What do you guys think who makes best hitting maple shafts?
Also what tapper?
Also what tapper?
Who makes best maple shafts?
- Thread starter brilliance
- Start date
Lambros, but the joint is unique.
*insert favorite playing cue maker here*
This topic is almost as subjective as "What is the best tip?"
This topic is almost as subjective as "What is the best tip?"
Avoid getting a light weight maple shaft. Obviously the size of the shaft and type and length
of the shaft’s taper can make one shaft heavier than another even from the same source wood.
I strongly advocate a 18% minimum to 22% maximum weight ratio & recommend using 20 - 22%.
As far as taper, it is a matter of personal preference and the shorter the taper, the heavier the shaft
becomes and some stiffness gets added as well. Longer tapers on the same size shaft will be a bit
lighter. The shaft you will ultimately get will either be the size (mm) you order or find in the F/S market.
How heavy is the cue butt you want this shaft for and what final weight do you want the new combo to
play at? What type of joint is on the current cue? The weight of a piloted shaft weighs more due to metal
vs. flat faced that doesn’t, except for maybe in a fancy collar design.
If you want a great shaft made, try Bob Owen at Shurtz Cues which he owns. He is very accommodating
and I can vouch for the quality of the shafts he makes owning a total of five shafts for two customs and
every shaft is just exceptional and made exactly as I asked for.
Rest assured, as long as you deal with a highly regarded cue-maker since nowadays you gotta be more
careful than in the past, the shaft you will get will be just fine but no assurances about price or wait time.
Good cue-makers are busy so if you required a fancy collar, that adds more opportunity for increased wait.
All in all, there are a lot of cue-makers you can consider and by all means, consider all that might be
recommended but always do your own research since when you follow advice that turns out to be bad,
well, you are the only one that suffers the consequences, not the party that suggested the cue-maker.
of the shaft’s taper can make one shaft heavier than another even from the same source wood.
I strongly advocate a 18% minimum to 22% maximum weight ratio & recommend using 20 - 22%.
As far as taper, it is a matter of personal preference and the shorter the taper, the heavier the shaft
becomes and some stiffness gets added as well. Longer tapers on the same size shaft will be a bit
lighter. The shaft you will ultimately get will either be the size (mm) you order or find in the F/S market.
How heavy is the cue butt you want this shaft for and what final weight do you want the new combo to
play at? What type of joint is on the current cue? The weight of a piloted shaft weighs more due to metal
vs. flat faced that doesn’t, except for maybe in a fancy collar design.
If you want a great shaft made, try Bob Owen at Shurtz Cues which he owns. He is very accommodating
and I can vouch for the quality of the shafts he makes owning a total of five shafts for two customs and
every shaft is just exceptional and made exactly as I asked for.
Rest assured, as long as you deal with a highly regarded cue-maker since nowadays you gotta be more
careful than in the past, the shaft you will get will be just fine but no assurances about price or wait time.
Good cue-makers are busy so if you required a fancy collar, that adds more opportunity for increased wait.
All in all, there are a lot of cue-makers you can consider and by all means, consider all that might be
recommended but always do your own research since when you follow advice that turns out to be bad,
well, you are the only one that suffers the consequences, not the party that suggested the cue-maker.
Ned's got a nice taper.
Gradual taper to the middle of the shaft.
Ready to play off the box. No need to sand.
I had him redo a McDermott I have with an extra shaft that was not only super but far better than the original..
lol....agreed!
To many to mention.....
Pretty much any cue make that uses "quality wood" and has enough experience.
There is a huge number of cue makers that know how to build a good cue, however, the amount of high-end wood is diminishing at a very fast rate.
So, it really should be a question of:
Who has the best wood socked away????
Rake
Just ask them how long they've had their Canadian maple? The longer it's been "aged" the better.
Is there any very old growth Canadian maple wood around anymore?
I thought the environmentalists put a block to that years ago.
I haven't seen incredible shaft wood in a long time. Since the mid-1990's and these were custom cues made in the 1980's.
We're talking super dense, perfectly straight grain, very clean maple. Lot of growth rings, almost no visible feathers or minerals at all. Very tight. Compared to today's maple shafts - you'd think it's not even the same species of wood!
These shafts, finished to perfection by custom cue makers had a different feel to them. Better texture if we can call it that. Not as whippy, better more solid hit. They did not ding as easy either. Stayed clean longer. The best cue makers would take more than 2 years to finish a shaft. Shafts were made in steps.
That's one of the reasons I switched to Predator in 2000. There just wasn't any good maple among production cues (even high end ones) anymore, and that was 18 years ago....it's much worse now. It has been a steady decline for sure. I figured if the wood is junk, better to be pie or laminated.
The shaft quality of mid to high end production cues in the early 1990's was better than the shaft quality I see in customs today or in the last decade at least. In terms of wood quality, obviously not in construction.
