$200 - LD Shaft or New Cue?

S

shanis42

Registered
Hello All,

I think this is my first post, I have been lurking for quite awhile though.

Here is my question, currently I shoot with a run of the mill Players production cue with a standard Players shaft and a triangle tip.

I dont have an actual rating for my playing ability, I play primarily on my 8 footer in my house, but I can say I am an above average shot, but not lights out.

If I only have $200 to spend would it be better to buy a new cue (probably still production) or buy a LD Shaft (314-2) for my Player butt? What about at $250.

I am looking to get the most bang for my buck and I dont mind the Players butt too much, but will an LD shaft make that much difference?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
welcome to the board shanis :)

First of all- no matter if it is a normal shaft or a ld-shaft- if they re both good quality it would both be a good choice for you. I tested now so many shafts on my own and i can tell you, that there was only one *laminated shaft* which satisfied me- and this was an OB-1 Shaft-nothin negative plays very well (and btw an american product ^^). On the other side a good cuemaker can produce a super quality shaft too, even if it s not a ld-shaft. there are also non-laminated shafts which have even a lower deflection than other shafts- just a question of the taper and of the diameter which is used.
If you have the luck to have a cuemaker in *your* neighbourhood go and give him a visit.

And a VERY IMPORTANT thing at least: Shanis, no matter with what shaft you re going to play- no matter what deflection- it all comes with your stroke- you re the man behind the cue and the cues does what you re *telling* him to do with your stroke. You have to train with a laminated shaft as well as with a non-laminated shaft. This is just a personal and subjective feeling for yourself.

hope this helps you a bit,

lg from germany,

<ingo
 
I may have a cue for a custom cue Norwella

This a cue four coco long points and coco butt sleeve also a white and brown linen wrap. 3/8 10 pin with a stainless joint it hits great. I can get you pics if you like $225.00 shipped 18.9 oz 13mm shaft
call me Toby Clemens 570 847-7768
 
If you look in the for sale section you can probably find a plain custom with an LD shaft for 2 to 3 hundred.Just a suggestion but if you surf AZ you'll be supprized what you can find.
 
Ld shaft would be my choice,, like Ratta said you for sure want to test them out ..

Once you get used to the ld shaft ,,you will be able to move the q-ball around with less effort..
You dont use as much english as a standard shaft, with a ld shaft..
Ld shafts hit solid and straight using less of the q-ball ,and still achieve better results with again, less effort..

Id recommend Predator shafts,, Ive got ob-1, mcdermott, meucci red and black dot, lucasi hybrid cue and ld shaft, a predator 314 , a predator 314-2 ,and a predator z..


Keep in mind that theres ,Tru hit shafts,dominiak shafts,mEZZ HYBRID , and plentY other "HIGH PERFORMANCE Shafts" out there that dont get quite as much notariety ,though may out shine the predator in performance,, I havent tried mezz,tru hit, domniak ,so I cant speak on them...

I can say without a doubt, that i.m.h.o. ,the shafts I have tried , hold no compairison
to the Predators ...
 
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ob all day

ld shafts are a thing of the future. you wont find a truer hit anywhere. i was a long time predator fan. the ob2 shaft won me over in a weekend of practice. improved my game by 3 balls. im an ob representative and can give great deals on the shafts and cues contact me on here and ill set you up. shafts under 200$ shipped to your door
 
Just a suggestion. Set aside $5, $10 or $20 a week. In the mean time go out and test a bunch of cues and some L.D. shafts. When your $200 turns into $400 or $500 you should have your choices narrowed down and end up with a nice cue. Nothing worse then buyers regret.
 
Not a bad suggestion

Putting away 10 or 20 bucks a week extends my choices, but also gives me a longer period of time to evaluate cues and shafts.
 
I played with standard shafts my whole life. Then I got a predato 314-2 and liked it a lot. Then I got an OB-1 and loved it! I played with both shafts for a while, but I ended up goin back to a good stiff hitting Scruggs standard shaft. I can move the ball just as good with it as I could with the LD shafts, but it does take a bit more effort. I dint mind that though, because the feel of that old shaft is what I want. I cant get that "hit" or "feel" with a LD shaft. Its just too hard for the LD shafts to compete with the feel of old wood. Get what you like, but Id reccomend a good custom sneaky, or even a Joss sneaky, both which can be had for $200 or very close to it. Good luck in whatever you decide.


