Soft hitting custom cue maker cues?

For what it's worth, if someone asked me what I'd do to soften the hit of their cue these are the things I would do and in this order. It's a lot. But the idea is to get you where you want to go without going too far. And, yes. It's overkill. But you're basically tuning your cue. And if you take the game seriously it'll be worth it if you're looking for a very specific hit/sound. If you're feeling adventurous and want to take a shotgun to the problem, go ahead do all of these at once. It's anybody's guess how the cue will play. But at least you'll know pretty quickly.

1. Change to a quality soft tip
2. Change the tip (same tip but new) but add a pad
3. Change the ferrule to a softer material than what's currently on the cue. Another new tip just like the one that was on it but no pad.
4. Change the tip yet again (same tip but new) and add a pad.
5. Have the taper lengthened.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Any competent cue maker can build you a cue that meets your requirements but remember none are mind readers.
Click to expand...
Smaller diameter tips have less deflection.
Hole drilled in tip/ferule have less deflection.
Lighter ferrule results in less deflection.
Longer (from tip) straight before starting taper to joint results in softer hits.
Taper beginning at Ferrule results in harder hits (more power).

If you know what you want, any competent cue maker can satisfy.
But YOU need to have that discussion with HIM.
 
MitchAlsup said:
Smaller diameter tips have less deflection.
Hole drilled in tip/ferule have less deflection.
Lighter ferrule results in less deflection.
Longer (from tip) straight before starting taper to joint results in softer hits.
Taper beginning at Ferrule results in harder hits (more power).

If you know what you want, any competent cue maker can satisfy.
But YOU need to have that discussion with HIM.
Click to expand...
Absolutely right on everything you said except to the best of my knowledge, doesn’t every taper start at the ferrule
and extend up the shaft? Interestingly, you picked up on deflection but that does not have to coincide with the OP
query…….softest hitting cue. Only the cue maker can help with that but like I earlier posted, none are mind readers.
 
I have a Scruggs and a Jacoby, both have a 5/16x14 joint and both have a softer hit than my Schons or McDaniel with the same joint.
Well Scruggs in not around anymore but maybe Jacoby can make you one.
I wasn't a fan of the soft hitting cues but fitted with a CF shafts that have a stiff hit like the Predator Revo, it balances nice and feel preaty good.
 
CeaseLess said:
It seems that most of the custom cues I've hit with tend to be stiffer. Are there any cue makers that make a cue with softer, more subtle or buttery hit? Also what shafts have you played with that you recommend for a softer or whippier hit? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
I'm curious, what has happened to change your perspective from a few short years ago...?

CeaseLess

Post in thread '300-600 dollar cue advice'

Ghost of OBC said:
I play Schmelke cues. For your budget you could get a player and a breaker, maybe fit a keilwood or carbon shaft in the budget as well. Made in USA. Not fancy, but honest.
Click to expand...
That is also what I play with currently, I think they might hit a bit soft for my liking.

Did you find a firmer hitting cue and decide that you really do prefer the soft hitting cue that you previously had?
 
While I would not consider my Carmeli cues, both with a G2 soft tip, to "hit soft", I've mentioned and compared it before to hitting a forged iron vs a cast iron in golf. The forged iron pure will give you lots of feedback and a "like butter" feel, especially with a good ball vs a cast iron just feeling more rigid with less feedback. My custom built Jim Pierce is similar, also with a G2 soft tip.
 
sbrownn said:
While I would not consider my Carmeli cues, both with a G2 soft tip, to "hit soft", I've mentioned and compared it before to hitting a forged iron vs a cast iron in golf. The forged iron pure will give you lots of feedback and a "like butter" feel, especially with a good ball vs a cast iron just feeling more rigid with less feedback. My custom built Jim Pierce is similar, also with a G2 soft tip.
Click to expand...
This is so spot on. Hitting a premium ball with a forged iron just feels better than hitting a budget ball with a cast iron. And until you do it for a while and have some time to think about it, it's kind of hard to put into words. It just feels better. To anyone who has never played golf, I know this sounds insane. But I vividly remember one shot where I hit a nice Ping wedge out of a bunker and I could literally feel the ball and sand grinding against the face of the club at contact. The ball actually did a little bit of a dance when it landed on the green and I'll never forget my buddy blurting out, "Man!!! That ball had some ju-ju on it!" Side Note: I'm a TERRIBLE golfer.
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
This is so spot on. Hitting a premium ball with a forged iron just feels better than hitting a budget ball with a cast iron. And until you do it for a while and have some time to think about it, it's kind of hard to put into words. It just feels better. To anyone who has never played golf, I know this sounds insane. But I vividly remember one shot where I hit a nice Ping wedge out of a bunker and I could literally feel the ball and sand grinding against the face of the club at contact. The ball actually did a little bit of a dance when it landed on the green and I'll never forget my buddy blurting out, "Man!!! That ball had some ju-ju on it!" Side Note: I'm a TERRIBLE golfer.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the thumbs up and story. Note, the only modifications I've done on some of my Carmeli shafts is changing the taper to a long pro one at 12.5mm and installing the G2 tips.
 
