Balance points

Pidge

Pidge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Reading through another thread and the balance point of the butt came up a lot. It got me thinking, does the balance point benefit a certain style of play? Say for example a butt that has a balance point further towards the joint, does that suit say someone who likes to hit shots, where possible, with a firm stroke or someone who prefers to play delicate shots?

It could be all a matter of personal preference, I was just curious.

Regards.
 
Good question and I´m looking forward to hear the answers.
For me, I like a 19,5 inch bp from butt. That is with a good "overall balance".
I can play with anything of course but this bp makes me "feel" the cue a bit better, strokes better, and is very nice when you choke down on it. A bit easier to release I guess you can say. I have changed my stance etc over the years but still this is the way I want it. Back heavy cues I don´t like at all and cues that are unevenly balanced - can have the same bp but shifts in balance very quick sort of speak - don´t like.

Chrippa
 
i like

to shoot with an open bridge, so no butt heavy cues for me. when i started 63 years ago most cues had a real heavy butt, shooting with a open bridge might get you hit in the forehead with the shaft if you were not careful.
i now build cues and like a netural or slight weight forward balance. i want to be able to grip the cue and have enough weight forward to keep the shaft laying on my bridge hand without having to force it down.
 
desi2960 said:
i now build cues and like a netural or slight weight forward balance. .
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I see people write "neutral" or "forward balance" all the time. What does that mean?

I know what it feels like to me to have weight too far forward for my taste and therefore by measurement I know what I like (58", 18.5 from the butt). My Andy Gilbert for example have these specs but have no weight bolt either.

So, "neutral balance" doesn't mean anything to me.

What does it mean to you?

Freddie <~~~ still unbalanced
 
desi2960 said:
to shoot with an open bridge, so no butt heavy cues for me. when i started 63 years ago most cues had a real heavy butt, shooting with a open bridge might get you hit in the forehead with the shaft if you were not careful.
i now build cues and like a netural or slight weight forward balance. i want to be able to grip the cue and have enough weight forward to keep the shaft laying on my bridge hand without having to force it down.
Click to expand...

I agree. I shoot almost every shot except low english stop & draw shots with an open bridge.

I have removed the butt weight from every cue that I have owned. I think it allows for better feel & control but I certainly do not want too much weight forward.

I've found 17 to 19 ounces to be okay but I prefer as I have found more toward the 17 oz. to be more favorable.

Just MHO $0.02,
 
I remember hitting a few balls with a Balabuska in the late sixties, this cue was probably ten yrs old already. Weight was forward, ebony butt mo/pearl inlays four pts, ivory ferrules, StSteel jt. 20 oz and with the thickness of the cloth back then, the ease of applying high follow and keeping whitey churning were optimized with this design and weight.
 
From what I've been told by an HOF cue builder the Natural Balance is around 18". It can vary of course with the selection of joint material and woods used and where placed and a the taper in the Butt. But a cue made with similar densities or say all Maple with a synthetic joint collar and wood pin the balance is always very close to 18". That would be a "Natural Balance" IMO

He also says that generally speaking a pool cue will be Forward balanced (>18") and a Carom cue will be butt heavy. Therefore we see more stainless joint collars in pool cues vs synthetic for billiard cues. Yes there's tons of exceptions either way.

The reason or explaination is, in pool you dig into the CB more. Stop Stop .... where in billiards you're sending the CB much longer distances, letting it loose so to speak.

I take this "visually" or maybe "mentally" as a sinking tip for pool vs a rising tip in billiards. Of course that's not always the case in either game but hope you get the point.
 
3kushn said:
From what I've been told by an HOF cue builder the Natural Balance is around 18". It can vary of course with the selection of joint material and woods used and where placed and a the taper in the Butt. But a cue made with similar densities or say all Maple with a synthetic joint collar and wood pin the balance is always very close to 18". That would be a "Natural Balance" IMO

He also says that generally speaking a pool cue will be Forward balanced (>18") and a Carom cue will be butt heavy. Therefore we see more stainless joint collars in pool cues vs synthetic for billiard cues. Yes there's tons of exceptions either way.

The reason or explaination is, in pool you dig into the CB more. Stop Stop .... where in billiards you're sending the CB much longer distances, letting it loose so to speak.

I take this "visually" or maybe "mentally" as a sinking tip for pool vs a rising tip in billiards. Of course that's not always the case in either game but hope you get the point.
Click to expand...

I like a very forward balanced cue. They are hard to find. They just FEEL right. They seem to dig into the cue ball harder, seems like more weight up front on the business end of the cue, really means less work you need to do on the back end. Just my feelings. You can keep a back weighted cue..I don't want it. Feels cheap...and light, no matter what the weight-hits light. 19+ for me:cool:
 
Cornerman said:
I see people write "neutral" or "forward balance" all the time. What does that mean?

I know what it feels like to me to have weight too far forward for my taste and therefore by measurement I know what I like (58", 18.5 from the butt). My Andy Gilbert for example have these specs but have no weight bolt either.

So, "neutral balance" doesn't mean anything to me.

What does it mean to you?

Freddie <~~~ still unbalanced
Click to expand...

It is the same as perfect balance, both useless and hype to sell a cue.


.
 
So a balance point of 18inches...is this measured by just the butts balance point or the cue as a whole?
 
Pidge said:
So a balance point of 18inches...is this measured by just the butts balance point or the cue as a whole?
Click to expand...

my understanding is butt and shaft connected and placd from butt bumper
 
bbb said:
my understanding is butt and shaft connected and placd from butt bumper
Click to expand...

Exactly!

And a worthy question that was :-)
Often very underestimated. You have to take a cue and it has to feel immediatley great (balanced).
In my opinion a good cuemaker is able to build you any cue and also has the knowledge to *set the balance point* where you want it.
Like shown up before the type of wood also is important.

For example- i own 2 Josey cues-- one Ebony into Ebony cue- it s *much heavier cue* than i used to play with usually. But i just took the cue and it felt great in my hands immediatley. The cue is oversized, is much heavier than i usually prefers....but it s perfectly balanced.
The other cue is far lighter- a cocobolo into birdseye fullsplice....but also this cue is perfectly balanced.
Both have different balance points imo: It depends very much on the cuemaker in my opinion. And here i m lucky that i found *my 2 cuemakers* where i would trust blindly to give him em both an order to build a cue with my specs. They would both manufacture it with the perfect balance that would makes it feel good for me.

Balance is very important for me :)
 
8onthebreak said:
I like a very forward balanced cue. They just FEEL right.
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I also like forward balanced cues at 19.5-20" not counting the rubber bumper. I also prefer heavier cues (>19.3 oz.) and thick (> 13.0 mm) shafts with hard tips. For me, the need for a forward balance becomes more important the heavier the cue is. To get the balance where I like it is why I prefer heavier shafts and steel joints. I don't like to feel that the entire weight of my cue is in my right hand (I am right-handed). The more forward the balance, the less I notice how heavy a cue is. I have a Meucci S/P that is <19.0 oz. and a balance around 18". It is much lighter than my other cues and I don't notice the balance point. It plays great and I like it, too.
 
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