Joe
 
I would buy the LD-shaft. Predator 314^2 would be my choice due to pro-taper over Z or OB2.
I have OB-1 shafts which I like as well. The LD-shaft will accelerate your progress when comes to using english.
I have many quality cues and yet choose to play with a cheap one, so if you like your Players cue there is nothing wrong with that.
On the other hand trying as many cues as possible before a purchase is definitely a good idea.

Good luck!
 
LD shaft, no doubt. Go to for sale section... pretty commonplace to see a used OB, Z, or 314 for the 150 range. another 50-100 bucks total you have a great chance or landing one of them on a sneaky butt, joss, lucasi, or like production cue but it's mostly window dressing behing the joint... get the LD shaft, get it cleaned up, put a nice tip on it and spend some quality time ALONE with it, do DRILLS for awhile don't just bang balls. It will be like taking your new gun to the range... get her sighted in, fire off a couple boxes of shells... Then and only then, take her out hunting.
 
shanis42 said:
Hello All,

I think this is my first post, I have been lurking for quite awhile though.

Here is my question, currently I shoot with a run of the mill Players production cue with a standard Players shaft and a triangle tip.

I dont have an actual rating for my playing ability, I play primarily on my 8 footer in my house, but I can say I am an above average shot, but not lights out.

If I only have $200 to spend would it be better to buy a new cue (probably still production) or buy a LD Shaft (314-2) for my Player butt? What about at $250.

I am looking to get the most bang for my buck and I dont mind the Players butt too much, but will an LD shaft make that much difference?

Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I seen some web site before that players made a LD shaft called the HX shaft .. It was pool cues plus or something like that. But I have no idea how they would play but It may be something for you to try,<<ED
 
shanis,
This is probably just my own personal hang-up, but I have used a 314-2 shaft on a cue with a 5/16x18 flat-faced joint (as the Players cue you use may have) and I was not impressed. May as well have been using the stock shaft as far as I was concerned. With that said, I would agree with some of the above posters that suggested you save up a few more bucks for a good used or new low-end custom. Just my $.02 worth.

Maniac
 
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The drawback on using a predator or another similar shaft is that if you dont have a stroke, its like a false sense of ability. Ive seen guys that cant draw the ball a couple feet with a regular shaft use a predator shaft and spin the hell out of whitey(usually way more than needed). There is nothing wrong with using one, but if you a really practice and get a good stroke, you will be way better down the line when you switch to a predator or OB-1. And contrary to what some people say, the butt of the cue IS important to the hit and feel of the cue. I can put my Scruggs shaft on several different cues, and they will all feel different, so keep that in mind too.


Joe
 
Maniac said:
shanis,
This is probably just my own personal hang-up, but I have used a 314-2 shaft on a cue with a 5/16x18 flat-faced joint (as the Players cue you use may have) and I was not impressed. May as well have been using the stock shaft as far as I was concerned. With that said, I would agree with some of the above posters that suggested you save up a few more bucks for a good used or new low-end custom. Just my $.02 worth.

Maniac
Click to expand...

I believe my Hampton cue has the same thread 5/16x18 and I prefer the hit to unilock on my predator both using 314^2.
I also have a 314^2 on a schon and the hit is similar to the Hampton cue.
 
spliced said:
personally the feeling of the ball going in the pocket is more important than the feeling of the cue hitting the ball
Click to expand...

You say that like you have discovered plutonium.
Pinto vs Corvette both will get you where you need to be just the Corvette will do it faster and in style plus you may pick a chick along the way.
So, a new player wants to learn to use extreme English.
How much longer is it going to take him with normal shaft vs LD?
There is no comparison it is way easier with LD especially when you are first learning.
The feeling of the hit means something to people too or we would all love the same stuff.
 
ARROWCRUSHER said:
I seen some web site before that players made a LD shaft called the HX shaft .. It was pool cues plus or something like that. But I have no idea how they would play but It may be something for you to try,<<ED
Click to expand...

i tried this shaft and it is actually quite nice. it is basically the same as the universal smartshafts and lucasi hybrid without the laminations. it is a one piece solid maple shaft, but with the same front end ferrule design. hits slightly less stiff than the USS/hybrid due to it not being laminated and deflects the same. a nice performing shaft for the money.
 
I would say, get a LD 5/16x18 shaft on the For Sale/Trade forum for about $140 and slap it on your players, then spend the other $60 on a lesson or table time. Or save up a few more bucks and go here: http://www.dominiakcues.com/sweet16.html . I've done both, and have been very happy with both.

Good luck man,
Andy
 
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