Ivory Joint Hit???

[macguy]

A while back, Murray Tucker posted an article summarizing the results of the McChesney blind experiment from 1991. The link to his post is provided. I believe these results are just below random guessing, but probably not significantly so. Unless someone finds a flaw in the test, I don't see what another blind test would prove.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=3286694&postcount=18

Interestingly enough, he says that 78% picked the same cues as what they liked best. There must have been a definable difference they could feel even if they didn't know what type they were trying out.

It doesn't matter that they didn't know what the cues were, they felt a difference and that is the point of the test not if they could guess what type of joint it was. They all felt a consistent difference in the cues.

 

[TATE]

Interestingly enough, he says that 78% picked the same cues as what they liked best. There must have been a definable difference they could feel even if they didn't know what type they were trying out.

It doesn't matter that they didn't know what the cues were, they felt a difference and that is the point of the test not if they could guess what type of joint it was. They all felt a consistent difference in the cues.

The test would be more defining if all the cues were something like the same model McDermott with only a change in joint material.

I had a pretty custom cue that had a hit I could only describe as "dull, soggy, lifeless, limp". I really wanted to play with the cue so I took it to a cue maker and had the taper changed. Same result. Had weight removed. Same result. Had the ferrule changed not once but twice, two different tips, etc, before I traded it off.

I think most of it is the wood, ferrule and tip myself, but if the wood isn't right there's not much that can be done.