Cues we use + specs

[mr3cushion]

"Good idea for a new thread Ghost".

 

[Drop Pocket]

alittle cranky this morning mr. Drop Pocket????:heh.....
sappo (keith) is a good guy
and you are right the arrow/ indian thing does come up alot especially in threads looking for the "magic " tip/shaft/wood combo/cuemaker
you name it
we all agree (i hope ) we are not going to play like shane if we use his cuetec....
my question for you is
what's the secret sauce???....

I didn't mean to come off like a jerk and apologize if I did. Kevin never told me what he soaked the tips in and he died a year ago this past March. I play with the cue almost daily and the tips are still in fine shape.

 

[beatle]

i got a newer hoppe, rambo looking cue for when traveling. other wise my newest cue is a balabuska from the late 60's. then some old, early 1900's, 26 1/2 bunswicks that have been made into rambo style.

ive never seen an expert archer that shot with an uncomfortable bow and crooked arrows. there must be something to decent equipment. if only mental.

 

[phil dade]

My cue is a Tiger T5 model Carom cue, very simple looks sort of like a 'Sneaky Pete.'

Weight: 17.5/With 2 silicone rubber grips 18.3

Length: 56" Butt 29"/Shafts 27"

Balance: 18" from butt

Pin: Radial 3/8-10

Shafts: 1-TG12 Carom-X PRO No Deflection Shaft, 2-TG12 Carom-X LD Low Deflection Shafts
Tip/ferrule size: 12mm

Tips: Kamui S and Tiger Black Onyx

A little info I learned from the GREAT 3C player, 'Raymond Ceulemans' about the balance point of a cue. He said, "It should feel like a fencing foil in your hand, the tip of the cue should feel as it's floating in air with 'complete control' when stroking back n forth!"

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Bill,
I am curious, this cue seems to be appropriate for Billiards which I know is your favorite game, and primary expertise. However, i see you post WWYD's on one pocket. Do you use this for pocket games as well? If not, what is your choice?
thanks,
Phil

 

[bstroud]

If you don't mind, Ghost, this looks like as good a place as any to ask:

Other than the quality and alignment of the pin and joint, what difference does the butt make in the way a cue "hits"?

I play low-deflection shafts -- OB and Predator -- and as far as I can tell any old butt with a good joint is as good as any other. I've long preferred Sneaky Petes for the wood-to-wood joint, but I've recently started playing with a 4" Balance-Rite extension and so far so good.

Any thoughts?

John, since you asked.

I have never played with an OB shaft but I have played and tested a lot of Predator shafts. While they do have low squirt, they all seem to hit terrible to me. By that, I mean the have too much vibration and have a high pitched sound. A lot of these effects come from the hole that they drill in the front 6 inches. These two things bother me a lot when I play.

I think the butt makes a great deal of difference in how the cue "feels" to each person. Some players like thin butts others like thick ones. A lot is determined by what you grew up playing with.

If you grew up playing with house cues an unwraped cue will probably feel comfortable to you.

I grew up with wrapped cues so that is what I like to play with.

When I was younger I used a 14MM shaft. It worked OK for the conditions at that time. Now I used a 12.75MM low squirt SmartShaft with vibration damping that I made myself. It is very quiet no matter what tip I use.

I currently play with a Kamui SS and like it a lot. It seems to last forever even though I hit hundreds of balls with it each day. I also use the Kamui chalk because it is less abrasive and makes the tip last longer.

I used to play with a 20.25OZ cue in the old days but with the advent of fast cloth I now play with a 19OZ cue. Nothing fancy.

The cue seems to be more than the sum of its' physical parts. How you perceive it and how it feels to you seem to affect your comfort zone and your confidence.

Some players seem to be immune to all this. I was traveling with Taylor when he picked one of the last cues out of the wall rack that had almost no tip and never missed a ball or a bank.

After more than 50 years, I am still trying to understand how he could do it?

Bill S.

 

[mr3cushion]

Bill,
I am curious, this cue seems to be appropriate for Billiards which I know is your favorite game, and primary expertise. However, i see you post WWYD's on one pocket. Do you use this for pocket games as well? If not, what is your choice?
thanks,
Phil

Phil, I do use this cue for Pool! The size of the ball in relation to my cue doesn't effect what I can execute! By playing with the SAME cue, I don't have to constantly change the way I AIM, or STROKE the cue! I however, do play with one particular 'Carom' shaft for Pool, the TG12 Carom-X PRO No Deflection Shaft, it has a slightly less 'Conical' taper due to the way it's constructed!

