Question for Blud

[Rickw]

Blud,

Does having a lot of inlays in a cue do anything to take away from the hit? I would think that too much Ivory or even ebony would change the hit of the cue. Just wondering.

Hope you had fun at VF!

 

[THE SILENCER]

every time you put an inlay into a cue, your "digging in" thus making the integrity weaker. that's the main reason why snooker and 3-cushion billiard cues have less inlays than a pool cue. pool cues with a lot of inlays tend to start making a buzzing noise, thus slowly comming apart. johnny archer had to stop playing with his $13,000 scho'n because the ebony and ivory which was in the area of 125 inlays! started loosening!, johnny said the cue didn't hit solid and had to get rid of it. now, let's let blud answer.

 

[Rickw]

every time you put an inlay into a cue, your "digging in" thus making the integrity weaker. that's the main reason why snooker and 3-cushion billiard cues have less inlays than a pool cue. pool cues with a lot of inlays tend to start making a buzzing noise, thus slowly comming apart. johnny archer had to stop playing with his $13,000 scho'n because the ebony and ivory which was in the area of 125 inlays! started loosening!, johnny said the cue didn't hit solid and had to get rid of it. now, let's let blud answer.

Thanks Bernie, that's why I thought I'd ask Blud this question. It seems to me that if you have a lot of inlays like some of the beautiful cues you see in the upper echelon of cost, they would not play as good as a more simple cues without all those inlays.

 

[Joseph Cues]

Inlays are about .125" deep at the most.
If you core out a forearm, .750" in size, the top of the forearm is about .850 and the bottom is around 1 inch to 1.050. The inlays do not even dig in to the core.
If the core, the heart of the forearm, is made of a tight grain maple that has good tone, the inlays wouldn't even affect the hit in my opinion.
What matters more are the quality of the woods together and how they are assembled imo.

 

[Rickw]

Inlays are about .125" deep at the most.
If you core out a forearm, .750" in size, the top of the forearm is about .850 and the bottom is around 1 inch to 1.050. The inlays do not even dig in to the core.
If the core, the heart of the forearm, is made of a tight grain maple that has good tone, the inlays wouldn't even affect the hit in my opinion.
What matters more are the quality of the woods together and how they are assembled imo.

Thanks. I didn't know how deep those inlays were. That's interesting!

 

[Pelican]

every time you put an inlay into a cue, your "digging in" thus making the integrity weaker. that's the main reason why snooker and 3-cushion billiard cues have less inlays than a pool cue. pool cues with a lot of inlays tend to start making a buzzing noise, thus slowly comming apart. johnny archer had to stop playing with his $13,000 scho'n because the ebony and ivory which was in the area of 125 inlays! started loosening!, johnny said the cue didn't hit solid and had to get rid of it. now, let's let blud answer.

Yup, I hear them Bill Shick, Paul Mottey, Richard Black, Burton Spain, Leonard Bludworth, etc. cues just a buzzin' in the pool halls at night. Bernie, you a trip dude.

 

[Rickw]

Pelican

Yup, I hear them Bill Shick, Paul Mottey, Richard Black, Burton Spain, Leonard Bludworth, etc. cues just a buzzin' in the pool halls at night. Bernie, you a trip dude.

If the cuemakers are still making them and the players are still buying them, especially considering the cost, it does make you wonder huh? Bernie doesn't seem to let facts get in the way of his opinions.

 

[Rich R.]

every time you put an inlay into a cue, your "digging in" thus making the integrity weaker. that's the main reason why snooker and 3-cushion billiard cues have less inlays than a pool cue. pool cues with a lot of inlays tend to start making a buzzing noise, thus slowly comming apart. johnny archer had to stop playing with his $13,000 scho'n because the ebony and ivory which was in the area of 125 inlays! started loosening!, johnny said the cue didn't hit solid and had to get rid of it. now, let's let blud answer.

If your cue is making a buzzing noise, you have problems that have nothing to do with the inlays. If I may be so bold to suggest, try getting a cue, from a reputable cue maker next time, however, it will cost you more than the $10.00 you paid for the cue that is buzzing.

 

[Rickw]

My curiosity was that the weights of some of these inlays and different types of wood might have a deleterious effect with the hit of the cue. Take ebony for example, it is a very heavy wood. I've worked with ebony before and I know how heavy it is compared to other woods. It also has a much different texture than other woods and because of that, I just wondered if it would be difficult to ensure a quality hit by using it. The bottom line here is that I don't really know and that's why I'm asking.

 

[Rickw]

Oh, one more thing. I love the look of ebony but I wouldn't want to trade off a good hitting cue for one that looks nice.