Are these good specs for a shorty cue for a tight space?

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Stigwort

New member
Hi!

I have a tight space for playing American 8-ball on a 7' table. I am having a custom cue made to fit the cramped quarters.
The cue length is 40". I wanted to pick your expert brains on whether these specs make sense? I know that some of this is personal preference but I am going for a cue that people thinks makes sense overall given the constraints.

40" Total Length
3/4 joint @8" position
17oz in Weight (front weighted, hence the joint to make the cue more balanced overall)
Butt Jointed to accept extn
13mm Brass Ferrule with Elk Master Tip
European taper (constant taper and not the American Pro taper)
Butt diameter 1.18"

Any advice is much appreciated.
 
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I’ve used and carried a 30+ year old meucci super jump cue for years. Not only does it work well for short clearance shot but also for tight congested shots. I haven’t used it as an actual jump cue for many years. It’s 42” long
 
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If you like it … that’s all that counts. If not you can modify it. Use it and that’s your starting point or final product. Regardless it’s nice to have an assortment
 
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Hopefully you don't need to play that much with it, 40" will really restrict shooting motion. The smallest kid cues I know about are 48" and I have played with one of those, would definatly not want to use it for long.
I would get a break/jump cue and put a playing tip on it.
 
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Stigwort said:
Hi!

I have a tight space for playing American 8-ball on a 7' table. I am having a custom cue made to fit the cramped quarters.
The cue length is 40". I wanted to pick your expert brains on whether these specs make sense? I know that some of this is personal preference but I am going for a cue that people thinks makes sense overall given the constraints.

40" Total Length
3/4 joint @8" position
17oz in Weight (front weighted, hence the joint to make the cue more balanced overall)
Butt Jointed to accept extn
13mm Brass Ferrule with Elk Master Tip
European taper (constant taper and not the American Pro taper)
Butt diameter 1.18"

Any advice is much appreciated.
Click to expand...
I don't like your specs. I'll explain to you why that is.

1. We'll take the length as given, though it's too short for playing decent. I've played some gambling sets with my jump cue years ago. It's really no picnic.
2. The joint is okay, if you insist on going one-off custom. I've never shot with a cue this short with my chin on the cue, but I'm sure you've tried it to check that it isn't irritating the chin, if you go that low. Personally, I'd have a standard shaft and a custom butt made to fit it.
3. 17 oz is quite a lot for a short cue, but I have no particular issue with it. It's probably a good idea to keep it somewhat close to your main playing cue. Too light will hamper your power/speed control a bit, too. On the other hand, I have a hard time seeing the balance beeing good in a cue like that. I guess that's the reason for your joint.
4. Extension for the butt? I guess it could be useful, but maybe I'd keep it one length to at least get used to it. It couldn't hurt to have it though. To be honest, a short cue like this is a special tool that you don't want to use too often. I guess if you could make it work well with the balance and all it might be all right. I'm seeing in my minds eye some sort of monstrosity like those cheap cues with 4 pieces with washers in between them...To be honest, maybe it would be just as good to just buy a short one piece cue and tweak it a bit. Mess around with the taper, for instance. It isn't hard to do. You don't even need a joint inside your own house, I recon? It's not going to cost a lot, and if you buy a quality one, it should do just fine. They've allready figured the balance out and everything.
5. 13mm brass ferrule with elk master....I don't like it one bit. 13mm brass ferrule is more suited for a jump cue. It's going to be very, very stiff and hard hitting in a short cue. The same is true for your european taper. Euro-taper 13mm is going to be about as sensitive as a phone pole. The shorter the cue, the more brutal it will get. I wouldn't play with a 13mm FULL SIZE eurotaper, never mind a 40 incher.Other than the weight and the tip, your cue sounds like a candidate for a jump cue, not a playing cue. You're going to get a lot of cueball deflection, and probably will jump if you jack up.
6. I hate elk master tips in 13mm...It's ok in a snooker cue, and that's about it IMO. It feels all wrong in the bigger diameter. I'd at least make a milkdud out of it. But the old guys used to love them so.. I guess, if that's what you want...It at least will dampen the shock of the extreme stiffness your cue will have.

If I were you, I'd experiment with a pro taper or at least not "euro-taper" (which are straight conical shafts) with various tip diameters and use a jump handle for them. That way you can find a shaft that actually works in such short lengths. You could also test out some kids cues, if you go to a pool hall. Will give you a good idea of the important factors, I think. You might be surprised that your favourite shaft feels very different on a short butt. If you want you could also tie lead/steel/brass bolts to the underside of the shaft and experiment with balance. You don't even need a custom cue for this, but if you wanted to, it would be easy to get it custom made, exactly right, if you send the cuemaker your "Frankensteins cue" with bolts taped on. He could put weights in the shaft, you know.
 
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hang-the-9 said:
Hopefully you don't need to play that much with it, 40" will really restrict shooting motion. The smallest kid cues I know about are 48" and I have played with one of those, would definatly not want to use it for long.
I would get a break/jump cue and put a playing tip on it.
Click to expand...
It will be my primary cue. I already have a 40" 16.6oz cue, and it works through necessity. But that was just one I randomly found in a pool supplies store.
 
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Straightpool_99 said:
I don't like your specs. I'll explain to you why that is.

