New Cue, Anyone Else Do This?

[Celophanewrap]

You decided to take the plunge and you finally order or purchase the custom or high end production cue that you've had your eye on for a year or so. The day has finally arrived and with a bit of anxiety and enthusiam you start to break in your new player until finally the time has come to make the switch. A couple of weeks into this new player, well, it's just not right. You continue to play with the new cue, after all you bought it, but more and more you find excuses to take out your old player and one day you discover that the new cue that you so looked forward to getting has found a comfortable spot, probably in your back-up storage case and you're back to your old player full time.
Anyone else do that?

 

[prewarhero]

You decided to take the plunge and you finally order or purchase the custom or high end production cue that you've had your eye on for a year or so. The day has finally arrived and with a bit of anxiety and enthusiam you start to break in your new player until finally the time has come to make the switch. A couple of weeks into this new player, well, it's just not right. You continue to play with the new cue, after all you bought it, but more and more you find excuses to take out your old player and one day you discover that the new cue that you so looked forward to getting has found a comfortable spot, probably in your back-up storage case and you're back to your old player full time.
Anyone else do that?

Yup, every time I buy a new cue, I keep going back to my Lambros. While I am not in love with it because I do keep buying other cues , I just haven't find my next great player.

 

[bobforest]

You decided to take the plunge and you finally order or purchase the custom or high end production cue that you've had your eye on for a year or so. The day has finally arrived and with a bit of anxiety and enthusiam you start to break in your new player until finally the time has come to make the switch. A couple of weeks into this new player, well, it's just not right. You continue to play with the new cue, after all you bought it, but more and more you find excuses to take out your old player and one day you discover that the new cue that you so looked forward to getting has found a comfortable spot, probably in your back-up storage case and you're back to your old player full time.
Anyone else do that?

I'm trying to justify buying a custom cue to my girlfriend - if she reads this, she'll piss all over that bonfire....

 

[Fatboy]

You decided to take the plunge and you finally order or purchase the custom or high end production cue that you've had your eye on for a year or so. The day has finally arrived and with a bit of anxiety and enthusiam you start to break in your new player until finally the time has come to make the switch. A couple of weeks into this new player, well, it's just not right. You continue to play with the new cue, after all you bought it, but more and more you find excuses to take out your old player and one day you discover that the new cue that you so looked forward to getting has found a comfortable spot, probably in your back-up storage case and you're back to your old player full time.
Anyone else do that?

many times, its hard to change cues

 

[JLD]

If you use english much it can be difficult to adjust to another cue mainly because of the difference in squirt between your original cue and the new one. Replacing the tip on the new cue to match your old cue often helps quite a bit. Try to play close to vertical center as possible till you learn the difference when using english. Practice with your new cue as often as you can paying attention to your stroke speed and what happens to the object when using english. Differences in cue weight can also be difficult to adjust to especially when it comes to playing shape. Once you make those adjustments your new cue will probably be your favorite.

 

[King T]

It happens a lot!!

I have done this to many times to remember, my cue collection proves it. I have had the good luck of selling all those dream cues..,

15yrs later I still play with my Dan Stout, I want a Gina or Tad, my two favorite cue makers but I want to live my dream, when I buy one or both of these cues, I want it to play like my current cue or better..., that might just be a dream..,

 

[Montana Mike]

Not me. When I decide to switch equipment I switch from the first shot. If it just doesn't feel right after a bit I get rid of it and try again with something else. It wastes more time for me easing into something than jumping in. If I am mentally ready to switch there has to be a big enough reason to give it a real chance.

 

[Baxter]

You should know relatively quickly whether you like the hit of the cue better than your previous cue or not. If you don't, don't bother. If you do, you'll make the necessary adjustments. You can't fit a square peg in a round hole.

 

[thefonz]

it's a disease

It's an affliction called nucuatitis.....similar to nuclubatitis. Any positive results with new equipment usually diminish after a month or so.

 

[Scaramouche]

A pool cue is an inanimate wooden object.
The cue cannot adjust to the player's idiosyncrasies.
Therefore the player must adjust to each cue's unique characteristics.

 

[RRfireblade]

You have to be very clear on what you want when building a new a cue. If you r not 100% sure of your needs and desired specs you definitely run the risk of getting it wrong or 'it' getting done wrong.

Hopefully you learned something that will help you get it right next time.

Best of luck.

 

[classiccues]

If its the balance, its hard to adjust to normally. Sometimes its in the shaft taper, and that's easily correctable by any cuemaker. Its amazing how much the shaft taper contributes to the feel of the cue. It could be as easy as a tip change, so stick with it until you figure out exactly what it is.

Shaft tapers: I like a 8-10" straight "pro-taper". Some guys only do a 4-6 and it leaves a very stiff hitting cue, that's hard to adjust to for me, anyways. If you take a caliper and start at the ferrule, how far back from the tip does the cue start into the taper.

JV

 

[poolguy4u]

You decided to take the plunge and you finally order or purchase the custom or high end production cue that you've had your eye on for a year or so. The day has finally arrived and with a bit of anxiety and enthusiam you start to break in your new player until finally the time has come to make the switch. A couple of weeks into this new player, well, it's just not right. You continue to play with the new cue, after all you bought it, but more and more you find excuses to take out your old player and one day you discover that the new cue that you so looked forward to getting has found a comfortable spot, probably in your back-up storage case and you're back to your old player full time.
Anyone else do that?

