Re:Cuetec R360 Cue

[Cornerman]

Not sure why you would bring up such a bad example of a really bad guitar to a cue thread Because EVERYTHING about a 57 LP has gone wrong, scale has shrunk, proportions don't match, the worst hardware I've ever seen and let's say electronics (shielding, soldering) is NOT a forte of the USA back then and please don't forget the funky wound pickups that have no, absolutely NO, consistency in their winding, impedance nor capacity

A R360 on the other hand is a finely balance (price - performance) piece of production with decent looks, too. The next one will be as good as the current one.

@DrCue'sProtege: Not sure what am implex joint is. Cuetec is 3/8x14 steel.

Cheers,
M

Just for information, Implex is brand name for a high impact modified acrylic, popular in joint cues in the 70's and 80's by Viking among others (e.g. Schon, first year catalog).

I could be very wrong, but I'd find it hard to believe anyone is actually using Implex today for cues. It would be silly, IMO. Like the us of Delrin (no, it's nothing like Delrin), it was the popular plastic of its day, so people (all industries) tried to use it for anything.

Freddie <~~~ Here's to you, Mrs. Robnson

 

[SUPERSTAR]

This is the cuetec R360

 

[SUPERSTAR]

This is its joint

 

[SUPERSTAR]

I think I heard something about cuetec having a stainless steel joint a LONG time ago.
Never ever saw one in real life though, but who knows if they ever existed. They might have, and then died a quick death.

I've owned several cuetecs over the years. It's always been the exact same thing.
The cuetec pin, that goes into the plastic/phenolic insert or whatever it is, inside the shaft...for 25 years, or however long cuetec has been in business.
Never ever seen anything different.

As for the R360 cue itself, I have never ever been a fan of LD stuff. Never believed the hype those shafts came with.
I have always used regular shafts.

That being said, despite this thing having a 4 piece shell and some plastic thing in the middle, it actually plays just like every other shaft I have. Nice and stiff, like it is one piece of wood without all that LD crap.
And that is actually completely different from every other glued together shaft I have ever tried, which is why I have it.

 

[SUPERSTAR]

This on the other hand, is your traditional stainless steel joint.
This being from a 2001 6 point Black Boar.
Huge difference from traditional stainless steel joint, to the cuetec joint.

And while, the cuetec R360 does have that thin sleeve/collar of steel on the joint and the shaft, they are merely there for the look.
They could have used plastic instead of steel like on other cues they make. Cue would still hit the same.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

I figured as much. Its not a typical or traditional stainless steel joint. Their joint has that hard rubber type of hit that I don't like.

r/DCP

 

[Johnnyt]

I bought my R-360 when they first came out new for $136. It's now at least 5 years old and in good shape. I've always broke 9B with it. They are like a Timex...just keep on ticking. Johnnyt

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

Is there something special about the R360 cue overall or is it just a regular Cuetec butt with a special shaft they call the R360?

r/DCP

 

[SUPERSTAR]

Is there something special about the R360 cue overall or is it just a regular Cuetec butt with a special shaft they call the R360?

r/DCP

I dunno about "special". It just feels like any other cue.
Probably feels more like a regular cue than any other cuetec I've had.
And I had the original Earl Strickland model 25 years ago. Have a cuetec Sneaky Pete.
Both of those kinda had that "hollow" feeling, if you know what I mean.
Maybe that is the hit you are talking about. Like they had the weight, but at the same time, it felt like you were holding a piece of bicycle tubing. Like it was heavier on the outside than in the middle.
Dunno if that makes any sense at all. That's just how they felt to me.
Anyway.
This one doesn't feel like that.
Feels like a normal cue. Solid.
Shaft is wood on the outside. No fiberglass or graphite coating. You can ding it.
And like I said before, even though it's got that composite tube in the middle, it feels like a regular one piece shaft.

 

[M.G.]

R360 is their LD shaft and is a new development over the SST one.
When you talk about Cuetec and R360 you mean a cue having a R360 shaft.

Cheers.

 

[Johnnyt]

Whatever kind of joint the Cuetec R-360 has, it's good and strong as Shane and other users break with it. For about $175 you can't go wrong. Screw in the 6" extender after unsrewing the bumper and you have a 64" cue that's a blast to play with. Johnnyt

 

[Cornerman]

I figured as much. Its not a typical or traditional stainless steel joint. Their joint has that hard rubber type of hit that I don't like.

r/DCP

I thought you were asking about Implex. My mistake.

Freddie <~~~ thought he was talking about Implex

 

[SUPERSTAR]

It is kinda interesting how they advertise it though.
They use the words IMPLEX, and STAINLESS STEEL.

Even though on the stainless models it is just a sleeve.
Not an actual steel construct that the shaft rests upon, like other steel joints.

