Hit of a cue - Tink or Thud!!!

billiardbum said:
Chris, Then how do you explain how your cue hits or sounds? That is what I am trying to figure out in this post. I have hit tons of cues which have that Dull hit, without crispness (if that is a word). Just curious what that sound is, because I cannot get a feel out of a cue with that hit. Just curious...
I understand and that is why we will sell to two different customers. My cue has plenty of cue ball action and medium stiff hit. I don't like the feel of the tinky sounding cues. It feels like a a phony vibration in my hand when it strikes the cue ball and after words for a second. Not saying yours has that vibration, as I already said I know how to produce the similar sound with out the vibration, but I would have to re-adjust my game as most cues with the tinky sound also have a tinky vibrating feel.
Now "a crisp" hit is a word I have used to describe how my cues hit. The large 3/8-10 pin cues that came out in the 80's had a dead feel to them. They felt lifeless to me. The stainless jointed cues of the time had a tinky feel and sound, with a few exceptions. The flat face smaller pin cues felt like a livelier crisper feeling hit to me. That is the hit I like and what I went with. Picture something half way between a good 1980's Meucci and a South West and that is the hit I went after. More cue ball action than a SW and a little stiffer taper and hit than a Meucci with harder ferrule. I do offer a really high action solid capped ferrule for those Predator and Meucci converts also.
Chris
www.hightowercues.com
www.internationalcuemakers.com
 
I guess I'm out of the norm also, because the setup I'm really starting to like now is a 5/16-14 flat face. I had a conversion hanging around that was unfinished, and a guy wanted me to finish It for him, but wanted a soft feel, and not the more crisp feel I like. He straight up told me he liked the mushy feel, I even asked him If he was joking;) but anyway, He liked the cue the way It looked with all the phenolic mixture for trim work. What I ended up doing to soften the hit, was keep the trim in the cue, installed the 5/16 flat face,slapped a MP Ivory ferrule w/backer, and a softer tip on that sucker. I really did'nt expect that I would like this cue at all Myself, but when I first shot with it, I had to put it down because It was so easy to pocket balls I was afraid I would'nt want to give It Up. I did'nt see Him for another week after he paid and picked the cue up, but when I did, he told me that was the first time he got exactly the type of feel he wanted. Told Me he took 4 practice shots, and he was tuned into the cue from there on. It showed in his game too, the difference was night and day. He says it plays his style, and calls It point and click. That same cue would have had a harder hit simular to what's been described here, with just a change in the harder ferrule and tip combos.
Anyway I did like the feel to My suprise, and there was still good feedback through the cue somehow. I don't know if that could have been contributed to the joint style or not, or if there is possibly more surface contact. I like the idea of building the cue hard hitting, but making the changes to suit their hit in the shaft ferrule and tip. I believe I have heard It mentioned before that alot can be done in those areas alone to match someones desired hit, and I'm starting to see this first hand. Seems like I can change the harder hit also from crisp to ping, tink, whichever in the type of ferrule materials & tips used.
Am I wrong here, or can someone confirm this?:) If so then would it be possible to catalog the different combinations with the type of hit ping, tink, what have you, that they produce, so that you could more easily match the customers desired hit the first time without major changes in your butt design, or more then one ferrule and tip swap? The balance, weight, and thickness of the butt seems to play a heavy roll in matching the person also, but I'm talking those things asside.


Greg
 
> I personally LOVE the sound of a piloted steel joint with an ivory ferrule. I use the "ping" sound to tell whether I hit a ball well or not before my hands can relay the info to my head or even before I see the ball go in the pocket or not. Some flat-faced,big pin cues ring out too,usually the great-hitting ones. I've never hit a ball with a truly great-playing cue that didn't sound off as well. My Schon sounds just like the sound-effect used in a tv commercial for Mike Sigel's instructional tapes,a hearty "plink". Tommy D.
 
Personaly I like the nice crisp click or clack produced by an ivory ferrule and med Moorri. Barring miscues, loose joints and funky strokes feedback and sound should remain consistant from hit to hit. However that is not true from tip to tip. I used a water buffalo tip once and it felt like I was shooting with a sponge and the sound and feel of the cue changed completely. It was not pleasant.
I also prefer carom style cues built for 8/9 ball. It is as close to the hit of a one piece you can get. Since I switched over to that style the steel jointed cues feel lifeless to me.
 
gmcole said:
Everytime I here that "pink" sound in the pool hall, I turn and examine the cue that produced the sound. Most of the time ,an ivory ferrel and steel joint are on the cue. My new Tascarella will be here in a couple days- I hope it has that "pink"
thanks jeff

I have a Jensen. SS joint, ivory ferrules and hard milk dud tips. It makes that click (pink) sound. Other players have commented to me about the sound being different than other cues. When hitting the CB and then the OB when within 2 feet of each other you hear click, click and then plunk when the OB drops. A very sweet pleasant sound to the ears. Too bad you can't hear it most of the times because of those loud speakers blasting out that distorted noise that some people claim to be music.
 
Tommy-D said:
> I personally LOVE the sound of a piloted steel joint with an ivory ferrule. I use the "ping" sound to tell whether I hit a ball well or not before my hands can relay the info to my head or even before I see the ball go in the pocket or not. Some flat-faced,big pin cues ring out too,usually the great-hitting ones. I've never hit a ball with a truly great-playing cue that didn't sound off as well. My Schon sounds just like the sound-effect used in a tv commercial for Mike Sigel's instructional tapes,a hearty "plink". Tommy D.

Tommy, you are right about some big pin flat- faced cues. I have a Searing with a flat-faced joint/radial pin and the "P" sound is music to my ears. As an added treat when I screw the butt and shaft together I get my exercise for the day!
Dave
 
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