I've had several of Alex's cues and they have always exceeded my expectations. The hit can best be described as "stiff" and "accurate" providing the shaft taper is standard. Similar to a SW with standard taper shafts or KB cues of the eighties. The butt of AB cues also have a compound taper like SW,KB,TAD,GINA cues,etc. As a result they are a little thinner in the back of the grip as compared to straight taper butts like JW,SCHONE,SCRUGGS,BS,GS,etc. He can only make a handful of cues per year because of his workload as the cue guru at JOB in NASHVILLE,TN. Alex has played pool for over forty years and is one of a select group of cuemakers that can actually play well enough to evaluate a cues playability. Although he is opinionated with regards to cue specs (assembly methods, tapers,balance,etc.) he is a true custom cue maker and will acquiesce to the customer. Alex is a cue maker and not a computer programmer---no CNC!