I've been using a Predator shaft for awhile now and I'm starting to look for a used cue from a custom maker - I want something nice and unique.
I keep hesitating to pull the trigger because I'm concerned that I'm so used to the LD shafts that my game will suffer with any custom no matter how nice.
I'm curious what other LD using folks have done - did you have matching rings put on your favorite LD brand, just adjust or what?
It's bumming me out - I've seen a few Tascarella's for sale that have me interested...
b
I was in your shoes when I bought my custom. Had been playing for 10+ years with LDs, starting out with moderately low LDs (Meucci Red Dots and an original 314), and then running through a gamut of various LDs over the years.
When I bought my new cue, I agonized over what LD I was going to use and how much I would have to spend to get matching rings, etc. I settled at first by getting a small cross-joint extension to fit my butt to my LD shafts (the pins were different). It played ok but I felt that something still wasn't right.
I loved the way the original shafts hit and balanced but was afraid to switch to a maple shaft. My friend, a very high amateur who learned on maple shafts told me that if I made the switch,
"It will take you a year to make the adjustment." I play almost everyday and compete in tournaments weekly, and I didn't want to hear that from him.
Long story short, he turned out to be dead right. After I finally committed to making the switch, I took lumps for a long time. Losing to players my speed regularly. Losing to players under me often. Never beating any stronger players, ever. I swallowed many bitter pills, just shook my opponents' hands, congratulated them and never said a word.
I worked and played on, and over time my game gradually came back. After that year mark, I'm playing at my original level again. Going deep in tournaments, cashing high at times. I finally won a small one. I win a lot more now, and sometimes upset stronger players at times.
You will go through a lot a phases and ups and downs. You will think you are in the clear at times, and then suddenly crash. It took the whole year because that is how long it takes a regular player to completely retrain your long-honed instincts and ingrain the new ones. I don't think many players would want to go through this and you have to be really motivated and humble to change if you are an experienced player.
I'll leave you with this: When I played with LDs, I was always on the hunt for the next shaft out there. I was looking for something that had better feel and that aimed like the way I was accustomed to. In the end, the feeling that
I was truly after was the hit of a good solid maple shaft. That was my solution, not saying that it would be the same for anybody else. I no longer have any desire to find that "magic" cue, it is already in my hands.
Also, in retrospect I would say that anyone thinking that buying either this or that shaft will improve their level are fooling themselves. Believe me, I've been through them all and any bumps in my game were ephemeral. The best way to improve your skills is through gaining knowledge, hard hours of practice and competition, and being realistic about your weaknesses and working doggedly to turn them into your strengths.
Find that cue that feels right in your hands (you will know it the first few hits), buy it no matter the price, and run with it for years. That is the first step towards being consistent.