1. We'll take the length as given, though it's too short for playing decent. I've played some gambling sets with my jump cue years ago. It's really no picnic.
2. The joint is okay, if you insist on going one-off custom. I've never shot with a cue this short with my chin on the cue, but I'm sure you've tried it to check that it isn't irritating the chin, if you go that low. Personally, I'd have a standard shaft and a custom butt made to fit it.
3. 17 oz is quite a lot for a short cue, but I have no particular issue with it. It's probably a good idea to keep it somewhat close to your main playing cue. Too light will hamper your power/speed control a bit, too. On the other hand, I have a hard time seeing the balance beeing good in a cue like that. I guess that's the reason for your joint.
4. Extension for the butt? I guess it could be useful, but maybe I'd keep it one length to at least get used to it. It couldn't hurt to have it though. To be honest, a short cue like this is a special tool that you don't want to use too often. I guess if you could make it work well with the balance and all it might be all right. I'm seeing in my minds eye some sort of monstrosity like those cheap cues with 4 pieces with washers in between them...To be honest, maybe it would be just as good to just buy a short one piece cue and tweak it a bit. Mess around with the taper, for instance. It isn't hard to do. You don't even need a joint inside your own house, I recon? It's not going to cost a lot, and if you buy a quality one, it should do just fine. They've allready figured the balance out and everything.
5. 13mm brass ferrule with elk master....I don't like it one bit. 13mm brass ferrule is more suited for a jump cue. It's going to be very, very stiff and hard hitting in a short cue. The same is true for your european taper. Euro-taper 13mm is going to be about as sensitive as a phone pole. The shorter the cue, the more brutal it will get. I wouldn't play with a 13mm FULL SIZE eurotaper, never mind a 40 incher.Other than the weight and the tip, your cue sounds like a candidate for a jump cue, not a playing cue. You're going to get a lot of cueball deflection, and probably will jump if you jack up.
6. I hate elk master tips in 13mm...It's ok in a snooker cue, and that's about it IMO. It feels all wrong in the bigger diameter. I'd at least make a milkdud out of it. But the old guys used to love them so.. I guess, if that's what you want...It at least will dampen the shock of the extreme stiffness your cue will have.

If I were you, I'd experiment with a pro taper or at least not "euro-taper" (which are straight conical shafts) with various tip diameters and use a jump handle for them. That way you can find a shaft that actually works in such short lengths. You could also test out some kids cues, if you go to a pool hall. Will give you a good idea of the important factors, I think. You might be surprised that your favourite shaft feels very different on a short butt. If you want you could also tie lead/steel/brass bolts to the underside of the shaft and experiment with balance. You don't even need a custom cue for this, but if you wanted to, it would be easy to get it custom made, exactly right, if you send the cuemaker your "Frankensteins cue" with bolts taped on. He could put weights in the shaft, you know.
Click to expand...
Many thanks for this response. Is there a custom USA pool cue maker you would recommend? I am in the north east. Re:

5. 13mm brass ferrule with elk master....I don't like it one bit. 13mm brass ferrule is more suited for a jump cue. It's going to be very, very stiff and hard hitting in a short cue. The same is true for your european taper. Euro-taper 13mm is going to be about as sensitive as a phone pole. The shorter the cue, the more brutal it will get. I wouldn't play with a 13mm FULL SIZE eurotaper, never mind a 40 incher.Other than the weight and the tip, your cue sounds like a candidate for a jump cue, not a playing cue. You're going to get a lot of cueball deflection, and probably will jump if you jack up.
6. I hate elk master tips in 13mm...It's ok in a snooker cue, and that's about it IMO. It feels all wrong in the bigger diameter. I'd at least make a milkdud out of it. But the old guys used to love them so.. I guess, if that's what you want...It at least will dampen the shock of the extreme stiffness your cue will have.

So, my choices for the ferrule are solid brass (common for English Pool) or black fiber, the type used for Chinese 8 ball pool. Looks like brass is more resilient and looks better :LOL: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/brass-ferrule-vs-black-fibre-ferrule.59093/ .

For tips, Elk Master, Elk-Pro, Blue Diamond, or Talisman Pro. With Elk Master actually being the softest: https://billiards.colostate.edu/resource_files/tip_hardness_chart.pdf
 
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A) use a standard shaft with a standard taper and whatever tip you like. The shaft will dictate the joint.

B) use a shortened butt and have weight added towards the joint in the butt to achieve the overall weight and the kind of balance you like in your play cue. Until you hold the done but unfinished cue in your hands you won't know if the balance is right. Fix the balance before finishing the wood.
 
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Stigwort said:
Hi!

I have a tight space for playing American 8-ball on a 7' table. I am having a custom cue made to fit the cramped quarters.
The cue length is 40". I wanted to pick your expert brains on whether these specs make sense? I know that some of this is personal preference but I am going for a cue that people thinks makes sense overall given the constraints.

40" Total Length
3/4 joint @8" position
17oz in Weight (front weighted, hence the joint to make the cue more balanced overall)
Butt Jointed to accept extn
13mm Brass Ferrule with Elk Master Tip
European taper (constant taper and not the American Pro taper)
Butt diameter 1.18"

Any advice is much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Sure. It probably makes perfect sense for you.

And it makes no sense for me.

But that’s what makes the world go round. Tell us how it works. Specs are based on your needs not mine. I have a Balancerite short cue weighted at 18oz with grip area about the same as a normal cue. They come in various lengths from 30” to about 52”
 
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I play at a friends basement with a 9 ft Gandy Big G and a pole.
A good short stick comes in handy.
B6B6E251-1B19-496C-8FA1-A8842C381A2E.jpeg
 
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