What Cue do you have?

[ADR147]

Hello apa147, I consider having a cue custom made 58.25" long, the same as yours. I wanted to go for 59" at first, then reconsidered and figured that 58.5" was perfect and now I have come to the conclusion that 58.25" would be best. Meanwhile I even give some thought to the idea of going for the more common length of 58".

This thread seems to confirm that anything above 58" is really unusual. And 58" cues are readily available, no need for custom making. Do you think that 1/4 inch makes any noticable difference?

Maybe this thread would be even more interesting if not only the cue length but also the height of the cue's owner was revealed. I'm 1.83 meters tall and I think that the 58.25" length would allow me to grab that butt with my entire hand, whereas the little finger might be almost behind the butt if I'd take it 58" long. The question is: would that harm my cuing action? I think the little finger isn't really used anyway.

Well,... I guess I'm drifting off topic here...

What I actually wanted to ask: What do you mean by "very thick taper"? I thought that the taper describes the shape of the cue (such as conical) and not its thickness?

I thought that snooker cues are always conically shaped. Is yours shaped differently?

If by taper you mean butt diameter, then I guess it is not possible to make that one to a certain value, if you expect the cue to have a certain length, weight, butt length and wood it is made of. Since all these parameters are interdependent: reducing the butt diameter will result in reduced weight, for instance.

Hmm, anyhow, I would be grateful if you could explain what exactly I should discuss with my cue smith when ordering a cue.

METHINKS YOU SHOULD POSSIBLY TRY THE DIFFERENT LENGTHS FIRST

[apa147]

Hello apa147, I consider having a cue custom made 58.25" long, the same as yours. I wanted to go for 59" at first, then reconsidered and figured that 58.5" was perfect and now I have come to the conclusion that 58.25" would be best. Meanwhile I even give some thought to the idea of going for the more common length of 58".

This thread seems to confirm that anything above 58" is really unusual. And 58" cues are readily available, no need for custom making. Do you think that 1/4 inch makes any noticable difference?

Maybe this thread would be even more interesting if not only the cue length but also the height of the cue's owner was revealed. I'm 1.83 meters tall and I think that the 58.25" length would allow me to grab that butt with my entire hand, whereas the little finger might be almost behind the butt if I'd take it 58" long. The question is: would that harm my cuing action? I think the little finger isn't really used anyway.

Well,... I guess I'm drifting off topic here...

What I actually wanted to ask: What do you mean by "very thick taper"? I thought that the taper describes the shape of the cue (such as conical) and not its thickness?

I thought that snooker cues are always conically shaped. Is yours shaped differently?

If by taper you mean butt diameter, then I guess it is not possible to make that one to a certain value, if you expect the cue to have a certain length, weight, butt length and wood it is made of. Since all these parameters are interdependent: reducing the butt diameter will result in reduced weight, for instance.

Hmm, anyhow, I would be grateful if you could explain what exactly I should discuss with my cue smith when ordering a cue.

I don't think 1/4 inch makes much difference and I doubt if you would even notice it. The cue I purchased was an off the shelf model which just happened to be 58.25".

The taper is the rate at which the wood thins out to the tip end. A thick taper thins out very quickly at the end so is fatter in the main part of the shaft.

The most important thing in a cue is the ash or maple wood itself. That's why some top pro's get 5 or more cues made exactly to the same spec as each will be different.

I find heavy density wood based cues to be unresponsive. For me the ideal combination is medium density and very stiff, but this is only a personal choice and wouldn't suit everyone.

I'd recommend that you pay a visit to shop which has plenty of cues and a table to try them out on - you may well find what you're looking for.

[astra4]

I find heavy density wood based cues to be unresponsive. For me the ideal combination is medium density and very stiff, but this is only a personal choice and wouldn't suit everyone.

I'd recommend that you pay a visit to shop which has plenty of cues and a table to try them out on - you may well find what you're looking for.

Heavy density wood based, that would be any cue with an ebony shaft, wouldn't it? But then, pretty much any snooker cue seems to have an ebony shaft, maybe with lower density splices.

I guess there is some high density wood in your cue as well, since it weight's 18.5 oz?

