Full-splice vs. single-piece butts

swest

swest

goldmember
Silver Member
Greetings,

New to the forum, so I hope these questions haven't been asked a dozen times before.

Is it better, performance-wise, in a cue without points, to make the entire butt (butt sleeve/handle/forearm) from a single piece of wood? And if so, is that how it is usually done? Here I'm talking about sticks whose butt components are not made from obviously different species of wood for aesthetic reasons.

A similar question would be, is there an intrinsic advantage, again performance-wise, to making a cue <with> points (full-splice), and contrasting species of wood? Or is it primarily aesthetics?

I'm talking strictly about 2-piece cues.

I can imagine issues of balance might come into play, or even the tendency for a piece of decorative wood to warp with increased length. But those are just guesses.

What's the truth of the matter?

Thanks.

- s.west
 
It would totally depend on the type of wood used whether it will play better as a one piece butt or play better joined with another type of wood in the handle area. The "better" is subject to debate. I don't care for one piece maple butts as I feel they need some weight in the wrap joint area. Ont he other hand I like Purple heart, Bubinga, Pau Ferra, Yellow Heart, Lighter bocote and rosewoods fine in a one piece butt. Some people want all cues to play like maple so they core everything with a maple core. I like a little variance to get the natural feel of many of the types of woods I use. But maple forearm attached to a maple handle with screw in the wrap joint area is my favorite hit. Warpage can be an issue whether the butt is one piece or two or three. I have seen all three types stay straight and all three warp. Taking things slow and letting the wood rest between turns is the way to keep it straight and stay away from woods famous for warping unless you plan to core it.
Chris
www.hightowercues.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
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