How does a cue play?

Biloxi Boy

Man With A Golden Arm
Heartily disagree…didn’t take you for one of those guys who thinks Doc Holiday went o the OK Corral with a Saturday Night Special.

lots of anecdotal evidence against you
I am informed by many years of playing off the wall with less then optimal cues followed by many more years of playing with my own quality cues. When I finally began owning and using quality cues, my game remained the same -- what changed was my enjoyment of the game. So much frustration disappeared, but my overall game improved not a ball. What did make my game improve was those countless hours of playing, plus many more countless hours of hanging in pool halls and observing both good and bad players, plus the advice of several more experienced players. I even studied a few books, because it is in my nature.

I truly do appreciate a good cue. It is a great feeling to pick up a stick that feels perfect. I find it even more enjoyable to play with one.
 
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muskyed

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Some of my best playing has been with house cues when I'm out and stop in a random bar for a couple of cold ones. It actually seems effortless at times. Really hard to explain as the cues that I buy fall into a certain weight range 19.2 to 19.5 oz, length ( 59" ) and balance 18 7/8- 19 1/4 ish , and also leather or no wrap, and other than the no wrap part, everything I buy doesn't resemble a house cue in the slightest. Could also just be that when I'm out playing with house cues I'm having more than a few cold ones
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Think most Cues in the hand of some World Class players can do things most Owners are not capable of.

To the World Class Players Pool
Is full time job, practicing, gambling, competing in tournments, and more practice.

Any Cue can play great like any violin in hands of real deal concert musician.
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A cue plays great when it feels great in your hands, sounds great when it hits the ball, and gives you confidence that the ball is going to go into the pocket and the CB will behave as you wish.

And, I think that a cue that plays great for one guy may not be so great for another. Over all the years I’ve played pool I’ve been lucky enough to play with several cues that played great. One ended up mistakenly sold at a garage sale, another I play with, another sits at the bottom of my closet, and another was offered to me for $50 50 years ago at The Palace one night in SF and I still kick myself for not buying it.

Lou Figueroa
Very well said!

And Chicago has the best pizza!

Best
Fatboy😃
 

Shawn Armstrong

AZB deceased - stopped posting 5/13/2022
Silver Member
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Very well said!

And Chicago has the best pizza!

Best
Fatboy😃

STL pizza, IMOs, is horrific -- they use a cheese product call provel.

But I would have to say that NY pizza will give Chicago pizza a run for it's money.

Lou Figueroa
 

Sealegs50

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Very well said!

And Chicago has the best pizza!

Best
Fatboy😃
Obvious that you’ve never been to New Haven, CT. Next time you’re in the state, let me know and I’ll take you to Sally’s Apizza.

The picture is taken wide angle. Those are medium pies and my wife is not on the other side of the restaurant.

A99BDBB8-463A-4B23-9845-13007F1DA5B7.jpeg
 

Cuaba

Livin Large
Silver Member
Back in the day, the way a cue played was mostly about "the hit", which describes the sound & feel of a cue when it hits the ball. At that point the cue becomes a percussion instrument, and the sound & feel reveals the quality of the materials and construction. The sound & feel of a great hit makes the game more enjoyable to those who appreciate it. Balabushka also made musical instruments, so he understood this very well.

Today players are more concerned with accuracy & deflection. Technology has made modern cues more accurate, but they tend to feel dead compared to the great cues of the past.
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been looking at cue reviews and come across "This is a beautiful playing cue!" many times! I have invested lots of money in low deflection shafts and most of them are good to their word BUT all play a little differently. I am now playing with regular shafts and once learned do the same thing with some adjustments on my part. Once learned a house cue can play "beautifully"

Isn't it the player that "plays beautifully" and if knowledgeable about the fact that all cues need to be learned can make any cue work?

I think the big difference may be in the cue being a beautiful work of art, not how it "plays" I love cues and have more than I need but can adjust to any of them.

I am serious about what is being talked about when one says a cue plays great.

Thanks.
Musical instruments, like pianos, violins, guitars, etc. can produce distinct sounds
that differentiate the quality of the instrument. Pool cues can be the same way. All
cue makers use similar equipment to build your cue. But it’s the cue maker’s expertise
derived from first hand experience building pool cues and mistakes he’s made that
allow some cue makers to excel at their craft. Bob Owen has made leaps and bounds
over the last decade & his workmanship, using the same equipment as others, is superb.
BTW, his cues do have a pleasing feel because of the wood he selects & contours the shaft.
 

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
Yup!

Imo Chicago is the best food city in America

What’s their blue crab situation look like? And do they have scrapple at the breakfast spots?

These are the two *most* important food items one can acquire.

Maryland isn’t known for much, but we do lacrosse well from what I hear, and we have the best blue crabs on earth. Something about that dirty bay water makes them just right.

And while I wouldn’t recommend reading the ingredients list for scrapple, I can say it’s the best breakfast meat on earth.

As for pool cues, I’m not super experienced but I’ve found that it’s all about personal preference. Probably due to individual body type and play style. I like a heavier cue because I’m more accurate with a slower swing speed I think.

Cues that others love, feel funny to me, and vice versa with my cue. I’m pretty self aware but I can’t actually pinpoint what I like and don’t like about cues(playability). Some feel right to me and some don’t.
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What’s their blue crab situation look like? And do they have scrapple at the breakfast spots?

These are the two *most* important food items one can acquire.