I did try some cues, but in the 58 - 59" length range I can't find no cues to try, the shops I visited don't have anything above 58" and the house cues in the snooker centers are always 57".

[ADR147]

where do you live? and i will see if i know someone nearby who can help you.

an ebony shaft these days would be expensive and most people would not like the look.

[trevs1]

Heavy density wood based, that would be any cue with an ebony shaft, wouldn't it? But then, pretty much any snooker cue seems to have an ebony shaft, maybe with lower density splices.

I guess there is some high density wood in your cue as well, since it weight's 18.5 oz?

I did try some cues, but in the 58 - 59" length range I can't find no cues to try, the shops I visited don't have anything above 58" and the house cues in the snooker centers are always 57".

I think you're becoming a little confused over your shafts and butts here.

What apa147 is speaking of is the shaft only, not the butt.
A cue shaft is the front part and is usually made fron ash or maple (both pale coloured timbers), it's the part which goes into the tip end, resting on top of your bridge hand.

The butt end of a cue is the back part, or the part which you'd grip and push forwards to deliver the cue when playing a shot, and in a decent quality cue is usually made from ebony (a blackish coloured timber)

Cues do not have ebony in the shafts as a rule, this is mainly because it would be extremely expensive to produce, and, far too heavy to be of any real value to anyone. What apa147 was speaking of is the variation of density 'WITHIN' certain species of timber, such as ash and maple.
He was stating that he found a shaft with too dense a timber to be rather unresponsive with the white ball. He was not meaning 'dense timber' as in ebony, but rather ash or maple.

I think from reading what you've asked about here, the length seems to be the biggest issue. If you're in doubt over which cue to buy, don't buy any.
Try as many as you can, this will give you more idea of what to look for when buying. I think many players can get a little confused over too many details, when in reality, they're just not sure enough of the basic specs that suit them best. This is clearly a sign of inexperience, so if this sound like you, then I'd not be overly concerned about this or that in technical terms.
My advice would be to find a weight you like, a ferrule diameter you like and a length you like, then go with that.

Unfortunately for you, you seem to want a longer cue than is readily available. This is just not possible unless you get something built specifically for you, which can be a little pricey. If this is the way you eventually go, I'd always go slightly over any 'uncertain' dimensions, as these can always be reduced back to suit. Making a cue longer or thicker than it 'currently' is can prove costly, so it's better not to be too minimal with your specifications.

Ultimately, don't rush your choice. The more you play, the more will become clear over what you prefer in the way of the finer details.

Good luck anyway..

[ADR147]

I think you're becoming a little confused over your shafts and butts here.

What apa147 is speaking of is the shaft only, not the butt.
A cue shaft is the front part and is usually made fron ash or maple (both pale coloured timbers), it's the part which goes into the tip end, resting on top of your bridge hand.

The butt end of a cue is the back part, or the part which you'd grip and push forwards to deliver the cue when playing a shot, and in a decent quality cue is usually made from ebony (a blackish coloured timber)

Cues do not have ebony in the shafts as a rule, this is mainly because it would be extremely expensive to produce, and, far too heavy to be of any real value to anyone. What apa147 was speaking of is the variation of density 'WITHIN' certain species of timber, such as ash and maple.
He was stating that he found a shaft with too dense a timber to be rather unresponsive with the white ball. He was not meaning 'dense timber' as in ebony, but rather ash or maple.

I think from reading what you've asked about here, the length seems to be the biggest issue. If you're in doubt over which cue to buy, don't buy any.
Try as many as you can, this will give you more idea of what to look for when buying. I think many players can get a little confused over too many details, when in reality, they're just not sure enough of the basic specs that suit them best. This is clearly a sign of inexperience, so if this sound like you, then I'd not be overly concerned about this or that in technical terms.
My advice would be to find a weight you like, a ferrule diameter you like and a length you like, then go with that.

Unfortunately for you, you seem to want a longer cue than is readily available. This is just not possible unless you get something built specifically for you, which can be a little pricey. If this is the way you eventually go, I'd always go slightly over any 'uncertain' dimensions, as these can always be reduced back to suit. Making a cue longer or thicker than it 'currently' is can prove costly, so it's better not to be too minimal with your specifications.

