The real issue is that people want to "what if" every rule you write. I guarantee that if you put specific weights, lengths, or tips in the book you would have to be able to measure those values on league night, in a bar, because someone would say "this cue is 15.98 ounces, not 16 as required." How do you even measure such a thing on league night? There's a reason it's called a team manual and not a rule book.
The only reason the cue is not allowed is due to pressure from host locations. We can defer to their rules but some of them like to leave the rule vague such that they get to decide who can and can't use one. We outlaw the cue so we can't be blamed if the cue is used by someone who doesn't know how to use one. We can't outlaw the shot because every time the cue ball leaves the table it could be considered a jump shot, and we'd have teams/players shouting "foul" every other shot. Then there are those partial-ball jumps where you might not even know it's a jump shot.
So we put the last paragraph in that section of the team manual. It basically says do what the OP has done, ask APA if it's unclear. I'm not sure what they will say in this situation, but my guess would be the cue is allowed. It has no features specifically designed for jumping or breaking (like a phenolic tip) so APA corporate would probably allow it. It's not unreasonable for someone to make it their player, so it's likely a player. Even if you use it only for breaking or jumping, it's not a specialty cue unless it's unreasonable to consider using it as a player. I would allow it, but I'm not APA corporate.
The only reason the cue is not allowed is due to pressure from host locations. We can defer to their rules but some of them like to leave the rule vague such that they get to decide who can and can't use one. We outlaw the cue so we can't be blamed if the cue is used by someone who doesn't know how to use one. We can't outlaw the shot because every time the cue ball leaves the table it could be considered a jump shot, and we'd have teams/players shouting "foul" every other shot. Then there are those partial-ball jumps where you might not even know it's a jump shot.
So we put the last paragraph in that section of the team manual. It basically says do what the OP has done, ask APA if it's unclear. I'm not sure what they will say in this situation, but my guess would be the cue is allowed. It has no features specifically designed for jumping or breaking (like a phenolic tip) so APA corporate would probably allow it. It's not unreasonable for someone to make it their player, so it's likely a player. Even if you use it only for breaking or jumping, it's not a specialty cue unless it's unreasonable to consider using it as a player. I would allow it, but I'm not APA corporate.