Does anyone shoot with both solid maple and LD shafts?

I used pre-cat 314, and then OB1 shafts for quite a while and liked them fine.
What I spend all my time using now is ferrule-less shafts that Jess June made out of the Cash Cues (formerly McDaniel Cues) shop. They're not quite as low on deflection, but they have a more solid feel, are very high quality, and are - imo - more consistent with spin generation.
 
Pushout said:
Yes, but think it would not work well with laminated ld shafts. Mine are not laminated. I play with both but on different cues. I don't have any problem.
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I should clarify that I do have what I consider to be a minor problem. I think I pocket better with the ld shafts but I don't have any data to back that up at this point, working on that. I don't seem to have as fine control of the cue ball with the ld as I do with my standard maple shafts. They work fine for breaking clusters but I get too much movement sometimes for very fine Straight Pool position. That's the only difference I notice and I don't obsess over it. I've never subscribed to the one shaft only theory. When I started playing seriously, it was standard practice to order a cue with one shaft a bit smaller and use one for Straight Pool and the other for 9 ball. I've always ordered both the same size and rotate them, one on odd days and the other on even days. I do this nowadays more in case a shaft gets nicked than the possibility of a tip falling off, as back in the days of lesser quality glue.
 
Black-Balled said:
That doesn't make sense to me. One is the problem, the other the response (lack of, actually). They are the same thing: the reason the problem is there is uhh...because it has not been dealt with.
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I disagree but was unclear. Everyone experiences squirt and not everyone misses. It is just another part of pool when shooting with english. The problem, to me is not that squirt exists but that it is not compensated for.

Like if I miss and blame a new cue instead of my inability compensate. Sure, the cue is different but I bet that many people could run multiple racks with whatever they use to shoot. So the cue is not my problem, the inability to accurately assess and deal with the difference in cues is my problem.

I guess it is more a matter of philosophy than anything else. I would rather focus on what I can control and fix that. I just think it turns most things into non-issues. (For the record: I am still working on being able to compensate for squirt reliably.)
 
Hobart007 said:
Is squirt the excuse or is it the inability to compensate for it? I like to always place the blame on myself so that there is no excuse for my failure and there is always a reason for me to try to improve.

That said, I agree with you 100%. Consistency is key as most of us don't have the ability to adjust to a new cue as well as we can learn one cue over a period of time.
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switching back and forth eliminates consistency. thats what he's trying to say. no need to start in with the jabs bout him not eing able to adjust
 
i build cues

and play with many different shafts. i use a butt i made, with a predator shaft playing on bar boxes. but at home on my 4 by 8 i use a cue maple full splice into maple with a solid maple shaft. i have zero problem going from one to the other.
 
poolplayer2093 said:
switching back and forth eliminates consistency. thats what he's trying to say. no need to start in with the jabs bout him not eing able to adjust
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No jab was intended. I don't adjust well to squirt and I play with the same maple shaft and have forever so I don't throw stones from the living room of my glass house.

When he brought up having an excuse in squirt I was only pointing out that anyone using that excuse (differences in squirt) can overcome it by shifting the focus to their own play and working through the issue. I can't switch between LD and solid maple cues and play well but some people can. If someone (th OP) is considering doing so then they have to focus on that ability to compensate or they will run into the consistency issue when making the switch.

I am not an internet tough guy and don't try to offend people for fun. It is unfortunate that I gave that impression with my post.
 
I do end up switching between solid maple (11.75mm with Triumph) and original Predator 314 (12.5mm with Tiger Everest)

The tip combination works for me given the tip sizes.

Mostly I fall back on the Predator when I am either lazy or not in-stroke.
If I am in a comfortable flow or shooting focused, I always stick with my maple shaft

Shooting stick - made by Parrot Cues (Richmond, VA)
 
I don't have a lot of trouble adjusting to either of the shafts but it seems that I play slightly better with LD shafts so that is what I regularly use.

Last night I was using Justin Hall's playing cue and was firing in banks left and right. He's probably has it on automatic.

I have a few extra shafts of both solid maple and non-solid maple for my Mike Bender POW-MIA cue as shown in the pic below. My prettiest shaft is from Diveney Cues.

picture.php
 
I do but i just naturally bhe and in this game you want things to be automatic n natural. If i shoot with ld i am actively thinking ok am i parallel shifting or not. A lot of people dont realize that ld shafts when properly used are supposed to be parallel shifted for english not pivoted which is why a lot of people who play with standard maple shafts dont like ld.

Sent from my SPH-D710BST using Tapatalk 2
 
At home, I always practice using a 314/2, G-Core and maple. All are on McDermott butts with different tips. I practice with them just so I can get used to the adjustment process.

When I venture out to play, it is always the 314/2 on my RS1 butt, the G-Core for breaking and the maple just in case something happens to one of my other shafts.
 
For all those that switch from one to the other saying they are able to adjust, do you guys play at a high level? I mean in this game you have to be so precise if you're off a few millimeters you are not going to make the ball. Don't you think you could play to your potential more if you play with the same equipment instead?

I'm not being derogatory btw with my question regarding skill level.
 
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Hobart007 said:
I disagree but was unclear. Everyone experiences squirt and not everyone misses. It is just another part of pool when shooting with english. The problem, to me is not that squirt exists but that it is not compensated for.

