Newer Cues vs, Older Cues

L

luke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Have newer methods and materials resulted in a better playing, longer lasting, more consistent cue? Is it like golf or tennis where older tools would put you at a disadvantage to newer tools?
 
In my opinion the short answer is yes, they have. Mainly in consistency as I think better manufacturing methods and standards enable some of the quality makers to produce cues that all play similar and feel similar.

I think you also see this some on the custom cue end as well, consistency from one cue to the next. A good example would be more guys using carbide sanding mandrels now a days for consistent joint sizes. CNC machines to be able to more consistently reproduce butt and shaft tapers, reproduce inlays, etc.

With that said though, in my opinion the difference from 'old vs new' is nothing like you see in other sports. Golf would be the best example where new equipment and gear is light years ahead of the old stuff. In pool, yes it is ahead of the old stuff but the gap isn't near as great and in some cases very minimal.

Again, just my humble opinion :thumbup:

I will add this though...I think beginning players today have a HUGE advantage over the players of yesteryear as higher quality decent playing cues are much more readily available than they used to be. Both on the 'production' and the 'custom' fronts you see this.
 
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No disadvantage in play. Yeah, better glue and better finish now, but that should not affect playability. Plus, you can get an old cue refinished.

The only big difference is LD shafts and better tips now, imho. And that is subjective as some play bettter with maple, and some with LD, some with regular tips and some with layered leather tips.
 
I don't believe so. Excluding LD shafts, there is really no tech in a pool cue. They're still just made out of wood for the most part, not much has really changed that would effect performance.

LD is a different story, it's a newer idea and I think it does make a functional difference in how the cue plays and can make a cue a little more forgiving and easier to compensate for deflection with, but I also don't believe it makes a huge difference in ultimate performance level....it's more of a preference thing.
 
Advances in equipment and computers and CNC etc. have altered the pace of cue-making and cues are made faster and in greater volume.

The main difference in older cues and "most" newer cues is the difference in wood. Having said that, a custom cue-maker still has access to old
wood inventory but it costs more. Ask any wood craftsman......there was more old growth wood years ago and it's still available but more expensive.

But even with the advancements made with computers & CNC applications, a great custom cue still takes a long time......upwards of a year because
of the assembly, gluing and drying periods.......just the veneers will dry for 3-4 months before being worked on......great cues still take a long time to
make and when you accelerate the process, you comprise quality. The cue doesn't turn out the same or often won't retain its finish over the cue's lifetime.


Matt B.
 
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I think you can blend the two, and have amazing cues.

As has been previously mentioned...newer glues and finishes help to stabilize cues better these days, which will lead to a longer life span. New machinery now alllows for a myriad of inlay techniques, and can really blow open what can be achieved with regards to new and innovative designs. Now throw some old growth woods in there...and it's the best of both worlds!
 
ridewiththewind said:
I think you can blend the two, and have amazing cues.

As has been previously mentioned...newer glues and finishes help to stabilize cues better these days, which will lead to a longer life span. New machinery now alllows for a myriad of inlay techniques, and can really blow open what can be achieved with regards to new and innovative designs. Now throw some old growth woods in there...and it's the best of both worlds!
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Amen to that. I keep my old Palmer model M around for it's beauty,,,the skill used on the inlays, etc.

BUT...playing with it is like playing with a piece of pipe compared to playing with my 2007 vintage Josey.

I realize that comparing just these two cues, made decades apart, is not a scientific study. Just one old guy expressing an opinion.
 
pwd72s said:
Amen to that. I keep my old Palmer model M around for it's beauty,,,the skill used on the inlays, etc.

BUT...playing with it is like playing with a piece of pipe compared to playing with my 2007 vintage Josey.

I realize that comparing just these two cues, made decades apart, is not a scientific study. Just one old guy expressing an opinion.
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Oh, I agree! Whatever finish Keith is using works amazingly. There have been a few occasions when I thought for sure that I had accidently dinged the butt, only to find not one ding, mark, scuff or otherwise in the finish. Good stuff!

I also think that until the advent of the big pin...older cues did not tend to be 'stiff' players like so many cues that are currently available.. I think that did a lot to drive SW's popularity to where it is today.
 
Sounds like all the increases in playability have occurred on the shaft. Splicing, coring,etc. on the butt end have little or no effect.
 
I find that my Palmers play consistently from one cue to the next with the exception being the ebony forearm models. I use them in everyday play and my Model B which I purchased in 1975 is still on my A-list.

The playing characteristics of a cue involve many factors including but not limited to: weight, balance, length, tips, shaft material, joint material, ferrule material, wrap/no wrap, size of the handle, etc.

Some people are particular about every aspect and component, but give me a vintage cue or a new custom of the same weight, length with the same tip and I can play the same game.

Ninety years separates my oldest playing cue and my newest custom. Those cues and the ones in between all play roughly the same, but of course my new cues are weighted the same as my vintage cues and have traditional maple shafts.
 
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Bavafongoul said:
.............But even with the advancements made with computers & CNC applications, a great custom cue still takes a long time......upwards of a year because
of the assembly, gluing and drying periods.......
Click to expand...


Many cue makers take much longer than a year, more likes "years"... wood has to be turned at intervals over extended lengths of time to let the wood do it's movement..... IMO one of the biggest advancements in cue building today is the use of laminated stock for handles and coring... That alone gives the cue a better chance of keeping true...
 
No doubt construction is more solid nowdays, playing characteristics more accurate, I'm not sure about feeling though, that's very subjective.
If you learned how to play until early '90s (as I did, I started playing in '87) you might prefer the feeling that cues had until that period, it could be described as "more natural"..
Petros
 
if i'm to choose between an old and a new cue, considering they're both roll straight, i'd pick the old one.
 
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I tend to think of cues as more like guitars and violins than as sporting goods.
Production techniques have improved and there are new designs and advancements being made all the time, but in terms of depth and sound, nothing beats a classic piece that has been taken care of and aged over the years.
 
Some say better glues, better techniques, better assembly.....

I have one word.... Titlist.

Still the most sought after blank on the market.

Consider yourself bought and paid for... :D

JV
 
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