Advice on all-around PLAYING, BREAK and JUMP shaft.
- Thread starter TheDragon
- Start date
you might be able to but i could never jump with LD shafts. get yourself a gilbert j/b. it'gets the dough!
I would try out someones LD shaft for full length jumping because it is very tough. I don't want to say it's impossible, but it does take a very hard stroke to get the CB airborne.
Yeah get an andy gilbert J/b. Jumping with an LD shaft is freakin hard.
Don't plan on jumping with an LD shaft. If you can jump with it at all, it would only be very long, flat jump shots. They are just a different animal, designed to react in a different manner than what is required of a shaft for jumping.
Nature of the beast. Royce Bunnell, of OB cues, has commented on exactly this in numerous threads.
Nature of the beast. Royce Bunnell, of OB cues, has commented on exactly this in numerous threads.
hdgis1
New member
I'd contact Larry Nevile and have him make you a break cue with a jump joint in it. Ask him to skip the samsara tip and just put a moori hard or equivelant on it. I often use the break cue he made for me to play with (even with the samsara tip!) and love how it plays. The shaft has a nice stiff taper to it and while it breaks and jumps nice it still plays great.
Chris
Chris
No offense intended, but this is like walking into a golf pro shop and saying "I'd like a club for driving, putting and playing out of the sand. What are your recommendations?"
Playing, breaking, and jumping are all VERY different things. The equipment engineered to withstand the pressures of breaking and jumping just isn't cut out for daily playing. Invest in two different shafts, my friend.
Also, trying to jump with a LD shaft requires about 5 times the force that a J/B cue shaft does with the super hard tips. That means that you are loosing 5 times the control. Jumping is already hard enough to control and aim. Don't sell yourself short trying to do it all with one shaft.
If you HAVE to use one shaft for everything, then don't ever jump with it. Learn to kick at balls and learn to be a better banker. I have friends that refuse to jump and have even heard pro's say that it isn't something they keep in the bag of tricks 99.9% of the time. They would rather kick at a ball and focus on getting good contact.
I practice jumping a lot because I think it is fun. With my J/B cue, I can make the ball about %40 of the time I'd say. I can jump with an LD shaft if it is a long flat jump. But, I only make the mall about 10% of the time.... maybe.
Greg
If you HAVE to use one shaft for everything, then don't ever jump with it. Learn to kick at balls and learn to be a better banker. I have friends that refuse to jump and have even heard pro's say that it isn't something they keep in the bag of tricks 99.9% of the time. They would rather kick at a ball and focus on getting good contact.
I practice jumping a lot because I think it is fun. With my J/B cue, I can make the ball about %40 of the time I'd say. I can jump with an LD shaft if it is a long flat jump. But, I only make the mall about 10% of the time.... maybe.
Greg
Jumping is for advanced players. Learn to kick.
But if you insist on this folly, remember most 'house cues' jump pretty well. They break ok too, so just grab one off the wall to break and jump. Then you can find a playing cue you like without worrying about that stuff.
-s
But if you insist on this folly, remember most 'house cues' jump pretty well. They break ok too, so just grab one off the wall to break and jump. Then you can find a playing cue you like without worrying about that stuff.
-s
A poolplayer acquaintance (named Dave) of mine recently got a custom cue from B&D Custom Cues in Springfield, MO. It is an all-purpose cue that so far seems to be doing everything intended. The cue is quite light at about 16oz with a very hard leather tip (don't know which/what).
I have watched him use the cue now in three tournaments. His break is incredibly better than it was before and is actually very impressive. His overall playing level has gone up a notch since he got that cue ... and I'm not kidding (probably a mental boost for him). His jump shots were never terribly good but he is doing at least as well as before when he used a dedicated jump cue.
The cue is of simple design (aside from the two joints) but is a very attractive cue. When Dave handed me his cue, I noticed it was light but also very well balanced. I didn't notice the 2nd joint until he told me it was there and I almost didn't believe it until he twisted the cue apart.
It might be worth your time to contact B&D (search the forums here) and talk to those fellows - I think they are on to something.
