Help ID Helmstetter cue (with 5/16x18 joint on shaft)?

J

justinb386

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Does anyone know any information about the Helmstetter cue that I have added pictures of?

Info about model number, when it may have been made, and retail cost?

The shaft appears to have a 5/16x18 joint, and the butt appears to be a piloted 5/16x14 joint, so I am very confused about that.

Thanks for any help.
 

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The shaft may be a replacement, but if they screw together they should have the same thread.
The thread sizes you state would be off by 4 threads per inch and would either be loose fitting
or they would lock up before mating. It looks to be a very well made cue.
 
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First, it's definitely not the correct "original" shaft regardless of the insert. It's obvious.

If it screws on it is definitely not the wrong thread though. The 18 will not fit 14 nor vice versa.

I don't know why you are saying the threads look a certain way in the shaft, I can't see it. The pin looks like an 18 pin in the other pics of the butt the seller has.

Also note that there is a serious crack in the butt cap, so the shaft is the least of your worries.


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Thanks for your replies. I thought that Helmsetter cues have the same joint as Joss cues (the piloted 5/16x14), but I guess I was wrong about that. So all Helmstetter cues use a piloted 5/16x18 joint? I just never knew (until recently) that there was such thing as a piloted 5/16x18 joint. I only ever know about maybe 5 different kinds of joints that cue makers use. It makes sense now that the 5/16x18 joint on the shaft fits the butt. I do not care about the crack in the butt, unless that would affect the hit of the cue? I do not know if a cracked butt cap affects the hit, or not. So does anyone know any info about the cue? Thanks.
 
justinb386 said:
Thanks for your replies. I thought that Helmsetter cues have the same joint as Joss cues (the piloted 5/16x14), but I guess I was wrong about that. So all Helmstetter cues use a piloted 5/16x18 joint? I just never knew (until recently) that there was such thing as a piloted 5/16x18 joint. I only ever know about maybe 5 different kinds of joints that cue makers use. It makes sense now that the 5/16x18 joint on the shaft fits the butt. I do not care about the crack in the butt, unless that would affect the hit of the cue? I do not know if a cracked butt cap affects the hit, or not. So does anyone know any info about the cue? Thanks.
Click to expand...


Actually most of my own 18 thread cues have pilots. :D

That butt cap could start to rattle at any time. It's a pretty substantial crack that looks like it goes the length of the cap and all the way through to the dowel. I would not count on it holding up at all.

Also, I am suspecting that is a cheap shaft and would not live up to expectations for such a cue. A Helmstetter is in general a good player, but any cue sucks with a crap shaft.

It's a nice project cue. I have not looked into the model or anything but have been watching it. I am not a buyer right now though, just a watcher.
 
Thanks for the information. It is nice to learn new things. I grew up shooting with cues like Joss Meucci Viking and Mcdermott, and customs with most of the same joints, so I never knew about a piloted 5/16x18 joint. Is this a common joint that is mostly only used in Asia? Can you tell me any other cue makers that use that piloted 5/16x18 joint, so maybe I could order a good quality shaft from here in the USA? I am guessing that a Helmstetter shaft would be pretty expensive. Thanks.
 
Maybe a cue maker could fill the crack with something to fix the issue? I guess I should put that question in the ask the cue maker section of the forum, for a fast reply about that.
 
Are there no Helmstetter experts on here that can help me ID the cue in the pictures above? I would really like info on the model number, when it was made, and original retail price. I know that there must be someone on here that knows some info about the cue. Thanks for your help.
 
Filling the crack isn't a solution. The butt cap would need replaced. Not a terribly difficult matter for an experienced repair person, nor terribly expensive. You can look up the rates on various cue makers repair pages on their web sites.
 
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