Is taper roll acceptable?

I have a question:

If the shaft varies in height from the table when you roll it, then doesn't it also very in height when you shoot with it, depending on which part of the shaft is resting against your bridge hand?

I keep hearing from "experts" that taper roll won't have an affect on the shot, but how is that even possible? If it varies in height from the table by a few millimeters when rolled, then won't it also vary in height when resting on your bridge hand?

Maybe I'm missing something... would a pro use a cue that has a taper roll, or would this be an unacceptable defect that renders the cue unsuitable for use in competition?

(I know this is a decade-old post, but I figured I'd post here instead of creating a new post about the same subject - correct me, if it would be better to make a whole new post about taper roll).
 
I have a question:

If the shaft varies in height from the table when you roll it, then doesn't it also very in height when you shoot with it, depending on which part of the shaft is resting against your bridge hand?

I keep hearing from "experts" that taper roll won't have an affect on the shot, but how is that even possible? If it varies in height from the table by a few millimeters when rolled, then won't it also vary in height when resting on your bridge hand?

Maybe I'm missing something... would a pro use a cue that has a taper roll, or would this be an unacceptable defect that renders the cue unsuitable for use in competition?

(I know this is a decade-old post, but I figured I'd post here instead of creating a new post about the same subject - correct me, if it would be better to make a whole new post about taper roll).

If you're looking the tip up to the cue ball properly, it doesn't make a bit of difference how warped, bent, taper-rolled, ort crooked the cue is.
 
If you're looking the tip up to the cue ball properly, it doesn't make a bit of difference how warped, bent, taper-rolled, ort crooked the cue is.
Assuming that's true, doesn't it make it harder to look the tip to the cue ball properly, when the tip will line up differently depending on what part of the shaft is resting on your bridge hand?
 
Life 101: Nothing is perfect.

What is acceptable is up to the beholder. That would be you.
We (all of us) compromise our definition of perfection on a daily basis.
In everything we buy, in everything we do, we make a determination as to what
is acceptable. An item doesn't have to be perfect to be acceptable.

Apparently this shaft is not acceptable to you. That's all that matters.
It doesn't have to be perfect but it does need to be acceptable.
If it is UN-acceptable to you, you needn't ask any of us if you should contact the maker.
You already know that you should contact the maker. Which, BTW, should have been your first move.
No one on this forum, other than the maker, is in a position to do anything about
your shaft. Only the maker can make this shaft acceptable to you.
By coming to this forum as your first move, with your displeasure regarding your new
shaft, you are laying the ground-work for a potentially less than perfect resolution.
I don't care who the builder is, there is the chance that he reads this forum.
Simply stated, if it were me, I'd be asking you why you didn't come to me in the first place???
The cue buying experience is btwn the buyer and the seller. No one else need apply.
If there is a problem with your new purchase, it is incumbent upon the builder/seller
to make this right for you. No one else can do this.
If and only when, attempts at a resolution btwn you and the builder reach an impasse,
should 3rd party intervention be sought. Until then, it's btwn you and the builder.

Good Luck, KJ
I miss KJ's posts.
 
I was shooting with my playing cue and thought I noticed it moving in the fingers of my bridge. I rolled it on the table and the tip rose up about a credit card. There’s no way I would play as accurate with that as I would with a straight cue. Some may disagree but fact for me.

If the tip is moving and not hitting your aim point, how are you going to play the same?
 
I was shooting with my playing cue and thought I noticed it moving in the fingers of my bridge. I rolled it on the table and the tip rose up about a credit card. There’s no way I would play as accurate with that as I would with a straight cue. Some may disagree but fact for me.

If the tip is moving and not hitting your aim point, how are you going to play the same?

My tip does hit my aim point. Straight or crooked makes no difference. If your bridge remains in the same place and your shooting hand comes back to where you started, your tip will hit the ball where you aligned it.

The only reason you can't shoot as accurately with a cue that isn't 'straight' is because you have convinced yourself that you can't.
 
HOT TIP.......................... if it doesn't roll straight on the table................ something is wrong........... the shaft or the butt is warped....... the pin is in off center or crooked.............. or it needs facing........................

I won't sell a cue that doesn't roll straight...............

taper roll.......... my ass

Kim
 
People ideas of perfect roll is subjective.

Some people find fault in anything.

One got Cue that took a week to settle down, shipping, and time in transit effected wood.

Week late it was fine.
 
It seems like you're saying that a warped or crooked cue plays just as well as a straight one. Am I getting that right, or do you think there are some disadvantages to using a warped/crooked cue?
As long as it's not in WC Field's playing cue territory I feel it makes little difference. I'm not a cuemaker so take that as you will, just speaking from a player who likes to experiment.

You're holding the cue at two points. 2 points form a line, even if there's a curve in middle of the line. This is why some people roll cues on the cushion, as long as the tip isn't going up and down resting on the cushion at near where you bridge, it doesn't matter. It would have to be very extreme to make much difference. Even then you can index the high spot (or low) and shoot from that index mark only.

It's also why a hustler move is to grab a house cue, look at it roll on the table and shoot with it anyway. Only grab a cue off the wall with a good tip. The rest really doesn't matter much. You can quickly roll it, act incredulous, then grab it with the high point up and never let it go the rest of the match. You know where the high spot is. And who knows what kind of luck the opponent is believing in when he sees you make balls with that crooked thing!
 
My tip does hit my aim point. Straight or crooked makes no difference. If your bridge remains in the same place and your shooting hand comes back to where you started, your tip will hit the ball where you aligned it.

The only reason you can't shoot as accurately with a cue that isn't 'straight' is because you have convinced yourself that you can't.
With a shaft that’s a credit card off I won’t argue that. Grab a really warped house cue and I completely disagree. I’ve tried to play with some real bananas!
 
I used to play a lot with a house cue that was warped enough that it could be seen from twenty-five feet. I never clocked it. I won a lot of drinks and small bets with that cue.

You should be lining the tip up less than a quarter of an inch from the ball. The tip is in contact with the ball for less than a half inch. So the distance of travel that is important in a stroke is less than an inch. It would require a bend you could feel to cause a problem.

A dent in the shaft is a bigger concern than any warp.
 
I have a question:

If the shaft varies in height from the table when you roll it, then doesn't it also very in height when you shoot with it, depending on which part of the shaft is resting against your bridge hand?

I keep hearing from "experts" that taper roll won't have an affect on the shot, but how is that even possible? If it varies in height from the table by a few millimeters when rolled, then won't it also vary in height when resting on your bridge hand?

Maybe I'm missing something... would a pro use a cue that has a taper roll, or would this be an unacceptable defect that renders the cue unsuitable for use in competition?

(I know this is a decade-old post, but I figured I'd post here instead of creating a new post about the same subject - correct me, if it would be better to make a whole new post about taper roll).
If the joint being slightly off center creating taper roll, and the front 26 inches of your shaft is perfectly straight it will not have any bearing on your aim or stroke. A few millimeters is outside the range from any taper roll I have ever seen. Any thing over a millimeter would be outside the range for joint eccentricity causing taper roll.
 
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