaller diameter shafts and better tips. Perhaps lower deflection caused by new design techniques and smaller diameter shafts.

Hate on old timers :)
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That's a really interesting perspective considering that cues became lighter and thinner far more than ten years ago. Ten years ago cues were already the "modern" cues you know today, and had been for a good long time already. Ten years ago, in my perspective, isn't an old cue, it's a modern cue.


So I am not sure how your experience in this matter might be explained.

My JOSS was made in the mid-70's and is less than 19 1/2 ounces, has shafts that are in the 12.8mm range, and does not have a fat butt. In fact it's dimensions are quite modern. Oh, and it is quite forward balanced as well, I believe about 19 1/2 inches is the balance point if I remember correctly. I have other "old cues" that fit this description as well, numerous that are older than the 10 years you specify.

I have cues up to 100 years old that might surprise you as far as their dimensions etc. One particular full splice two piece I have from the 1930's plays particularly "modern". Not all old cues were the fat baseball bats that seem to be so stereotypically known today to be from the old days.

Some old cues are simply "nostalgic" and are in some ways almost obsolete for serious play because of their dimensions. But not all. Some of them would probably astound you.


So, I am a little confused about your experience. I can certainly understand that you have found cues that your prefer.



.
 
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Hmmm, don't know bout dat one.

I has a 70 to 80 yr old BBC that would knock anyones socks off and that ain't anywhere close to a Gus.

I will accept any old cues that play like crap. Just send em my way please and I will be most grateful.
 
"How did Mosconi ever run 526 with that old cue he was using? " - Probably 6" pockets may have had something to do with it.

I say ten years because I feel like this is around the time when designs changed dramatically and people were looking for more lively cues. This is about when I started seeing predator shafts become popular as well.
 
I have a new Schon with a 314/2 and a mint 52 year old Willie Hoppe Professional by Brunswick. I play like crap quite equally with either... :wink:
 
maxeypad2007 said:
"How did Mosconi ever run 526 with that old cue he was using? " - Probably 6" pockets may have had something to do with it.

I say ten years because I feel like this is around the time when designs changed dramatically and people were looking for more lively cues. This is about when I started seeing predator shafts become popular as well.
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Interesting. Lively eh? 10 years ago?

What was the Meucci craze in the 80's? Light ferrules and "lively" shafts.

I wouldn't describe a Predator as "lively". I have played them and they feel quite dead to me. I happily unloaded the only one I have owned.



I really don't see any radical design change 10 years ago. In fact...not much at all at that time. All the changes that I see today happened well before then as far as I have seen.


What big design changes happened 10 years ago?

Coring? No
Light ferrules? No
Engineered shafts? No
Jump cues? No
Jump/break cues? No
Forward balance? No
Narrower butts? No
Narrower tips/shafts? No
Big pins? No

All of these things happened way before 10 years ago and were even mass produced and mass marketed way before then.




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Banks said:
I heard that back then they were able to lay their heavy cues down on the table. When they did that, they'd push a little harder into that deep felt and create a path for the ball. They didn't need it for those 6" pockets, but it helped Mosconi overcome the old cue blues and set a record that still stands today. :eek:
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Did you believe that when you heard it?
 
personally I'd rather have a older cue, one of my favorite cues is a 1980's schon. Plays great, and moves a cue ball around without any problem.

You seem to like predator shafts, which would work on most cues. I personally like the older shafts, especially if they are not all crazy thin.
 
My favorite playing cues are my Palmer L and Palmer M and not because of their history but because of the way they play and each have long shafts. Both are over 10 years old.
 
TATE said:
FYI some old cues play incredibly well. Pick up a decent one piece Titlist some time.

I have a couple of cues from the 1920's that play beautifully - if you're ever in Los Angeles, let me know and you can try them out.
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My #17 that you used to own, with the dots in the collars, plays great with the original shaft with the 12.4 MM tip and an Everest tip. But it plays even better with the new OB Classic shaft I bought a few weeks ago with a 12.46 MM tip. Has the forward balance like I like a Cue. 19 1/2"
 
A 10 year old cue is still a modern cue.
I play with a 20+ yr old Southwest that doesn't feel different from the new ones. I also have a 11 year old Coker and a 12 year old Josey.
 
I've shot with a balabushka and was completely shocked at how well it shot. IT was not like messing with an antique, it played better or equal to anything I have ever played with.

I've also shot with an original Gus, an old top end SW, a Palmer, and an old Gina. All of them shot top notch. A cue is not like a classic car, they still play phenomenal. I was surprised to learn that.
 
Spider1 said:
I've shot with a balabushka and was completely shocked at how well it shot.
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They were known for their play - all the pros wanted one in the 1960's.

In fact, I would say that the modern cues we mostly use are based on the specs that Balabushka made popular. The taper, size, balance, etc. are all pretty much what he used and others copied.
 
Hell I used to play with cues off the wall. Some were straight, and some were as staight as a dog's hind leg......some hit good and some didn't. "Blanket" statements as in the title of this thread usually are not very accurate in my view, and are there only to get a reaction. No reaction from me thanks, each to his own.:)
 
Let's Have A Poll:

The motive of the OP was to:

1. Destroy the market value of old cues so he could expand his collection cheaply

2. Collect evidence that old cues are inferior so the wife will approve a wildly expensive new cue
 
Mostly this is a good troll but I actually feel pretty strongly about it.

I play with an LD shaft on my cue (predator specifically) and it does not have a very satisfactory hit. The shaft is very lively and I can move the ball very easily around the table.

I have an R series schon with three shafts that I played with for years (10 years). I never realized how crappy this cue was until I picked up a cue with a skinner butt, lower weight (it was 20 plus oz) and smaller playing shafts. I have kept this cue because it is the cue I played with from the time I was in middle school till after college. I picked it up to hit a few balls and recently and it occurred to me just how terrible this cue was in comparison to what is available now. I can't believe this was a "standard" cue. The hit is VERY good but the playability is quite different.

No interest in most old cues unless it is a szamboti or something like that for collectible value only.
 
Heavier cues

franko said:
Heavier cues ten years ago? 20 ounces? In 1995 I received my 1st 6 point Black Boar it weighs 19.2 it plays good enough today that I am tired of telling people it is not for sale. In 2003 I received my first Joel Hecek cue it weighs in at 18.7 it plays every bit as good as the 18.8 cue I received from Joel in 2011. Since I started collecting cues in 1995 the average weight seems to be 19 oz. The 20 oz. cues seemed to go the way of the older heavier cloth in the 1970's.I agree that the top cue makers keep refining their cues and their is some improvement but I would say it is slight at best.
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When I started playing, in 1955, the wall cues in the pool halls were typically Brunswicks and they were all stamped with the weight, which ran from 15 oz. to 23 oz.

I have a gorgeous one-piece Brunswick from the 1921-25 series that says "23" on the butt end, and weighs over 22 oz (probably taken down long ago). It has the points at both ends! You can see it in my Cue Gallery at sites.google.com/site/donnylutzpool/
 
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