Legendary Cue Makers

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NoShow33

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The legendary cuemakers such as Balbushka & Szamboti seemed to use Maple for the nose on 98% or better of their cues. And you always hear about how great these cues hit and play even to today.

My question is MAple still the best playing wood for the nose of the cue?

Or has the newer technology and better equipment (i.e. rubber on cushions, better & faster cloth, better balls, etc. etc.) made the wood for the nose of the cue not as important?

Is the wood used for the nose more for asthetics or playability / hit?

Look forward to any response.

Bob T.
 
Personal preference, I like ebony myself. (maple would be my second choice) I like the way ebony looks in comparison to other options as well.
 
NoShow33 said:
The legendary cuemakers such as Balbushka & Szamboti seemed to use Maple for the nose on 98% or better of their cues. And you always hear about how great these cues hit and play even to today.

My question is MAple still the best playing wood for the nose of the cue?

Or has the newer technology and better equipment (i.e. rubber on cushions, better & faster cloth, better balls, etc. etc.) made the wood for the nose of the cue not as important?

Is the wood used for the nose more for asthetics or playability / hit?

Look forward to any response.

Bob T.
Click to expand...
Please define 'nose'.
Shaft - forearm - butt?
 
funny thing

NoShow33 said:
The legendary cuemakers such as Balbushka & Szamboti seemed to use Maple for the nose on 98% or better of their cues. And you always hear about how great these cues hit and play even to today.

My question is MAple still the best playing wood for the nose of the cue?

Or has the newer technology and better equipment (i.e. rubber on cushions, better & faster cloth, better balls, etc. etc.) made the wood for the nose of the cue not as important?

Is the wood used for the nose more for asthetics or playability / hit?

Look forward to any response.

Bob T.
Click to expand...


Bob,

While the cues mentioned certainly hit great now according to what players are looking for now, I don't remember cues hitting this way forty years ago. I suspect that the hit of the 50 year old cues comes largely from the wood being fifty years old. Quality construction is a given but we have equal or better machinery today, better adhesives, and some cue builders are certainly turning out equal craftsmanship.

Cue builders today are using harder materials and stiffer cue designs making me suspect that fifty years from now the cues made today will hit better than the ones from the great masters do today, by today's standards. Of course the taste in hit may have changed and everyone may be chasing a soft hitting cue.

Hu
 
They used heavy SS joint then. Maple is relatively light. It made for good balance.
 
Maple provides just about all the right attributes for playing pool. It compresses and springs back and has decent flex. So it is more than just for looks. Maple is king in cues.
 
cueman said:
Maple provides just about all the right attributes for playing pool. It compresses and springs back and has decent flex. So it is more than just for looks. Maple is king in cues.
Click to expand...

I agree,
And if the shaft is perfectly round it will flex the same no matter how
you turn it.
Ash flexes inconsistently.If the grain 'arrows' are top-bottom or
side-side you get a different deflection.Which is why British snooker
players are hooked to using a chamfer...they have to hold the cue
the same way every time...maple doesn't care.

ps i would still like a definition of 'nose'.I think of 'nose' as a cushion term
 
Last edited:
pt109 said:
ps i would still like a definition of 'nose'.I think of 'nose' as a cushion term
Click to expand...

The nose is the front part of the cue that's spliced into the butt handle. For modern day cues (three sectioned butt), it's the wood between the points and the collar end of a forearm blank.

Fred
 
I've only heard the use of the word 'nose' in reference to the forearm within the last year or so. That's OK, whatever trips your trigger.
Maybe it's the latest buzz word or maybe because it's just easier to spell than 'forearm', but as evidenced by the question of it's use in this thread, you might want to confirm that the person you're talking to also understands it's 'new' definition.
Prather and some others will refer to the forearm as the 'prong' but I'm certain that they also understand what is being said when the use of the word 'forearm' is used. Semantics people, semantics. Buzz words tend to be confusing.
 
Thank you for all the responses.

When I used the word "nose" I do mean the "forearm".

Thanks again to all that responded.

Have a Great Fourth of July.

Bob T.
 
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