How many of you play multiple cues?

In general I play with one of my Joss cues for 8ball, one of my Lucasi cues for 9ball, and a Dufferin for breaking. But ...

I have a couple dozen play cues and half dozen break cues. I often switch out. Sometimes because of a slump, sometimes because of where I'm going to play, and sometimes just for the hell of it. I do understand the "play one cue to master it" mindset - but I've always felt a good player should be able to play with just about anything; even a broom handle?

To each their own. I don't expect grief over my choices; I don't give it to others, and I expect the same from them.
 
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It's ok to play with multiple cues

Just know what the reason is.

I play 2 different cues however they're weight matched to the 1/10 of an ounce. Both butts are identical and all 3 shafts weigh 3.9 ounces and everything plays identical. I even pressed and weighted the tips before install.
One is my true player and one is the cue I travel to bars and leagues with but I honestly can't tell the difference between them except for the Rosewood patterns.
 
I agree that it makes absolute sense to play exclusively with the same cue. I generally use the same cue during league, but as a collector I enjoy using different cues on a regular basis.
 
I have two 30 yr old Helmstetters that I play with. The 87-14 I use only for straight, the 87-4 I use for everything else; including break.
 
Sometimes it helps to switch out, just to shake things up and force the
Mind to concentrate... and maybe to make it mandatory to follow the
KISS rule...

TD
 
I buy and sell cues fairly often, usually I have one in the case that is my main player. Sometimes I'll try one of the new cues for a few weeks before I sell it. Currently have two Joey Bautista cues in the case, both play very well and don't feel like there is a huge difference in the hit of the two cues.

My break cue stays the same all the time.
 
I have my primary playing cue but do play with many different cues just to see how they each feel. Just last night I took two cues I have never played with before over to my brother's to shoot and two I rarely use. Using the different cues is fun when the situation isn't too competitive. Now I do carry a lighter and heavier cue than my main one. Sometimes I find it helps to switch out the weight if I am just off a bit. I also have a purpleheart shaft for my primary which moves the balance point of the cue forward and adds weight which helps sometimes if I am shooting off.
 
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michael4 said:
I also switch cues sometimes when I feel I'm in a rut, sometimes a different cue will get you out of a rut, not sure why exactly.....
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I've had that experience. If the rut is mental, the feel of the different cue gets my mind off of whatever the hangup is. If the rut is a breakdown in fundamentals, the feel of the different cue sometimes causes me to back out of the groove I had the with the first cue and get back to those fundamentals. But I can do that just as easily with a good house cue.

I have one cue, and it's probably the last cue I'll ever need. That certainly doesn't mean it's the last cue I'll ever own, but I doubt I'll get into owning multiple cues and rotating them.
 
Type79 said:
I agree that it makes absolute sense to play exclusively with the same cue. I generally use the same cue during league, but as a collector I enjoy using different cues on a regular basis.
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Jay,

Just an FYI, one of Mario's #5 Type 79's will be on display at Lotus Of Western New York in Buffalo till Tuesday. No Mario, just the car.

Lyn
 
Like others have posted, mostly, I play with 2 cues. My current favorite player is a custom that is worth a few dollars. For league nights where there are too many chances for accidental damage, I play with my old Joss merry widow. The specs on the two cues are similar so switching is fairly natural. I probably couldn’t get back the original $200 I paid for the Joss in 1985 and I wouldn’t sell for twice that.
 
I have 7 cues not including break and jump cues, over a 2-3 week period I will use them all. I have 1 cue that is my favorite that I use when not practicing or playing at home. I have a couple LD shafts and mostly Maple shafts, even though they play slightly different its not a big enough difference that I cant compensate slightly. If I own them they are gonna get used otherwise there is no point for me to have them.
 
pt109 said:
My first game was golf, you're allowed 14 clubs...and you need them.
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Golf was my first game as well and I feel the same way about cues.

I have 4 different playing cues and they all have there time and place depending on the game and different playing conditions. That said I could play with any of them at any time but I find it easier to switch cues than to adjust my game, mostly because I don't want to try and adjust my game nor is it something I think should be thought about while playing competitively.

