If I read correctly in the "New here" thread" that you played a long time ago and just got back into it, add to that, your lack of knowledge regarding cue construction/build specifics, then I'm going to be brutally honest here but, you're not ready to order a custom cue. At the very least, don't spend a bunch of money on a custom cue yet.
Simply put, your questions indicate you have not experienced the differences in cues and there's a ton of finite differences that can affect play - shaft diameter, taper, weight, balance point, wood types, tip, etc.. Sure, you could order a cue that matches your current cues specs but who knows if that's what works for you now. I say this as someone who played for almost 20 years then took 14 years off. When I got back into it I bought about 6 new cues of varying weights, shaft diameters, balance points, etc. and I quickly realized my old cue didn't quite fit my needs - your mileage may vary.
Point being, after almost two decades of playing with the same cue I had no idea why I liked it or that my needs had changed nearly 15 years later. The cue I played with most of my youth/early adult years turned out to be too heavy for me at this stage.
Here's a list of things to consider:
1) Balance Point - how does the cue feel in both your grip hand and your bridge hand. I can deal with a slightly back heavy cue but a forward balanced cue completely throws me off. To me, this makes a difference on a closed and/or open bridge, too much back weight makes me feel like the shaft is going to lift out of my hand on an open bridge, to much forward balance and it feels too heavy on the bridge hand it affects my stroke and I tend to over hit/decelerate on the stroke.
2) Overall weight - do you like a heavy or light cue - balance point comes into play.
3) Shaft diameter - most mass produced cues will come standard with a 13mm tip, that's way to thick for me, I prefer a 12.3 to 12.7mm tip. Anything bigger and I feel like I have a big chunk of wood between my fingers.
4) Shaft taper - conical tapers are what bar sticks have, pro-tapers are much different. Most pro-tapers (mass produced) are 8-10", I prefer a bit longer because I like a "whippy" cue.
5) Tip - do you like a hard tip or a soft tip (hint: they all become hard after a little use)
6) Cue length - how tall are you? Taller people with a wide wingspan generally prefer a longer cue. Standard is 58", the "normal" long cue is now 60", does that matter to you.
7) Wood type - I have found I don't like playing with heavy woods as the main component - i.e I probably couldn't play with a full ebony cue but I love bocote.
Point being - there are a million things that affect the feel/play ability of a cue, and with your in-experience don't go spending a bunch of money (which is what a new custom cue will cost you - and it's all relevant - $1000 to one guy is $5000 to another), spend your money wisely.
My suggestion is to go to your local cue dealer and try as many cues as you can for as long as you can or, start asking people at the pool hall what specs they have and ask to shoot with their cue. Point being - shoot with as many cues as you can for as long as you can and learn the specifications and how they affect you. Pick a few shots and shoot the same thing with every cue and see how things change.
If you're thinking of buying a $2-4000 cue then spend a little money and learn what to order.
In the end, my shaft taper and/or shaft diameter didn't change (I like a whippy shaft (i.e. thinner/longer taper), I don't like a heavy cue but as long as the balance point is good I can generally play with it. And I prefer a lighter cue these days my old cue from the 90's is 20oz, my current player is 17.7oz. Things change.
All that being said - some people can play consistently with any cue, I always thought I was that way but as I've grown older certain things affect me negatively.
Good luck in your ventures.
EDIT: in order to direct you to a cue maker we would need to know your budget and timeline for expecting delivery - it ranges from a couple of months to over a decade.
Simply put, your questions indicate you have not experienced the differences in cues and there's a ton of finite differences that can affect play - shaft diameter, taper, weight, balance point, wood types, tip, etc.. Sure, you could order a cue that matches your current cues specs but who knows if that's what works for you now. I say this as someone who played for almost 20 years then took 14 years off. When I got back into it I bought about 6 new cues of varying weights, shaft diameters, balance points, etc. and I quickly realized my old cue didn't quite fit my needs - your mileage may vary.
Point being, after almost two decades of playing with the same cue I had no idea why I liked it or that my needs had changed nearly 15 years later. The cue I played with most of my youth/early adult years turned out to be too heavy for me at this stage.
Here's a list of things to consider:
1) Balance Point - how does the cue feel in both your grip hand and your bridge hand. I can deal with a slightly back heavy cue but a forward balanced cue completely throws me off. To me, this makes a difference on a closed and/or open bridge, too much back weight makes me feel like the shaft is going to lift out of my hand on an open bridge, to much forward balance and it feels too heavy on the bridge hand it affects my stroke and I tend to over hit/decelerate on the stroke.
2) Overall weight - do you like a heavy or light cue - balance point comes into play.
3) Shaft diameter - most mass produced cues will come standard with a 13mm tip, that's way to thick for me, I prefer a 12.3 to 12.7mm tip. Anything bigger and I feel like I have a big chunk of wood between my fingers.
4) Shaft taper - conical tapers are what bar sticks have, pro-tapers are much different. Most pro-tapers (mass produced) are 8-10", I prefer a bit longer because I like a "whippy" cue.
5) Tip - do you like a hard tip or a soft tip (hint: they all become hard after a little use)
6) Cue length - how tall are you? Taller people with a wide wingspan generally prefer a longer cue. Standard is 58", the "normal" long cue is now 60", does that matter to you.
7) Wood type - I have found I don't like playing with heavy woods as the main component - i.e I probably couldn't play with a full ebony cue but I love bocote.
Point being - there are a million things that affect the feel/play ability of a cue, and with your in-experience don't go spending a bunch of money (which is what a new custom cue will cost you - and it's all relevant - $1000 to one guy is $5000 to another), spend your money wisely.
My suggestion is to go to your local cue dealer and try as many cues as you can for as long as you can or, start asking people at the pool hall what specs they have and ask to shoot with their cue. Point being - shoot with as many cues as you can for as long as you can and learn the specifications and how they affect you. Pick a few shots and shoot the same thing with every cue and see how things change.
If you're thinking of buying a $2-4000 cue then spend a little money and learn what to order.
In the end, my shaft taper and/or shaft diameter didn't change (I like a whippy shaft (i.e. thinner/longer taper), I don't like a heavy cue but as long as the balance point is good I can generally play with it. And I prefer a lighter cue these days my old cue from the 90's is 20oz, my current player is 17.7oz. Things change.
All that being said - some people can play consistently with any cue, I always thought I was that way but as I've grown older certain things affect me negatively.
Good luck in your ventures.
EDIT: in order to direct you to a cue maker we would need to know your budget and timeline for expecting delivery - it ranges from a couple of months to over a decade.
