29" butt and 30" shaft question

I have 30" and 31..I keep reverting back to 29". You would have to try one to see how you like it. If you do buy a 30" and do not like it....it can be shortened.

The butt of my cue is 29". The shaft is 30". I also have a 3-1/2" mid extension.... The "balance point" people speak of does not worry me in any way.... I'm a decent player... APA ranked 7 in 8 ball and an 8 in 9 ball.

BigJohn89 said:

I know most of what I have read reccomend equal shaft and butt length.

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Really?
What's the importance of this.
I have a couple of 29" butts that go with 30" shafts and I don't play any worse or do anything worse, or better, than when both are equal in length. I say....anything to get a cue to be more forward weighted works good in my book.
I always want as much weight as possible in the bridge hand.
I'm also 6'2" and my favorite cues are 60" sneaky's I also have a couple of 62" cues and love those too.
NO they're not all divided 50/50 and I don't see the importance.

This is all based on feel. There's no specific science behind it.
If 29/30 feels good to you, do it.

The latest trend of a 10" extension full time on a cue, by both some of the pros and the members here, prove the weight and balance of a cue does not mean anything.

To answer your question directly, I'm 6-3, and played with a standard 58" cue for 10 years. The stick would occasionally fall out of my hand.

Then I started using 30" predator shafts on a standard 29" butt. They are about a $30 upcharge. I noticed zero difference compared to the 29" shafts, except my grip hand now had more room. I played this combo for another 10 years.

I went 1" further, and got a 30" butt to go along with the 30" shaft. This was the perfect length for my grip hand.

Except for my grip hand space, there is zero difference in play IMO amongst the three lengths I've played with the past 25 years or so.

This was recently discussed in the cuemaker forum: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=443841


Here is my post copied from there:

My primary player is exactly that. A 1981 Huebler. I was lucky to find a pair of original Huebler original matching ring 31 inch shafts for it and jumped on them. Love the cue, it was very good before, now it is great. The balance point is slightly forward compared to the original 29 inch shaft but as you say, that is a good thing.

I often wonder why we don't see more 31 inch aftermarket shafts advertised. It seems to be an excellent solution IMHO, especially for those having older butts they want to keep in service.

As you say YMMV, I do think I struck on a very fortunate combination with this cue. But it actually leaves me seriously considering getting such shafts for some of my other my other "better" cues, including my old block letter Joss believe it or not, as well as my Dayton and Espiritu, as well as perhaps one or two others.


Oh....and the 31 inch shafts do fit in my main cases, granted without JPs but that is fine with me. The original Huebler case does fit the shafts with JPs though.


EDIT: Note to cuemakers...you might get some attention if you market some 31 inch shafts. The cue extensions seem to be selling some already, but the longer shaft market seems wide open. Of course...I guess you need the longer wood on hand and if you haven't been stocking it that could be an issue. Think about it.

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I recommend you try it. That's really the best way you can know. Why not even try it at 31 inches?


A shaft can always be shortened if you don't like the length.




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It will play fine with the extra inch on the shaft. Try it and see if you like it.

I used a 29/30 combo for years. I don't think it will cause you any problems. An inch is really not that significant. Unless you're currently shooting with your back hand on the butt cap for every shot now you will likely not notice a big difference. Your back hand is going to move up and down the cue on a shot by basis (at least for most) anyways.

BigJohn89 said:

Ordering a custom shaft from Keith Josey. I know most of what I have read reccomend equal shaft and butt length. Im 6'2" and a big guy. Im wanting a little more length so i want to order a 30" shaft. What issues could this cause for me and my stroke? Would it be harder to adapt to a future cue based on balance and weight shift or shoukd I just get the shaft at 29" and call it a day? Looking for anyone who has actually played with a longer shaft than their butt and liked it or disliked it. Thanks.

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Joseys play great , thats one thing for sure if u like a solid hitting cue , joseys hit sweet with great feedback , solid but not overly stiff.
Nothing wrong with a longer shaft.

Leme evaluate the pros n cons for you.

A longer shaft will hit softer n more whippy n also more deflection due to the extra length.
It will also result in the cue being more forward balanced.


However many of my friends who prefer a longer cue love the extra length.

Joseys feels great to me in many aspects, fit finish design n most importantly playability.
Hits great n very well balanced.

However if theres one thing i dont like ( not their fault ), i feel its a little overly forward balanced but that is what makes their cue so well balanced.
Im more of a old school player who prefers a back weighted cue ( 16 oz butt minimum ) as i prefer to feel im carrying something.
Joseys are too well balanced which makes jacked up shot easy but makes me feel like im holding nothing , but again its just my preference.


Since josey are more foward balanced , u might wanna consider putting d extra length in the butt ,
meaning 30 inch or 31 inch butt and stay with standard 29 inch shaft.


Either way u will be happy as Joseys play very consistently n im sure u will be happy with whatever choice u make.

More importantly talk to Keith personally , theres nobody but the cuemaker who knows what works best for his cue , joseys are constructed with playability 1st n design 2nd.

Good luck

Adaptable

I am 6' 3" and play with a 30' butt and a 31" shaft and don't plan on going to a shorter shaft, even if I could live with a 30/30 split.

I don't know why it is 57" or 58" cues are supposed to be the right length for every one, makes no sense to me.

I also think pool players of today may be taller then pool players were 75 years ago.
So while we make longer cues lets raise the table up 4" too!

It depends on what a person gets used to. We humans are the most adaptable species on the planet and our hand can get used to the feel of almost every thing.

I even got used to the unfriendly grip angle on a Glock pistol after years of shooting 1911's and Browning Hi Powers.

It's like any chunk of wood, making it shorter is easy.