Like if I miss and blame a new cue instead of my inability compensate. Sure, the cue is different but I bet that many people could run multiple racks with whatever they use to shoot. So the cue is not my problem, the inability to accurately assess and deal with the difference in cues is my problem.

I guess it is more a matter of philosophy than anything else. I would rather focus on what I can control and fix that. I just think it turns most things into non-issues. (For the record: I am still working on being able to compensate for squirt reliably.)
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sure everyone experiences squirt and not everyone misses. But as you said in the your first reply here, consistency is key. You still get squirt (just less) even with LD cues. so switching back and forth just leaves you with having to adjust your game for how much squirt to expect back and forth. I think its particularly an even worse problem as generally, the shots you are shooting with the most english - most likely for squirt correction to be meaningful - generally are either lower odds shots or shots where making position on the next ball is extra difficult. I can more easily shift anywhere between 17-22 oz of cue weight so long as the shaft stays the same as it just affects speed, not direction of motion.
 
JohnPT said:
For all those that switch from one to the other saying they are able to adjust, do you guys play at a high level? I mean in this game you have to be so precise if you're off a few millimeters you are not going to make the ball. Don't you think you could play to your potential more if you play with the same equipment instead?

I'm not being derogatory btw with my question regarding skill level.
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I don't play at "high" level but I'm not bad. I definitely could be better if I used one stick on one table under the same conditions all the time. As a matter of fact that is the way it is in my basement if I don't mix it up a bit. Problem is I end up playing with a bar cue on a wet bar box more often than expected. It is nice to be familiar with making adjustments. Of course the only safe adjustment under those conditions is to stay on the center axis. :wink:

If I leave the house to go play, I am playing with the same setup every time. I only change for a little practice time every evening.
 
Slim Limpy said:
I personally believe that I could take my game up a notch or two if I lived directly over the magnetic north or south pole and didn't have to contend with the off center magnetic forces that are always effecting my aim and game. If anyone knows of a cuemaker making an anti-magnetic resonance shaft to compensate for magnetic bias resonances that I am constantly compensating for (I know, I know--hit a million balls and you'll begin to subconsciously compensate for them automatically), I surely would be happy to test it out and pay you for it on the following Thursday.
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No need for all that, just remember to put your tin-foil hat on before you play!

http://www.eclectech.co.uk/mindcontrol.php
 
JohnPT said:
For all those that switch from one to the other saying they are able to adjust, do you guys play at a high level? I mean in this game you have to be so precise if you're off a few millimeters you are not going to make the ball. Don't you think you could play to your potential more if you play with the same equipment instead?

I'm not being derogatory btw with my question regarding skill level.
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I'm probably about average in level of play and I say that I regularly play with a LD shaft because I THINK I play "SLIGHTLY" BETTER with the LD shaft.
 
I believe I beat 80 prevent of the people 80 percent of the of the time 10 percent of the people 50 percent. of the time and ten percent kick my butt. I have NEAR shot with a LD shaft. If I thought aLD shaft would make a 5 percent difference I'd try but Willie didn't neither did most of the greats.
 
Scratch85 said:
I don't play at "high" level but I'm not bad. I definitely could be better if I used one stick on one table under the same conditions all the time. As a matter of fact that is the way it is in my basement if I don't mix it up a bit. Problem is I end up playing with a bar cue on a wet bar box more often than expected. It is nice to be familiar with making adjustments. Of course the only safe adjustment under those conditions is to stay on the center axis. :wink:

If I leave the house to go play, I am playing with the same setup every time. I only change for a little practice time every evening.
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That's understandable. If you don't have a cue with you so you play off the wall. I guess my question is more for those who switch cues for different games or tables. Never really understood that. I mean the balls don't care what game we're playing and maybe you play center ball more in this game and then more spin in another game but the manner in which we strike the ball or apply the spin is the same regardless of the rules. The same goes for the size of the table. I mean if you use BHE on a 9 ft you're not going to start using parallel English all of a sudden because you moved onto a barbox. So why the need to switch cues?

JoeyA said:
I'm probably about average in level of play and I say that I regularly play with a LD shaft because I THINK I play "SLIGHTLY" BETTER with the LD shaft.
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I'm sure you're better than average. But if you play better with the LD why not just stick with that one then?

I played with the standard shafts that came with my custom with the ivory ferrules for years myself. And although I could put an LD shaft on the custom butt I felt like that was just something a person does not do. Took me a couple years of frustration and then finally I had to accept the fact that I was more consistent with the LD shaft.
 
I only play with one shaft. It's a conventional shaft made by the cuemaker who made my cue (Bobby Hunter). I have two shafts for the cue, but I chose the one I liked better and only play with that one. I used to play a different cue with a Tiger X Pro shaft. I used to think that I played better with the LD shaft. After playing with the custom shaft enough to become proficient, I believe I play better and am more versatile with the custom shaft.

No matter whether you play with a conventional solid maple shaft, or a "low deflection" shaft, you shouldn't change shafts regularly. How can you expect to play consistently if your equipment isn't consistent? It's no wonder to me that people who change cues (or shafts) like socks can't play consistently enough to save their life. Seems like simple deductive reasoning to me.
 
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