Nick8400 said:
I had a couple Schons that hit real soft. I’ve never played with a Runde though. I’d be curious to know if his cues have a similar feel. I hope to buy one of his cues soon.

I also find radial pin cues to feel like a softer hit. Am I the only?
Click to expand...
I would say that that is the exact polar opposite of how Schons hit. They are in my back yard so I have had a few and hit many.
 
skor said:
I have a Scruggs and a Jacoby, both have a 5/16x14 joint and both have a softer hit than my Schons or McDaniel with the same joint.
Well Scruggs in not around anymore but maybe Jacoby can make you one.
I wasn't a fan of the soft hitting cues but fitted with a CF shafts that have a stiff hit like the Predator Revo, it balances nice and feel preaty good.
Click to expand...
The relatively softer hit of Jacoby's is what always kept me from buying one. Being in Wisconsin I have come across a lot of them too.
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
I can't help myself here because I love this topic.

So, I always thought I preferred softer hitting cues. But after a lot of time at the table and way too much cash, what I figured out was that I like a relatively stiff shaft but quiet hit. I ordered a Samsara new from them around 25 years ago. Holy hell... Any hit even slightly off center make the most god awful (to me) "PING!" or "PLINK!" sound. The cue moved the ball around very nicely and felt great in my hands. But that sound drove me nuts. So I ended up changing the melamine ferrule and Sumo tip to an ivory ferrule with a Moori tip. That made all the difference in the world. It went from "PING!" or "PLINK!" to a noticeable but satisfying "Dink." (That looks ridiculous in words. But I bet most of you know what I'm talking about.) And the taper didn't change so it was still stiff and moved the cue ball around beautifully. That cue is the only thing I've ever regretted selling.
Click to expand...
Ivory ferrules are genuinely the best you can have from appearance, weight, compression, acoustical sound and impervious to any stains like bluing from the cue owner misapplying chalk to the cue tip. The finest cues made down through the annals of cue making history had ivory ferrules. It wasn’t because ivory was inexpensive. It’s because ivory makes the best ferrules.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Absolutely right on everything you said except to the best of my knowledge, doesn’t every taper start at the ferrule
and extend up the shaft? Interestingly, you picked up on deflection but that does not have to coincide with the OP
query…….softest hitting cue. Only the cue maker can help with that but like I earlier posted, none are mind readers.
Click to expand...

Some tapers start right at the ferrule.
Some tapers go about 6"-8" at tip diameter before starting to widen.
Some tapers go about 12"-14" at nearly tip diameter before starting to widen.
Some tapers have a long radius between the straight part and the conical part.
Some tapers have a rather shorter radius between ...
Some tapers use a parabola instead of a radius ...

And many owners would need a dial caliper to see what taper is on the shaft they prefer.

So, in a technical sense, you are correct that the taper ALWAYS starts at the ferrule.
But in another sense, you don't/can/t feel the taper in your bridge until you are 8"-12" back from the ferule (European Pro taper)
 
Bavafongoul said:
Ivory ferrules are genuinely the best you can have from appearance, weight, compression, acoustical sound and impervious to any stains like bluing from the cue owner misapplying chalk to the cue tip. The finest cues made down through the annals of cue making history had ivory ferrules. It wasn’t because ivory was inexpensive. It’s because ivory makes the best ferrules.
Click to expand...
My first ivory-ferrule cue was made for me by Richard Black back in 1978.

It was an ebony four-point that looked exactly like a Balabushka.

My second cue from him in 1981 had ivory ferrules, as well.
 
