best pin
- Thread starter gatorjoe
- Start date
First off I would say if your having your first custom built....try playing with the shaft it comes with for a while. You will be suprised with how well custom built cues shafts play. Secondly, choosing a wood such as ebony will make it more butt heavy to begin with and usually all LD shafts are lighter than traditional maple so that would make it even more butt heavy.
Purpleheart, and bacote are excellent hitting woods and bacote is a lighter wood choice if your going to pair with a LD shaft and will make the cue balance out better. Whatever your choice may be, good luck and congrats on your first custom. I know mine was truly exciting and I still get excited when I have a new cue built. Rob.
Purpleheart, and bacote are excellent hitting woods and bacote is a lighter wood choice if your going to pair with a LD shaft and will make the cue balance out better. Whatever your choice may be, good luck and congrats on your first custom. I know mine was truly exciting and I still get excited when I have a new cue built. Rob.
By the way, pin choice is subjective and everybody will have a different opinion. I prefer a bigger pin and my first choice is 3/8-10 with a radial for second. As for joint choice, I prefer Stainless Steel flat face because it makes a cue more forward balanced and provides a harder hit and there is still wood to wood contact. Of course these are my preferences. Good luck 
After five replies have you noticed the differing opinions? That's because it doesn't matter which pin you use.
The only real thing you might consider is the type of joint you use. A metal joint (stainless) wiill have a slightly harder hit. A wood to wood will be slightly softer. Neither will affect the cues value.
Talk it over with your cue maker.
The only real thing you might consider is the type of joint you use. A metal joint (stainless) wiill have a slightly harder hit. A wood to wood will be slightly softer. Neither will affect the cues value.
Talk it over with your cue maker.
I continue to hear folks say that the type of pin doesn't matter - including some cue makers. Don't believe it for a second - although the feel & performance of a cue are a combination of many components, tapers, materials, etc. To believe that any of those - including the type of joint pin & joint materials - have no effect is just off the mark.
If you're having a custom made, you should already have some idea what joint you're used to. Stick with it or be prepared to go thru a period of adjustment - possibly a lot of adjustment.
Best of luck to you.
If you're having a custom made, you should already have some idea what joint you're used to. Stick with it or be prepared to go thru a period of adjustment - possibly a lot of adjustment.
Best of luck to you.
"Talk it over with your cue maker."
That's the best advice you could possibly hope for. All the resident experts are able to offer is their opinion which may be just peachey for them but it has nothing to do with you & your cue.
All the pin is asked to do is to keep the shaft securely attached to the handle.
It doesn't matter what pitch, thread count or diameter. If the pin is adequate for it's task, it doesn't matter.
Why on earth would you have someone tell you what YOU want in a cue?
Talk to YOUR cue-maker. My guess is that he might know a little more than the resident 'experts'.
by whom?
Whatever you like.
I'm of the camp that says that pin choice doesn't matter. A competent cue maker is paramount.
Odd. The Predator 314 and the OB2 don't feel similar.
Fred
Pin choice doesn't matter, unless it's just about anyone besides Dennis Searing or Bill Stroud doing a Uni-loc. 
Correctamundo! Well said.
It's actually the exact opposite. The stainless joint tends to mellow the hit of the cue, where the phenolic jointed wood to wood joints have a harder hit. Shaft taper and tip will have more affect on the "hit" of the cue than the joint material, though.
Methinks Shawn is correct here. The stainless steel joints tend to act as "shock absorbing brakes," attenuating the vibrations and resonance of the hit from traveling down the cue. (In other words, any vibrations or resonance from the hit tends to "stop" right at, and not be transferred through, the big metal "block" of the stainless steel joint.)
Whereas in a phenolic wood-to-wood joint, there's nothing blocking the vibrations and resonance of the hit from traveling down the cue.
My Joss 828, with its stainless steel joint, is one of the most mellow-hitting cues I've ever owned, no matter what shaft I put on it (and I've several, from different makers). But the wood-to-wood cues I own (e.g. Hammerhead, Mali) tend to give me more "feedback" from the hit.
Some may prefer the mellow hit; others prefer receiving the feedback from the hit. It's all a very personal thing. There is no one-size-fits-all "best."
-Sean
I used to be a big fan of radial pins, but once I tried a 3/8x10 I have changed my opinion. My next custom will definitely have a 3/8x10 pin in it.
*edit* I just read the title and not wood choices.
For wood I think you should just look through the cue gallery and see what you really like. A lot of ppl will mention bocote, cocobolo and ebony, but I would want each of those woods in a different style of cue (bocote in a sneaky, cocobolo in a titlist style cue and ebony in an old school style cue). For woods I would honestly ignore our opinions and just go with what you like the best....after all this will be your cue and not a culmination of our opinions.
*edit* I just read the title and not wood choices.
For wood I think you should just look through the cue gallery and see what you really like. A lot of ppl will mention bocote, cocobolo and ebony, but I would want each of those woods in a different style of cue (bocote in a sneaky, cocobolo in a titlist style cue and ebony in an old school style cue). For woods I would honestly ignore our opinions and just go with what you like the best....after all this will be your cue and not a culmination of our opinions.
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Me thinks you're both wrong. Go to www.pool-and-pocket-billiards-resource.com
Click on 'cue construction' then click 'joint'.
I think the differences in opinion here are really about semantics, or how one interprets the words soft, hard, mellow, etc. as it applies to the 'hit' of a cue.
For this explanation/discussion, let's focus just on joint mtrl.
Regardless of the joint mtrl. chosen, what happens at the tip is the same for all cues.
