Cue rattling

TheThaiger

TheThaiger

Banned
I'm playing with a cheap Chinese made McDermott Genuine series cue. I really like this cue, but it's started to rattle. The noise is coming from the middle to the top of the forearm, rather than from the bumper end. I have a Pechauer weightbolt in it, which is securely fastened, so it's not that.

Any idea what is rattling and how easy it is to fix it? I take it the CM will remove the joint pin and glue whatever's rattling from there?
 
If it's not the weight bolt or joint pin and it sounds really loud, it's the A-joint stud/bolt that connects the forearm to the handle.
If it's that, it's not worth fixing.
 
I agree with Joey.

However, you may be able to send it to McDermott under warranty. They say they require that the cue be bought from an authorized dealer and you have to have this and that documentation, but I've also heard that they sometimes just fix them.

Good Luck!

Gary
 
JoeyInCali said:
If it's not the weight bolt or joint pin and it sounds really loud, it's the A-joint stud/bolt that connects the forearm to the handle.
If it's that, it's not worth fixing.
Click to expand...

Boo! I'd really like this fixed, no matter the cost. The cue is a decal, so the butt is one piece plastic, I presume. It's same design as their Star line (link attached). Given this, is it actually possible to remove the joint to fix the A-joint stud/bolt? I do not care what it looks like after the work's done.

http://www.mcdermottcue.com/s13.php
 
GBCues said:
I agree with Joey.

However, you may be able to send it to McDermott under warranty. They say they require that the cue be bought from an authorized dealer and you have to have this and that documentation, but I've also heard that they sometimes just fix them.

Good Luck!

Gary
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I suspect I'm about the fifteenth owner of this cue and it's been battered to bits. I have a whole $15 wrapped up in this cue, but I play better with it than any high end production or custom I've ever used.
 
If it plays so good the way it is why would you bother to fix it?

Bob Danielson
 
bdcues said:
If it plays so good the way it is why would you bother to fix it?

Bob Danielson
Click to expand...

I agree with this. If you like the current way that it plays then if you have it fixed then it could change the way it plays.
 
GBCues said:
I agree with Joey.

However, you may be able to send it to McDermott under warranty. They say they require that the cue be bought from an authorized dealer and you have to have this and that documentation, but I've also heard that they sometimes just fix them.

Good Luck!

Gary
Click to expand...

McDermott doesnt warranty their chinese made lines, only the ones made in the USA. Thats one reason they are so much cheaper than a standard McDermott.

Joe
 
If it plays so good the way it is why would you bother to fix it?
Click to expand...





I really like this cue, but it's started to rattle.
Click to expand...


Driver: I love this Honda....best driving car I ever owned, but the brakes started to squeak, do you know a shop in the neighborhood?

Ferrari Mechanic: You said it was the best car you ever owned, why would you bother to fix it?

:confused:

Later that day:

Ferrari Driver: My windshield wiper blade has a hairline scratch.

Ferrari Mechanic: That will require immediate expert attention. Please bring the car in immediately.



If you really feel it's the best you have had and you say cost is no object I am betting that a competent repair man can repair the noise.

IMHO: Since these cues all shoot about the same the quickest solution would be to go to Ebay and buy another one cheap. You'll then have two shafts as well.

If by some fluke this one is special and different than others of the same type in some way, then spend the money and get the best person you can to fix it since you really dig the cue.
 
I clicked on Thaiger's link to get a sense of the cue in question.
The first thing I read was this: "Star cues are designed, engineered, exclusively distributed and
guaranteed for life by McDermott Cue."

Why is anyone still talking about this???

KJ
 
In the first place I was being sarcastic as the OP had already been told that it would probably cost more to fix than to buy a new one.
Second, looking at the reference to Star cue, on McD's site it says

Star Warranty
• Limited Lifetime Warranty covers manufacturing defects

so they may decided to replace it for him and going back to the manufacturer was suggested but rejected by the OP.
Third, the OP comes on here and states that "I play better with it than any high end production or custom I've ever used." and is asking for a custom cue maker to repair the cue for him and does not listen to the advice given regarding the repair as he does not, understandably, realize that you can not fix the problem by taking the joint pin out trying to get to the problem.
Fourth, the OP never stated that the cue played any different once the noise started, therefore the repair is optional, not a matter of function.
So, back to #1... I was being sarcastic.

Bob Danielson
 
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TheThaiger said:
Thanks, but I suspect I'm about the fifteenth owner of this cue and it's been battered to bits. I have a whole $15 wrapped up in this cue, but I play better with it than any high end production or custom I've ever used.
Click to expand...

At what point do you determine that the cue is not worth fixing?
If the 'A' joint is causing the rattle, you're already at twice the price of a brand-new replacement cue.
On a re-read, you state that you are the "fifteenth owner of this cue and it's been battered to bits."
When does common sense enter the thought process?

KJ
 
EightballJunkie said:
Very unlikely. Even if you could muscle it apart, the wood around the joint would probably give before the epoxy making a bad situation worse.

The cue could be professionally repaired, and would almost certainly require a new handle in the process. I tend to agree with the previous posts, in that it's not worth fixing.

If it's any consolation, once in a while a low-end production cue will ship with a better than average shaft. Maybe on you cue it's where the "magic" is ...a new Star cue-butt may play virtually the same with your cue's shaft attached :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's it entirely - the shaft is terrific, which I know because I've used it on other cues, but the balance of the whole cue is exactly to my tastes, and that may not be easy to replicate if I buy a new butt and attach the old shaft. The shaft is warped, the ferrule has cracks everywhere, there are dings and dents galore, it makes the most appalling noises from the tip and butt end, but I love it.

I don't know why, but it doesn't deflect at all either.
 
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KJ Cues said:
At what point do you determine that the cue is not worth fixing?
If the 'A' joint is causing the rattle, you're already at twice the price of a brand-new replacement cue.
On a re-read, you state that you are the "fifteenth owner of this cue and it's been battered to bits."
When does common sense enter the thought process?

KJ
Click to expand...

I think you're asking the wrong crowd on that one.
 
snipershot said:
McDermott doesnt warranty their chinese made lines, only the ones made in the USA. Thats one reason they are so much cheaper than a standard McDermott.

Joe
Click to expand...


Actually, if memory serves me correctly, they didn't offer this warrentee until they started their chinise lines. With what it cost them, $10 or so to make it, they can replace it 15 times and still either make a profit or break even and the name will still be intact.
Dave
 
TheThaiger said:
Yeah, that's it entirely - the shaft is terrific, which I know because I've used it on other cues, but the balance of the whole cue is exactly to my tastes, and that may not be easy to replicate if I buy a new butt and attach the old shaft. The shaft is warped, the ferrule has cracks everywhere, there are dings and dents galore, it makes the most appalling noises from the tip and butt end, but I love it.

I don't know why, but it doesn't deflect at all either.
Click to expand...

If you love it, then why change it?? Just like in relationships, if you fell in love with the person as they were, then why try to change then after you move in together? Either live with it, or get a new one, as no competent repair person would try to fix it unless you deposit $200 or more up front for them to try, with the full warning up front that it may not go well.
 
Dave38 said:
Actually, if memory serves me correctly, they didn't offer this warrentee until they started their chinise lines. With what it cost them, $10 or so to make it, they can replace it 15 times and still either make a profit or break even and the name will still be intact.
Dave
Click to expand...

They may have changed it, but when I first got back into pool a few years ago I called them and asked what the difference between the star cues and regular McDermott was and the lady said they were made overseas and were not warrantied like the ones made here. They might have changed their policy since then though.

Joe
 
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