why bother with so many fanciful splices on a cue?

[mchpddl1]

Why do some players spend several hundred quids for a cue with so many splices? Its so well made and expensive will it affect his game as he is worrying so much not making a sratch ?

Why no pros using fanciful splice?too eye catching, or they simply consider they are pointless and won't improve their games at all? i understand that they might want their cues altered at some points, but at the moment o cannot imagine pros use cues with fanciful splices. The only guy i can see is Neil Robertson, who only uses simply splices with dark blue colour. I can imagine Dominic dale may try something different.

Or is it just an art? Why not seeing golf players, tennis players; hockey players bother about this art?

My conclusion is for those who are serious about their games, they don't care much about the decorations on their cues.

Any comments?

[Aussie8Ball]

Speaking as someone who's recently purchased a cue like this?

I was looking for a new cue and a bit of research showed that I could either buy (a) a piece of cheapo crap from China or (b) something handmade by one of a number of blokes in England.

I don't like Chinese crap.

So, given I was buying something relatively expensive from an English bloke, I decided that I might as well spend a few extra quid and get something that looks kinda nice as well. I do think you can go overboard with the decorations though, just my opinion. I like the 4 splice patterns rather than the single splice, feels better in the hand imho, a more even shape.

With that in mind, I read all the threads on this board and chose the 2 blokes who seemed to be the best cue makers. One had a website that didn't seem to allow me to submit my own design, the other had no website but would make any cue you could imagine.

Those blokes we call the best cue makers didn't earn their rep by making pretty butts - that's Hugh Hefner's job. They got their rep by making cues that play really well, and that's exactly what I got for my money.

[fudgeflaps]

It is a puzzler....... a lot of the pros use a piece of wood handed to them as a youngster and growing up with the cue, flaws and all, it becomes the vital 'extension of the arm'. It means everything, cost little and is probably, money-wise, worth nothing.

Yet.......... we are seeing so many beginners opt for eff-off fancy cues with plush cases which cost a packet!

Market forces, evolution of a sport, just the 'way it goes', natural progression?

[Aussie8Ball]

If my old cue hadn't been stolen when my car was broken into, I doubt I'd have even heard of Trevor White.

The people who buy dozens of cues, hoping to find some kind of silver bullet in a stick, them I don't understand.

[poolqjunkie]

I think a lot of people like to have some pride in their cues. It is not such a bad idea to have a cue that stands out, or a personal statement expressing one's taste through one's cue, is it?
About Golf, I think it is different, since the clubs are made from metal/fibre and are not hand made one at a time. But I still see many varies kind of club hand covers being used to add personal touch to one's bag--such as the tiger head cover on Tiger Wood's bag.
What I am more concerned with is the balance point and the hit--will it be affected if I have a cue made with very long splicing of a lighter wood at the butt end? Will the reducing use of ebony make the cue play different than a cue with a solid ebony butt? Do they need to add some weight to the butt to balance the cue, or make the butt longer with more ebony?
I like some exotic looking woods, and I know a lot of players do the same. For me, pink ivory, burl, olive wood, snakewood...are very beautiful to look at, and why not have them (well, some of them) on my cue, it I am going to be using it and looking at it all the time?

[fudgeflaps]

Fair enough, poolq, we're all entitled to pride in our possessions.

Sports, though, can be judgemental with regards to what you own and what you can do- a beginner with all mod-cons will look like the rich kid who can't kick a ball turning up to footie training in the most expensive strip and a pair of the best Adidas Predators, resulting in contempt from his contemporaries.

"Clothes don't maketh the man................"

[Aussie8Ball]

Fudge,
That's a fair point. But an 8 ball player who pots out on the break probably wouldn't look so dumb, wouldn't you agree?

[cueman]

The OP is quite right and it is an interesting comment. I play with a Parris Traditional, the reason being as when I bought it, it was the only 1 piece cue design that Parris made. I have owned plenty of other cues in that time, including multi spliced, fancy designed and each cue I've tried, despite how good they look, just don't perform as well as I'd like.

If you judge a cue on looks then you are nothing better than club player standard. Any decent player will pick up a cue and feel the balance and weight distribution and want to feel how it performs. Many players who order cues from whoever and want to have certain designs or splices tend to be pretty average to poor players as they are more concerned at the design than how the cue performs.

[fudgeflaps]

Fudge,
That's a fair point. But an 8 ball player who pots out on the break probably wouldn't look so dumb, wouldn't you agree?

Deffo, have to concede that.

[ADR147]

plently of pros have fancy splices by the way.

[fudgeflaps]

plently of pros have fancy splices by the way............

.............particularly on their "call me Mandy at weekends" special skirts.

Oooooooooooooh, suits you, sir! Fetching!!

[Wity]

Speaking as a bloke who has played snooker for 40 years off and on and never gave a monkeys about a cue as long as it felt right wasn't bent like Quinten Crisp and had a decent tip on it, 12 months ago wanting to buy a quality cue for my sons 21st I had my eyes opened to what is and isn't a good cue. Though I do think playing with a bespoke one wont really help your game other than the feel good factor you get when getting ****ed wearing a tuxedo it is one of the few things that you can use daily and still pass on to your grandkids.

You only ever need one really so why not have a looker to kick off with.

Can't say that about a wife can you? One look at the mother in law is enough to dread what the missus will look like in 20 years time.


ooops forgot Wity's banned, ah well back to alias number 2 before the goons set the ferrets loose. :P

[dollarm360]

Personnel preference

if we all were alike and choose to go with none or less splices on our cues then Trevor would be able to show his skills at all. Like some peaple that argued about keeping the cue simple probably drive nicer cars, which they don't really need but just want it. Same way with cues I and many others like a expensive cue and may be not so nicer car. Just what you personally prefer bud.

[poolqjunkie]

Although a lot of people are into fancy splicing, there are those who really appreciate a nicely built snooker cue with a plain ebony butt, with even points top and bottom, with top quality ash/maple, and ebony, built with excellent balance and feel. There is also beauty in the simple yet classical design in my opinion.

The point is good workmanship will not go unnoticed by those who have the fine taste and trained eyes, with or without the fancy splicing.