Ok if you start with with a full splice one piece cue, and lets say for argument sake this is your benchmark for hit. Now every place on the cue you add a joint and introduce a dissimilar material you will change it's hit and add complexity to it's design. It is also harder to reproduce the same results. It was mentioned early in this thread how when a cue is struck on it's tip that it causes the cue to oscillate and create a harmonic. In my opinion this is key, so if you stick a three inch metal pin in the middle of a cue and then a second one a foot lower what is this doing to the harmonic? Well the joint in the middle is hard to avoid unless you plan on carrying around a one piece, but the A joint can be avoided or at least it's affect on hit minimized. I am of the same school as Joey the A joint pin should be a material that will bend and flex similar to the rest of the cue. The hit of a cue will always be subjective but the minimalist approach has it's merits. Why complicate the design more than it needs to be. The simplest tool to do the job is usually the best.
