scottycoyote said:
I have to say i love the look of the titleist conversions.....i saw an old hoppe from the 50s supposedly, 2 piece stick with brass, has the label on it. If i could get it cheap would it make a good conversion cue? I wanted a full splice cue. Also, any idea if the butts on those old cues were about the same size as todays, larger or smaller? Just thinking ahead.....any tips as to what i should be looking for would be most appreciated.
Hi Scott,
I'm not a cuemaker, but I have some opinions with regards to the questions you've posed. Before I say anything though, my opinion is that if you find a gorgeous unrestored Hoppe/Titlist/26.5, you should keep it in it's original condition. Restore the broomsticks that sit in the closets or in old pool halls that are otherwise firewood. My 2c on the topic. Just to preface my comment, I currently own a conversion cue that was originally a Rambow!!! I wonder if any "new" cuemakers unknowingly converted a Balabushka???
1) From what I've been told, a one piece blank is almost always easier to convert. Especially if you want to retain the full splice. With a one piece stick, the cuemaker can decide where to place the joint to maintain some modern dimensions. I have a conversion cue with only a .720 joint and it just looks odd. It was made from a snooker cue. With the two piece cue, the cuemaker needs to remove the joint and pin which can be tedious. Also, if the butt is warped at all, it may then need to be cut down into a short splice (now a 3 pc assembly) and have a handle added. Once again, more work. Lastly, some grooves are cut too deep into the handle area so that the final turn to remove the groove may leave the butt a little thinner than preferable. You don't want a 1.1" butt when it's all said and done.
2) Generally speaking, the butt of these cues were much bigger than modern cues, but once again, you need to measure to be sure. If you have a caliper, check the diameter of the cue by where the "Willie Hoppe" stamp is. Make sure it is at least .850. Some cues tapered down sharply and that will affect the joint diameter. I like a "normal" sized joint. 1" looks weird, and so does .7". Doesn't sound like a lot of difference, but it is.
3) Tips!! Pick a blank with the best veneers/points that you can find. Earlier is usually better (quoting Bushka here). I've seen really great to really bad and when it's really bad, turning the blank down will reveal glue holes and poor laminations which might adversely affect the final cue. Look for the points to be nice and even (I prefer longer points) and look for sharp points down also. They tend to get slopply facing the butt of the cue. For me, I like the points up and down look which you don't get with short splices. Well.....not usually.
Pick the wood that you like. The blanks were made from everything oak, to rosewood, to walnut etc.... I just recently picked up some oak blanks which is new for me. Hope it's nice!!!
Weight!! I think the heavier the better. With one exception. A friend of mine had a 22oz baseball bat Titlist and it took the cuemaker a long time to remove the old cruddy weight bolt. It was turned out slowly over time which is a pain from what I've been told. A 13oz Titlist is probably not the "best" candidate for a conversion.
Condition. You don't want to convert a "mint" blank, but you also don't want a blank that has been stored outside, is seriously warped, or has cracks or broken veneers. But if the wood is straight and has been for the last 60yrs. then it's a good bet that it will stay straight for another 60yrs.
Hope I've helped. Please chime in cuemakers if I've left anything out!!
sherwin