What cuemakers would you recommend that have a balance point that is towards the butt of the cue?
Balance Point
- Thread starter seymore15074
- Start date
seymore15074 said:
Meucci, McDermott, Viking, Huebler, Lucassi or about any other cue factory. Most custom cuemakers, I would think, could make one for you. Most cuemakers, however, strive to make their cues more forward weighted as the cues feel much better in Most peoples hands. Rear weighted cues are usually that way because of the weight bolt in the very back of the cue which is the way most factories build their cues for easy weight changes.
Dick
rhncue said:
Not to start a controvery Dick, but I think you should only speak for yourself, not MOST cuemakers. The balance point on my BLACK HEART CUES is 18" from the end of the butt cap. Just to compare, where is your balance point? I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but where do you think the boundries(in inches), of forward-neutral & rear balanced cues are. THANKS ...JER
rhncue said:
I think there has been too much emphasis on forward weighted cues. I don't like them personally but I can make whatever my customer wants within reason. I like an 18 to 19 inch balance point for my personal use because I like to feel a little weight in my hand.
The rear weight of a cue is not only the weight bolt but the weight of the handle wood and butt sleeve wood. Of course the weight bolt can have quite an effect on the rear weight of a cue but remember that house cues don't have any weight bolt and they are all rear weighted or in my terminology "butt heavy".
Easy weight changes are a plus in my opinion. Often times tweaking a cue only 1/4 ounce can change how comfortable it is to the owner and how it gets through the cue ball.
Good Cuemaking,
I like mine between 18-19 with no weight bolts.
As a player, my preference is 18.25 - 18.75 for a 58" cue. 19" gets a bit too far forward for me, and 18" starts to get too far back. I can play with those, but I'd prefer the 18.5".rhncue said:
I found that in one of my cues, with the 1 oz weight bolt, the balance point is just under 18", and with it, it's just over 19". So, I'm thinking that each 1/4 oz on that stick will move the balance point approx. 1/4". Is that about right for an 18 oz (19oz with the 1 oz) cue?
Fred
Just want to share my opinion based on my readings, impressions and talks with some makers.
Many say that they strive to make the cue perform like a 1-pc cue. However 2-pc cues have a joint... and the material placed on the joint like stainless steel plus the pin etc add weight to the joint area which pulls the balance towards the front or forward.
Maybe that's one reason why weight bolts are placed... to pull the balance back to the butt.
I have also read discussions about trying to make the joint area lighter. I would guess that it has something to do with trying to bring the balance towards the rear again.
I personally prefer the balance between 18.2 inches and 17.8 inches. If my maker can bring it there, I'm a happy camper.
Based on this, it seems easier to build a forward balanced cue than a rear balanced cue. Of course miticulous attention/calculations will still need to be done to get the cue balanced to where the customer likes it... whether forward or rear weighted or neutral. Its not guess work. Very technical in fact.
Neutral for me is 18.5 inches measued from the end of the butt cap.
Many say that they strive to make the cue perform like a 1-pc cue. However 2-pc cues have a joint... and the material placed on the joint like stainless steel plus the pin etc add weight to the joint area which pulls the balance towards the front or forward.
Maybe that's one reason why weight bolts are placed... to pull the balance back to the butt.
I have also read discussions about trying to make the joint area lighter. I would guess that it has something to do with trying to bring the balance towards the rear again.
I personally prefer the balance between 18.2 inches and 17.8 inches. If my maker can bring it there, I'm a happy camper.
Based on this, it seems easier to build a forward balanced cue than a rear balanced cue. Of course miticulous attention/calculations will still need to be done to get the cue balanced to where the customer likes it... whether forward or rear weighted or neutral. Its not guess work. Very technical in fact.
Neutral for me is 18.5 inches measued from the end of the butt cap.
monski said:
It's not harder or easier to make a Q balance forward or rearward...you build what you feel is right & that's where opinions differ...JER
Based on this, it seems easier to build a forward balanced cue than a rear balanced cue.
Me disagrees.
It's easier to build a rear-balanced one.
The joint, even though has a joint screw, is of smaller diameter.
Me disagrees.
It's easier to build a rear-balanced one.
The joint, even though has a joint screw, is of smaller diameter.
BLACKHEARTCUES said:
I agree 100% - Balancing a cue is balancing a cue. With all the different woods, types of metal screws and other screws available plus different density shafts it is just a matter of extrapolating all the data to achieve the desired balance point.
Last edited:
Not to side line the thread, but someone asked. Cutter is Steve Klein.
As to Balance Point, I've found it the hardest part of cue making. Customer choices in woods and inlays can really push the limits on where the balance point ends up. You can always add weight under the wrap if there is one or hide weight behind the joint pin, but I don't like doing either. The hardest to get up where I like the balance point has to be a ebony full splice cue. I personally don't like the weight back to far. Makes the tip seem to light in my hand and hard to control. Especially on follow shots where the cue seems to ride up to quickly.
Steve Klein
As to Balance Point, I've found it the hardest part of cue making. Customer choices in woods and inlays can really push the limits on where the balance point ends up. You can always add weight under the wrap if there is one or hide weight behind the joint pin, but I don't like doing either. The hardest to get up where I like the balance point has to be a ebony full splice cue. I personally don't like the weight back to far. Makes the tip seem to light in my hand and hard to control. Especially on follow shots where the cue seems to ride up to quickly.
Steve Klein
cutter said:
I am not sure I understand what you are saying. I own 11 cues, and the balance point on all of them is somewhere between 18.5-20 inches from the butt cap. I am 6 feet tall, have a arm span of 73 inches, and typically use a 8-12 inch bridge. For the balance point of a cue to be behind my stroking hand, it would have to be about 3 inches from the butt cap.
I am not a cue maker and know nothing about the art, but the way I interpret your statement all cues are forward balanced. Clearly we are not using the same terminology.
You hit the head right on the nail. Cue making is an unregulated industry that has no written standards or codes of ethics. So I guess that forward balance really has no definition. Balance point can be measured, but forward or rear can't. So I guess you could say all your cues are forward balanced, some more than others. Then again I have seen a lot of players who grip the cue almost at the top of the wrap. Now the balance point on some production cues would be behind their hand. So maybe I would call that rear balanced, but it could also be called aft balanced or butt balanced or whatever you feel like. You bring up a good point that where your hand is on the cue will effect where the balance point should be. Where it is relative to your hand is a player's preference. As a cue maker, it's my job to put it where you want it, or tell you up front that it can't be done.
My biggest grip with the cue making industry is invented verbiage. A lot of cue makers invent it as they go to try to make there product seem different and special. Creative marketing doesn't replace quality workmanship and ethics.
But that's just me on my soap box.
Steve
My biggest grip with the cue making industry is invented verbiage. A lot of cue makers invent it as they go to try to make there product seem different and special. Creative marketing doesn't replace quality workmanship and ethics.
But that's just me on my soap box.
Steve