Nice Butt!

 

Q: What splicing is best?

A: Any splicing that is done well...

 

Splicing is the method by which the butt wood is joined to the shaft.

Hand spliced cues have 'rounded' points compared to the 'sharp' points on machine spliced cue. This is due to the totally different methods of construction.

Hand spliced cues are generally considered superior, but that is debatable and depends on how well it was made...

Cheap mass produced cues will more likely be poor regardless of whether they are 'machine' or 'hand' spliced.

Don't believe the hype!

The way that many hand spliced cues are produced these days you could also call them machine spliced, because there is very little hands on work that goes into them. Machines are employed to do virtually all the work and there are no quality control checks. Made quick, sold cheap.

Don't be fooled into thinking you are buying a quality hand made cue just because it says hand spliced. A well made machine spliced cue is far better for you than a cheap hand spliced cue.

It is the eyes, attention to detail, and most importantly - the hands, that ensure the quality of the cue. The quality has nothing to do with the splicing method, it is the cue maker that determines the quality.

Beware...

There is one last type of butt out there - 'painted'!

These cues are usually made to look like genuine hand spliced ebony cues by the process of simply spraying black paint over a template giving the impression of being hand made. Or they have 'decals' printed on to appear like they have genuine additional splices.

Generally cheap, they may appear to be very good value but be aware of what you are buying. I have lost count of the number of people who may have dropped their cue or just caught it on something and found that the paint has chipped off leaving unsightly white wood or undercoat underneath.

These people are generally of the opinion that the butt wood was real and are usually a little disappointed to say the least…

Please note that I am not criticising these cues for their playability, I am just making you aware of what they really are. Personally I would steer well clear.

 

Woods & splice patterns

So what about the various woods and patterns? How do they affect the cue?

The most common butt wood used on a top quality hand made cue is Ebony. This has plenty of natural weight, polishes to a nice finish, and looks good because it is usually black and contrasts well with the light colour of an Ash or Maple shaft.

But you are only limited by your own personal choice as there are many other woods you could choose.

Quite often the base wood in a butt may be Ebony and this is then over-spliced with another type of wood to create a different pattern. This can be done many times with many different colours creating very unique cues.

But ultimately, whatever pattern or woods have been used on the butt, it does not make much difference to the actual playing qualities. This always comes mainly from the shaft. It really is just a case of whether you like the look of the butt of a cue.

If you feel happy with the appearance, you will feel comfortable with the cue. And probably play better...

Conclusion

• The type of splicing does not dictate the quality of a cue. It is a time, more than a quality, issue.
• Any good quality hardwood can be used for the butt, because it doesn't make that much difference to the 'feel' of the cue. This comes mainly from the shaft, and how the cue is weighted and balanced.
• It is quicker to machine splice rather than hand splice a cue, therefore a hand spliced cue is generally more expensive than a machine spliced cue. Although not always, because some mass produced 'hand' spliced cues are very poor quality and are priced accordingly.
• Any cue, if made and finished well, will play and feel good. Simple as that. It's the quality of the cue maker, not the type of splicing that makes a good cue.
• A cheap hand spliced cue is exactly that - a cheap cue. Don't think you're the first person to have found that incredible bargain.

Remember this:

'You get what you pay for!'

This is as true for cues as it is for everything else in life…