Crazy Butt Serious: Can you Adapt to a Warped Shaft?

There is only one thing that actually makes contact with the cue ball, the tip.

The butt being warped means zero to me, unless it’s like a banana.

The shaft if it’s also like a banana is an issue.
If it is a slight warp is meaningless to me as well. Keep in mind that where the tip contacts the cue ball is The number one thing that matters.
I can play just as well with perfectly straight or warped cues because I watch were I am going to contact the cue ball during my warm up strokes.

Once you get that done it makes zero difference if the shaft or butt are slightly out of round..
 
If you address the cueball correctly, a warp won't affect your precision. The tip isn't in contact far enough to make any practical difference. You don't need to 'clock' the shaft, just forget about the warp and play. It's all just irrelevant noise.
 
Althair said:
Greetings. I recently acquired a 1997 Joss A22 pool cue on eBay and had it refinished by Joss. I am pretty certain that as things turned out I paid way too much for the cue, which some of you might say has no value beyond as a display piece. I should have recognized that the AI generated description on eBay was about Joss cues in general and didn't mention any specific flaws. The cue is seriously warped, shaft and butt. Turns out I could have returned it based on "not as described" but I did not realize that initially. And I had always planned to replace the shaft and refinish the butt. Some I shipped the butt to Joss and it came back quickly looking brand new. And I am not going to let overpaying get me down...just accept what happened and enjoy the cue. But that gets to the real question: Can I play precision pool with a warped cue butt?

I own a few fine cues and an 8' table, so I can play with a dead straight cue at the pool hall and use this Joss at home. However, I intend to compete against myself in various games and drills using this cue versus its straighter brothers and see if my game is worse with the A22 or essentially unchanged.

Rolled on the table the cue will always come to rest with the Joss Bridge Hand Logo facing directly towards me or away from me. This tells me that if I keep the logo facing straight up or down, the warp should not affect left or right tip placement. I do wonder if draw or follow might be affected, but I am curious about how much a warp 45" away from the tip actually changes the point of contact during the final stroke.

I do find having to glance at the butt to be sure the logo is up an added step and also worry about needing to apply chalk diligently as the same vertical axis of the tip will be contacting the ball and losing chalk. Perhaps in time the tip will wear unevenly but I can shape the tip to cancel that effect.

Stephen Janes told me Joss didn't make many of these A22 cues. It was near the top of the line in 1997 and I could not have afforded it back then. Personally, I find it more beautiful than its two or three more expensive siblings in the catalog. But it essentially a museum piece at this point? Anyone else play with a warped cue that they love despite its quirks?
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Any 2 points make a straight line. You're holding it at 2 points. Unless it's severe it will be OK. You can put a mark on the shaft and put the curve up or down depending on preference. It's not ideal but on the rare occasion I play off the wall I pick the best tip and couldn't care less about a warp. I will roll it around on the table, sight down it and make a show of it being crooked, but that's just for banter.
 
I used to have an older friend who would break and run quite a bit with a warped shaft. I used to have a queue that everybody told me was warped and I played well with it. I mean, as long as it’s not in the shape of a banana I think it’s OK.
 
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