how much did/does the cue make the player?

They stood closer to the ball and taller; straight pool you know. Touch/perspectual bias. IOW the game favored and allowed shorter shots but required a view from above.

Richie Florence who killed at straight pool, said of the "new" single rack games, that too many players ruin outs trying to get too close to the ball or words to that effect. That's the "new" game; longer, more forceful shots where positional considerations take a back seat to object ball precision.
I think but am not sure that billiards evolved similarly, but to address its own technical priorities. The equipment now allows balls to roll forever at the slightest impetus; shifting the sweet spot from driving the ball around to precision hits and caroms. Same evolution of stance and stroke.

Shaft/ferrule diameter has also changed over the years. 13 mm seems to be the standard now, but years ago it was not uncommon to see what I called "needle shafts".

Is there any data on the dimensions of cues through the years?
Is there any data on the dimensions of cues by cue maker or manufacturer over time?

Cues were a little shorter & heavier, cue butts were thicker,
table cloths were slower & lot more 9’ & 10’ tables, i.e., bigger.

Cue were generally made heavier prior to late 80’s & thereafter.
My ‘85 Runde Schon is 20.4 ozs. but my other cues are mid-18’s.

It was a different era in cue making and absolutely with pool playing.
The 60’s, 70’s and 80’s are the golden years in pool lore, at least IMO.

The OP asked if we cater to the cue versus the other way around.
The best answer I can offer is I knew less about pool cues long ago.
When I was less knowledgeable, I definitely did cater to the pool cue.

So when I ordered my cue from Bob Runde at the 1st inaugural BCA
trade show, I never gave a second thought about the weight versus
how it looked because it was my very first custom cue & I designed it.

The question of weight never came up but years later as I learned more
about how cues are actually built and spoke with some esteemed names
like Bill Stroud, Ernie Gutierrez & Tim Scruggs, my taste in cue specifications
changed after listening to their opinions about cue building, especially customs.
Their main point was knowing what the customer wants and helping them make
the best choice if they don’t or are unsure. Thereafter, it’s all about weighting of
the cue, materials, shaft idiosyncrasies & stuff that pertained to how the cue felt.

That’s how I finally wound up switching from steel joint cues to flat ivory versions.
My cues are nearly 2 ozs lighter and the joints are big pin flat ivory. Back when I
initially met Bob Runde, the weight of a cue was never a consideration. You either
liked it or didn’t but even heavy cues like mine feel pretty good it it’s balanced right.
Mr. Runde sure knew what he was doing & ultimately, I didn’t switch for another 15 yrs.

Good players can play good with just about anything. If its straight and has a decent tip they'll play good with it. Cues have changed some due to better balls and faster cloth but that's about it. Look, Efren beat the world's ass with a $20 piece of crap.

garczar said:

Good players can play good with just about anything.

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This ^^^

I don't know the weight, length, or the make of my tip on my player. I only know the tip diameter because it's a Z2 and know that spec.

I, like many others I know, can grab nearly anything and run a rack. In fact the game becomes much simpler when you don't know what the cue is going to do, and you're forced to simplify your game.

...so my answer..? It's the player not the cue. Cues act one way. Players can adjust to nearly anything.

Speaking of $20 pieces of crap, a while back, I posted about my first cue. It was a real pos -- aluminum joint, synthetic wrap, mystery wood -- in truth it was probably not half as good as the Brunswick house cues I had been pulling off the wall, but if nothing else, it was a constant in place of a variable, and therein lay its value. I worked the shaft, put a good tip on it, and everytime I pulled it out of its cheap plastic case with plaid flannel lining, I knew what I was getting and what I could expect from it. In addition, the confidence boost I felt in being able to bring my stick to the table, instead of hunting for a cue I had hidden or rolling 5 or 6 to find another, was incredible. (This cue also taught me to never criticize anyone's cue -- they were like girlfriends -- whatever they were, they were ours, and dogging another's was way out of bounds.)

I say all of that to say this: I think the biggest step up we ever make with a cue is the switch from house to personal. It is a quantum leap and everything after that is incremental. For those of you who were fortunate enough to avoid pulling cues "off the wall", you will never know what you missed.

garczar said:

Good players can play good with just about anything. If its straight and has a decent tip they'll play good with it. Cues have changed some due to better balls and faster cloth but that's about it. Look, Efren beat the world's ass with a $20 piece of crap.

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this is it

the stick dont make balls the player does

and i like fancy cues as much as the next cue addict

Then why do pros seem to go to one custom cue maker?

I agree with all that you've said. But is it wise to try to get the same equipment your favorite players use? I don't mean equipment that they are using only because they are sponsored by the company manufacturing the equipment. But some pro players at least from what I have read all buy from the same custom cue maker for instance. By choice not because they are sponsored by them. Just don't understand this phenomenon.

Don't hold out on us, who is the custom cue maker who some professional players "all buy from"?

Biloxi Boy said:

Don't hold out on us, who is the custom cue maker who some professional players "all buy from"?

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Diveney Cues. If I remember correctly Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante both by choice had one at one time. Coupled with Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano and probably others being sponsored by Diveney Cues. Everyone seems to say they hit a ton as well.

34YearsOfPlayin said:

Diveney Cues. If I remember correctly Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante both by choice had one at one time. Coupled with Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano and probably others being sponsored by Diveney Cues. Everyone seems to say they hit a ton as well.

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I thought "hits a ton" had been banished to AZB's 'pit of infamy'. I know Luat used Pat's cues also.