Hi all. I'm from singapore and i'm intending to get a new cue. We don't really have the luxury of having many importers so I can't really try the cue first. And I would like to upgrade myself to a decent mid high end cue. But I don't really wanna pay for all the ivories and cocobolo what nots. So I would like to know if a 200+ cue from a well known maker such as joss would hit the same as a 400-600+ one. Thanks in advance
Are all cues the same?
- Thread starter zilemok
- Start date
Across a particular brand, probably yes. The inlays and extra detail work represent bling and a show of craftsmanship but do nothing to enhance the playing characteristics of the cue , IMO. I have to believe a more solid piece of wood would have to play, well, more solid.
That is not to say a $200 Joss or other production cue would play as well as a Scruggs, BHQ, Bender, etc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
That is not to say a $200 Joss or other production cue would play as well as a Scruggs, BHQ, Bender, etc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
It's also not to say that it wouldn't. One of the best hitting/playing cues that I've ever used was an old do poo brown Huebler. That old piece of firewood was as magical as anything I've ever owned. For the most part I agree with the majority of your post.
It's also not to say that it wouldn't. One of the best hitting/playing cues that I've ever used was an old do poo brown Huebler. That old piece of firewood was as magical as anything I've ever owned. For the most part I agree with the majority of your post.
That's pretty much my point, though maybe I didn't make it well enough. Every cue has its own feel and all the inlays and points in the world won't make it play better.
sorry now i'm confused. i do understand that all the inlays do not help in the game. so what i want to ask is if 2 cues are from the same maker and one costs $200 while the other is $600 is it purely because of the inlays used? or is it due to a difference in lets say the wood used or the manufacturing process?
Your question is very broad and so if you limit the cue range selection to cues under $250, there's some slight differences in mass production cues. Keep in mind your post, you didn't mention any budget but just referred to a $200 cue.
Any cue under $300 would only have fake bling and certainly no ivory. When your budget is larger, again I have no idea what yours is or what you'd spend on any cue regardless of the cue-maker, the differences in cues, mass production or custom cues, become much more significant, especially with the custom cue market where the cues in general, and truly with the fancier custom cues, can cost thousands of dollars. So you betcha..........there's a difference between a $500 cue and a $1300 cue and a $3000 cue. This applies to the cue's feel, its balance point, possibly using ferrules, the wrap type & quality, the general quality of wood, particularly the shafts' wood & weight & taper, the cue tip brand. IMO, the joint type is the most important feature (wood, phenolic, steel or ivory -flat, piloted, collar, etc.). The aforementioned probably doesn't probably help you with your question but there's a lot of design considerations and cue building experience that goes into custom cue-making.
Allow me to offer you an example. This past July, I ordered a custom cue which will not be completed until next March (2014). However, the cue is exactly what I want in terms of the cue engineering and appearance. Now let me admit at the outset that I'm paying for the bling in the cue so the price of my cue is going to be higher since the bling is real. There's something like 56 or 58 ivory inlays in the forearm and butt sleeve, It has an ivory butt cap and flat ivory cue joint & ferrules. IMO, only the ivory ferrules and ivory joint affect playability and so there's some modest additional expense for those two specific features I want in any of my cues and the rest of that ivory is "bling" for the overall look of the cue design. So you can see I'm paying the cue-maker for the cue's artistry which doesn't make it play any better, or any different, if it wasn't in my cue. The inlays were important but so was the overall design.
None of the above, aside from the ivory ferrules and ivory cue joint, has anything to do with playability or feel............only the cue's appearance is affected. It's totally self-indulgent on my part but many of us have things we occasionally splurge on from time to time. It's been a couple of years since I bought my Mottey cue and so I don't make this a regular habit. Again, you may not like to playing with ivory ferrules or ivory joint but hands down, the undeniable truth is these features definitely affect the feel of the cue in the player's hands......and feel is so critical. The last major big difference with cues involves the quality of the wood used for the shafts........the type pf wood, age of the wood, weight of the shafts. etc.
By the way, my cue-maker just glued the 5 veneers for my cue design this past week and my cue isn't going to be finished until March 2014. There's a lot of assembly and apparently multiple, intricate phases of gluing, and extended drying periods. There's many hours of work involved completing some cue designs which is why custom cues can cost so much. The sad, underlying truth is there are guys here on AZ that would drill me in a match even if I picked the worst house cue I could find on the wall at a pool hall for them to play with. The reality is equipment does not make up for flawed fundamentals, i.e., mechanics, limited knowledge, or generally poor skills. The cues we all play with does not, of and by itself, empower us to instantly become a better, more skilled players. It merely eliminates all the excuses and makes you focus on playing better.
After all, you can never blame your equipment and what fool wants to look like a duck shooting pool with a stick costing thousands. I mean you had better be able to run more a single rack of 9 ball if you own and play with a fancy Ed Prewitt cue in public, at least in my opinion.
Any cue under $300 would only have fake bling and certainly no ivory. When your budget is larger, again I have no idea what yours is or what you'd spend on any cue regardless of the cue-maker, the differences in cues, mass production or custom cues, become much more significant, especially with the custom cue market where the cues in general, and truly with the fancier custom cues, can cost thousands of dollars. So you betcha..........there's a difference between a $500 cue and a $1300 cue and a $3000 cue. This applies to the cue's feel, its balance point, possibly using ferrules, the wrap type & quality, the general quality of wood, particularly the shafts' wood & weight & taper, the cue tip brand. IMO, the joint type is the most important feature (wood, phenolic, steel or ivory -flat, piloted, collar, etc.). The aforementioned probably doesn't probably help you with your question but there's a lot of design considerations and cue building experience that goes into custom cue-making.