The tip, upon striking the QB, initiates a vibration in the shaft. That vibration travels down the shaft to the joint. A wood to wood jnt. allows a purity of transmission of the vibration across the jnt. surfaces. The use of phenolic collars and rings does little to alter this to any great degree as long as there is still a wood to wood connection. These mtrls. will pretty much all vibrate in unison.
The steel joint, on the other hand is of such greater density mtrl. that it disrupts the pure transmission of the vibration. It can dull the vibration to the point that it can be described as 'mellow', but it is not pure. Now we're back to semantics, or one person's definition.
Steel jointed cues have always been known for a hard/firm hit. But that is actually up to the individual using the cue to make that determination. It could come down to something as simple as, "what are you used to?"
Not all builder's steel joints will hit the same. There are a world of factors to be considered. No builder should be upset that you prefer the hit of another builders cue. He has a client base, that appreciates how HIS cues hit.
You are fortunate in that you have so many builders to choose from.
When I speak of purity of hit, I mean the uninterrupted transmission of the initiated vibration. The use of the different woods chosen for the jnt., forearm & handle will have an effect on this. An abstract example of this is, Balsa ain't going to hit the same as Maple regardless of the jnt. type selected.
The purest hitting cue will always be the 1pc. house cue because there is no jnt. to cause disruption of the vibration.
Then there are those that feel that they don't like to feel too much vibration.
Again, this is purely a personal preference. Personally, I like a cue that 'talks' to me.
For this explanation/discussion, let's focus just on joint mtrl.
Regardless of the joint mtrl. chosen, what happens at the tip is the same for all cues.
The tip, upon striking the QB, initiates a vibration in the shaft. That vibration travels down the shaft to the joint. A wood to wood jnt. allows a purity of transmission of the vibration across the jnt. surfaces. The use of phenolic collars and rings does little to alter this to any great degree as long as there is still a wood to wood connection. These mtrls. will pretty much all vibrate in unison.
The steel joint, on the other hand is of such greater density mtrl. that it disrupts the pure transmission of the vibration. It can dull the vibration to the point that it can be described as 'mellow', but it is not pure. Now we're back to semantics, or one person's definition.
Steel jointed cues have always been known for a hard/firm hit. But that is actually up to the individual using the cue to make that determination. It could come down to something as simple as, "what are you used to?"
Not all builder's steel joints will hit the same. There are a world of factors to be considered. No builder should be upset that you prefer the hit of another builders cue. He has a client base, that appreciates how HIS cues hit.
You are fortunate in that you have so many builders to choose from.
When I speak of purity of hit, I mean the uninterrupted transmission of the initiated vibration. The use of the different woods chosen for the jnt., forearm & handle will have an effect on this. An abstract example of this is, Balsa ain't going to hit the same as Maple regardless of the jnt. type selected.
The purest hitting cue will always be the 1pc. house cue because there is no jnt. to cause disruption of the vibration.
Then there are those that feel that they don't like to feel too much vibration.
Again, this is purely a personal preference. Personally, I like a cue that 'talks' to me.
I have to laugh everytime I see or hear someone write/say this. I know what you're trying to say, but really... I've never played with a one-piece cue that felt as solild/pure/vibration dampened as, say, my Schuler or Lambros.
Has anyone?
Fred
Fred:
No offense, but I think you contradicted yourself when you say, "solild/pure/vibration dampened." I think from the material KJCues presented, a solid one-piece cue does NOT dampen the vibrations; rather, they are free to travel down the cue, uninterrupted.
-Sean
It might be better to just make a list of things you do like and things you definitely don't like about a cue. Have that list handy and share it with the cue maker. I once ordered a custom Huebler in ebony, ivory and maple with a stainless joint. The cue featured ahnks inlayed in the butt as my son had told me that was my symbol. :smile:
Cue arrived - absolutely gorgeous workmanship! However every time I stroked a ball with that cue a bit of a metallic sound hit my ears. Other players tried it, some would hear the same thing and others wouldn't. The sound absolutely drove me crazy and rather than give Huebler a chance to correct it, I simply sold the cue. Jon Wilson bought the cue and was totally happy with it. He played very well with that cue.
Hmmm, I wonder if that cue is still around...
An ahnk
Cue arrived - absolutely gorgeous workmanship! However every time I stroked a ball with that cue a bit of a metallic sound hit my ears. Other players tried it, some would hear the same thing and others wouldn't. The sound absolutely drove me crazy and rather than give Huebler a chance to correct it, I simply sold the cue. Jon Wilson bought the cue and was totally happy with it. He played very well with that cue.
Hmmm, I wonder if that cue is still around...
An ahnk
huebler
Hi Rich Happy New Year. in reference to Jon Wilson i heard he died in a car accident on his way to a pool tournament about 3 years ago or so, I'm sure he still had that cue with him. Jon was a hell of a player and is surely missed.RIP Jon Wilson.:sorry:
It might be better to just make a list of things you do like and things you definitely don't like about a cue. Have that list handy and share it with the cue maker. I once ordered a custom Huebler in ebony, ivory and maple with a stainless joint. The cue featured ahnks inlayed in the butt as my son had told me that was my symbol. :smile:
Cue arrived - absolutely gorgeous workmanship! However every time I stroked a ball with that cue a bit of a metallic sound hit my ears. Other players tried it, some would hear the same thing and others wouldn't. The sound absolutely drove me crazy and rather than give Huebler a chance to correct it, I simply sold the cue. Jon Wilson bought the cue and was totally happy with it. He played very well with that cue.
Hmmm, I wonder if that cue is still around...
An ahnk
Hi Rich Happy New Year. in reference to Jon Wilson i heard he died in a car accident on his way to a pool tournament about 3 years ago or so, I'm sure he still had that cue with him. Jon was a hell of a player and is surely missed.RIP Jon Wilson.:sorry: