Custom Cue Collectors Playing Cues ?
- Thread starter Shooter08
- Start date
I'm not a collector by far, but my most often used setup is a Hagan with the standard shaft, and I bring along an original OB shaft to use on the snooker table only. For me using an LD shaft on the smaller balls feels like playing a regular shaft on pool balls (minus the "hit" characteristics of a standard shaft).
I would have to agree with you in general though. If you own a Szam, Bushka, Doc Frye, Tad, Gina, etc... Why the heck would you even consider throwing and LD shaft on one of those cues?
I would have to agree with you in general though. If you own a Szam, Bushka, Doc Frye, Tad, Gina, etc... Why the heck would you even consider throwing and LD shaft on one of those cues?
I've tried the LD shafts on other cues and the cue felt & played a little different.
Without commenting , re: good, bad or indifferent, I like orig. shafts on my cues.
Without commenting , re: good, bad or indifferent, I like orig. shafts on my cues.
It all boils down to why you play with a custom cue. If you were to look at it from a "performance" standpoint, the vast majority of the best players in the world are using a low deflection shaft. Even if it doesn't have the same "feel" as the custom shaft, it WILL outperform it. Otherwise, pros wouldn't be using LD shafts.
Corey Deuel used to play with a beautiful Scruggs....with a 314 shaft. He played pretty well with it.
Out perform?
Does it out perform? A player has to adjust either way to a LD shaft, as well as, a HD shaft. It all seems relative, unless you would put your $ up I think it is a argument that has become diluted by advertising dollars.
It all boils down to why you play with a custom cue. If you were to look at it from a "performance" standpoint, the vast majority of the best players in the world are using a low deflection shaft. Even if it doesn't have the same "feel" as the custom shaft, it WILL outperform it. Otherwise, pros wouldn't be using LD shafts.
Corey Deuel used to play with a beautiful Scruggs....with a 314 shaft. He played pretty well with it.
Does it out perform? A player has to adjust either way to a LD shaft, as well as, a HD shaft. It all seems relative, unless you would put your $ up I think it is a argument that has become diluted by advertising dollars.
And yet they all (except Justin) choose to use a LD shaft. Hmm...why is that? Thorsten Hohmann used to have a custom Vollmer. Now he used a Lucasi with an LD shaft. Plays just as well. The difference is - if someone steals his cue, or he blows up a shaft between games, he just grabs another shaft out of his bag that plays the EXACT same as his other shaft.
Believe what you want. They're using LD shafts, so there must be some benefit.
If you could use a shaft that allows you to use side english with reduced compensation.....why wouldn't you?
Sponsorship?
Besides performance, I really like the idea of being able to stock or buy a replacement shaft (LD) and go through zero adjustment. In my opinion, the feel of LD shafts have improved greatly since the first 314's showed up.
I don't care which cue I owned, I would put my own LD shaft on it when it comes time to play.
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I'm not a collector but I have a pretty nice collection of cues.
I absolutely utterly 100% unequivocally without question HATE
LD shafts.....lol
So, all my playing is done on traditional shafts.
I have several LD shafts that I've never gotten around to selling
so sometimes I bring them out just to get a direct comparison and
to see if by any chance I have changed my mind.
Golly I hate those things compared to the real thing.
They feel like putting on not just one but ten condoms.
I completely disagree. Ask John Schmidt how his transition went from standard to LD. He had to rebuild his whole game lol.
I used to feel the same way. The new LD shafts play well, once you get rid of the gawd awful Tiger Everest that they all seem to have as a stock tip.
Funny how it works, Everest is one of my favorite tips....lol
They are in this order...more or less...:
1: Wizard medium
2: Everest
3: Kamui hard (regular, not the black)
There are others too of course....
How many of those LD shafts are really LD?
As in hollowed ends ?
These days, you can label any shaft LD.
Even if they are really now high deflecting end shafts.
As in hollowed ends ?
These days, you can label any shaft LD.
Even if they are really now high deflecting end shafts.
While I agree that it might seem silly, I own one LD shaft (314-2) and I like it best on one of my custom cue butts. I still prefer the custom shafts that I own. However from my experience, the cue butt has definite affect on the feel of a cue. There are enough options out there. Players should shoot with whatever suits them best.
IDK about others but my experience with LD shafts is that they all play different, even within the same brand. I have had 314s that played great and some that played funny, and the amount of flex, feel, and deflection can vary significantly from shaft to shaft. I cannot just screw one LD shaft on my cue and expect it will play exactly the same as another. They all require an adjustment period.
100% agree.