is this true?
- Thread starter evergruven
- Start date
While it may be possible that the prongs somehow affect the way the cue feels, it will be affected FAR MORE by the choice of woods used. I would love to see a blind test with a bunch of cues similarly built, but with some spliced and some not, and see if anyone can actually tell the difference. I'm guessing they'd fail miserably.
I'm sure the article was referring to full splice cues, maybe mentioned elsewhere in the article. Otherwise, referring to inlays would make no sense. As such, I also agree with the article to a point. There are other means of cue construction that also produce a solid hitting cue. However, there are so many variables that contribute to the overall feel of how a cue hits... joint, wood selection, type of shaft, ferrule, tip choice, etc. that I don't believe there is one single type of construction that prevails over all others. (And, I have my share of full splice cues).
Early on in my cue making I made alot of birdseye forearm cues with no points. I also made alot of birdseye forearm cues that had 4 V grooved ebony points in them. The ones with points felt different in a good way to me. It seemed to also stiffen the forearm up a little. Back then I could hear and feel the difference between stainless, ivory and plastic joints. Ferrule materials were even easier to hear and feel the differences. I know my 60 year old hands and ears are no where sensitive enough to discern all those subtle differences, but I think my late 20s ears and hands could.
Always assuming good workmanship and materials-
1.) more glue area: true
2.) structurally stronger: true
3.) absorb and dissipate shock: I've seen studies that the wave form is "different" as should be expected.
Once one throws a typical joint in a 2 pc cue, that is a factor, too. It aggravates my sense of rightness in the universe,
but probably most tournaments have been won with 2 pc cues in which the butt is not a FS, either. IOW, other factors seem to matter more to top players or they would all be gravitating to FS cues, possibly even 1 pc cues, if it actually affected the game at high levels.
4) without prongs might feel like a baseball bat held with the grain the wrong way (???) : Hmmm. That one is pretty subjective, probably not really a factor (see 3.) above) and the "might" word leaves a lot of wiggle room.....
smt
1.) more glue area: true
2.) structurally stronger: true
3.) absorb and dissipate shock: I've seen studies that the wave form is "different" as should be expected.
Once one throws a typical joint in a 2 pc cue, that is a factor, too. It aggravates my sense of rightness in the universe,
but probably most tournaments have been won with 2 pc cues in which the butt is not a FS, either. IOW, other factors seem to matter more to top players or they would all be gravitating to FS cues, possibly even 1 pc cues, if it actually affected the game at high levels.
4) without prongs might feel like a baseball bat held with the grain the wrong way (???) : Hmmm. That one is pretty subjective, probably not really a factor (see 3.) above) and the "might" word leaves a lot of wiggle room.....
smt
I think you're right, because the book, "international tournament pool" (1970), mentions jointed cues separately
interesting replies, all- thanks for them
Book was written before coring came about
Yes coring has definitely made it to where people can make cues out of a lot of different woods and have them play much closer to the same.