9-Ball
Topic: History of American pool cues

Diamond, just read your article on the cues. Very interesting article and great to see the craftsmanship that goes in to them!

I wondered if your cue obsession extended to info on the history and evolution of American pool cues and how/when/why the pro taper was developed from the European taper that it probably started as.

I'm just interested really, as I'm fairly new to 9-ball and I'm getting aquainted with the subtle differences in equipment etc. The pro taper was quite alien to me to start with, but I like it now because the tip elevation is less affected by the stroke.

I'm also curious to know when the decorative factor was introduced. Snooker cues seem to be more function than form (i.e. a bit boring and traditional) and also mainly made from Ash instead of Maple (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/sport/cue_sports/2005/02/18/cd_ash.shtml), but the form of American pool cues seems to be just as important as the function of it. Is this just down to American culture, or was there some outside influence that introduced the ornate approach to cue building?

Or, is it simply that Maple provides more options for decoration without affecting performance due to the different grain etc?

Discuss...

Jeez!!!

Yeah, my obsession (...and it really is!) does extend to the history. Its not something I can just write here in the forum though. Its a big subject. I will take it on board though and write such an article in the near future.

I am thinking 2 parts....1700s - 1900, 1900 - present.

When I get some free time, I will start this one.

As much as I love my pool cue I'd still love to try a pool cue with pro taper and 12.75 mm tip made from ash with ebony butt just like a snooker cue. I just like the look and feel of ash. Also I can count on one hand the number of times I got dents in my ash cue in over 20 years of playing whereas if I tried to count the same for my 314 I'd run out of fingers counting just the last few months!

My main worry with an ash cue with such a thick shaft (especially if it was really good quality like a Parris) is that it would be too stiff so I'd have to retrain myself to understand the throw when playing with side.

This can be arranged my friend.

Do yu have one Si? I've never come across one with a tapered shaft.

Another good thing about the snooker cue is the screw in 6 inch extension to avoid using the rest on those nearly reachable shots. I can think of so many times that would have come in handy in american pool games. I'm sure they do some gadget for pool cues but I'm not into push-on rubbish and would rather use the rest than that.

I wan't you James White diamond cue Si, just waiting for a big pay cheque and will be in touch mate......

Si, I was thinking of an arrticle rather than a forum reply. As for Riggers comment, I'm sure Si knows someone who could adapt a normal cue to take a screw-in extension.