Cue benefit

nksmfamjp

nksmfamjp

Refugee...
Silver Member
Well, it has to be asked. . .How much did getting your cue affect your game? Moving from production cue to custom cue? or moving from one custom maker to another?

What have you done and how did it help you?

For example, I went from house cues to a $50 Player's cue and it made a big difference in consistency for me with my bridge hand(not really a hand) and I also saw huge gains from a good consistent tip/tip shape. I also got a chanace to play with a bump free shaft. . .as well as all the other first cue benefits.

Then I went from Player's plain jane to my Mali production cue. It is a beautiful production Mali cue. I really did like the appearance and the hit was better than the Player's. I tried a couple of tips and settled on Triumph. In addition, I had a second shaft made with a similar shape, ferrule and tip. Still the hit was better and I have gravitated towards that shaft over time. The hit similar, but one is better. In this cue change, I really felt more confident, but that was probably due mostly to some placebo effect combined with the linen wrap feel, tip research and improved hit.

So, I ask. . .When making the jump to custom cue, will this be like night and day or more just subtle improvements in hit and feel?
 
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Cues have never made a difference at all in my game. I've never understood all this cue talk that most players are into. I will say this though, it's important to always use the same cue every time you play, be it a house cue or a Paul Mottey. I use a 21 oz cue but it doesn't make me play any better, I just like the weight of it in my hands.
 
nksmfamjp said:
Well, it has to be asked. . .How much did getting your cue affect your game? Moving from production cue to custom cue? or moving from one custom maker to another?

What have you done and how did it help you?

For example, I went from house cues to a $50 Player's cue and it made a big difference in consistency for me with my bridge hand(not really a hand) and I also saw huge gains from a good consistent tip/tip shape. I also got a chanace to play with a bump free shaft. . .as well as all the other first cue benefits.

Then I went from Player's plain jane to my Mali production cue. It is a beautiful production Mali cue. I really did like the appearance and the hit was better than the Player's. I tried a couple of tips and settled on Triumph. In addition, I had a second shaft made with a similar shape, ferrule and tip. Still the hit was better and I have gravitated towards that shaft over time. The hit similar, but one is better. In this cue change, I really felt more confident, but that was probably due mostly to some placebo effect combined with the linen wrap feel, tip research and improved hit.

So, I ask. . .When making the jump to custom cue, will this be like night and day or more just subtle improvements in hit and feel?
Click to expand...

i don't think it's made a difference in how well i play, it has however made a difference in consistency. i think you get used to a cue and how it responds to how you hit and that helps develop confidence in your stroke and you begin to play better. in other words i can pick up a house cue but it takes me a while to get used to it and start making shots well. and i will never get as used to it as i am to my own cue. the same can be said about all the different meucci cues i own that for so many years at different points in my life were my main players and the custom i now own. i can grab one of my old cues but they just don't feel right now because i am used to a new cue. i have equated buying a new to cue to breaking through to new levels of play. when i got better i spent the money to buy at first nicer cues and now what i feel is a better quality cue. and i believe it has helped. i feel very comfortable with my new cue and i have hopped up another level in play. all due to the confidence in the equipment.
 
nksmfamjp said:
Well, it has to be asked. . .How much did getting your cue affect your game? Moving from production cue to custom cue? or moving from one custom maker to another?

What have you done and how did it help you?

For example, I went from house cues to a $50 Player's cue and it made a big difference in consistency for me with my bridge hand(not really a hand) and I also saw huge gains from a good consistent tip/tip shape. I also got a chanace to play with a bump free shaft. . .as well as all the other first cue benefits.

Then I went from Player's plain jane to my Mali production cue. It is a beautiful production Mali cue. I really did like the appearance and the hit was better than the Player's. I tried a couple of tips and settled on Triumph. In addition, I had a second shaft made with a similar shape, ferrule and tip. Still the hit was better and I have gravitated towards that shaft over time. The hit similar, but one is better. In this cue change, I really felt more confident, but that was probably due mostly to some placebo effect combined with the linen wrap feel, tip research and improved hit.

So, I ask. . .When making the jump to custom cue, will this be like night and day or more just subtle improvements in hit and feel?
Click to expand...
When I got my first decent cue, I sucked, so the decrease in suckiness was probably not all that noticeable.

But now that I only suck half as much, an easier question to answer is how much moving from my cue to a cue off the wall hurts my game. And maybe it's just me, but I can't play for crap with a wall cue. In other words, if I only half suck with my playing cue, then I 100% suck with most wall cues.

Do I think a cue has a placebo effect? No. If you get a cue that fits well with your game, you're going to shoot better. And I'm not talking about any mental stuff either. I mean physically better. If the taper and balance suits your body type, you're going to play better. It would be an absolute miracle to find a cue off the wall that would fit my taper and balance needs. It would be pretty common place to find a taper and balance I like among a multitude of random custom cuemakers.

Fred <~~~ thinks the Indian needs good arrows that he likes
 
It makes no difference to me personally what kind of cue I use. I started out with a house cue and used it for years. Then I was given a two piece cue by a friend, no idea what kind it was. about 10 years ago I got a Predator which I love the feel and hit it has but I don't think it makes me play one iota better. To me it's about enjoying the cue and not at all about how it could improve my game. I can still play well with a cue I don't like but I won't enjoy it due to it's weight or hit.

I normally use a 20.5 ounce cue but I was once at the pool room and didn't have it so my friend let me use one of his, it was some fancy name brand cue and it was light as hell, no more than 18 ounces and I hated playing with it but I ran my second highest run ever with it that night! Go figure. I never used it again though because I just didn't enjoy it.
 
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