Butts, Shafts, and Tips

[iacas]

If you had to break the "playability" of a particular cue into percentages, what percentages would you attribute to the butt, shaft, and tip? Would 10% butt, 50% shaft, 40% tip be reasonable?

Obviously you can't quantify this, really, but I'm interested what people think such a formula may look like.

 

[Cornerman]

If you had to break the "playability" of a particular cue into percentages, what percentages would you attribute to the butt, shaft, and tip? Would 10% butt, 50% shaft, 40% tip be reasonable?

Obviously you can't quantify this, really, but I'm interested what people think such a formula may look like.

Weight, balance, feedback. Those are my criteria.

Tip and joint are probably the two major contributors to feedback.

Butt construction is probably the biggest factor to weight and balance.

For whatever that's worth.

Fred <~~~ would never discount the butt

 

[Billy_Bob]

Would 10% butt, 50% shaft, 40% tip be reasonable?

I would say in all cases (with the exception of overall weight) butt 0%.
Joint 0%.

Then shaft/tip, depending on shot...

If dead center hit - shaft 1% / tip 1% (broom stick will do almost!)
Short shot with english - shaft 10% / tip 30%
Draw/follow - shaft 30% / tip 70%
Long shot with english - shaft 70% / tip 30%

Notes:

Weight of cue - Important to use weight you are used to. Also easier to shoot "delicate" shots with lighter weight cue.

Shaft - The shaft importance can be broken down into smoothness of shaft, taper, and deflection. I don't do well with a house cue shaft which is rough and sticky. Also note that some people have learned to shoot shots with english using a regular shaft and will do better with these, but others will do better with a low deflection shaft.

Tip - For dead center hit, does not matter much. For fast shots, medium or hard gets more speed. For english/draw/follow, a tip which has a good surface condition and an even coat of chalk works best and a player will be more consistent with their shots if they always use a tip in the same condition, same hardness, and same shape (nickel, dime). For least amount of cue ball deflection, a dime shaped tip is best.

Consistency - For consistency, it may not matter much which weight, which shaft, which tip, what hardness, what tip shape... But that the player *always* play with the same specification cue. We have all seen a player get a new cue and suddenly have trouble. Or get a new tip installed and suddenly have trouble. The problem is they are getting a DIFFERENT cue or a DIFFERENT tip!

 

[Gregg]

The tip is by far the most important part.

 

[jnav447]

Billy Bob - your post is one of the most informed, rational, easy-to-digest treatises I've ever seen on this topic. Well done, and I agree with everything you stated. I only have one question - how about the ferrule? I know I've changed ferrules (particularly on a Meucci) and got a marked change in hit.

 

[Snapshot9]

Let me ask ....

All you guys that think a special shaft makes the cue, let me ask you a question.

Do you think if a woman has breast augmentation, that that makes her a better woman? She might perform better, but is she a better woman?

Well, the answer to that is the same as it is for cues.

 

[iacas]

All you guys that think a special shaft makes the cue, let me ask you a question.

Do you think if a woman has breast augmentation, that that makes her a better woman? She might perform better, but is she a better woman?

Well, the answer to that is the same as it is for cues.

The answer (for you) may be the same, but the analogy is massively flawed...

 

[Billy_Bob]

Billy Bob - your post is one of the most informed, rational, easy-to-digest treatises I've ever seen on this topic. Well done, and I agree with everything you stated. I only have one question - how about the ferrule? I know I've changed ferrules (particularly on a Meucci) and got a marked change in hit.

Thank you. I have not ever had reason to change ferrules so have pretty much used what I have.

I think the Predator uses a special light weight ferrule, so I would assume you would want to replace it with the same so as to not change the deflection of the shaft.

And this is a critical area of the shaft so far as deflection goes, so for other shafts, I would think that using the same ferrule material (mass/weight/whatever) would make it play the same. Changing to a material which was heavier / lighter (more mass, less mass) should change the way the cue plays (so far as deflection goes). And then you would need to re-learn how to shoot!

I did experiment with this a little once. And that was by taping a piece of metal to the shaft at the ferrule to see if it changed the deflection. And it did.

 

[Slasher]

I would say your butt is the clincher.

 

[RSB-Refugee]

Butt construction is probably the biggest factor to weight and balance.

For whatever that's worth.

Fred <~~~ would never discount the butt

I agree, I had a cheap overseas cue. It was the kind that has female threads in the butt. I tapped the butt with a 5/16-14 tap and epoxied a pin in it. I put a Dieckman shaft, which is a very nice one, on the butt. The butt is mahogany points into ramin. It sounds and feels, very wrong IMO. If anyone doesn't believe the butt has an effect and wants a very sneaky butt, PM me I'll sell it to you. LOL Oh yeah, it has a black w/ white speck linen wrap also.

Tracy