Reducing Cue Weight

[Matt-10ant]

A friend of mine is looking to have the weight of his cue reduced but I keep telling him not to as he only thinks the cue will play the same but just be lighter.

Is this true would the cue play the same as before??

[golferson123]

short answer no,and if he wants it to play the same why?

[Master Blaster]

A friend of mine is looking to have the weight of his cue reduced but I keep telling him not to as he only thinks the cue will play the same but just be lighter.

Is this true would the cue play the same as before??

No, it will not play the same. Sometimes, the butt may need drilling out unless a splice can be removed and the weight is under that? If it's drilled, it's then plugged with some new timber which is obviously not the original shaft (I'm assuming it's a 1-piece in saying that) so expect a loss of how the cue originally felt. If it's a 3/4, getting the weight out, putting in a new weight and filling any gap isn't so drastic but it's still gonna feel different. And of course, a lighter cue cannot feel the same as a heavier cue.

As ever, I think the best thing to do is go to a cue shop and try some cues (or mates' cues) of a lower weight. If it feels better, buy one and sell the first cue. Hee won't be out of pocket because doctoring cues isn't cheap and it rarely leads to a better cue, usually a worse cue.

[Matt-10ant]

Yes the cue is a one piece and I understand what your both saying as I've tried to explain that it might not hit the same but I guess he might have to learn the hard way

[Master Blaster]

Yes the cue is a one piece and I understand what your both saying as I've tried to explain that it might not hit the same but I guess he might have to learn the hard way

I hope it's not an expensive cue going awry. Fingers crossed it may work out for him. The worst adjustment in my opinion is adding weight. This is a nightmare, not just for feel but also for the balance of the cue. At least this chap is going lighter. If they plug it with some nice ash in the drill hole, maybe it can work out ok. But it will not feel the same and if he wants a lighter cue then he must be unhappy with how a heavier cue feels? Yeah, why does he want it to be lighter? How heavy is it?

The central problem of adjusting cues is that they're not designed to be adjusted by dint of how they were made. Once the construction of the cue is messed with, the feel changes because the cue has become something the maker did not intend. If the splice can be lifted and the weight dug out by the cue doc, change can be minimised. Depends where the weight was put in suppose.

[sanman]

By thinning the butt by a mm you might be able to shave of close to an ounce if he can live with a thinner butt

[Master Blaster]

By thinning the butt by a mm you might be able to shave of close to an ounce if he can live with a thinner butt

That's the problem, it all gets a bit Frankenstein.

[sanman]

Not quiet but not reversible

[golferson123]

By thinning the butt by a mm you might be able to shave of close to an ounce if he can live with a thinner butt

Thin butts are nice to look at,fat butts nice to hold

[sanman]

Round butt is best butt not on a snooker cue eh

[Master Blaster]

Not quiet but not reversible

So what do you think cue makers golferson and sanman, should he simply buy another cue that is lighter and sell the other one.

[Matt-10ant]

I'm insure of the exact specs but it feels around 19ounce maybe a little lighter and 30mm but same again not sure

[golferson123]

Tinker for me,its how you learn ands its fun

[Master Blaster]

I'm insure of the exact specs but it feels around 19ounce maybe a little lighter and 30mm but same again not sure

I know where he's coming from, 19oz feels heavy, it's amazing how an ounce extra can make a big difference when there are already 18 there. New cue for me and that's exactly what I did. Happy to be on just over 17oz now. But good luck to him, just make sure the cue doc knows what he's doing and has a great rep for your mate.