Try a different shaft on it. If you can put the shaft on it from your old cue, it might feel better.

If you don't like the cue after a couple days, then you got the wrong cue. Sell it.

When you have the right cue, you will not miss and will be able to move the cueball around easily.:smile:

 

[CreeDo]

On AZ you'll see posts where someone asks what's a good hit, what's a good weight, what does playability mean, etc.
I think most people's replies are based on 1 thing: What they're used to.
Not any scientific reason, not based on trying several different cues and then weighing pros and cons.

They'll convince themselves and others it's something else though.
They know it'll sound dumb if they say "I recommend 21 oz because that's all I ever used."
So they say something like "I favor a heavy cue, because I feel like it adds stability to my stroke
and eliminates some of the wobbles, so I hit the intended spot on the CB better" or something like that.

I think your new cue is doomed if it doesn't match your old cue in most ways.
What works for us is what feels right, and what feels right = what feels familiar.

 

[randallt6]

This is why I only buy cues with the joint, so that i can keep using my predator shaft, that way each new cue I purchase doesn't require much of a adjustment....although I did get a new custom butt recently and the balance is different from my old cue, so the adjustment in that alone is taking some time.....its pretty annoying..

 

[bdorman]

I'm going through it right now, except it's not a high-end custom and it isn't proving to be a big transition (from Player's HXTE10 to an OB 121). The new cue's hit is a little firmer (I'm beginning to like that) and there's more "feel" to the cue, but by-and-large they're quite similar. Of course, that might be as much a measure of how adaptable a person is vs. how similar two cues are.

The biggest difference is that the new cue is wrapless. I really like a wrapless cue. The Irish Linen wrap always felt like it was sliding around in my hand.

 

[Mikey Town]

It's an affliction called nucuatitis.....similar to nuclubatitis. Any positive results with new equipment usually diminish after a month or so.

Ah yes... the good ol' "Honeymoon Period."

"I'm pocketing balls, and getting shape, like never before with my new cue!"

"I haven't missed a fairway in a month with my new driver!"


Enjoy it while it lasts...


It seems like the OP is having a Bizarro Honeymoon Period, of sorts.

Personally, I would stick it out with the new equipment... sometimes a tip change is all it takes... other times it could just take an extra week or two. However, I've not had this problem since going to low deflection shafts. After playing with the OB-1 for the past couple years, I can pick up pretty much any cue with a LD, pro-taper shaft and play pretty well with it. Sure, they will all hit a bit different, but the performance is relatively the same, so the adjustment comes much quicker.

 

[Banks]

What Baxter said. Sometimes you can just shoot a bit with a cue and know that you like it, others you just can't get in tune with. Like relationships, they may not make sense, they may look funny or downright ugly, but you know that it works and it makes you happy.

 

[rayjay]

Getting a new cue is sorta like a first date. Sometime the romance is only a one night stand, sometimes a long commitment. You know what you like in a woman as far as appearance, but the main differences are in her personality and character. Play it a while and see.

 

[Celophanewrap]

Ah yes... the good ol' "Honeymoon Period."

"I'm pocketing balls, and getting shape, like never before with my new cue!"

"I haven't missed a fairway in a month with my new driver!"


Enjoy it while it lasts...


It seems like the OP is having a Bizarro Honeymoon Period, of sorts.

Personally, I would stick it out with the new equipment... sometimes a tip change is all it takes... other times it could just take an extra week or two. However, I've not had this problem since going to low deflection shafts. After playing with the OB-1 for the past couple years, I can pick up pretty much any cue with a LD, pro-taper shaft and play pretty well with it. Sure, they will all hit a bit different, but the performance is relatively the same, so the adjustment comes much quicker.

Well, actually, I was just getting ready to switch over cases and reviewing all the junk that I carry around, trying to cut that back a little. As I moved stuff around I looked at my new Predator, one of the new Roadline Sneakies, I got to a Schon that I've had for about 17 or 18 years but played with for only a few months, I took out a Scruggs that I bought in 1994, and came across a Dominiak Sweet 16 that I've had for a couple of years and a custom sneaky that I've had for years and a Joss that is only a few years old, an old Viking, and a couple of old McDermotts Additionally there are a few cues that I have sold over the years.
I compared them to my players, the ones that I carry around, two old Predator Sneakies, the old one with the green veneers for the early 90's that I bough new back then (5/16 X 14, pre cat), and the twin with the red veneers from a few years later (uni-loc). They just feel better.
I've played with friends Southwest's, Joss West's, other Scruggs, Sugar Trees, and various others I just like my Predators better, I can't explain why. I know my collection isn't high top end stuff, but they're all quality. Some of you swear by your Joss, or your Carolina, or Jacoby, or whatever, my two Predators just fit. I own every generation of Predator shaft and have tried them all on different cues, perhaps it's all mental. As a species we tend to resist change on most levels, but the Predator Sneakies just suite me.
I suppose that we all have a 'Holy Grail" that is unique to us as individuals, maybe my Grail is just a little more pedestrian then most.