My Aftermarket Shaft Doesn't Fit Perfect
- Thread starter Mickey Qualls
- Start date
pay a little you shouldn't have to or risk another pig in a poke
Craig,
Excellemt advice as I would expect when you post!
If the shaft bugs him that much getting it fixed locally where a smith can match it to the butt is indeed best. Regardless of claims of consistency between shafts the original maker of the shaft may send one that fits better but that he likes the hit of far less.
Depending on how attuned to their equipment a player is "hit" can be anywhere in the neighborhood or terribly elusive. I'd go out of pocket a little more to get the shaft he likes fixed.
Hu
Craig,
Excellemt advice as I would expect when you post!
If the shaft bugs him that much getting it fixed locally where a smith can match it to the butt is indeed best. Regardless of claims of consistency between shafts the original maker of the shaft may send one that fits better but that he likes the hit of far less.
Depending on how attuned to their equipment a player is "hit" can be anywhere in the neighborhood or terribly elusive. I'd go out of pocket a little more to get the shaft he likes fixed.
Hu
I have 12 shafts that fit my cue. Yes 12. Some were experiments others I got rid of. Current inventory:
6 x 1st Gen Predators (4-stock, 1-12mm, 1-Replace solid ferule)
2 x Ash Snooker Shafts 9.9mm
1 x Z Shaft modified for snooker (cored 10mm)
1 x Ash Pool Shaft 12.25mm
1 x OB1 (Experiment...hate it)
1 x McD (I-2...garbage)
At gun point I would rather give up the butt and all the shafts if I could keep my favorite 2. No two shafts play the same. As Craig said...if you love it and it matters? Fix it. Don't play Shaft-Roulette.
Nick
6 x 1st Gen Predators (4-stock, 1-12mm, 1-Replace solid ferule)
2 x Ash Snooker Shafts 9.9mm
1 x Z Shaft modified for snooker (cored 10mm)
1 x Ash Pool Shaft 12.25mm
1 x OB1 (Experiment...hate it)
1 x McD (I-2...garbage)
At gun point I would rather give up the butt and all the shafts if I could keep my favorite 2. No two shafts play the same. As Craig said...if you love it and it matters? Fix it. Don't play Shaft-Roulette.
Nick
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Apparently you think like Efren. Wish I had some photos to go with this story http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=232442&highlight=bamboo about shafts and collars not matching the butt joint.
yep, but isn't your Bender a true piloted joint?
You can hit em mighty fine with almost anything if you have Efren's skills, yours either. Best I remember your Bender has a very nice true piloted joint with the pilot working like it is supposed to though.
Hu
You can hit em mighty fine with almost anything if you have Efren's skills, yours either. Best I remember your Bender has a very nice true piloted joint with the pilot working like it is supposed to though.
Hu
I've seen this happen with custom cues where the butt was off center just slightly. The original shaft fits perfectly because it was made with the butt, but aftermarket shafts have a "ridge" that is annoying.Hi all, and thanks in advance for any input and advice...
I ordered a lower end aftermarket shaft last week (from a billiard supply company, not a private seller). I received the shaft yesterday, hit a few balls, and I'm lovin' the feel of it.
I'm more than satisfied with the performance of the selection I've made.
But I'm a bit anal when it comes to cue aesthetics. The joint (3/8x10) screws on, no problems. The issue is that when the cue is together, the aftermarket shaft isn't "centered" on the butt.
I've tried the new shaft on other 3/8x10 cues I have, and have been able to determine that it's the new shaft that has the 'off center' issue.
When the shaft is on the butt, on the two extreme sides, one side will be perfectly flush, and the other side will have a 'ledge' on the shaft where the two pieces meet.
The difference is minimal, maybe... half a millimeter. Not enough to notice at table length, but would be easily visible if... say my cue was laying on the table and I was racking. If you came over to tell me something, there's a halfway decent chance you would notice the 'lip' or 'ledge'.
