Does handle wood affect the "HIT"

In lamen's terms, I choose each & every component as carefully as any other with no special emphasis on any particular part. I'm just as picky about the handle as I am the shaft, as I am my ferrule material, as I am everything else. Each component has it's own specific criteria, but in the end all have to form together to work in unison for a flowing feel. Personally, I believe the handle is every bit as important as the tip. I equate feel to performance. There's a difference between a soft hitting cue and a "dud". Soft hitting cues perform just as sporty as a hard hitting cue, so long both cues are built using good materials & good construction. However, there is no denying the existence of "duds".

Duds are the cues that no matter if they fit hard or soft, they feel dead & do not perform worth a dang. A dud can happen to any cuemaker, but only the cuemakers who play with the cue before sending out will know it. I have had a few in the past from big name builders that people wanted me to bring to life, whether changing ferrule or building a new shaft. I couldn't do it, not even with my very best shafts. The cues simply sucked. All were heavy figured birdseye forearms. The best I could do was at most get them to produce enough spin to play a competent game. Even then, they felt dead. I put the shafts on another cue & they were great, not a single problem. But the butt was simply a dud, dead, worthless. This is one reason I feel the way I do & put equal emphasis on every single component. Duds have happened to me, too. But they do not leave the shop or ever get touched by a player besides myself.

Again, it's nothing more than my personal opinions based on my experiences. Everybody has their own thoughts. That's why all of our cues are different & appeal to different players.
 
Kelly_Guy said:
What builders probably disagree most on is what percentage each builder attaches to the individual parts, how they are weighted in the total sum. Eric would say the shaft is 50%, and the butt is 50%, no more, no less (for his cues). In application, I don't think I completely agree with that. I think if I took a custom made shaft with high quality maple and screwed a broomstick handle into it, I would be able to play better than if I took a custom made butt with high quality woods and screwed it into a thin broomstick handle with end rounded off for a makeshift tip. From that perspective, I would contribute more than 50% to the shaft. Does that make the butt less important? well no, not necessarily, maybe just less noticeable.
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Very well said, I totally agree.
For me, the tip and shaft are definitely the most critical elements.
 
We may disagree with some of the details, but do we disagree over our mission?


No and I don't argue with anyone whose sneaky sells for a lot more than a lot of fancy custom cues.;)
 
Just thought I would chime in on this... Southwest Cues who are the to most the best hitting cues available. They almost always use a wrap on their handles. I'm sure under the wrap you will not find Ebony, or any highly figured exotic wood. My guess is it would be plain old maple. IMO every piece of the cue will contribute to the hit. Also, the way it is assembled and attention to details such as the proper facing and machining techniques are used. Of course the shaft is always a huge contributor in cue playability. The overall cue construction determines the diffrence between a ok hitter and a top perfomer. Custom cuemaker's are able to hand select woods for overall cue construction and make sure they are properly seasoned to ensure the best performance and playability. You can buy a ok hitting cue from Mcdermott or Viking or schon etc... You will have to get lucky to get a good performer. With custom cues there is no luck !
 
i do beleive i have read and understood people to say that the shaft is 90% or 95% or 99% of the way the cue plays.some just think the butt really doesn't matter.also just b/c a cue "imparts great english" doesn't mean it is a great playing cue.
 
masonh said:
i do beleive i have read and understood people to say that the shaft is 90% or 95% or 99% of the way the cue plays.some just think the butt really doesn't matter.also just b/c a cue "imparts great english" doesn't mean it is a great playing cue.
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You still don't understand my posting apparently and it looks like a few others don't also. It all depends on what you consider a great playing cue. The butt of a cue and the shaft give the cue's feel. It gives the cue's feedback. vibrations or lack of are all part of the cue's shaft and butt combination. If a cue feels badly or makes noises or vibrates excessively you may shoot badly while playing with it as you are tensing up or stroking differently than normal anticipating this feeling you know you are about to receive. Pay in mind, the cue ball is long gone before these vibrations reach your hand.
The shaft forward, on the other hand, determines what happens to the cue ball 95% of the time. This is what I'm saying and will say till the day I die. It's not just the amount of English that a shaft applies to the cue ball but also the amount of cue ball deflection, the amount of miscuing and the ability to consistently make straight in shots over a long distance or the ability to use much English over a distance when needed and still make the object ball are all dependant on the shaft and ferrule and tip. The butt has little affect in these, very essential, fundamental aspects of a cue's performance.

Dick
 
do you think a butt with joint diameter of .825 plays different or has different dynamics than one with a diameter of .860?
 
