I mostly play 9 ball on a 9ft table and want to get some opinions on what custom cues i should be looking at. I want a cue that will move the ball around the table with less effort. I'm not familiar with all the stiff hitting cues and would like some suggestions. Thanks for any help on this.
Whats a good custom cue for 9 ball?
- Thread starter dlx3200
- Start date
I don't think your question is really as crazy as it sounds. I have owned a lot of cues and had more then a few that were not as easy to play 9-ball with as others. Years ago Meucci were very popular with 9-ball players. You could move the cue ball with little effort.
I had a Szamboti you could hardly draw the cue ball from a distance it felt so dead. Same with a Schuler pool cue I had, they were just not lively. Playing close bumping games like straight pool or one pocket I never had a problem with any cue but 9-ball was another story.
I know guys shell out like $2500.00 for a cue and they play with it all the time maybe never knowing there is a $200.00 out there they may play better with. That is the problem with high end cues, you are kind of stuck with it, even forcing yourself to play with a cue that really does not suit you because you spent all that money.
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I certainly wouldn't use a cue that was built for One Pocket play. The dynamics would be totally wrong for nine-ball.
An eight-ball cue would come closer to fitting your needs, as well as a cue built for ten-ball.
Snooker, and Billiard cues shouldn't even be considered.
Generally speaking, the smaller the person the heavier the cue. Purely physics. A little guy can whack the hell out of a ball with a heavier cue, but a big can't hit shit with a lighter one. It's one of those conundru...conindri....great mysteries.
I hope this helps. :smile:
An eight-ball cue would come closer to fitting your needs, as well as a cue built for ten-ball.
Snooker, and Billiard cues shouldn't even be considered.
Generally speaking, the smaller the person the heavier the cue. Purely physics. A little guy can whack the hell out of a ball with a heavier cue, but a big can't hit shit with a lighter one. It's one of those conundru...conindri....great mysteries.
I hope this helps. :smile:
Wouldn't that actually mean a heavier cue should be better for everyone, small or big?
Wouldn't that actually mean a heavier cue should be better for everyone, small or big?
Let me think about this for a moment. Hmmm!
When you say, "small or big?", do you mean the guy, or the cue, or just the cue and not the guy?
Regardless, I still maintain that a short cue is better for small tables.
:yes:
I agree. I like the older Meucci cues for nine ball.
And not the black dot plywood junk shaft either.
No cue will compensate for poor technique!
I had a guy wanting tips on his shafts so he could draw better...
Finding a cue with the right weight, balance, length, joint, shaft taper, tip diameter and a tip you like, can take time. But remember the ability to move the cueball around is all about your technique!
Start practicing, have someone film you playing, so you can see yourself playing. Buy a practice CB so you can judge where you hit relative to where you aim, thats where most of the problem usually is, when it comes to not getting the desired effect on the CB.
I had a guy wanting tips on his shafts so he could draw better...
Finding a cue with the right weight, balance, length, joint, shaft taper, tip diameter and a tip you like, can take time. But remember the ability to move the cueball around is all about your technique!
Start practicing, have someone film you playing, so you can see yourself playing. Buy a practice CB so you can judge where you hit relative to where you aim, thats where most of the problem usually is, when it comes to not getting the desired effect on the CB.
That all sounds good but it is common to lay several cues on a table and start trying them and you will find a difference in them with what you can do and how easily. I mentioned the Schuler pool cue I had. I was at a tournament and was hitting balls with the cue (I had just gotten it) I later did not use the cue in the tournament.
I commented to another player that this was the hardest cue to play with I had ever used. I said you can't draw the cue ball back from more then a few feet away. He tried it and he could not get the cue ball back either. The cue was totally dead when it came to moving the cue ball no matter who picked it up including Varner. This stuff is not in your head as some may want to imply.
I know the whole arrow and the indian argument, but when it comes to pool, some cues are just easier to play with then others. They assist your game rather then hinder it.
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I know there are different cues for billiards and snooker, however, I have never heard of a different cue for 9ball, one pocket etc. Have I been asleep or what?
I fully understsand the difference in the shots required and in each of the games. However, 9 ball you have to let it out more than one pocket, at least more often. Is it not more of stoke than the actual cue. Should you not pick a cue that feels the best and allows you to move the ball, then learn to control or throttle it?
