30" shafts....

M

Majik89d

Registered
Hey everyone!
I was just wondering how many folks on here shoot with a longer shaft, and what your preferences are on the subject. I am thinking about buying a 30" OB-2 shaft, because I am 6'4" and have a large wingspan. I normally hold my cue on the butt sleeve, and another player on the Team and I were talking about it and he thinks I should hold a tad further up, on the back've the wrap, since it does affect how english takes. Any thoughts?


~Mudre
 
i play with a 30 inch shaft and being 6'2 it helps my game but i also have a long bridge 12-14 inches. I like the longer shaft it seems like it makes for a better balance point imo also helps with a fluid motion with someone with long arms
 
IF you are 6'4", I think you are better off with a 60" cue.
Your friend is not making sense.
Where you hold the cue is your starting point and upon cueball contact, your forearm should be perpindicular to the floor as much as possible.
If it's forward, you lose power.
 
A few years back I had Alex Brick build a 31" shaft to match one of my (his) 29" Cue Butts, making it 60" overall length.

I liked it so much that I will never order another cue that is not 60" ... I'm a mere 5' 11" but the long cue fits me perfectly.

I plan to have him convert my old Hoppe Titleist to a 60" cue in the near future.
 
armspan is the key. taller usually means longer but not always. i play with a 59'' and im only 5'8'' but i got monkey arms.

nothing is funner then seeing an old friend that was 6'7'' shoot with a 58'' cue

for balance reasons i like to be as close to even as possible

i even made a cue once 30'' butt and 29'' shaft to move the balance forward even more
 
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Longer cue with the right balance is key....................

I'm 6'3" and I've played with 58 inch cues since I was a kid when I first started playing and till this day I can play with 58 inch cues, but if I want to play comfortably without restriction on my swing then those 2 extra added inches REALLY make a difference. Go for a 60 inch cue. Make sure it's balanced the way you like too.
 
Majik89d said:
Hey everyone!
I was just wondering how many folks on here shoot with a longer shaft, and what your preferences are on the subject. I am thinking about buying a 30" OB-2 shaft, because I am 6'4" and have a large wingspan. I normally hold my cue on the butt sleeve, and another player on the Team and I were talking about it and he thinks I should hold a tad further up, on the back've the wrap, since it does affect how english takes. Any thoughts?


~Mudre
Click to expand...

I will say this. I have a 76" reach and I decided years ago that I needed an longer cue. As I am sure you know standard cues are 58" 29/29" split. So obviously 60" is a 30/30". I won't get into it but I ended up going back to a 58". I regretted every day. So I just got my new cue delivered yesterday with my newly fitted ob2 that I had a custom collar to match the collar of my Keith Kue.


I LOVE IT....!

I split the difference of a 58" and a 60" to a 59". Can't wait to get back on the table.

Remember though extra inch is hard to adapt with some people. Lots of fouls from hitting the tip inadvertently on the CB. And also the balance will change a touch. But if you are determined to better your game and you think you need the extra inch; then by all means do it!

Good luck!
 
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I started out with the standard 58" cue. Then graduated to a 59", which was a standard 29" butt with a +1" shaft.

Just recently got a Varney which is 60" overall, split 30"/30". The cue has amazing balance.

I can't tell you how much I love this cue. Kevin will be making me a fancier sneaky someday soon!!

I will never go back to a 58" cue again and I'm only 6' tall.

Russ.......
 
long shafts

Majik89d said:
Hey everyone!
I was just wondering how many folks on here shoot with a longer shaft, and what your preferences are on the subject. I am thinking about buying a 30" OB-2 shaft, because I am 6'4" and have a large wingspan. I normally hold my cue on the butt sleeve, and another player on the Team and I were talking about it and he thinks I should hold a tad further up, on the back've the wrap, since it does affect how english takes. Any thoughts?


~Mudre
Click to expand...

I ordered a 32" shaft to play with once. It was so limber as to be unplayable. Hold it straight out over the table and it hung down like a limp er er well a limp noodle! That is a slight exaggeration but play was terrible. I cut two inches off of it and made a 30" shaft out of it and it was a daylight and dark difference. Since then I cut all of my personal shafts to 30". That is the longest that will fit in many cases and I find the 30" shaft, 30" butt combination to be very playable for me. I am 6'2" and moderately wide through the shoulders so I do have considerable wingspan. However I think the length of shaft and cue you play with depends more on personal style and choice than actual size of the player.

