A friend asked me to help him find a cue but said he didn't know where to start. We went down the list and his only major request is he likes European (conical) taper as opposed to pro tapers. I have searched high and low and I cannot find a decent cue manufacturer in his price range ($150 Max) that offers a conical taper. Have I missed something or are european tapers on budget cues the equivalent of hen's teeth?
Do European tapers even exist?
- Thread starter mrcymstr
- Start date
yep on his budget you're going to have a hard time finding something with a euro taper. sorry but it is what it is. if you want something that's more custom to you then it is run of the mill the price range is going to go up. that's just the way it is bro. that's like saying i want something that's african blackwood with a micarta ferrule but i don't want to spend more than $200.
he can either learn to live with the pro taper or he can keep putting cash into the piggy bank until he can get what he wants.
I really think he should just save up. i'll tell you what will happen if he doesn't. he'll buy the cue with a pro taper. he'll not like it but he'll get used to it because he owns it and might as well. adventally he'll say F' this i want something with a euro taper. he'll end up shelling out the cash for it but he'll be out money he wasted on the first cue even if he sells it
So-called European tapers might not feel as good in his hands as he thinks,and neither of you will know until he gets one in his hands.
I thought I wanted one early on. Once I got one,I said to hell with this.
At a full 13mm,the best example I can give you of a Euro taper is going to feel like a tent peg,or an unsanded Dufferin house cue at best.
A Euro taper grows very fast,and often includes the ferrule as well. Even if the tip is 13mm,it's liable to be 14mm at 6 inches past the ferrule.
Even the Euro-made snooker cues feel like this. The tip might only be 9-10mm,but will have a VERY aggressive taper to increase stiffness.
Try putting a 314-2 or Z-2 shaft in his hands and see if he likes it. Tommy D.
I thought I wanted one early on. Once I got one,I said to hell with this.
At a full 13mm,the best example I can give you of a Euro taper is going to feel like a tent peg,or an unsanded Dufferin house cue at best.
A Euro taper grows very fast,and often includes the ferrule as well. Even if the tip is 13mm,it's liable to be 14mm at 6 inches past the ferrule.
Even the Euro-made snooker cues feel like this. The tip might only be 9-10mm,but will have a VERY aggressive taper to increase stiffness.
Try putting a 314-2 or Z-2 shaft in his hands and see if he likes it. Tommy D.
Till I read your budget, I was going to say my old Arthur cue had a taper like he wants, but it's about 6-7 times his budget. You may be better off buying a cheap plain butt and then having a cuemaker make a shaft for it.