I have never seen someone change a cue for a game like this.
Someone needs to straughten me out.
I fully understsand the difference in the shots required and in each of the games. However, 9 ball you have to let it out more than one pocket, at least more often. Is it not more of stoke than the actual cue. Should you not pick a cue that feels the best and allows you to move the ball, then learn to control or throttle it?
I have never seen someone change a cue for a game like this.
Someone needs to straughten me out.
I have a custom Jimmie Pierce and I'm not sure what he does to those bowling alley shafts of his, but in the days immediately after I got it in the mail I was banging balls and messing around trying different shots and I set up a medium length shot with just a little cut on it so I could hit a basic little "forced follow" shot and I nearly fell over! I'm telling you the ball just exploded to the rail (and beyond). It wasn't like I even tried to put a huge stroke on it, either. Just set up the shot really quick and...WOW!
I'm sure at least some of you are reading this, rolling your eyes thinking, "Shocker...Guy waits for months for his custom cue only to be excited by tbe way it hits." and I would be skeptical too if it hadn't happened to me. It was legitimately a religious experience. Jimmie had casually asked me to drop him a line and let him know what I thought after I had a chance to knock around a few balls. It was above and beyond me just being giddy to play with my new toy. I immediately called him to tell him what had just happened and asked him if anyone had ever made that point to him before. He just kind of laughed and said, "Not trying to be arrogant, but I get that all the time."
So, to answer your question, I would definitely recommend you at least make an effort to try a Pierce for yourself and if you do, please come back to this thread and let me know what you think. I have never played with a cue that was any easier to move the ball around a bigger table with, and if you are talking strictly stroking a ball with some forced follow on it, I would be surprised if anybody makes a cue any stronger than Jimmie Pierce.
I'm sure at least some of you are reading this, rolling your eyes thinking, "Shocker...Guy waits for months for his custom cue only to be excited by tbe way it hits." and I would be skeptical too if it hadn't happened to me. It was legitimately a religious experience. Jimmie had casually asked me to drop him a line and let him know what I thought after I had a chance to knock around a few balls. It was above and beyond me just being giddy to play with my new toy. I immediately called him to tell him what had just happened and asked him if anyone had ever made that point to him before. He just kind of laughed and said, "Not trying to be arrogant, but I get that all the time."
So, to answer your question, I would definitely recommend you at least make an effort to try a Pierce for yourself and if you do, please come back to this thread and let me know what you think. I have never played with a cue that was any easier to move the ball around a bigger table with, and if you are talking strictly stroking a ball with some forced follow on it, I would be surprised if anybody makes a cue any stronger than Jimmie Pierce.
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Get yourself a quality cue like a Schon, Pechauer, or others that won't break the bank. Take the shaft that comes with it and put it in your case and leave it there. Buy a custom shaft like Predator, OB, Jacoby..etc...made for the 5/16 x 14 pin for the Pechauer and Schon. If you don't like it after awhile then switch shafts. When you go to sell your cue put the original shaft back on it and sell it in pristine condition. Keep your custom shaft for the next butt with a 5/16 x 14 pin that you buy, or a pin that you prefer.
None of that contradicts what I was saying.
I was adressing two things:
-You need a certaing cue for 9ball, 10ball,straight pool etc.
-The cue is the limiting factor when transfering power to the CB.
I can`t see the point of having different cues for different games, where the ball diameter is the same (snooker, carambole and pyramid is a different thing all together...)
I`m not denying that finding a cue that feels good for you will make playing feel better and it can change things in you game to the better. I switched to 30" shafts and started using a 3" mid cue extension, that made me grip the cue more naturally, about the middle of the grip and my arm is now a perfect 90 degree angle.
But when I see people not getting enough draw or follow, that has nothing to do with the cue, but lack of proper technique. Players not following through on the draw shot or moving their body too much or follow shots executed with the cue in a downward or upward angle.
You have to work on that stuff first a $5000 want help.
If you have the chance, try out a 314-2 shaft with a decent tip (like for example a G2 tip or a Moori).
