Ivory over stainless steel joints. Need input...

cbi1000

cbi1000

It is what it is...
Silver Member
I'm trying to figure out how ivory over stainless steel joints play and if they crack easy. Like what is found on a Mobley.

Historically The ivory joint cues I like have been the ivory sleeve over wood. Like what you find on a Bender or JossWest. And I like that feel. The only solid ivory joint that I've played with and liked is the short one my Andy Gilbert. The standard full size full ivory joints I do not like. They play soft to me. I like a hard hitting cue. My current cue is a Bender.

I have not played with a 5/16 14 steel joint In 20 years. Always preferred a big pin. Not sure I have ever hit with a 5/16 14 ivory joint.

Now I'm thinking about buying a cue with either a ivory over stainless steel jointed cue. I have heard some people say the inner steel will crack the outer ivory. I'm looking for feedback on how they play and durability.

Also interested in how 5/16 14 ivory joints play too. Like what you would find on a James White cue.

Thanks for the input.
 
As far as feel goes: it is essentially impossible to tell one kind of joint from another simply by using the cue (without knowing what the joint actually is).

So, adding (or subtracting) Ivory from the list makes no further (lack of) difference.
 
My mobley is piloted ivory 5 16 14 full ivory.....and I love it....
 
joint

The stainless is to protect the integrity of the ivory. No worries. It's a great joint and will serve you fine. The hit will be great too. Go ahead - pull the trigger!

*P.S. Put a drop or 2 of mineral oil on the ivory every 8 months or so. Massage it in being careful not to get it on the wood. This will keep it from drying out and cracking. Then just wipe it off with a paper towel. Or you can just use a high quality wax.
 
My Tascarella is a year old last month and I play at least twice a week at the pool hall and an hour here at home a day. The ivory over stainless feels great with a crisp, direct feel. I have had no issues what so ever with cracks. The hit is actually stiffer than my Schon R series cues.
 
All aspects of how a cue is built determines hit. The greatest of these being the tip. The ferrule and shaft play a role as well, but not as much so as the tip does. That would include a tip with or without a pad underneath it.
 
I had both from Randy, full ivory Joint 5/16×14 and ivory over steel, both play great but the ivory over steel have a little more punch:wink:
They will not crack, take a carpolish with canuba wax and good is.
Ralf
 
Never Understood That Design

Ivory collars over stainless still baffles me.....I've tried that cue joint and didn't see any merit but Pete Tascarella makes a great cue and he uses it on his cues.

Recently I traded my Paul Mottey cue which had one of Paul's great piloted ivory joints. I have switched all my playing cues to only flat ivory joints with big pins. There is a discernible difference in the feel and hit of flat ivory joints.

The Mottey cue surprised me quite a but because even though it had a piloted ivory joint requiring brass in the shaft instead of having a flat wood face like the cue shafts for my flat ivory joint cues, that Mottey cue played amazing close to the feel of my other cues. I only traded it....reluctantly, so I could acquire my Prewitt cue that has a flat faced ivory joint.

Personally, I'm sticking with the real deal which for me is only a flat faced ivory joint but everyone has their own opinions about cue joints, especially when it's an ivory version. And all the chit chat about durability of a ivory joint is bullshit......these joints are as durable as any cue joint you'll play with and so stay tuned for the horror stories that will get posted telling you that their ivory ferrule cue or ivory joint cue broke.........Exaggerated and a lot of bullshit too...... that can happen with any cue but I would concede that breaking a 5/16x14 steel joint does seem unimaginable other than from sheer abuse.

Anyway, go with ivory and you won't be disappointed.

Matt B.
 
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Ivory over steel is for looks only, the cue will play like a steel joint but have the looks of ivory. Steel being much harder than ivory it will absorb all the impact.

I prefer a big pin cue with or without an ivory joint but one of the best playing cues I ever owned was an ivory joint Paul Mottey from the mid to lat 90s with a 5/16 pin....FWIW
 
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Bavafongoul said:
Ivory collars over stainless still baffles me.....I've tried that cue joint and didn't see any merit but Pete Tascarella makes a great cue and he uses it on his cues.

Recently I traded my Paul Mottey cue which had one of Paul's great piloted ivory joints. I have switched all my playing cues to only flat ivory joints with big pins. There is a discernible difference in the feel and hit of flat ivory joints.

The Mottey cue surprised me quite a but because even though it had a piloted ivory joint requiring brass in the shaft instead of having a flat wood face like the cue shafts for my flat ivory joint cues, that Mottey cue played amazing close to the feel of my other cues. I only traded it....reluctantly, so I could acquire my Prewitt cue that has a flat faced ivory joint.

Personally, I'm sticking with the real deal which for me is only a flat faced ivory joint but everyone has their own opinions about cue joints, especially when it's an ivory version. And all the chit chat about durability of a ivory joint is bullshit......these joints are as durable as any cue joint you'll play with and so stay tuned for the horror stories that will get posted telling you that their ivory ferrule cue or ivory joint cue broke.........Exaggerated and a lot of bullshit too...... that can happen with any cue but I would concede that breaking a 5/16x14 steel joint does seem unimaginable other than from sheer abuse.

Anyway, go with ivory and you won't be disappointed.

Matt B.
Click to expand...
all due respect matt
even the pros cant tell one joint from another
in a blind test
jmho
icmw
to the op
dont worry about the ivory cracking
 
I Think One of The Big Differences is......

I've heard that before about the pros and yet I see people....and some pros as well, preferring the ivory joint over a steel version.

Aside from the subtle difference in the way the joint and shaft assembles together, like flat ivory to flat wood versus a stainless collar & thread that essentially seats metal to metal, the weight difference in the two different joints is hard to ignore and that's enters into the cue's balance and the weighted stroke of the cue feels to the player.

However, I will concede that I've heard that said about the pros not noticing any difference in cue joints but I certainly do and there's lots of others that side with me. This is one of those topics that there's no clear cut answer since the answer is always a subjective reply and whom I am, you or anyone else for that matter, to tell someone else their opinion is all wet.......but I have been known to tell someone theirs might have been a little...uh.....let's just say kinda damp.

Matt B.
 
My ivory over SS jointed Tasc, plays more lively than the same cue, basically, with SS joint. I tried two side by side and could tell the difference. The SS just played dead, not real bad though. Both cues were from Pete ordered the same time with the same ferrules, tapers, and, tips.
 
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