Hey guys I have been shooting for the last 4yrs now and i think i might want to invest in a good custom cue but not to clear on a few things when it come to a cue.
1. What are the diff in Tapers and how can i tell
2. I shoot with a Meucci and love the shaft thats on it i like the fact that its thin just like my hands so it fits well. lol
3 What is the diff in steel joint & wood to wood and the hit on them
Any in put will be great thanks shooters
I pretty much am in agreement with sliprock here........being a novice and having little knowledge of cue construction and playability no one on here not even myself can really "explain" all that with a matter of fact for ya.
Your best bet is to try differing cues and shafts........because you won't really know till you try it.
Your first question is somewhat answerable i'll give you the most common tapers
Types of Tapers
-CONICAL - the side walls go from diameter "A" to diameter "Z" front to back growing in O.D. in a consistent fashion over the entire length. Its nothing but a CONE, it grows at the same rate through the length. This type of shaft is thicker at the center and has more backbone or "SPINE" than a Prostyle taper. This taper is generally found on snooker and billiard cues. Usually a FIRM Crisp hitting shaft b/c of its extra rigidity.
-Pro Taper/Super Pro Tapers
starts out at the tip at a specific diameter and basically goes straight back with out increasing in diameter for around 12"-15" where it then starts to build in diameter. Its designed for use with a closed bridge so that it can stroke through the closed bridge without being hindered in its action which is b/c the increased diameter only shows up at the end of the stroke. This shaft is much more flexible (less SPINE) than a conical tapered shaft so it doesn't have that high driving force/max power but its flexibility adds an element of softness to the hit and somewhat helps spin application.
-Parabolic Taper
taken from points on the curve of a parabola, its the INVERSE of a JAVELINS SHAPE.......SOUTHWEST is very well known for this taper. Its generally provides a very stiff hit. Because the "middle" section loses some diameter it makes it more comfortable for the fingers when compared to a conical tapered shaft...........if one likes the hit of a conical shaft but can't get over the growth of wood in their hand then a parabolic style taper may suit them well. IMOP its just a mix b/t the conical and pro, gives you a little of the best of both styles.
now there are many differient kinds of conical, pro, and parabolic tapers. Just as most production cues on the market come with a protapered shaft, but they are not all the same pro taper.
Schuler had over 200 tapers catalouged i believe at one time for someone to choose from.........
as for the diff b/t steel and wood to wood.........its all feel based bro so your just going to have to pick some cues up and try them......as it also depends on the pin type as to the hit your going to achieve, not to mention that you can have flatfaced steel joints or piloted (you can do piloted with wood too)and that changes the hit.
go forth and try out equipment...........don't worry about who uses what just try some out and the one that feels the best in your hand is the one you should get. It all starts at our comfort level, if you had a magical cue that was supposed to reduce missing but it felt like crap in your hands when you pick it up, I GUARANTEE you will be self conscious about how crappy the cue feels and it will affect your performance at the table.
I'd rather play with a cue that had lower performance but felt better in hand than a high performance that felt weird as sam hill.
-Grey Ghost-
