the taper of a cue

[dave121260]

Hey guys would just like people's opinion on how the taper of a cue affects playability i.e. white ball response. I ask this question because I have a cue which is quite chunky and only has 8.5mm tip, will that affect how much response I get with the white in both pool and snooker. In pool I can usually screw the length of the table easily but with this cue I'm struggling to get half way and its affecting my game quite badly losing confidence on shots and with a few comp's coming up soon would like to try and rectify this problem. I've tried a lot of different tips but still get the same results. Do u think if I made the taper of the cue slimmer it would react better ?? could it be something else ?? a loose ferrule could it be the cue in general.

Your thoughts would be gratefully appreciated.

butt= 30.8mm
top of splicing= 25.7mm
half way= 21.5mm
12" from tip= 15mm
tip= 8.5mm

[perpetualboredom]

Sound like you timing is out, probably because the cue is unfamiliar to you.
Is the weight/balance point different to what you're used to? You should be able to screw the length of the table with a broom on a pool table, I've had the odd game with my 9 ball cue after I've been to the club and you can still ping the white around all over.

[dave121260]

Sound like you timing is out, probably because the cue is unfamiliar to you.
Is the weight/balance point different to what you're used to? You should be able to screw the length of the table with a broom on a pool table, I've had the odd game with my 9 ball cue after I've been to the club and you can still ping the white around all over.

that's what I thought so used a few of my mates cues and everything's fine

[jim evans]

most cues taper at approx 1mm every 3 ins

[dave121260]

most cues taper at approx 1mm every 3 ins

Cheers Jim but does it affect the overall responsiveness of a cue or does it not matter how thick or thin a cue is. When I strike the cue ball at times it feels unresponsive and makes a weird sort dull noise depending on what kind of shot I play.

[jrc750]

Every cue plays different, that's why lots of people keep searching for the one that suits them.
In my opinion your cue sounds very thick !!

[Tiger800]

The weight of the cue will affect how much torque you can apply to the CB, the rest of the dimensions will have little to do with it.
CB only knows, speed, angle of attack and point of contact.

[dave121260]

The weight of the cue will affect how much torque you can apply to the CB, the rest of the dimensions will have little to do with it.
CB only knows, speed, angle of attack and point of contact.

Fair point

[dave121260]

Every cue plays different, that's why lots of people keep searching for the one that suits them.
In my opinion your cue sounds very thick !!

It is quite chunky.

[dave121260]

The way I was thinking is the more solid a cue is (thickness) the less response you would get and vice verser. Think I'm confusing myself lol


Right correct me if I'm wrong when u strike a cue ball a cue will bend to take the power that you have put into the strike so if you have a fairly thick cue the stiffer it would be thus resulting in a less responsive way. Does that make sense

[Tiger800]

Probably more to do with the feel in your hand than the actual reaction, different taper, wood, weight etc will transmit a different feel to your hand.
I just had another thought, with a cue that is really fat in the shaft the tip can rise slightly more than it would with a thin shaft and cause you to strike the CB slightly higher than normal, possible?

[dave121260]

Yes very possible in fact quite a good Theory but that wouldn't explain the horrible noise and bad contact

[perpetualboredom]

Is the top of the cue/ferrule perfectly flat? When there's dishing/doming you get odd noises.
As with loose ferrules as you mentioned.

[Tiger800]

aye, pull the tip off check the ferrule and re-tip, if that doesn't fix it it's a loose weight, bad splice or cracked wood maybe.

[dave121260]

Ye completely flat it's almost a new cue