I also use this shaft on 3C tables that have a 'older' cloth on them!

 

[mr3cushion]

John, since you asked.

I have never played with an OB shaft but I have played and tested a lot of Predator shafts. While they do have low squirt, they all seem to hit terrible to me. By that, I mean the have too much vibration and have a high pitched sound. A lot of these effects come from the hole that they drill in the front 6 inches. These two things bother me a lot when I play.

I think the butt makes a great deal of difference in how the cue "feels" to each person. Some players like thin butts others like thick ones. A lot is determined by what you grew up playing with.

If you grew up playing with house cues an unwraped cue will probably feel comfortable to you.

I grew up with wrapped cues so that is what I like to play with.

When I was younger I used a 14MM shaft. It worked OK for the conditions at that time. Now I used a 12.75MM low squirt SmartShaft with vibration damping that I made myself. It is very quiet no matter what tip I use.

I currently play with a Kamui SS and like it a lot. It seems to last forever even though I hit hundreds of balls with it each day. I also use the Kamui chalk because it is less abrasive and makes the tip last longer.

I used to play with a 20.25OZ cue in the old days but with the advent of fast cloth I now play with a 19OZ cue. Nothing fancy.

The cue seems to be more than the sum of its' physical parts. How you perceive it and how it feels to you seem to affect your comfort zone and your confidence.

Some players seem to be immune to all this. I was traveling with Taylor when he picked one of the last cues out of the wall rack that had almost no tip and never missed a ball or a bank.

After more than 50 years, I am still trying to understand how he could do it?

Bill S.

Bill, the same way I'm assuming, 'Bugs' played 'Off the rack' His entire life! What 'Natural' talent these 2 remarkable players had!

 

[phil dade]

Phil, I do use this cue for Pool! The size of the ball in relation to my cue doesn't effect what I can execute! By playing with the SAME cue, I don't have to constantly change the way I AIM, or STROKE the cue! I however, do play with one particular 'Carom' shaft for Pool, the TG12 Carom-X PRO No Deflection Shaft, it has a slightly less 'Conical' taper due to the way it's constructed!

I also use this shaft on 3C tables that have a 'older' cloth on them!

Thanks Bill, I appreciate the information.
Phil

 

[LSJohn]

John, since you asked.

I have never played with an OB shaft but I have played and tested a lot of Predator shafts. While they do have low squirt, they all seem to hit terrible to me. By that, I mean the have too much vibration and have a high pitched sound. A lot of these effects come from the hole that they drill in the front 6 inches. These two things bother me a lot when I play.

I think the butt makes a great deal of difference in how the cue "feels" to each person. Some players like thin butts others like thick ones. A lot is determined by what you grew up playing with.

If you grew up playing with house cues an unwraped cue will probably feel comfortable to you.

I grew up with wrapped cues so that is what I like to play with.

When I was younger I used a 14MM shaft. It worked OK for the conditions at that time. Now I used a 12.75MM low squirt SmartShaft with vibration damping that I made myself. It is very quiet no matter what tip I use.

I currently play with a Kamui SS and like it a lot. It seems to last forever even though I hit hundreds of balls with it each day. I also use the Kamui chalk because it is less abrasive and makes the tip last longer.

I used to play with a 20.25OZ cue in the old days but with the advent of fast cloth I now play with a 19OZ cue. Nothing fancy.

The cue seems to be more than the sum of its' physical parts. How you perceive it and how it feels to you seem to affect your comfort zone and your confidence.

Some players seem to be immune to all this. I was traveling with Taylor when he picked one of the last cues out of the wall rack that had almost no tip and never missed a ball or a bank.

After more than 50 years, I am still trying to understand how he could do it?

Bill S.

Thanks Bill.

I googled around trying to learn about the SmartShaft but had little luck, especially about the "made myself" part.

 

[bstroud]

Thanks Bill.

I googled around trying to learn about the SmartShaft but had little luck, especially about the "made myself" part.

John,

The SmartShaft was the first shaft to be low squirt and also have Piezo Electric material in it to reduce vibration. It also was the first shaft to have adjustable connectors so that it would fit on any butt.

Unfortunately I chose Cue and Case to market the shaft and they got in an argument with Tiacan (the manufacturer) in China and stopped importing it into the US. It was tested on the Robot at Predator and was just below the Z shaft in squirt.

It was much more solid sounding and had way less vibration.

Cue and Case stole the low squirt technology I designed and are using it is some of their products. So is Taican in their Universal line.

The bottom line is that I have made so much money I don't even care.

Bill S.