Anyways...the cues and their places/specs

2 OB's

120 Bacote sneaky, 58"/ 22oz with an OB Pro+ shaft with a tomahawk ferrule/medium/hard tip.

I use this cue on bar tables or slower tables, it transfers a lot of energy to and through the cueball, but has the smallest tip diameter of all my cues so I can still impart a lot of spin without sacrificing any power. This is my bar/beater cue.

135 Darts cue, 59"/19.5oz with a 30" OB1+ shaft that I took down to 12.4mm and put a more traditional taper on, or not so conical. I also removed the carbon fiber backing pad from the ferrule and replaced it with a nail like plug insert that fits down the length of the ferrule made from the tomahawk material with a soft tip.

This is primarily my one pocket cue/8 ball cue on fast tables. It imparts a lot of spin and plays soft and accurate.

2 custom sneaky pete's both with custom BD SS360 shafts at 12.5 with Tomahawk ferrules and medium/hardish tips, although the shafts both have the same specs they play differently.

Joe Barringer-tulipwood/BEM 60"/18.5oz no weight bolts or metal in the entire cue, I really like the balance/feedback/tone of this cue. Primarily used for fast 9' tables, 9/10 ball. The shaft isn't "whippy" but isn't that steel rod kind of shaft, hits stiff but doesn't have any noticeable deflection. Probably my favorite cue, gets the most table time.

Josey- bacote/BEM 59.5"/19oz
I use this cue for 9 ball on big tables when the cloth is worn. Has a nice deep woody tone, much stiffer than the shaft on the Barringer. Also has noticeable deflection on newer/slicker cloth. This cue has a lot of pop or spring to it, but has less reverberance or "feedback" than the Barringer, kind of hard to explain.

These two cues are pretty similar except the balances/weight. Sometimes one feels better than the other just depending on the day.

I like them all and don't intend on selling any of them. Variety is the life of spice after all.
 
There is something to be said about staying with the same cue, but I'll tell you this: If I had stuck with my Predator Z shaft which I used for 10 years, I'd be a much worse player today. I'm currently trying out various styles of cues, and think I have my requirements for my ideal cue down. I don't think trying out various cues has hurt my game much at all, if anything I learned a lot from it.
 
I have one for pool, one for caroms and one bar banger in my main rotation.

All the other cues are just for fun, though some of em are the same pin as my main shaft so I can swap em easily enough.

But tbh, changing cues doesn't really matter that much to me. After an hour or so, I'll adjust to whatever cue is in my hands. It's a little tough going from LD back to maple sometimes, but I spent years shooting straight maple and get used to it all the same.
 
I will usually hone in on one cue to play with for a year or so but I have a group of cues that I will rotate through every few days for practice. I believe in treating my cues like women. You gotta spread the love around.

:D
 
Typically, I will have 2 cues in my bag and when things start going sideways I'll take cue #2 out and play it because it certainly must be cue #1's fault and not mine . . .

It's not me, right? :confused:

best,
brian kc
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Typically, I will have 2 cues in my bag and when things start going sideways I'll take cue #2 out and play it because it certainly must be cue #1's fault and not mine . . .

It's not me, right? :confused:

best,
brian kc
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I know you're being a bit humorous, Brian, but sometimes you ARE using the wrong cue.
....there is no 'one size fits all' cue.
When I was travelling and betting a few bucks, I had an 18.5 oz and a 20.25 pool cue...
...it was usually conditions that determined which one I should use.
I had a 16.75 and a 18.5 snooker cue for the same reason.
...and I had a carom cue....18 oz....55 in...better than any pool cue for 3-c.
Then I finally stopped breaking with my playing cue...tried 17 to 25 oz cues.
....finally caved a got a jump cue...two piece butt, light as a feather.

So there's seven cues with multiple shafts that seemed reasonable to own.

But I was always looking for other cues...a friend asked me why, seeing as how I had
some great cues....told him...when you got a great cue, it's kind of a free shot to find a
better one....and for those who think they can't play better with a different cue.....
....they should pay more attention to the game.
 
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