Hu
 
poolhustler said:
I started out with the standard 58" cue. Then graduated to a 59", which was a standard 29" butt with a +1" shaft.

Just recently got a Varney which is 60" overall, split 30"/30". The cue has amazing balance.

I can't tell you how much I love this cue. Kevin will be making me a fancier sneaky someday soon!!

I will never go back to a 58" cue again and I'm only 6' tall.

Russ.......
Click to expand...

AHH huuummm...(that's my throat clearing noise Russ :thumbup:) You failed to mention the origin of how you got that tourney winning 60" Varney w/ the modified 314 ferrule.

Seriously though I am glad you're getting good use out it it Russ. I do love my 59" Keith Kue with the OB2.
 
I'm 6-3" with gorilla arms, and got tired of holding 58" cues at the very back end of the butt. I ordered a 59" cue and was happy, but will be ordering a 60" cue next time around. I think making a "standard" like 58" is quite stupid. Many of the big manufacturers like McDermott would greatly benefit by making cues from 57-60" in range. But they won't, so custom cue builders will continue to take 100% of the market.
 
Majik89d said:
Hey everyone!
I was just wondering how many folks on here shoot with a longer shaft, and what your preferences are on the subject. I am thinking about buying a 30" OB-2 shaft, because I am 6'4" and have a large wingspan. I normally hold my cue on the butt sleeve, and another player on the Team and I were talking about it and he thinks I should hold a tad further up, on the back've the wrap, since it does affect how english takes. Any thoughts?


~Mudre
Click to expand...

Im 6'5" and I've been using a 30" shaft for over 20 yrs...making all my cues 59". Its all a matter of taste so all the opinions will be just that. 60" has my hand to close to center of the wrap and 58" has my hand at the bumper. English/spin is all based on point of contact and follow through. Good luck...
 
I've got two 60" cues... a Frey SP and a Dave Jones 1/1.

I'm 6'3" with an average wingspan for my height... and 58" cues just seem to short for me now.

I've also got a McD standard 29" butt with a 30" Predator 314 shaft, which was my player for a long time while predominantly playing 8-ball on 8-footers... which was OK at the time.

I've since focused on playing 9-ball and 10-ball on a 9-footer... and my strong preference is one of my 60" cues.

I also have a 30" Z2 shaft coupled with a Bob Frey 4-pointer butt that is 28.5" long... for a cue that is 58.5" long. I'll hit a couple of racks with it occasionally but I keep coming back to my 60" Bob Frey SP with his shaft.
I just like the length, the hit and the balance of that cue at 18.8 oz.
 
The differences are amazing. When I play with a 57" house cue it seems very short. When I play with my 58" cue it seems just right for me. When I played with a friends 59" cue it just seems so long and I did not like it. I guess it just shows that it is all based on the person
 
I play with a 30 in shaft on a 29 in butt. I just like the way having the extra length feels. I am 6' but have fairly long arms and it is deinitely more comfortable to me.
 
does anyone know how much the balance point shifts when going from a 29" OB-2 to a 30" OB-2?

I care most about the tip to balance point measurement, not butt to balance point, so would the balance point shift up more or less than 1"?
 
ShootingArts said:
... However I think the length of shaft and cue you play with depends more on personal style and choice than actual size of the player.

Hu
Click to expand...


I'd agree with this.

I think it also depends on your mix of casual and serious playing. A lot of bars around here are a lot of fun to play at, but not serious enough to bring your own cue and often have pretty decent house cues. I have a 29" butt 30" shaft (I'm 6'3") and if I'm used to using a house cue at a certain place, the extra length of my personal playing cue feels a little awkward.

As a test a few days ago, I put my 29" BK2 shaft (leather tip) on my regular 29" butt for a league match on a 7' barbox, and I have to say it felt surprisingly right. lol

I'm sure it's all in my head. :D
 
Just don't do what I did, and forget my case has (had) limits...

1 inch on the shaft might not be a make or break point, but I had a 62" cue that didn't fit in my case.

Currently playing cues range from 57" to 59" cue. 6'2".
 
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