 

[Miller]

southwest - purpleheart/goncalvo alves
19.5 oz
12.75 mm shafts (regular)
kamui hard tips (brown)

 

[LSJohn]

I try to do my part ...

[/B]

- Ghost

Hey, maybe we don't say it as often as we should, but don't think anyone doubts that you do more than your part.

Belated thanks.

 

[LSJohn]

John,

The SmartShaft was the first shaft to be low squirt and also have Piezo Electric material in it to reduce vibration. It also was the first shaft to have adjustable connectors so that it would fit on any butt.

Unfortunately I chose Cue and Case to market the shaft and they got in an argument with Tiacan (the manufacturer) in China and stopped importing it into the US. It was tested on the Robot at Predator and was just below the Z shaft in squirt.

It was much more solid sounding and had way less vibration.

Cue and Case stole the low squirt technology I designed and are using it is some of their products. So is Taican in their Universal line.

The bottom line is that I have made so much money I don't even care.

Bill S.

Wow, you mean you designed/developed the shaft? I thought maybe it was just something kinda like a blank that a person could modify to his own taste.

I can't imagine how the shaft could adjust to any butt/pin. Can it be explained so a non-techy could understand?

Sounds like a shaft I would like to try, but I get the impression to expect it to be about $400, which might convince me to wait until my ship comes in.

 

[lll]

Hey ghost, maybe we don't say it as often as we should, but don't think anyone doubts that you do more than your part.

Belated thanks.

^^^^^^
what he said....

 

[bstroud]

Wow, you mean you designed/developed the shaft? I thought maybe it was just something kinda like a blank that a person could modify to his own taste.

I can't imagine how the shaft could adjust to any butt/pin. Can it be explained so a non-techy could understand?

Sounds like a shaft I would like to try, but I get the impression to expect it to be about $400, which might convince me to wait until my ship comes in.

John,

The SmartShaft has a removable insert where the collar ring is on most shafts. You just unscrew it and replace it with the one that fits your cue. Simple.

Not for sale in the US because of what I explained before.

Bill S.

 

[LSJohn]

John,

The SmartShaft has a removable insert where the collar ring is on most shafts. You just unscrew it and replace it with the one that fits your cue. Simple.

Not for sale in the US because of what I explained before.

Bill S.

I see. Thanks.

Glad you at least got well rewarded before you got ripped off.

 

[Island Drive]

John, since you asked.

I have never played with an OB shaft but I have played and tested a lot of Predator shafts. While they do have low squirt, they all seem to hit terrible to me. By that, I mean the have too much vibration and have a high pitched sound. A lot of these effects come from the hole that they drill in the front 6 inches. These two things bother me a lot when I play.

I think the butt makes a great deal of difference in how the cue "feels" to each person. Some players like thin butts others like thick ones. A lot is determined by what you grew up playing with.

If you grew up playing with house cues an unwraped cue will probably feel comfortable to you.

I grew up with wrapped cues so that is what I like to play with.

When I was younger I used a 14MM shaft. It worked OK for the conditions at that time. Now I used a 12.75MM low squirt SmartShaft with vibration damping that I made myself. It is very quiet no matter what tip I use.

I currently play with a Kamui SS and like it a lot. It seems to last forever even though I hit hundreds of balls with it each day. I also use the Kamui chalk because it is less abrasive and makes the tip last longer.

I used to play with a 20.25OZ cue in the old days but with the advent of fast cloth I now play with a 19OZ cue. Nothing fancy.

The cue seems to be more than the sum of its' physical parts. How you perceive it and how it feels to you seem to affect your comfort zone and your confidence.

Some players seem to be immune to all this. I was traveling with Taylor when he picked one of the last cues out of the wall rack that had almost no tip and never missed a ball or a bank.

After more than 50 years, I am still trying to understand how he could do it?

Bill S.

Was that the cue with the diamonds in the butt? Your personal cue when your shop was on Garden of the Gods Road? I remember the hit (solid), but the raised diamonds were precarious considering the environment/conditions butts are exposed too.

 

[bstroud]

Was that the cue with the diamonds in the butt? Your personal cue when your shop was on Garden of the Gods Road? I remember the hit (solid), but the raised diamonds were precarious considering the environment/conditions butts are exposed too.

Bill,

Yes it was and I do remember the cue you ordered.

Bill S.

 

[gulfportdoc]

Bill-- Just a wild shot in the dark. Are you any relation to Don Stroud, the actor? I'm sure that Keone knows him.

~Doc

 

[bstroud]

Doc,

No, but I remember him in "Coogins Bluff?"

Bill S.