Lets Talk about Joints

It's all just personal preference. I played with a Palmer Model "A" with a Brass joint for 20 years (1975-95) and won tournaments with it, beat the crap out of all my friends to the point they would not play me anymore.

Hell I took it out a few months ago, and I still love to shoot with it.:)
 
About this joint...

Jack Madden said:
I find that the older players tend to order the stainless steel joint. I used to play with them exclusively but have found I like the play of the phenolic I build better.
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Not all the older players preferred SS as you well know. While Rambow got the East Coast players attention, Harvey Martin rightfully was favored by knowing West Coasters...and he got it right with ivory, and a 3/8-10 SS pin into a fiber insert. His were the best playing cues ever made, IMO...and he made them in an 8x12 shed in his backyard. He even handmade his cue lathe.

That said, I find you one of the most underrated cuemakers around today. You KNOW your stuff...and have for over 40 years.
 
i'm not so old, 40 and I have awalys liked steel joints the best, Ivory looks better and thats what i havebeen using recently, but there isnt a huge difference for me, I can play with either, or wood to wood like a SW is cool to,
 
It seems like its a matter of preference or what you like or what you get used to.

I have used both in 50+ years of playing and have gone away from steel joints quite a few years ago.

I think the steel joints after a good number of times of going in and out the metal wears out between the shaft and the butt. After many time of this the only good seal is where the two come together at the center.

With wood joints the wood seems to want to retain it's natural shape when it's not in use giving me a good tight fit even after many years of wear.

But like I said it's a matter of preference. I like the feel of the hit staying only on wood.
 
My first cue was a SS joint Lucasi - that was about 6 years ago. Since then I have had sneaky pete's (different makes all wood to wood), Viking's (Phenolic), Meucci's (Phenolic, Jacoby's (wood to wood) and now I shoot with a Predator (SS). I really like my new cue but the thing that has improved my game the most is hours at the table and I could never tell the difference between the joints really. I don't think it makes that much of a difference. JMHO

BVal
 
i had one steel jointed cue that i really liked. it was production but hit really good. i now prefer ivory joints or phenolic
 
Charlie Edwards said:
Try this link:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec....tvc=2&q=texas+express+joint+#8df34c50775a9d06
Click to expand...

I would contend that placing gobs of masking tape and butcher paper on a fine instrument like a fine cue is no different than placing same on a Stradivarius. You're not going to make fine music with either. I once had Harvey Martin explain in detail the theory behind his SS 3/8-10 pin into fiber. He certainly knew what he was talking about, and it did not come about by happenstance.
 
played severals phenolic for 10 yrs, still have them. tried a few steel and been sold ever since. i have a hard time seeing me play competetive with anything but ss nova. prove myself wrong on a dai.. weekly basis, just not joint matters..
 
They are also nice for players who like a forward balanced cue. The SS joint alone is approx. 1.4 ounces. I suppose there are other ways to bring the balance forward but SS joints work for me. I've tried em all (buckhorn, ivory, phenolic, etc..)and keep going back.
In the end though it's all a matter of personal preference.
 
I have played with all kinds of joint types...starting out with SS. I have found that for me, a flat faced phenolic wood/wood joint with a big pin is works best.

With that said...I recently had the pleasure to try out a Tucker with a SS joint that played nothing like a typical SS jointed cue.....if I hadn't known better, I would have sworn it was a flat faced phenolic wood/wood joint on that cue!! The feedback on that cue was nothing short of amazing...and a real pleasure to shoot with. :)

As Sean stated above, finding a cuemaker that can make a SS jointed cue that gives the kind of feedback that a flat faced Phenolic wood/wood joint can is absolutely a lost art!

Lisa
 
i do like those pins that arnt metal, i cant remeber who uses them, i never owned a cue with them but i like them on the cues i have played with.

joints are important but for me the balance point on a cue is more important, and thats probably why I like steel joints because they might move the balance point foward a bit, i dont like butt heavy cues.
 
Couple days ago I picked up a radial wood to wood jointed cue from another Azer. I was using a steel jointed Joss for about 10 years and would tell everyone steel joints were the best.

Let me say, I've changed my tune a lot in the past few days. I love the feedback I get without that steel dampening the vibration. First few hits really shocked me, but the cue plays like a musical instrument if you know what I mean.

I still love steel jointed cues, but I now prefer wood to wood. IMHO, there's nothing better than a great one piece cue, wood to wood radial is as close to that hit as I can get. Haven't tried a wood pin, but I'd like to one day.:)
 
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