Hi from South Africa

[Stick]

As good manners dictate I would like to introduce myself before participating in what looks like a very informative forum.

Played snooker as a youngster and recently, as the midlife crises hit home, I stumbled accross a local club and re-discovered the old passion again.

Slowly getting back into it, but I fear that my cheap, old and bent Thurston's (Johannesburg/Cape Town) Dufferin 1 pc 17 ounce maple que has seen better days and it is high time that I invest in a decent cue.

It was while trawling the Net looking for info on cues that I found this site. I have seen a lot of strange names that I have never heard of as well as some old familiar ones mentioned - it will take a while to learn and adjust so please be patient with this newbie if I ask a stupid question or two.

Currently looking for a 3/4, 59 inch ash shaft cue, approximately 19 ounces with a 30mm butt that will have that "just right" feel to it when I pick it up.

Cheers.

[Acrowot]

Hello and welcome to the forum Stick. Hope you enjoy your stay here.

Are you sure that you need a cue of 59inch length. The only person I know that has such a long cue, is 6 feet 9 inches tall. The biggest majority of players use something between 57 and 58.
:snooker:

[hotpot]

Hello Stick and a warm welcome to the forum mucka .

[Neil Taperell]

Welcome mate , there are plenty of cues available for you to buy on this forum .
There is John Parris cue available at just over 19oz .

Good luck with your purchase .

[Stick]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

This forum has been a wealth of information already and I am enjoing each visit.

I measured by existing cue to be 57 inches (145cm) and compared it with some friends cues with which I played comfortably. In all cases my cue were a few centimetres shorter than theirs. As you can see, we work in metrics here (and my conversion to inches may thus be flawed), but I calculated 59 inches to be roughly 150cm's which seems to suit me. I willl, however, double check again because I am only about 6'1 - probably have arms like a chimp

I have been drooling over the cues for sale on the forum - just whish my local currency (Rand) was a bit stonger - R11.45 to a Pound

[Bigmeek]

Stick Welcome to the Forum mate. I wouldn't get too hung up on the length of the cue. How tall you are doesn't really come into it. The length of your arms is probably a more important figure and even then if you've got pretty average length arms then a standard cue of 57" to 58" would be fine. Most cue-makers produce cues at this length.
The length of the cue is determined by where you grip the butt and how many inches you like to extend through your bridge hand. Clearly you can get used to small differences in length by gripping further up or down the butt.
In my mind the weight, tip size and balance are more important things to focus on and get right. I see you play with a 17ozs at present. This might be a bit light by todays standards. When you start adding a butt joint and centre joint it tends to make the cue a bit heavier.
To pick a cue there's absolutely no substitute for getting a few in your sweaty palms and trying them out. Just close your eyes and one will feel right. If you order one up off the internet then all you can do is decide on the spec you want and trust to luck that you like it. With any new cue it will take time to get used to. Good luck.

[Terry Davidson]

stick:

Welcome to the Forum and I hope you enjoy it.

On the cue length, I am a certified IBSF Master Coach and Matchroom Senior Coach so I have some idea on this topic. At 6ft1in you should be playing with a 57" or 58" cue AS LONG AS YOUR SET-UP IS GOOD.

I have a student who insisted on a 60" cue and said it was perfect for him but when he sent me a video of him cueing I discovered his straight leg (left in his case) was about a foot behind his grip hand in the address position plus he had his bridge arm locked out straight in the Joe Davis style.

So, before you invest in a 59" or 60" cue check your set-up. There are a lot of instructions posted by myself and other coaches on here in different strings you can easily seach for. If you have trouble just ask a question and I'm certain you'll get plenty of help.

If you need a good used cue at a decent price, I just went through a cue-finding exercise and how have about 6 really good cues spare that I'm trying to sell. Most of them are about 1/2-price as compared to when new and the Rand might be stronger against the Canadian dollar (not sure)

Terry

[Stick]

Thanks for the inputs, it is really appreciated.

Terry,

I agree that I must re-evaluate the cue lenght issue as the fault probably lies in my set-up as you suggest and not the cue itself. It is high time I hone my technique, stance, grip, etc again and I have been reading a lot of very informative threads on the forum thereon which I am keen to put into practice. Thanks for the advise.

Bigmeek,

My current cue also feels too light for me today and, as you suggest, the addition of butt joints and such things on the newer cues will probably improve the weight a bit. Somehow I just like the idea of a heavy cue.

The other day I picked up a cue with a 26mm butt diameter (currently used to 30mm) and immediately felt uncomfortable with it which just proves that I must get to pick up and handle a lot of cues in order to determine my exact requirements. Same with cue tip - found it very difficult to pot consistently with another friends 9mm tipped cue whilst I was potting like usual with another 10mm tipped cue.

Until I figure out which configurations suit me best I will not be able to get me one of those lovely hand-made and custom build cues which you guys all seems to have or one of Terry's spare cues. Gotta do the homework first. .

Currently arranging to meet with the local distributor of master cue's here in South Africa and I am looking forward to unpacking a few boxes worth of cues in my search for a cue that will suit me

Cheers

[Bigmeek]

Nice one Stick! Getting your hands on a few Mastercues would be great. Good cues I believe but I've never used one. 30mm butt with 10mm tip is fairly standard. That's what I use although I also have a 9.5mm cue which I try out from time to time. My 25 year old Steve Davis book says start with 10mm. Guess you can move down to 9.5mm if you improve and want a bit more action on the white. I'm happy with 10mm.
Let us know how you get on. I'm off for a practice now. Badly need it! Was thrashed 4-0 yesterday by my mate. Couldn't pot a ball.