How well the wood is aged, dried and treated of course makes a big, big difference. However, no amount of cue-maker magic is going to make up for an inferior piece of wood. Today's maple is newer growth. Trees planted for the purpose of commercial use. Today's shafts are noticeably softer. They dirty easier, get filled with chalk faster, ding easier.
With environmentalism on the rise, and a growing world with ever more demand for these woods ...the prices are up, and the quality is down. Cue makers are competing with many others, especially musical instrument makers for good wood.
Production cue makers simply can't get the good cuts like they used to, due to lack of supply and due to the high costs. It is very evident in the cues we see today. That's why synthetics have been the trend for a while. Cue design has also changed in style to accommodate the lack of great wood in order to create visually appealing cues.
I thought the environmentalists put a block to that years ago.
I haven't seen incredible shaft wood in a long time. Since the mid-1990's and these were custom cues made in the 1980's.
We're talking super dense, perfectly straight grain, very clean maple. Lot of growth rings, almost no visible feathers or minerals at all. Very tight. Compared to today's maple shafts - you'd think it's not even the same species of wood!
These shafts, finished to perfection by custom cue makers had a different feel to them. Better texture if we can call it that. Not as whippy, better more solid hit. They did not ding as easy either. Stayed clean longer. The best cue makers would take more than 2 years to finish a shaft. Shafts were made in steps.
That's one of the reasons I switched to Predator in 2000. There just wasn't any good maple among production cues (even high end ones) anymore, and that was 18 years ago....it's much worse now. It has been a steady decline for sure. I figured if the wood is junk, better to be pie or laminated.
The shaft quality of mid to high end production cues in the early 1990's was better than the shaft quality I see in customs today or in the last decade at least. In terms of wood quality, obviously not in construction.
How well the wood is aged, dried and treated of course makes a big, big difference. However, no amount of cue-maker magic is going to make up for an inferior piece of wood. Today's maple is newer growth. Trees planted for the purpose of commercial use. Today's shafts are noticeably softer. They dirty easier, get filled with chalk faster, ding easier.
With environmentalism on the rise, and a growing world with ever more demand for these woods ...the prices are up, and the quality is down. Cue makers are competing with many others, especially musical instrument makers for good wood.
Production cue makers simply can't get the good cuts like they used to, due to lack of supply and due to the high costs. It is very evident in the cues we see today. That's why synthetics have been the trend for a while. Cue design has also changed in style to accommodate the lack of great wood in order to create visually appealing cues.
There are cue makers who still have some of this old growth maple. Guys like Ernie and TAD (his son Fred now) and a few others.
Yes. And it takes a special wood supplier to get those.
One who knows how to dry them as well.
Since it is sugar maple, sugar marks are expected.
God uses Mother Nature to produce the best Maples Shafts, he does so thru the Maple Tree.
Next time you want a Shaft, simply ask the Cuemaker a few questions.
How many growth rings?
Are the growth rings straight from Joint to Ferrule?
Does it roll perfectly straight? With eyes on the table and shaft rolling can you see any wobble at all?
Does the maker guarantee all these things with a money back guarantee? Will he make the shaft and have it ready to ship before accepting your money?
Great shaft wood is still readily available, it just costs more than the crappy stuff we see. Nothing makes me laugh more than seeing a cue for a few grand and it does not have as good a shaft as the cheapest cues I sell.
Time for me to stop, the Russians made me do this.
Next time you want a Shaft, simply ask the Cuemaker a few questions.
How many growth rings?
Are the growth rings straight from Joint to Ferrule?
Does it roll perfectly straight? With eyes on the table and shaft rolling can you see any wobble at all?
Does the maker guarantee all these things with a money back guarantee? Will he make the shaft and have it ready to ship before accepting your money?
Great shaft wood is still readily available, it just costs more than the crappy stuff we see. Nothing makes me laugh more than seeing a cue for a few grand and it does not have as good a shaft as the cheapest cues I sell.
Time for me to stop, the Russians made me do this.
Firewood
Most american cue makers would cry if they saw how much curly, birdseye and tiger maple is cut-up into 18" pieces and split and piled for wood stoves in Northern Ontario. I used to supply a few makers in Michigan and they knew it was all getting burnt, for some reason I came across a lot of really nice birdseye and tiger maple on St.joseph Island, why it was more common there I don't know. I have some really beautiful bowls from this area.
Most american cue makers would cry if they saw how much curly, birdseye and tiger maple is cut-up into 18" pieces and split and piled for wood stoves in Northern Ontario. I used to supply a few makers in Michigan and they knew it was all getting burnt, for some reason I came across a lot of really nice birdseye and tiger maple on St.joseph Island, why it was more common there I don't know. I have some really beautiful bowls from this area.