Why hasn’t anyone brought how cue balance is influenced by a cue maker’s using a weight bolt for cue weight. Does a
15 ozs cue butt (sans any weight bolt) feel different matched with a 4 ounce shaft than a 15 oz. butt with a 1 oz weight
bolt, or heaven forbid, heavier? Do lighter weight bolts (1/4 oz. Headless) positioned in different places in a cue’s butt offer a more distributed weight addition? Do cue butts without any weight bolt offer any difference?
I have a three (3) cues without weight bolts whereas my others have very small ones. Bob Owen made both my cues with 14.5 oz. cue butts (1 with ivory butt) sans any weight bolts. And both cues have a lot of inlays and rings. So a cue maker can make a cue butt dead on without any metal bolt being used to make the customer’s cue weight order. It is much harder to do that when you have to allow that any inlays, rings, cue joint type, butt material and diameter affect the butt’s final weight. Are cues without any weight bolt different? Well, I believe so and there seems to be a difference.
Remember the best cue makers also pay close attention to the cue’s shaft weight because it does play a big part in
deciding how the balance is achieved and more importantly, the tactile sensation of striking the ball. That’s an entirely
different topic than the one at hand. I suspect most players don’t know if their cue has a weight bolt or what it weighs.
What value is their sticking a single heavy bolt in the bottom of the cue aside from the customer now has the weight requested? Couldn’t the cue maker build a heavier butt requiring a smaller, lighter bolt? What the heck, would 3 or 4
1/4 oz. headless bolts placed inches apart in the butt distribute the added weigh better than a 1 oz. (or heavier) bolt
screwed in the ass of the cue. I believe a cue without any weight bolt, or else the lightest bolts needed, plays better.
Everyone has an opinion but my has been shaped by owning and playing with cues of both persuasions. However, my feelings were formed after having many conversations with different cue makers and one of them could be the best in
the world, IMO. Unfortunately, I don’t have one of his cues despite years of effort and now it’s too late. I guess what I’m
trying to say is I’m not just coming up with this on my own. I can’t build a cue but I sure do understand how it’s made.