The seller has a return policy in the form of merchandise credit. And I'm sure I could find something that would meet or beat the price paid for the shaft, if I choose to go that route. So a 'merchant issue' is not my 'beef'.
And if I were sold a complete cue that had this issue, I would expect nothing less than perfectly flush. But this is an aftermarket shaft, and the greater majority of sellers claim (rightfully) that 'this shaft may not fit flush with your existing cue'.
If the 'lip' was the same all the way around the joint, I could 'accept' that. If that were the case, I wouldn't be asking the question here.
My question is, would you return the aftermarket shaft that is slightly off center (for either another shaft or something similar in price)... or 'just learn to live with it', accept that the shaft isn't 'perfectly centered', and enjoy the hit and feel of it ?
I'm interested to hear other opinions...
Thanks, Manwon and Hu, I hear what you're saying, but...
I'd likely have to send it out. The last time I let the local guy work on my cue, he neglected to tighten the chuck, and chipped the clearcoat in the forearm. Long story short, he ended up feather-sanding (?) the area that was chipped, and re-applied the clearcoat (after trying to pass off a half-a$$ job to start). In the process, he removed the cuemaker's signature that was just above the wrap :angry:.
So now I'm curious as to what the going rate is for a 'plug job'. Between that and the shipping charges, I may be better off exchanging...
LOL I think the same thing every time I see his avatar :killingme:
I used to have a Predator shaft with that issue. I was sort of 'ok' with it because the "ridge" was uniform all the way around. The issue I'm having with a different shaft (the reason for the thread) is that the "ridge" is offset...
While I certainly don't believe the seller had/has any malicious intentions, or that anyone is trying to 'slide one by' me... If you told me that this shaft was a factory second (based on the slight offset), I'd be inclined to agree.
As I'm typing, another thought popped into my head (maybe one that Manwon could answer)...
Could the local cue guy, or even myself, (and please tell me if I'm using the correct terminology) "feather-sand" the overhang off of the joint collar (and a minimal part of the shaft, if necessary) ?
I would contact Ryan Az Username Ratcues, he works for Mueller Recreational Products and he builds cue, I suspect you have either read some of his posts or heard of him. Ryan does great work and is certainly trust worthy, as far as price I don't know what he will charge but it normally is much. I would do the work for you but currently I am very very busy with local projects.
If you like the way the shafts plays this is the route I would go hands down, you just don't know what the next shaft may be like.
Hope this helps
It is often done to new cues by low end production companies and some custom shops. What they do is spin the butt and shaft assembled though and match them up. This works until somebody tries to replace the shaft and finds out that the pin isn't centered in the butt. Would have been my guess what was wrong if you hadn't said you tried the cue shaft on multiple butts with the same issue.
I wouldn't go back to the local guy, sounds suspicious. I would consider locating another guy close enough to deal with. If that isn't possible I would at least consider buying a second shaft from the place you bought this one before sending this one back. Be upfront with the problem and tell them you want to be sure that the replacement plays as well as this one before sending this one back. I'd still put a set of calipers on the pin in your cue butt and be very sure it was centered before saying all the fault is in the shaft.
The big question is are you going to gain by swapping shafts or not? As was mentioned many aftermarket shafts have undersized pilots and they don't serve anything but decoration. One thought, mark your cue butt and the new shaft. Is the overhang always in the same place? If not then it is probably a waste of time changing shafts unless you can get them to custom fit a pilot for you.
I can't say how much somebody else's work is worth to them. All said and done I would probably bill an hour shop time for plugging and threading. That and a little material and you will be out half to three-fourths the price of the shaft you bought but you should keep the hit you like. Also if you have a piloted shaft that needs a pilot to align properly a shop with your butt can fit a pilot properly.
Those of us that are a tad anal pay for our fetishes. It might be that just aligning the shaft and butt with two fingers as you tighten them together would make you much happier with the overlap at a considerably cheaper cost. If the overlap moves around this will probably work.
Hu
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