..beautiful cues do not pocket balls any better than any other cue with a "decent" tip.
I see a lot of new players asking advice on cue recommendations. I see a lot of long time players recommending this cue or that cue from "insert custom maker here". While I am all for helping custom makers make a living, suggesting custom cues to new players simply on a subjective opinion of their play-ability I don't see as being too helpful. What may shoot well for you someone else may hate.
Its all wood, plastics, metals, etc.....But, it still comes down to a good tip.
If you have the ability to play, you can run balls with a 5000 custom cue or a 15 dollar Walmart cue, provided it has a decent enough tip.
In my opinion, the only suggestion we should give a new player as far as selecting a cue is, try some and see what calls out to you....That will be your best choice, whether it's a 2500 custom or a 200 production......
That sounds profound but it really is not that true. I have been working on cues for almost 40 years. There are big differences between a well made mid range cue and a $15.00 cue from Walmart.
The shaft wood will be one of the first you will notice.
Most of the cheap cues like you describe have Ramin wood shafts. If they do have maple it will just be a random piece of wood probably not at all suitable for use in a pool cue. The ferrules are often not even screwed on or glued on at all. They are just press fitted on and in a short time will split or come loose making noise. Weights will come loose, the wraps come loose and the complete fit and finish will be very poor.
One of the most common questions I get when I go to the pool room is
"Can you hit some balls with my cue, it is making a noise".
They hand me a cheap cue that makes noise, vibrates, deflects like a fishing pole and they wonder why they are having trouble trying to learn how to play. A good player could not play with one of those cues much less a beginner.
The play of cues like this can be so bad as to really inhibit a player from playing their game. You don't think a cue makes a difference, I saw Parica lose $5000.00 and the prop was he had to play with a house cue not his own. He picked out the best cue he could find but it didn't matter. The game that was already handicapped and was too close a match and the cue changed the outcome.
You have to have good tools to do most anything. You mention Guitars. When I was a kid I wanted to learn to play. My dad bought me a Sears Silvertone guitar. When I began taking lessons the teacher just loaned me a guitar till I could get a decent one. My next was a Gibson. I think I would have quit if I had to play that Sears guitar. The Gibson was such a pleasure I could not wait to play it.
You don't need a high end cue with a load of inlay to play good pool but you do need a decent cue. There is more to the cue then just a tip. It is like a guitar, an instrument. It needs to be responsive and have a feel you like. Although subjective I have seen many cues that no one could play with. They would be for sale in the pool room and player after player would hit balls with it and hand it back.
Some cues are just dead. You feel like it is work just to to play with it, you feel the weight of the cue in your hand from the moment you pick it up it never feels natural. I think it is a disservice to tell someone they can buy a $15.00 cue end begin learning the game. There is a limit to how cheap you can go. There are some pretty good imports but you still have to pay a decent amount for a well made cue. A cue where the maker has cut every corner in manufacturing just to save a few cents is not worth your time.
Your biggest investment on your pool game will not be your cue, it will be the hundreds if not thousands of hours you will put in on the table. Don't short change yourself playing with junk equipment. I doubt you would play on a table that rolled off with patched up cloth and dirty balls because they charged you a buck or two an hour less to play. In fact you would not play on that table if it was free. You should have the same attitude for your cue. You don't need to be spending $50. to $70. a week playing in the pool room with a $15.00 cue. You have to have more respect for yourself.