Mike Tyson is undeniably the most notorious knock-out puncher ever. He brought something to the ring that was different, special. He knocked out opponents who had a block up. He knocked out opponents who were fresh & strong. There was no dancing around & wearing each other down. The guy simply blasted his way through any guard or block & put his opponents to the floor. There was one thing very noticeable about his physique and his movements. His legs were HUGE & super defined, and he always had a strong foot hold on the canvas when he threw a punch. Simply put, he trained hard to build a foundation & from there he produced power that was something nearly freakish. A normal boxer couldn't handle it. It took nearly ten years for the rest of the boxing world to catch up & create a worthy rival. He is legendary, a step above the rest with qualities very few in history or present possess.

Just like a boxer's arms & fists, a cue has a shaft & tip. And also just like a boxer, the better the foundation the more effective the hit. The parallel can be made in any aspect of life & nature. Everything has the same bare bones basic design. A building is only as strong as it's foundation. A tree needs strong roots to hold it up strong. A rocket can only be controllably launched from a secured & strong foundation. Even a woman's make-up is worthless without the correct foundation. The essentials are seen in everything. It's physics. It's nature. So why wouldn't it also be true in cues? Maybe a little deep for mere wooden toys, but nobody ever accused a cuemaker of being right in the head :)
 
TAP TAP TAP !!!

NOTE : This is my first ever TAP TAP TAP reply !!!

qbilder said:
Mike Tyson is undeniably the most notorious knock-out puncher ever. He brought something to the ring that was different, special. He knocked out opponents who had a block up. He knocked out opponents who were fresh & strong. There was no dancing around & wearing each other down. The guy simply blasted his way through any guard or block & put his opponents to the floor. There was one thing very noticeable about his physique and his movements. His legs were HUGE & super defined, and he always had a strong foot hold on the canvas when he threw a punch. Simply put, he trained hard to build a foundation & from there he produced power that was something nearly freakish. A normal boxer couldn't handle it. It took nearly ten years for the rest of the boxing world to catch up & create a worthy rival. He is legendary, a step above the rest with qualities very few in history or present possess.

Just like a boxer's arms & fists, a cue has a shaft & tip. And also just like a boxer, the better the foundation the more effective the hit. The parallel can be made in any aspect of life & nature. Everything has the same bare bones basic design. A building is only as strong as it's foundation. A tree needs strong roots to hold it up strong. A rocket can only be controllably launched from a secured & strong foundation. Even a woman's make-up is worthless without the correct foundation. The essentials are seen in everything. It's physics. It's nature. So why wouldn't it also be true in cues? Maybe a little deep for mere wooden toys, but nobody ever accused a cuemaker of being right in the head :)
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to the cuemakers......

in your opinion what would be the best hitting cue combinations or what would you recommend to a customer who would ask "Regardless of looks, whats the best wood combo for a PJ cue, ?"
 
i like Ebony or some other dense hardwood,but i think most like the lighter crisper hitting woods like Maple or Purpleheart.i have seen many say they like Bacote.if looks don't matter Bacote is definitely an option.
 
Tough to say what the best is. The answers are as infinite as people's opinions. I like any hardwoods used in the production of stringed acoustic instruments. Rosewoods are my favorite.
 
Fish said:
to the cuemakers......

in your opinion what would be the best hitting cue combinations or what would you recommend to a customer who would ask "Regardless of looks, whats the best wood combo for a PJ cue, ?"
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Brazilian rosewood forearm and a hardwood handle.
 
masonh said:
do you think a butt with joint diameter of .825 plays different or has different dynamics than one with a diameter of .860?
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You know the more I think about it, I'm not sure either way. For example I have taken a shaft with MY taper & mated it with a Meucci butt, that had a joint of .828". The customer broke the butt & asked me to fit the shaft to his other Meucci, that had a joint of.816". Neither he nor I can tell the difference in the hit of the 2 cues. Since the taper is the same, excet for the last few inches......I WONDER...JER
 
masonh said:
i like Ebony or some other dense hardwood,but i think most like the lighter crisper hitting woods like Maple or Purpleheart.i have seen many say they like Bacote.if looks don't matter Bacote is definitely an option.
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Put me in the BACOTE column. I love the feel, look & hit of this wood. Although I never met a piece of COCOBOLO I didn't like. I even named my Yorkie, Cocobolo Princess. So many woods & so little time...JER
 
"You know the more I think about it, I'm not sure either way. For example I have taken a shaft with MY taper & mated it with a Meucci butt, that had a joint of .828". The customer broke the butt & asked me to fit the shaft to his other Meucci, that had a joint of.816". Neither he nor I can tell the difference in the hit of the 2 cues. Since the taper is the same, excet for the last few inches......I WONDER...JER"

I feel similarly. The diameter does not affect as much as the quality. However, the difference between .816 & .828 is a bit different than .825 & .860. Wood & materials being equal, the .860" jointed cue is going to hit noticeably stiffer & harder than the .825".
 
I'll take one of those. In the meantime I'll use the Bubinga with the Purpleheart handle covered with the alligator leather wrap that you made for me! It is all subjective but it feels better to me than any maple handle cue I have ever hit with including my old Tad. Rosewood---hmmmm.
 
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