Bavafongoul said:
Ivory ferrules are genuinely the best you can have from appearance, weight, compression, acoustical sound and impervious to any stains like bluing from the cue owner misapplying chalk to the cue tip. The finest cues made down through the annals of cue making history had ivory ferrules. It wasn’t because ivory was inexpensive. It’s because ivory makes the best ferrules.
Click to expand...
They're the best I've used from an appearance hit perspective. Although, I did have an older Schon that was extremely similar to the current STL 07 model. It wasn't an R Series and had inlaid points. But it had a pretty sweet ferrule on it as well. I don't think it was micarta because it didn't have any kind of weave to it and it definitely didn't have that old mason's micarta yellow patina. It was kind of an off-white/cream color. But whatever it was, it didn't stain with chalk and held a nice polish. It also hit ten times better than the new Schon shaft I got to go with it.

Having said all that, I would like to try Tomahawk. I've heard it's got a good hit, polishes nicely, and doesn't stain.
 
MitchAlsup said:
Some tapers start right at the ferrule.
Some tapers go about 6"-8" at tip diameter before starting to widen.
Some tapers go about 12"-14" at nearly tip diameter before starting to widen.
Some tapers have a long radius between the straight part and the conical part.
Some tapers have a rather shorter radius between ...
Some tapers use a parabola instead of a radius ...

And many owners would need a dial caliper to see what taper is on the shaft they prefer.

So, in a technical sense, you are correct that the taper ALWAYS starts at the ferrule.
But in another sense, you don't/can/t feel the taper in your bridge until you are 8"-12" back from the ferule (European Pro taper)
Click to expand...
So you were referring to where the shaft size proportionately increases down the length on 29” of wood, i.e., shaft.
Absolutely agree….my cues have an a slightly extended pro taper of 14-15 inches regardless of the shaft diameter.
I make it a point to also have heavier weight shafts since the butts on almost all my cues are by design only 14.5 ozs.
 
CeaseLess said:
Are there any cue makers that make a cue with softer, more subtle or buttery hit?
Click to expand...
Buy McDermott Defy shaft now!
McDermott designed that shaft to be softer with a non-carbon-fiber sound. They did that by using special carbon-fiber rod or a CF coating to absorb vibration. McDermott succeeded. See YouTube videos of a Defy shaft dropped on a pool table and not bouncing. This is unusual and, as Dr Dave and Bob Jewett have shown, this can be made into a test of energy transfer efficiency of hit to cue ball. Players swear by the Defy shaft and speak of its soft hit. I think this is what you are looking for in your softer, more subtle or buttery hit.

This sounds wrong to me but your request sounds exactly why McDermott did what it did with its Defy (less the need for a non-boinking sound).

McDermott's description of the CF used in Defy:
  • SmacWrap, originally designed for the aerospace industry, absorbs vibration and dampens noise resulting in a confident hit with a soft feel and quiet sound
YouTuber pleasantly surprised at Defy's no-bounce shaft:

Bob Jewett's and Dr Dave's easy bounce test for energy efficiency:

AZers speak of the soft (buttery?) Defy hit:
T

Thread 'McDermott Defy'

While researching CF shafts, I've noticed very little feedback on the McDermott Defy. Even smaller companies like GO Customs have more reviews out there than the Defy & when reviewers do mass comparisons it usually isn't included. Given McDermott's size & presence, it D/N make sense to me.

If it were a terrible product I would still expect to see a lot of bad reviews out there, but there's next to nothing. It seems like people are rabid for CF & "the next big thing." Why don't people care about the Defy?
Defy shaft described.jpg
 
Last edited:
sbrownn said:
While I would not consider my Carmeli cues, both with a G2 soft tip, to "hit soft", I've mentioned and compared it before to hitting a forged iron vs a cast iron in golf. The forged iron pure will give you lots of feedback and a "like butter" feel, especially with a good ball vs a cast iron just feeling more rigid with less feedback. My custom built Jim Pierce is similar, also with a G2 soft tip.
Click to expand...
Pure'n one with forged blades is chubbie material. Nothin like it.
 
fastone371 said:
I would say that that is the exact polar opposite of how Schons hit. They are in my back yard so I have had a few and hit many.
Click to expand...
My backyard too. Although I’ve never been to the actually facility.

Maybe my memory is fooling me. I don’t remember my schons hitting hard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top