The butt of a cue

SHAKI12

Registered
hi im kinda new to billard and i want to know if the butt of cue influence the game ...

lets say : i have a 100 dollar cue with a Z2 predator shaft , does this make any diffrence then a 800 dollar cue with a Z2 shaft ??
 
The simple answer is maybe.

Some people care a lot about the diameter
of the butt and the balance of the cue which
involves the butt. Some people could not care
less.

If your question is "does the butt make a huge
difference in how the cue plays" then I think
in very general terms any good butt will be
pretty similar. Junk is junk and will play like junk.
A quality butt will probably "play" adequately
depending on what you expect. The joint will
have the greatest effect on the how the butt
plays but not the greatest effect on how the
cue plays overall.
 
I've tried several different shafts on inexpensive butts, and I think it depends of the butt.
For instance I bought a Viking butt (3/8-10 pin) on Ebay for under $100 because it matched a 314 shaft I had.
The fit was perfect and the cue played very well.
Sometimes the combination doesn't feel right, butt I know several people who are doing exactly what you are talking about, mostly with 314 shafts.
If you like the Z2 you have to match it up with something, so if the butt is well made you should be fine.
 
The answer is yes. The butt does affect the feel of the cue.
I believe your question is how much the butt affects the feel of a cue.
(feel free to say I am wrong)

I am no expect but here is my $.02

You go from the cue tip to the ferrule, then to the shaft, then to the joint and then finally to the butt as an order of effect on how the cue feels.

I has a Schmelke butt that I used a custom shaft on and it plays lights out.
Would I seel the butt yes, would I sell the shaft - NO WAY.

One thing to keep in mind is that the butt needs to feel right to you. They range from maybe 1.220 to 1.400 inches in diameter at the widest section.

I would suggest you grab a few butts :) and see which feels better than the others. That should give you a clue if you like them big or small and then you can adjust it from there.
 
deflection

so until the butt got a joint that fits with a Z2 it doesnt make great diffrence ? and the butt doesnt influence the deflection of the cue ball right ?
 
fell of the butt

i have a butt that feels good to me but my questions wasnt about the feeling more to the deflection , miscuing , stiffness ... but thanks anyways :) its still good to know that :)
 
i have a butt that feels good to me but my questions wasnt about the feeling more to the deflection , miscuing , stiffness ... but thanks anyways :) its still good to know that :)

If you like the butt & shaft, and if they are a good fit, the other issues should not be a problem.
People do it all the time, even pro players, and if it caused problems with miscues or deflection they wouldn't do it.
 
I know some people are sensitive to the weight of a cue. The majority of weight is in the butt of the cue, even more so when you put a Z2 on it. So yes, the butt does make a difference.
 
i have a butt that feels good to me but my questions wasnt about the feeling more to the deflection , miscuing , stiffness ... but thanks anyways :) its still good to know that :)

IMHO The butt can affect deflection. Go to the Mueicci website & watch the shaft testing video & see the chart. Pay paticular attention to the Adam Balabushka stats & Mr. muecci's comments regarding it. Now other than doing a similiar test on 'butts', how do we measure any significance difference from one butt to the next even in the same line or design? So... find one that that feels right to you.
 
ok so until i have a butt that isnt that expensive but feels right to me and has the perfect weight for me it doesnt make any diffrence then a 1000 $ butt ?
 
ok so until i have a butt that isnt that expensive but feels right to me and has the perfect weight for me it doesnt make any diffrence then a 1000 $ butt ?

Not really... for example you can buy a plain jane used Joss cue for say $150.00 and add a Predator shaft and have a great playing cue.

You can buy a thousand dollar custom, use the predator shaft and it will play about the same.
 
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IMHO I would say yes. I have 2 cues, both with predator shafts. One is an andy gilbert with a predator 314-2 and z2(without phenolic insert), and a predator sneaky pete with wood to wood collars (with the phenolic insert in both shaft and butt, and there is a noticable difference in the feel. It is probably because of the phenolic inserts in the predator cue.
 
For those who will say this thread is useless without pics.......... see below !!!

To answer the OP's quesiton, yes the butt matters. It will change the feel of how the cue (butt and shaft) play. You need to find one that has the right balance point, weight, diameter, etc.. that you like. Cost does not matter so much.

Back_zps275d79ca.jpg
 
For those who will say this thread is useless without pics.......... see below !!!

To answer the OP's quesiton, yes the butt matters. It will change the feel of how the cue (butt and shaft) play. You need to find one that has the right balance point, weight, diameter, etc.. that you like. Cost does not matter so much.

Back_zps275d79ca.jpg

I think the butt in that picture would look even nicer without the "butt cap". But the real question is, "How does she play?"
 
SHAKI12
You said you were fairly new to pool.
So I have make some assumtions and the fact you ask the question (they way you did) to me indicates you a beginner and want to bet better.

We have all been there. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Could the butt a of cue healp reduce the deflection of the CB?
Personally I don't belieeve it and I just don't buy it.
Even if I bought into that theory or science I could only see a very slight reduction in the deflection... what 2%.

You might be making this harder than what it really needs to be.

The thing to remember is that all cues will deflect the cb, it is just a matter of how much. That is a just a fact that we all deal with.
We all account for it some way or the other.

That is why you see posted all the time, play with your own cue and know how it feels, now what you can and cannot do with it.
 
SHAKI12
You said you were fairly new to pool.
So I have make some assumtions and the fact you ask the question (they way you did) to me indicates you a beginner and want to bet better.

We have all been there. Nothing at all wrong with that.

Could the butt a of cue healp reduce the deflection of the CB?
Personally I don't belieeve it and I just don't buy it.
Even if I bought into that theory or science I could only see a very slight reduction in the deflection... what 2%.

You might be making this harder than what it really needs to be.

The thing to remember is that all cues will deflect the cb, it is just a matter of how much. That is a just a fact that we all deal with.
We all account for it some way or the other.

That is why you see posted all the time, play with your own cue and know how it feels, now what you can and cannot do with it.

It is not the shaft as much as the tip diameter, 13 and larger will deflect the most, 9 or 10 mm there is very slight deflection due to not needing to go all the way out to edge of CB, but cue swerve is max. 11,12, and 12.75 seem to be happy medium less swerve, little deflection that can be judged for most shots. In all shafts you have to find pivot point though, so you can judge deflection when you cannot bridge at pivot point.
 
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I'm not a smart man...so I can't speak to the science behind what percentage of overall 'feel' comes from the buttsection.

I'm not a great player...so I can't speak to how slight differences in cue dimensions affect overall play of a cue.

I AM experienced in cue ownership. I've bought and played with more cues than any 50 people have a right to (and played equally poor with all of them).

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE DISCOVERED, PERSONALLY:

If you find a shaft that you like...that you REALLY, REALLY like...you can slap that bad boy on just about any buttsection and play as well as you ever have.

For me - I am a recent convert over to OB Classics. I own several, and have put them on 8 different cues (some custom, some production). I find there is very little difference between the buttsections, overall. My personal favorite, right now, is a simple Joss buttsection tied to a 4.2oz OB Classic shaft. The thing plays AWESOME. I could put that same shaft on a Tucker, Schon, Black Boar, Players, Searing, Szamboti, or Walmart Special...and assuming that the buttsection is solid, I wouldn't notice much of a difference.

End of the day - I think if you find a shaft that your thrilled with, stick with it, and don't let the buttsection details get you TOO wrapped up around the axle.
 
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