Guess they aren't too concerned about the specifics, like most pool players are.

 

[9Ballr]

Not really, to tell you the truth…There's a big difference in a toy guitar than a pro guitar. Guitars, just like pool cues, they vary in price. A Epiphone (made by Gibson) Les Paul Standard can be bought for around $399 and a Gibson Les Paul for $899 or so. The difference is where it's made. the wood used and the internal componants, etc. Those are just entry level prices too, a '57 Gibson Les Paul can be worth hundreds of thousand depending on who owned it.

Basically, it comes down to this, the old phrase "It's the Indian, not the arrow!"

I could buy a Stradivarius violin or a $100.00 pawn shop violin, I'm going to sound awful on both. I don't know how to play the violin. Same goes for a pool cue. I could give my wife a South West Cue or a Lucky by McDermott and she's going to play terribly on both, because she doesn't KNOW how to play!

When I bought my 1st expensive cue, my buddy laughed at me. He took a mop handle off the mop head, handed it to me and said "here, shoot with this." You know what I did? I made balls! Because I know how to play.

Ok I know a lot of pros who are using 15 thousand to 60 thousand dollar classical guitars.
By makers like Monrad (in the 15k range) and makers like Dammann (in the 60k range). Then there are people using Smallmans (35k) and some who use Fleta (40k).

I don't know a single professional who is using a classical guitar under 15k. Not a single one.

There are a LOT of pro pool players who are using cues that are under 1k.

And this is the difference I'm talking about.

You go to Guitar Center and you buy a 100 dollar Yamaha it's going to sound, feel, intonate, and project a LOT differently than a 30 thousand dollar Fleta.
You can't say the same about the pool cues.

That's what I mean.

The difference in guitars that the pros use and cues that the pros use is not even close.

You can get away with playing a heck of a game and be a pro with a 150 dollar cue.
You could never do that with a guitar, classical guitar.
Never in a million years.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

I thought you were asking about Implex. My mistake.

Freddie <~~~ thought he was talking about Implex

I was talking about implex. Isnt that what that hard black stuff is in the joint of a Cuetec? And its surrounded by a layer of steel and they call it a stainless steel joint. Which, in my mind, its not a SS joint.

r/DCP

 

[SUPERSTAR]

You go to Guitar Center and you buy a 100 dollar Yamaha it's going to sound, feel, intonate, and project a LOT differently than a 30 thousand dollar Fleta.
You can't say the same about the pool cues.

I totally understand this.

But at the same time, I have no idea why guitars and pool cues are even being compared.
No one is taking a cheapie guitar vs a fantastic custom one, and whacking a ball with it to see how it feels in their hands doing so.
At the same time, no one is taking a cheap production cue vs a custom one, and trying to determine which has better quality sound coming out of it.

These are two different things.
I think sound quality is a much easier to measure between 2 guitars, regardless of how they are played and who is playing them. Custom guitars are fine tuned by the builder right? I'm sure there are measuring instruments used to do so. My piano tuner used to do it all by ear, but as he has gotten older, he now has a couple machines to help him out.

While the quality and feel of a custom cue is way more subjective IMO. I mean seriously. How does one measure the quality of a cue? Beyond the obvious like it's not falling apart immediately or things coming loose over time.
And the quality of the cue, unlike guitars, does NOT mean that anyone, professional or amateur, is guaranteed to make balls with it. That is basically ALL about technique, and not so much about the instrument itself.

 

[SUPERSTAR]

I was talking about implex. Isnt that what that hard black stuff is in the joint of a Cuetec?

r/DCP

Yes it is.

 

[DrCue'sProtege]

Yes it is.

I got my Cuetec Starlight cue out yesterday and played some with it. Now I remember why I never use a Cuetec anymore. What a pitiful hit. But, to be fair, I was using the Thunderbolt shaft so today I will use either the original stock Cuetec shaft or the SST shaft that I have and see how it hits.

Can anyone tell me if the Cuetec R360 hits like all of their other cues?

r/DCP

 

[mista335]

The R360 series has some pretty goofy designs if you ask me. They need to come up with more traditional designs. I might even buy one then.

I'm not into all those flashy designs.


This is one I bought.

 

[M.G.]

Can anyone tell me if the Cuetec R360 hits like all of their other cues?

You sir, seem a bit confused.
R360 is the only shaft you shall ever try and use. It's not even close to thunderbolt or SST. Don't complain about their hits and compare against the R360 or say that Cuetec is bad.

Why not actually try one properly?

The designs are fine. Fortunately there are no pointy designs - I've never liked them at all and the overhead in manufacturing has no meaningful advantage in feel or hit.

You get plenty of plain janes. Or simple black. Or simple white. Plenty to choose.
Don't complain. It's a work cue, not one to show off.

Cheers,
M