What Cue Does Shaun Murphy Use?
Short answer: Shaun Murphy uses a cue made for him by John Parris. According to his own website, he has played since June 2013 with a 58-inch one-piece ash cue with plain black ebony splicing, a tip end of 8.75mm, weighing 17.25oz, fitted with firm Elk Master tips. In 2023 he also said he was preparing several Parris cues so he could choose between them depending on conditions.
Shaun Murphy’s cue at a glance
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maker | John Parris |
| Length | 58 inches |
| Weight | 17.25oz |
| Tip | 8.75mm at the tip end; firm Elk Master tips |
| Joint | One-piece (no joint) |
| Source confidence | High: published on Murphy’s official website |
From Ray Reardon’s cue to a Parris of his own
Murphy’s cue story starts with a hand-me-down that most young players could only dream of. When he was 15, his father gave him Ray Reardon’s old cue, and it is with a cue in that mould that he developed the long, straight action for which he is known. By his own account, the cue he has used since 2013 was built to resemble that original closely, keeping the feel he had grown up with rather than chasing something new.
Before the 2013 cue arrived, Murphy spent around five years with a John Parris replica of his original. In an interview with the Cue Action blog that June, he said the replica had served him well but had “taken second place” to the new Parris cue, which was about to make its competitive debut in Australia. He described it as “a keeper”, and a decade on it remains the cue associated with him.
One cue, or three?
Murphy is one of the few leading players to talk openly about cue technology. In August 2023 he told SnookerHQ that he planned to walk into the arena with more than one cue, explaining that “based on the playing conditions of the day, I’ll choose cue one, two, or three”. The idea is that heat and humidity change how the cloth and balls behave, and that cues fitted with custom inserts, adding or removing mass, alter how much the cue ball deflects when side is applied.
He also remarked that snooker is “about 50 years behind” sports like golf and tennis when it comes to equipment technology. Whether the multi-cue approach becomes a permanent part of his match routine is still an open question; at the time he said the cues were “very nearly ready” rather than in use.
Why this cue suits Murphy’s game
Murphy’s reputation rests on a textbook straight cue action, heavy long potting and big break-building; he won the 2005 World Championship as a 22-year-old qualifier and has since compiled hundreds of century breaks. A few features of his cue line up neatly with that style:
- 58 inches is a touch longer than the traditional 57-inch standard, which gives a tall player with a long, smooth backswing room to deliver the cue without shortening his bridge.
- A slim 8.75mm tip end offers precision on screw and side, which helps a positional player who likes to control the white exactly.
- A one-piece ash build removes the joint entirely. Many purists feel a one-piece gives the most consistent feedback through the cue, which suits a player who relies on timing rather than power.
- Firm tips hold their shape and give a crisp, predictable contact, matching Murphy’s technical, repeatable approach.
What 58 inches and 17.25oz feel like in practice
Numbers on a spec sheet only mean something once you feel them. A 58-inch cue is one inch longer than the traditional standard. That extra inch sits behind the bridge hand, so a player can keep a comfortable bridge length while taking a longer backswing, which is why taller players and those with a long, smooth delivery often prefer it. The trade-off is that the cue can feel slightly more cumbersome for short, cramped shots near the cushion, and more reliance on the rest.
At 17.25oz, Murphy’s cue sits at the lighter end of what most professionals use. A lighter cue tends to feel quick and sensitive, rewarding touch and timing rather than arm strength. Heavier cues of 18 to 19oz carry more natural momentum, which some players like for power shots but which can make delicate positional play harder to judge. Murphy’s combination of a longer, lighter cue fits a player who generates power through timing rather than force.
The deflection debate
Murphy’s comments about inserts touch on one of the most discussed topics in cue design: cue ball deflection, often called squirt. When you strike the white off-centre to apply side, the cue ball does not travel exactly along the line of the cue; it pushes slightly away from the side you struck. How much depends partly on the mass at the front of the cue. Pool players have used low-deflection shafts for years, and some snooker players have experimented with them too.
Snooker has been slower to adopt the idea, partly because players aim to compensate for deflection instinctively after thousands of hours with one cue. Murphy’s plan to vary mass with inserts is essentially a way of choosing the deflection profile that suits the conditions on the day. Whether it catches on more widely remains to be seen, but it shows how much thought top players give to their equipment.
Want a cue like Shaun Murphy’s?
You do not need a hand-built Parris to borrow the principles behind Murphy’s set-up. Start with length: if you are tall or play with a long backswing, a 58-inch cue may feel more natural than the 57-inch default, and our guide to choosing between 57, 58 and 59-inch cues by height explains how to decide. Next, weight: 17 to 18oz is where most club players settle, and 17.25oz sits right in that sweet spot.
For tip size, a slimmer tip in the 8.75 to 9.5mm range rewards accurate cueing, while larger tips are more forgiving. If you want Murphy’s crisp feel, a medium-firm tip is the natural starting point; the differences are covered in our comparison of soft, medium and hard cue tips. Finally, a one-piece ash cue is the traditional choice, and you can browse one-piece and jointed ash snooker cues on bestsnookercue.com to find something with a similar profile at a fraction of a bespoke price.
Frequently asked questions
What cue does Shaun Murphy use?
Shaun Murphy uses a John Parris cue. Since June 2013 he has played with a 58-inch one-piece ash cue with plain black ebony splicing, an 8.75mm tip end and a weight of 17.25oz, fitted with firm Elk Master tips, according to his official website.
Did Shaun Murphy use Ray Reardon’s cue?
Yes. When Murphy was 15, his father gave him Ray Reardon’s old cue. His later John Parris cues, including a replica he used for around five years and the cue he has played with since 2013, were built to feel similar to that original.
Why does Shaun Murphy want to use more than one cue?
In 2023 Murphy said he planned to choose between several Parris cues depending on conditions, because temperature and humidity change how the balls and cloth behave. The cues use custom inserts that change their mass and therefore how much the cue ball deflects with side.