Maryland isn’t known for much, but we do lacrosse well from what I hear, and we have the best blue crabs on earth. Something about that dirty bay water makes them just right.

And while I wouldn’t recommend reading the ingredients list for scrapple, I can say it’s the best breakfast meat on earth.

As for pool cues, I’m not super experienced but I’ve found that it’s all about personal preference. Probably due to individual body type and play style. I like a heavier cue because I’m more accurate with a slower swing speed I think.

Cues that others love, feel funny to me, and vice versa with my cue. I’m pretty self aware but I can’t actually pinpoint what I like and don’t like about cues(playability). Some feel right to me and some don’t.

Pool cues are personal preference, some work better for one guy and other work better for other guys. I may not like a certain style of a cue (or car, or woman, etc.) but it's their prefrence.

As far as scrapple goes, I had to look it up...seems like a sausage but not packaged, or another form of Spam. I'd try it once.

Composition[edit]​

Scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, heart, liver, and other trimmings, which are boiled with any bones attached (often the entire head), to make a broth. Once cooked, bones and fat are removed, the meat is reserved, and (dry) cornmeal is boiled in the broth to make a mush. The meat, finely minced, is returned to the pot and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, black pepper, and others are added.[3] The mush is formed into loaves and allowed to cool thoroughly until set. The proportions and seasoning are very much a matter of the region and the cook's taste.[4]

A few manufacturers have introduced beef[5] and turkey varieties and color the loaf to retain the traditional coloration derived from the original pork liver base.

Due to its composition, it is often jokingly described as being made from "everything but the oink".[6][7]
 

Rusty in Montana

Well-known member
One thing is found certain we all have our own idea of what constitutes a great hit or feel when it comes to pool cues I also have a few production made mostly and custom cues like to everyone else does .
Just for old time sake I dug out my old BillyBuska cue that my long time friend made for me because I wanted one similar to what he made for his brother Lance .
With the exception I prefer 13 1/2 mm tips but in this case I accepted 13 mm .

This Dufferin cut down and over length cue hits a ball as well if not better than my low deflection shaft cues and back then when I first got it the price was more reasonable than the asking price of today's cues .
No it's not for sale or trade even though I'd like to acquire a cue made by George Balabushka after I win the lottery .

As for pizza so far my favorite is made at the bowling alley in Hardin Mt it has sausage , black olives , mushrooms , onions and extra cheese a large if you please ! Ha ha
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What’s their blue crab situation look like? And do they have scrapple at the breakfast spots?

These are the two *most* important food items one can acquire.

Maryland isn’t known for much, but we do lacrosse well from what I hear, and we have the best blue crabs on earth. Something about that dirty bay water makes them just right.

And while I wouldn’t recommend reading the ingredients list for scrapple, I can say it’s the best breakfast meat on earth.

As for pool cues, I’m not super experienced but I’ve found that it’s all about personal preference. Probably due to individual body type and play style. I like a heavier cue because I’m more accurate with a slower swing speed I think.

Cues that others love, feel funny to me, and vice versa with my cue. I’m pretty self aware but I can’t actually pinpoint what I like and don’t like about cues(playability). Some feel right to me and some don’t.
Maryland must have better crab, I’m betting on that!

As for cues. I’m super sensitive to cues-meaning if they have certain traits I play much worse with them than if they have other traits. I’d like to be the guy who plays good with any cue. But I’m 180 degrees the opposite. The better I got at pool, the more sensitive I became. I can adjust to table conditions much quicker. A Joss West with a fat ass, I can’t make a ball with, never could, never will.

So for me again. The better I got the more important certain traits in a cue become more important. I can play 80% with anything. But to play my best a cue has to be “just right” which is subjective. And makes cues fun.

What’s good for me might be horrible for others.

On a side note I don’t like eggs, I haven’t ate a egg since the 70’s. Who knows why. I like the idea of eggs, I ate them as a kid. Then one day-yuck couldn’t stand them. Haven’t had one since.

Best
Fatboy<——likes cues, hates eggs, who knows why?
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
SPAM

Is the acronym for:

Some Poor Animals Meat

We were drunk one night and my friend thought that up back in the 80’s. Mike Kolb was his name. We played pool together for a few years.

Best
Fatboy.
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Maryland must have better crab, I’m betting on that!

As for cues. I’m super sensitive to cues-meaning if they have certain traits I play much worse with them than if they have other traits. I’d like to be the guy who plays good with any cue. But I’m 180 degrees the opposite. The better I got at pool, the more sensitive I became. I can adjust to table conditions much quicker. A Joss West with a fat ass, I can’t make a ball with, never could, never will.

So for me again. The better I got the more important certain traits in a cue become more important. I can play 80% with anything. But to play my best a cue has to be “just right” which is subjective. And makes cues fun.

What’s good for me might be horrible for others.

On a side note I don’t like eggs, I haven’t ate a egg since the 70’s. Who knows why. I like the idea of eggs, I ate them as a kid. Then one day-yuck couldn’t stand them. Haven’t had one since.

Best
Fatboy<——likes cues, hates eggs, who knows why?

This, I can play with anything that has a decent tip, if I want to shoot to the best of my abilities the cue needs to feel right.
 

MmmSharp

Nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat.
Silver Member
This, I can play with anything that has a decent tip, if I want to shoot to the best of my abilities the cue needs to feel right.
Very much this for me. I can shoot decently enough with anything, but to be on, i need something with a stiffer hit and more deflection.
I am so use to shooting with solid maple, low deflection throws me off target.
 
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