Cues for Tall People

[Mickey Qualls]

I've got a friend of mine that shoots ok, but a 58" cue seems to hinder him quite a bit. He's 6'5", and he's got to grab the butt end so far back on every shot that his index and half of his middle finger are the only thing holding the butt end.

He knows enough about the game that he can run a rack or two.

But I think he could be a lot better with a cue to fit his wingspan.

Thing is, he's not ready to spend a fortune on a cue.

We looked on the internet and found a Schmelke 60" cue, and a 62" Elite cue.

Anybody had any experience with either of these cue manufacturers ? Or maybe even one or both of these particular cues ?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[DAVE_M]

I'm 6'4" and play fine with a 58" cue. He should try out a 60" cue and see if he likes it. I've played with a 60" all the way to a 70" cue and I didn't like anything longer than 62".

 

[MidLifeCrisis]

I would highly recommend 63Kcode(Larry Vigus) here on AZ, got 2 of his cues...both 60" and they play great, the" Hoppe ringed" one being my main cue.
Anyways, he's known for making 60"+ sized cues for taller players...
At least give him a shout and see what he has to say...Larry's prices are modest too :wink:
Clint

 

[ctyhntr]

Earl Strickland shoots with a 71" cue made by Mike Gulyassy.

 

[horton129]

Longer cue

I'm 6' tall and play with a 66" cue. I had it made by a custom cue maker. To fit it in my case it is in 3 parts 30" shaft, 30" handle and forearm, 6" but. Because of the length it weighs close to 23 ounces so it's very important that the balance is forward - a big stainless steel pin "radial" and collar helps with the fwd balance. Everything at the back end of the cue is has light as possible. I was always gripping at the very back of my 58" cue and every time I had to stroke the ball the end of my stroke went off line (cue was too short) then watching Alex play he's 5' tall and plays comfortably with a 58" cue. I Started to think that every tall player adapts to 58" cues because that is all that is available commercially but it really made no sense to me. I estimate I gained 1/2 ball to one full ball playing with the longer cue.

 

[putt-putt44]

Mg,,,,,,,,,,,,!

Earl Strickland shoots with a 71" cue made by Mike Gulyassy.

Great call...

When I saw the post, Mike was the guy who came to mind,,,he can build anything and his ''Shaft Freeze '' shafts are second to none,,,,,,,,

Alan Ende.......

 

[Tommy gee]

mitchell thomas cues

my good friend is a cue maker and he can make he a cue is fit his size and he great on prices too inbox me for more info and his number. thanks

 

[Ken_4fun]

Im 5' 8" and play with a 57" cue.

Ken

 

[63Kcode]

I am 6' and always thought I need a cue longer than 58". Being to cheap to buy a custom cue, I made my own 61" cue. I have settled on 60" cues since then. It feels great to have my hands on the handle and not hanging off the bumper!

Larry

 

[Maniac]

I am 6' and always thought I need a cue longer than 58". Being to cheap to buy a custom cue, I made my own 61" cue. I have settled on 60" cues since then. It feels great to have my hands on the handle and not hanging off the bumper!

Larry

What he said^^^^. I'm only 6'1" but I have a long wingspan and am hindered by a 58" cue. My first experiment was with a 31" butt and 29" shaft, then to the 31" butt with a 30" shaft. I finally settled on a 30"/30" split as perfect for me so I contacted the cuemaker in the above post (Larry Vigus), and now I have three of his cues.

Maniac

 

[twal]

I don't know there is a right or wrong answer.
If he is really that tall I would highly recommend he get the bigger cue.

I would suggest a 31" butt and form there he could go up or down an inch without much change in the balance point.
As the earlier post noted it is very important to keep the balance point forward or it just will not feel right.

 

[deanoc]

63kcode above
made me 2 60 inch cues and i am loving them
i have another one on order
for under $1000 he makes a beautiful cue that plays lights out

believe me,you will love the cue

 

[spliced]

Just tell him to buy one of these for his current cue. It will extend his cue to 61.75" only $40. Much cheaper than buying a new cue.

http://www.cueandcase.com/supplies/BRF.html

 

[GoldCrown]

Wilt had a custom 72"GinaCue. No idea what he has in these pics

 

[Mickey Qualls]

Thanks everyone for the responses. :thumbup:

Keep 'em comin'...