I have watched him use the cue now in three tournaments. His break is incredibly better than it was before and is actually very impressive. His overall playing level has gone up a notch since he got that cue ... and I'm not kidding (probably a mental boost for him). His jump shots were never terribly good but he is doing at least as well as before when he used a dedicated jump cue.
The cue is of simple design (aside from the two joints) but is a very attractive cue. When Dave handed me his cue, I noticed it was light but also very well balanced. I didn't notice the 2nd joint until he told me it was there and I almost didn't believe it until he twisted the cue apart.
It might be worth your time to contact B&D (search the forums here) and talk to those fellows - I think they are on to something.
Ya, what he said.
There was something of saying somewhere: "You can do one thing well or multiple things mediocre." Or .... something like that. Holds true for cues and shafts and tips, for that matter, as well.
While it is possible to get a cue that does all three {(say) Stinger} said cue will be deficient in at least 2 of these shots.
The tips will want to be different: harder for breaking and jumping
The shafts will want to be different: stiffer for breaking, lighter for jumping
The end-mass will want to be different: less for play, more for breaking.
The durrability of the shaft (end) may be different: more durable for breakign and jumping, lower end mass for play.
WOW, I wonder how all the players survived before jump and break cues? The responses to this post are almost entertaining. Golf clubs to cues, now thats funny.
Jump cues and break cues are fairly recent history. They are specialized and perform their respective jobs better than the ordinary players cues. That doesn't mean you can't break or jump with your playing cue. Most players did it for many years, and didn't screw up their shafts or ferrules.
So, if your willing to compromise a little on results, you can do all with a good playing cue and shaft. Not LD, but a solid maple shaft and a little harder tip. Triangle would probably be just fine. The ferrules aren't going to break off, including ivory, so use what you want.
Jump cues and break cues are fairly recent history. They are specialized and perform their respective jobs better than the ordinary players cues. That doesn't mean you can't break or jump with your playing cue. Most players did it for many years, and didn't screw up their shafts or ferrules.
So, if your willing to compromise a little on results, you can do all with a good playing cue and shaft. Not LD, but a solid maple shaft and a little harder tip. Triangle would probably be just fine. The ferrules aren't going to break off, including ivory, so use what you want.
Really? Is it really so hard for you to deduce that players of today both break and jump better than those "before jump and break cues"?
I don't like to lend out my flashlight coz once it was not returned.
The OP was asking about all around shaft recommendations. The responses, read a couple of them, seemed almost disrespectful of his question. Like its apples and oranges, when that is not true. I'm guessing he is a newer player, only wants to have to buy or carry one shaft/cue. For his level, he can do just fine with what I said.
As for todays vs yesterdays, its not the question of this thread. Start a new one and we can have a discussion about it.
I don't think anyone is saying it can't be done. Just that one shaft isn't going to be able to do all three things as well as shafts that are designed to do specific things.
Believe it or not, there have actually been advances in technology since "the good old days" you refer to. That being said, it just makes sense to take advantage of the cues that are built to do specific tasks, like break and jump. Why not give yourself every advantage you can when it comes to equipment?
Using the standard shaft I got with my Viking cue, I used to play, break, AND full-cue jump with it regularly. I did all three fairly well. However, now that I have a Predator break cue and a Predator jump cue, I can break and jump a hell of a lot better than I used to ... because those cues are made specifically to do it.
The shaft doesn't play the game, YOU play the game. The shaft doesn't make YOU better. Proper Practice makes YOU better.
That's my opinion for what it's worth.
If you want an all around cue, check out a Rick Howard (Mace) Jump Break.
But again, it's the Indian not the arrow.
Good luck.
I agree with what your saying, in fact my earlier post said the same. However, he clearly asked about using one shaft, and what kind of shaft would people recommend. Seems like everyone wants to keep telling the guy to buy one or more cues instead of what he asked about. I'm sure the guy knows about specialized cues, but he just wants to use one shaft, and as you experienced, it can be done fairly well.