Allow me to offer you an example. This past July, I ordered a custom cue which will not be completed until next March (2014). However, the cue is exactly what I want in terms of the cue engineering and appearance. Now let me admit at the outset that I'm paying for the bling in the cue so the price of my cue is going to be higher since the bling is real. There's something like 56 or 58 ivory inlays in the forearm and butt sleeve, It has an ivory butt cap and flat ivory cue joint & ferrules. IMO, only the ivory ferrules and ivory joint affect playability and so there's some modest additional expense for those two specific features I want in any of my cues and the rest of that ivory is "bling" for the overall look of the cue design. So you can see I'm paying the cue-maker for the cue's artistry which doesn't make it play any better, or any different, if it wasn't in my cue. The inlays were important but so was the overall design.
None of the above, aside from the ivory ferrules and ivory cue joint, has anything to do with playability or feel............only the cue's appearance is affected. It's totally self-indulgent on my part but many of us have things we occasionally splurge on from time to time. It's been a couple of years since I bought my Mottey cue and so I don't make this a regular habit. Again, you may not like to playing with ivory ferrules or ivory joint but hands down, the undeniable truth is these features definitely affect the feel of the cue in the player's hands......and feel is so critical. The last major big difference with cues involves the quality of the wood used for the shafts........the type pf wood, age of the wood, weight of the shafts. etc.
By the way, my cue-maker just glued the 5 veneers for my cue design this past week and my cue isn't going to be finished until March 2014. There's a lot of assembly and apparently multiple, intricate phases of gluing, and extended drying periods. There's many hours of work involved completing some cue designs which is why custom cues can cost so much. The sad, underlying truth is there are guys here on AZ that would drill me in a match even if I picked the worst house cue I could find on the wall at a pool hall for them to play with. The reality is equipment does not make up for flawed fundamentals, i.e., mechanics, limited knowledge, or generally poor skills. The cues we all play with does not, of and by itself, empower us to instantly become a better, more skilled players. It merely eliminates all the excuses and makes you focus on playing better.
After all, you can never blame your equipment and what fool wants to look like a duck shooting pool with a stick costing thousands. I mean you had better be able to run more a single rack of 9 ball if you own and play with a fancy Ed Prewitt cue in public, at least in my opinion.
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Most of the upgrades that raise the price of a cue will come from inlays, veneers, wraps, exotic woods and materials that will have little affect on play. I'm a fan of traditional, plain jane cues and own a few from the top cuemakers and I believe they hit just the same as the more fancy versions.
back to the question
here is $400 joss
http://www.josscues.com/html/cues/av02.html
a $300 joss
http://www.josscues.com/html/cues/av05.html
here is a $600 joss
http://www.josscues.com/html/cues/av18.html
the $300 dollar cue has no wrap and non stainless steel joint
400 and 600 there is a stainless steel joint and a linen wrap
the 600 one has some ornamentation in the butt
the $300 cue will play different from the 4 and 6 hundred dollar cue because of the joint
it will feel different in being wrapless
the 4 and 6 hundred dollar cue will play the same
hope this helps
here is $400 joss
http://www.josscues.com/html/cues/av02.html
a $300 joss
http://www.josscues.com/html/cues/av05.html
here is a $600 joss
http://www.josscues.com/html/cues/av18.html
the $300 dollar cue has no wrap and non stainless steel joint
400 and 600 there is a stainless steel joint and a linen wrap
the 600 one has some ornamentation in the butt
the $300 cue will play different from the 4 and 6 hundred dollar cue because of the joint
it will feel different in being wrapless
the 4 and 6 hundred dollar cue will play the same
hope this helps
Or for well under $200 you could buy a Schmelke SP with some very nice wood and your choice of joints. They make their own spliced blanks which takes both skill and equipment.
They also sell said blanks to any number of custom builders who add their own "bling" carve their logo into the cue and crank up the price to what the market will allow. Hey, just sayin'.
Now if you had to wait one, two or ten years to have a custom cue built and it cost 3, 5 or ten thousand dollars what would you say if you found that your $280 Predator SP played better?
I only have two "custom" cues but the fact is either of my Schon's are better, at least to me.
They also sell said blanks to any number of custom builders who add their own "bling" carve their logo into the cue and crank up the price to what the market will allow. Hey, just sayin'.
Now if you had to wait one, two or ten years to have a custom cue built and it cost 3, 5 or ten thousand dollars what would you say if you found that your $280 Predator SP played better?
I only have two "custom" cues but the fact is either of my Schon's are better, at least to me.
Every cue will hit different.As long as the cue is solid and you don't
care about designs,the onlty things I would suggest you look for in a cue
are the following
Weight and balance is major.
Shaft diameter to your liking
Tip you like
And the rest is fundamentals and practice.
If the cue feels odd,don't go through the pain of playing with it because
it looks good.Playability is far more important than looks.Goodluck
care about designs,the onlty things I would suggest you look for in a cue
are the following
Weight and balance is major.
Shaft diameter to your liking
Tip you like
And the rest is fundamentals and practice.
If the cue feels odd,don't go through the pain of playing with it because
it looks good.Playability is far more important than looks.Goodluck