 

[CJ Wiley]

I tend to agree with Jimmy Reid and Omaha John that a 56" cue has advantages

Thanks everyone for the responses. :thumbup:

Keep 'em comin'...

I tend to agree with Jimmy Reid and Omaha John that a 56" cue has advantages for someone that's 6' and under (I'm right at 6').

A 56" cue was special made and sent to me on Saturday and I"m picking it up today to start using it. I'll give my status report on how it compares to my other cues that are mostly 58"....I have one that's 59" as well.

 

[Maniac]

I tend to agree with Jimmy Reid and Omaha John that a 56" cue has advantages for someone that's 6' and under (I'm right at 6').

Maybe for you, but I've seen you in person and your arms are not what I'd consider long.

Besides that, my belief is that the advantages are in the perception, and that an inch or two either way is really not going to affect one's play once the cue has been gotten used to.

Another opinion of mine is that if anyone is uncomfortably holding their cue with their last two or three fingers curled around the bumper for a large majority of shots (as was my case), then those people would benefit from a longer cue, not a shorter one. A longer cue certainly helped me with this problem.

Maniac

 

[RAMIII]

Don't go past 60"

I'm 6'4 and tried the Elite at 62 and it's too long. I had Paul Drexler make me a custom cue at 60" and he also said that he wouldn't build anything over 60" without warning the customer that it won't play well. I think once you get past 60" the wood begins to flex much more dramatically. I was shocked how springy the Elite 62" was when I first began shooting with it, and forget about breaking with it. In addition, even with a 60" cue you run into obstacles on your back swing in most pool halls, so this is something to keep in mind.
I do enjoy my 60" cue and the swing feels more natural with a longer cue, but I'm beginning to wonder how I'm going to feel if I keep whacking obstacles on my back swing. The solution I found when I was playing with 58" cues is to use a a relaxed bridge arm instead of keeping it straight out. This position brings your body closer to the cue ball and creates less of a need for a long swing. I was watching some videos of Archer shooting the other day and he typically has a relaxed bridge arm when he shoots.
It's certainly possible to get a good playing cue at a longer length (obviously Earl shoots with one), but I also wonder if a player loses playability if the shaft gets much longer than 30"?
Tell him to stick with 60" and/or try a relaxed bridge arm if he wants to try 59". Good luck-Ryan

I've got a friend of mine that shoots ok, but a 58" cue seems to hinder him quite a bit. He's 6'5", and he's got to grab the butt end so far back on every shot that his index and half of his middle finger are the only thing holding the butt end.

He knows enough about the game that he can run a rack or two.

But I think he could be a lot better with a cue to fit his wingspan.

Thing is, he's not ready to spend a fortune on a cue.

We looked on the internet and found a Schmelke 60" cue, and a 62" Elite cue.

Anybody had any experience with either of these cue manufacturers ? Or maybe even one or both of these particular cues ?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[RAMIII]

Check out Larry's cues!

I am 6' and always thought I need a cue longer than 58". Being to cheap to buy a custom cue, I made my own 61" cue. I have settled on 60" cues since then. It feels great to have my hands on the handle and not hanging off the bumper!

Larry

I shot with Larry for the first time last week and he's an incredibly nice and generous person with a real passion for cue building. Most importantly his cues are gorgeous, play great, and are very reasonable for the attention to detail that he offers. I highly recommend his cues and I'm sure he could offer you something close to you budget.

 

[ctyhntr]

I should've taken a before and after picture when I re-tipped my playing cue. My break cue was treated with shaft freeze, and it was much cleaner than my playing cue, which was all blued up with nicks and dents before I had the shaft re-finished. Shaft Freeze is under-rated.

Great call...

When I saw the post, Mike was the guy who came to mind,,,he can build anything and his ''Shaft Freeze '' shafts are second to none,,,,,,,,

Alan Ende.......