Here is my first "good" cue, ( my first few cues were not "good" cues by any stretch ), a National Tournament ( Gandy ). I had never heard of weight bolts back then and it was too heavy ( 22 oz ), so I sold it @ year later. I sure wish I still had it. I LOVED that cue. It hit balls solid as a rock.
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My first good cue was a custom-made catalog Joss from 1985. I ordered a non-stained BEM MW 19.0 oz with13 mm shafts. The cue I received was stained, 20.4 oz. and had 13.2 mm shafts. I received it the day before going into back surgery and had to decide whether or not to accept the cue under those difficult conditions of extreme back pain. Guys in the pool hall convinced me that I would learn to love the 20+ oz. weight, so I kept it. Unfortunately, I did not learn to like the cue, because it always felt so dead in my hands. Like Michael, I didn’t know about weight bolts or other modifications that could be made. I asked a local cue dealer, past pro player if it could be changed to be more to my expectations. He told me that once they were completed, there wasn’t really anything I could do and “the cue is all wrong” and “you need to buy a new Meucci” that he just happened to be selling. That started my down the path of seeking cue nirvana. I kept the Joss because it was a gift from someone dear to me and it was only worth the original $200 that was paid.
Fast forward quite a few years, after learning a lot about cues and after a lot more experience with different cue styles, I contacted Dan Janes who sent me an aluminum weight bolt for the cue. It brought the overall weight down to 19.1 oz. and of course, the balance point moved way forward. I had already learned to prefer thick, stiff shafts. And now this cue is my league playing cue. The bumper and bolt were replaced to accept a carbon fiber extension that can be attached and removed as needed. I own two custom cues that I prefer to this Joss, but the difference in performance is not in line with the difference in investment. I could sell off the more expensive cues, play only with the Joss and have nothing to complain about.