Are Titlist cues good playing cues?

thubosky

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm about to get a one piece Titlist and I'm wondering how they typically play as a one piece? And also I they play great, then if they are converted will it ruin the hit? Do they play any different than any other house cues? I guess people like them for the history of the cues?
Thanks,
Tim
 
Last night, I took some pictures of a one piece Titlist that I'm about to post up in the for sale section. After I took some pics, I decided to shape the tip and give it a few hits. Now, the tip was pretty soft and somewhat dry rotted. I don't know if it was the original, but it was darn old. LOL. The hit was pretty solid. Similar to a one piece house cue. I was able to move the ball around, but no where near as good as my player. Again, probably because of the tip. What I could not get over was the width of the butt. It's over 1.400 inches in diameter down there. All in all, not bad for a 70 year old piece of wood with a an old arse piece of leather glued to the end.:)
 
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I have an oak Titlist that I play with at home every day. It has a very unique ping when it hits the ball. It is probably the specific pieces of wood it is made from, giving it this feel, rather than it being a Titlist. It is like holding a baseball bat though, very fat at the butt end. I've thought about putting a pin it, so I could use it for league but just haven't had the heart to do it. It looks and plays so good the way it is. Does JB make a 58" case:D
 
Last night, I took some pictures of a one piece Titlist that I'm about to post up in the for sale section. After I took some pics, I decided to shape the tip and give it a few hits. Now, the tip was pretty soft and somewhat dry rotted. I don't know if it was the original, but it was darn old. LOL. The hit was pretty solid. Similar to a one piece house cue. I was able to move the ball around, but no where near as good as my player. Again, probably because of the tip. What I could not get over was the width of the butt. It's over 1.400 inches in diameter down there. All in all, not bad for a 70 year old piece of wood with a an old arse piece of leather glued to the end.:)

Lol yea they are really thick in the back for sure. It feels good though, seems really solid. When I checked the one I'm getting out I felt it and everything but it didn't have a tip on so I couldn't play with it. I just want to save it since it's just sitting with other house cues and I'm afraid it'll just be tossed or something. So I guess a lot of people get them converted to preserve them? I saw someone say that finding good old wood like that is hard these days..I guess they play pretty solid then from old growth wood?? He one I'm getting is kind of mediocre condition so it wouldn't be a bad specimen to get converted but I'm all about playability. If it plays great that way then I'll be making a 58" case for it lol.
 
The answer is it depends on the titlist but generally yes they hit great. Even unconverted one piece Titlists can play awesome. Remember though that these are really full splice cues and not like so many one piece house cues that you see nowadays at pool rooms. There is a reason why so many cuemakers decades ago started making 2 piece cues by tinkering with Titlists. Its alot harder to make a great hitting cue from raw wood than to take a great hitting Titlist and make it play well as a two piece.
 
The hit on a Titlist is one great sound. For us older players the sound of either the ball hitting the back of the pocket or the sound of a cue striking the ball is critical to being comfortable with a table or cue. The Titlist because it was the standard "house cue" in most pool rooms of yesteryear allowed you to play your best game without having your own two piece cue. Playing on a Gold Crown and playing with a Titlist was like being in paradise. This is why so many cue makers of long ago used the Titlist blanks for their custom cues. They also looked pretty sweet as well. It's no wonder that the points on a Titlist are the basis for the cues of today. Everyone wants great looking points on their cues. I recently bought two Titlist one piece cues for about $300 per cue. They are collectable in their one piece version. Brunswick made a Titlist conversion with a black leather wrap in 1961 that sold for $16. I wish I had it back in my collection. It's funny how you take things for granted until their gone and not available anymore. Kinda like a good friend, wife or husband.
 
I have three ebony 2-piece Hoppe Pros (all marked 21 or 22) that are weighted too far in the back to play well - solid hits though. I also have a 1950's Brazillian Rosewood that feels great, and I use it about as much as my normal playing cue - same shaft for both.

If you are looking to purchase one, I suggest that you first get the balance point and compare to what you are used to.
 
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