Does the butt of a cue matter?

[Matt]

I own a few Mezz cues that I have alternated playing with using the same shaft: one is SS joint with linen wrap, one is SS joint and wrapless, one is SS joint with a heavily textured leather wrap, and one is a wood joint with a smooth leather wrap. My favorite shaft is a WD700 with a sniper tip.

From my experience, the weight and balance of the butt might make a marginal difference in the way the balls react, but the weights are so close to each other that I haven't noticed. The noticeable differences between butts while I'm playing are the wrap and the joint. The feel of the feedback from the cue between SS and a wood joint is very different, and the wrap can affect whether the cue slips in your hand or not during your stroke. I don't think that the feedback affects the performance of the cue at all, but the wrap may cause you to change your stroke/grip. In my case, I prefer the tackiness of a wrapless or leather wrap to linen, so when I shoot with the linen-wrapped cue, I have a tendency to tighten my grip when I feel it slipping.

 

[crawfish]

Nah, just play with your shaft

 

[xplor]

Did anyone build an oval or fluted butt? What about a pistol grip?

 

[Cornerman]

Butt plays a role in the weight, feel, and look. The balance point, wrap, etc. the hit is mainly in the shaft and tip.

I'm not sure if you meant it that way (your punctuation is confusing me), but the balance point is mainly due to the butt, not the shaft. And for that reason primarily, IMO, that's why the butt parameters are so important to play.

I cannot play my best with a 58" cue that has a balance point more than 19" as measured from the butt cap, regardless of what shaft is on it.

Freddie <~~~ unbalanced

 

[swilliespeed]

For example if I put an OB Shaft on a $250 McDermott and the same shaft on a $1000 Schon will I notice a difference in the way the cue feels and plays? With all the focus on shaft technology I am wondering if the butt if purely decorative?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Just my 2 cents, I don't think you will be able to use the same OB Shaft on each butt. Different threads on each pin. The shaft technology you speak of has to do with deflection mostly. The butt will have an impact on the balance and overall weight of the cue. Some like a leather wrap, irish linen wrap, or no wrap at all. Some like a 29 inch butt, or a 30 inch butt, or a just a big ol' butt. The butt makes a difference for sure. Especially if your cue is custom made the way you want it.