Please explain Shaft colors

scdiveteam

scdiveteam

Rick Geschrey
Silver Member
Guillaume said:
Ha ha Rick, thank you!...

You're right when you spoke about stroke: cue and shaft you need depends of your stroke, if you have not a good one your cue is supposed to help you to put more english and if you have a good one, your cue is supposed helping to control your stroke.

In carom games stroke control is very very important because you need to control your aim on the object ball and your stroke to touch the third ball and by the way controlling where the three balls will stop... The object ball will not disappear in a pocket!! In any case I don't want to say that pool is easier than carom because it is not... but being a strong carom player does not require same qualities than being a strong pool player.

After that in carom when you play straight rail with small shots and a lot of massé shots you need to have heavy shafts but not too stiff, when you play 3c your shaft is never too stiff especially if you play international tournaments with brand new balls and clothes: your ball is more sliding on the table that rolling! In those conditions you need maximum control.

Last (not really but for this post) shaft (and cue) characteristics you need depends of your game, we can say there is too family, too school: Belgian and rest of the world (including France)
On most familiar 3 cushion points Belgian players used to play more with balls rejects (between your ball and object ball) with zero (or near zero) English, that way balls reactions especially when touching rails are very similar and easy to imagine. Easier with stiff shaft.
French and other players are more prone to play with maximum english and more dynamic strokes. Easier with more flexible shaft.
Those too school have the same goal: finding the easier way to imagine where the 3 balls are going to be after the stroke.

Zero english: I know what happens: easier
Maxi english: I know what happens: easier
But between zero and maximum it is too difficult: one tip of english? 2 tips? Results will depends of each player, of balls, of table, of cue, etc...
How you can measure english? One inch of english? One liter? One oz? Too difficult!... That's why it is zero (close to zero) or maxi...

To make good shafts, wood is important depending of the game you play but most important is taper, right taper with right wood and it is perfect.
Click to expand...



I see. So those big thick masse cues you see the trick shot guys use are not good for a straight rail player because you need more feel from the shaft when you make the ball dance around another ball.

That's what I thought but I never trained or practiced straight rail. Here in the US most people don't understand the point of it. I did not either until I saw you do some things that were magic keeping those 3 balls together and scoring huge numbers.

Thanks for the point of clarification my friend.

Rick
 
Guillaume

Guillaume

Registered
For all massé shots you are supposed to play in straight rail game a regular straight rail cue is enough, usually 55 inches long, heavy shaft constant or european taper (depending of what I explained before) with about 11,3 tip, balance point the most close to the joint as possible and 480 grams.
For 3 cushion, 56,5 inches, 11,7 tip, constant taper, about 530 grams, shaft weight is usually not so important but shafts must be very very stiff... And Snow White or brown is just depending of players taste!!... Currently "brown" shafts are a bit old fashioned in Europe, most people are impressed by Snow White color shafts and claimed it is better shafts... I think it is not automatic.
In the 70's in Europe, carom cues were made with straight grained maple butts and high end shafts were made with bird's eye... That was a must made for example by late French brand "henin Ainé", American collectors know that brand.
Bird's eye maple shafts are too flexible for 3 cushion but incredibly good for straight rail with fantastic touch of balls when you want to keep all three together.
 
danieldakota53

danieldakota53

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
to many people worrying about the little things instead of learning how to play. I want this cause he said it was good, I will play better because the mass majority says it will make me play that way,I want a (insert cue maker name here) cue cause it is awesome. There is no magic cue, no magic way of building one,no magic specially gifted cue maker, find a cue that plays well for you and keep it, then practice your behind off and get better. I play with some older gentlemen that there shaft is so black from hand oil,swet and chalk dust, I couldn't tell you what shade it originally was. And if you ever tried to clean them or even wipe them down, they will flip out on you,but boy can they play. Ever notice great players seem to always have the same cue (unless sponsored of coarse) year after year, after year? Wonder why
 
cueman

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
oscar said:
just take a look at one of steve klapps shafts and you will no what a great cue shaft is
Click to expand...

I just got load of that old reclaimed maple wood yesterday and turned a couple of pieces round. The grain sure is tight, but it sure is ugly also. I can't wait to play with some of it.
 
ROB.M

ROB.M

:)
Silver Member
Post

Is this a honey line? I think it's what you guys are referring to? A friend contacted me to ask if I thought it was a split in the shaft...I contacted the cue maker about it and sent him more detailed photos, the line runs straight down the shaft through both sides..the cue maker said that is the natural grain vein in the wood and that many people would prefer that in a shaft.
The shaft plays great he just wanted to be sure it was not splitting/breaking apart.
It's one of Steve's shafts and Steve said if it splits; and he was very confident that it was not a crack/split but if it was he would replace it.
Grain is straight from one end the the other.


Rob.M
 

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