Whippyness...

[BombJack]

I'm looking to get a stick made, but I have a question (or rather a few questions lol).

Can you have a whippy cue, but one that is still quite heavy, say 18 - 19 oz?
I recall having an old cue - a Riley Burwat ash one piece, that was quite whippy, unfortunately it was weighted quite far to the butt of the cue, so it meant that shots with the cue ball tight to the rail were sometimes a bit troublesome to play due to the tip bouncing off the cue ball due to the lack of weight going through the ball. (I'm more of an 8 ball player than snooker). Still, I used to get some great action with the cue, and I think the whippyness had a huge bearing on this side of things.

Or, am I getting the wrong end of the stick? Is it because it was 1 piece rather than being 3/4 jointed, rather than being whippy?

Also, I had a shot of a Parris cue that seemed like a really nice player - it felt like I was really chucking a bit of weight at the cue ball, rather than being all butt heavy - how do you set up a cue so it plays like this?

Any tips would be great.

cheers!

[trevs1]

Welcome BombJack.

A short answer to your question is yes, a cue can be heavy and still whippy.

Also, yes, it's more likely that the cue had some decent response to it due to the spring through the shaft rather than it being a one piece cue. VERY stiff cues can tend to be a little lifeless at times, although it's not always that simple.

To be honest, you may be best looking ionto getting hold of another old cue, as many of these will be springier than newer, more solidly built cues. However, if you're looking to get something very specific, then perhaps you'll have to look at getting it made for you, although if you look around enough, I'm sure you'll find something which matches closely to your older cue.

[BombJack]

I was thinking about getting one made - closest maker really is Craftsman in Leeds, adn I'll be visiting Leeds fairly soon, so was going to take advantage. I also think they have quite a range of sticks in the showroom to try out. I might just get something off the rack.
I liked my old cues whippyness, but abhorred it's lack of forward weight.
All the cues I've had since don't seem to have the same whip at all - even my 8mm cue (but that's midway jointed).

[BombJack]

I was actually advised to go for a join at about 19" as this would give me forward weight in the cue. This sounds quite a bit further along than the standard(ish) 16".
Does this sound like a crazy idea?

[BombJack]

PS - Cheers for the feedback Trev - much appreciated mate.

[tmcthree]

Welcome BombJack.

A short answer to your question is yes, a cue can be heavy and still whippy.

Also, yes, it's more likely that the cue had some decent response to it due to the spring through the shaft rather than it being a one piece cue. VERY stiff cues can tend to be a little lifeless at times, although it's not always that simple.

To be honest, you may be best looking ionto getting hold of another old cue, as many of these will be springier than newer, more solidly built cues. However, if you're looking to get something very specific, then perhaps you'll have to look at getting it made for you, although if you look around enough, I'm sure you'll find something which matches closely to your older cue.

Hi Trev, what do you mean, "lifeless". I realise thats probably a stupid question, bujt a lot of people have said that and I don't know what that means.
I would have thought that the more stiff the cue the more consistent each shot would be at varying powers. That said, that would probably mean that the best cue would be made out of metal or something absolutely ridged, but that clearly isn't the case.

So why would anyone want a whippy cue?

[trevs1]

What I mean by lifeless, is a cue which makes it difficult to either hold the white ball, or, to create backspin on the white ball, with a reasonable degree of ease.

Many will know what it feels like to have a cue which seems to get instant grip or bite on the cueball when you strike it below centre, and likewise, what it's like when the cue appears to offer little or nothing in that respect.

It isn't THE only thing to look for in a cue, but, having a cue with this quality on offer does make more shots available to you as a player, and, on a more consistent level.

An example is when you have to play a long (perhaps 6 to 7 feet between white and object ball) shot when you are looking to hold the white dead on the spot where the object ball was stood. It is a lot more comfortable to play this kind of shot with a cue offering instant bite on the white ball, rather than one which makes you strike the ball very low and with increased pace, just to achieve the desired result.

A very 'dead' or unresponsive cue is almost like playing without all the tools at your disposal. Obviously, it does depend on how competent the plauyer using it is in the first place, but it's still a real asset in a cue.

[BombJack]

This is a great point. As I said, I'm an 8 ball player, an one of the things I used to do that would show I was cueing well, was to put the cue ball over one of the diagonal bags, with an object ball directly over the opposite diagonal pocket. I would then play a deep screw to pot the object ball and to zip the white back into the bag which the white was initially positioned over. If I was cueing well, I would, as I said zip the white back, but I've found, in the last few years, with other more rigid cues, that this kind of shot isn't as easy to make - not as much action.

[trevs1]

I was thinking about getting one made - closest maker really is Craftsman in Leeds, adn I'll be visiting Leeds fairly soon, so was going to take advantage. I also think they have quite a range of sticks in the showroom to try out. I might just get something off the rack.
I liked my old cues whippyness, but abhorred it's lack of forward weight.
All the cues I've had since don't seem to have the same whip at all - even my 8mm cue (but that's midway jointed).

If a trip to Craftsman Cues is not a problem for you, I'd definitely give it a go.

You will be able to try out a number of cues, and, will be able to see how they balance and feel as far as the spring is concerned. You might find a gem or you might not, but at least you'll have a bit more understanding of what you like, what's available and what's possible.

[ken147]

Hello Mr Trevor White.

I would like to order a custom made cue from you, how do I go about it?

my email is : kwong19868@hotmail.com

Many thanks

Ken.