I think you will find this shaft moves the cueball really well. You'll sacrifice quite a bit of feel/feedback
with a Predator shaft but it does move the ball well.
If you cannot try one out locally then if the money is no issue just buy one new and have the right tip
put on, or if the money is an issue try and find a used one in good shape. If you do not like it you
can sell it for pretty much what you have invested minus shipping (and possibly tip change).
An alternative (a good one) would be an OB+ shaft, I would always recommend the 12.75 diameter
shafts over the smaller ones for 9ft pool.
You can combine this with any quality made butt you like from any good cuemaker.
gr. Dave
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So somebody pipes up and says "You gotta get a Meubotti cue, they move the ball better than anything." There are a bunch of problems with this. To start with there is a large variation in how MB shafts work because sometimes pine slips into their shaftwood bin. Second, even for the maple shafts, they don't play anything like what you're used to.
I think that if you are looking for a cue you intend to play with for a long time, you should shoot with it before you buy. Otherwise you might get stuck with pine. And splinters.
Next, you need to figure out some test shots. Most players have no idea about how to test a new cue. They are stupid as stumps and dumb as the dirt they're stuck in. I'll give you an example. I was hanging around a cue booth at a pool expo. This particular booth specialized in LD shafts which hit the cue ball straighter when applying side spin. About 5 customers tried one or more shafts while I was there, 3 bought shafts, and not a single one tried to put side spin on the ball. They just paid a couple of hundred dollars for a characteristic that they probably will never use.
Here's a test shot. With the cue ball behind the line, put an object ball half way to a far corner pocket for a straight shot. Draw the cue ball straight back to within a few inches of the end rail. If that's easy, move the object ball farther away.
Second shot for side spin: Put the cue ball on the head spot. Put the object ball frozen to the middle of the foot rail. Cut it in with inside english.
Good luck in your search.
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I personally believe this thread is making the process way more involved than it really need be, and is putting way more value in a cue than there should be. If you want to believe that paying over $1000 for a custom cue is going to help you shoot better, than that is up to you, but it just isn't true. I have several different cues that I use. One of them has a nice $200 low deflection shaft with a Kamui soft tip on it, another is a $30 cue that I got from Walmart when I started playing. I guarantee you that I can draw and spin the cue ball the same distances with each cue. The feel might be different, but there is nothing I can't do with my cheap cue that I can with my nice one as long as the cheap on has a well taken care of tip on it.
Someone else mentioned that your stroke is the most important part, and I can't agree with that enough. You will gain significantly more in your game by spending the money on lessons than you will get from buying the best cue there is. If you would like to spend a lot on a cue to get a solid hit with a nice looking cue that you can appreciate, by all mean do so, just don't expect that cue to change your level of play.
If it were me and I were looking for a playing cue (I play 9 ball 90% of the time), I would look at a quality production cue from a good brand like Schon, Joss, McDermott, Pechauer. The use of a low deflection shaft would be indivicual. It does help decrease the CB squirt (allowing you to decrease the amount you adjust when playing English), but the feel will be at least a little different. I do use one and feel it helps some, but I understand that it is not for everyone. You can spend more on a custom if you like, and there are many good makers out there, just remember that the custom won't elevate your game over a good production cue. Also any normal cue with a good tip will be just as good for 9 ball and 8 ball as any other.
That is my 2 cents.
Someone else mentioned that your stroke is the most important part, and I can't agree with that enough. You will gain significantly more in your game by spending the money on lessons than you will get from buying the best cue there is. If you would like to spend a lot on a cue to get a solid hit with a nice looking cue that you can appreciate, by all mean do so, just don't expect that cue to change your level of play.
If it were me and I were looking for a playing cue (I play 9 ball 90% of the time), I would look at a quality production cue from a good brand like Schon, Joss, McDermott, Pechauer. The use of a low deflection shaft would be indivicual. It does help decrease the CB squirt (allowing you to decrease the amount you adjust when playing English), but the feel will be at least a little different. I do use one and feel it helps some, but I understand that it is not for everyone. You can spend more on a custom if you like, and there are many good makers out there, just remember that the custom won't elevate your game over a good production cue. Also any normal cue with a good tip will be just as good for 9 ball and 8 ball as any other.
That is my 2 cents.