Ultimately, don't rush your choice. The more you play, the more will become clear over what you prefer in the way of the finer details.

Good luck anyway..

splendid post trevor - that is what i wanted to say but was too lazy to type!

[astra4]

Thanks for your replies, very instructive, I'd never have thought that you mean the shaft, so I understand that ash can be of higher or lower density, very interesting.

Well yes, that is pretty much it, I'm uncertain about the length. What I do know is that 57" is way too short, since I have 2 fingers in the air when cueing. I think that 58.25" would be just enough for me to have all the fingers on the cue, with a 58" cue I once used that was a little limit, half of the little finger was behind the butt. The question is: is that acceptable, or even good, or rather something to be avoided?

I think that I would want to choose the butt diameter as well. I found 29 mm to be too thin and 31 mm too thick for my liking, and I liked the 30 mm one. I'll need to choose a weight which is possible with this diameter, probably something above 18 oz.

Well... I'll see if I can find some other cue to try out at our club evening tomorrow night.

[ADR147]

every cue is different and you should maybe not have any pre-concieved ideas about what you want - the real trick is to try a few and find out EXACTLY what you like.

[scott]

my cue is a peter hanley cue, its australain and suited more for aussie conditions, its 3/4, ebony butt, ash shaft, with 6 inch extension, am saving for a screw in extension for the future. I am 6 foot in height, the weight is 18.5 and I love the cue, beatiful and great for touch shots, will never get rid of it, has my dads name on the butt as its in memory of my old man and I will pass this cue onto my son in due time, it will stay in the family forever, the tip size in 9 ml.

[apa147]

Thanks for your replies, very instructive, I'd never have thought that you mean the shaft, so I understand that ash can be of higher or lower density, very interesting.

Well yes, that is pretty much it, I'm uncertain about the length. What I do know is that 57" is way too short, since I have 2 fingers in the air when cueing. I think that 58.25" would be just enough for me to have all the fingers on the cue, with a 58" cue I once used that was a little limit, half of the little finger was behind the butt. The question is: is that acceptable, or even good, or rather something to be avoided?

I think that I would want to choose the butt diameter as well. I found 29 mm to be too thin and 31 mm too thick for my liking, and I liked the 30 mm one. I'll need to choose a weight which is possible with this diameter, probably something above 18 oz.

Well... I'll see if I can find some other cue to try out at our club evening tomorrow night.

It's acceptable to have fingers looped over the back of a cue when extra reach is required, but not for general shots. Is your bridge hand a long way away from the white, do you need to compact your action? Try holding the butt of the cue near the end before putting your bridge hand on the table which should bring it closer to the white naturally. For info I'm 6ft 2" and have used both 57" and 58" cues, it just takes a couple of weeks to get used to the different length.

[trevs1]

It's acceptable to have fingers looped over the back of a cue when extra reach is required, but not for general shots. Is your bridge hand a long way away from the white, do you need to compact your action? Try holding the butt of the cue near the end before putting your bridge hand on the table which should bring it closer to the white naturally. For info I'm 6ft 2" and have used both 57" and 58" cues, it just takes a couple of weeks to get used to the different length.

I think you're possibly offering too much information to this player.

To me, he appears to be fairly new to the sport, or at least, somewhat inexperienced. I'd just concentrate on playing and enjoying it, improvement comes with practise and no amount of technical advice is going to aid a novice player. I'd say it can be counterproductive to know, or be informed of, too much technical detail.

Get a cue...go and play.

[chrishart147]

That's a very nice cue,
what does it play like as i am about to order a special edition Parris cue with the racing flag butt design.

Kind regards
Chris

[Watford]

You could always get a quote form Trevs1 first!
He made my cue and his cue are Parris quality.
In fact from what I've seen better.

[ADR147]

or you could get one from me and a new car!

[Sam147]

I have a John Parris - Regal cue, It's 57'' long, joint @ 16'', 18 Oz with a 9.5 mm tip, it's got a mini butt extention as well as an SD telescopic extention.

the grains form a few arrows pointing forward on the top side which in fact is quite helpful in sighting

S