OB1 let down

[RBLilly]

thanks for the comments...
I want to play with it, as I like the way it plays
and what I'm planning for it will only improve it.

I don't have a caliper and I don't want to change
the diameter too much, only what I have to, to get
a good taper.

Maybe mine was modified already because the taper
is looooooooooong.

I prefer a euro/conical taper, this is not to say that
I prefer a smaller tip diameter.

Don't be scared to change it, you're a good cue maker,
and this is just a shaft like any other (besides the hollow ferrule and carbon fiber pad).


the picture isn't that big, lol.
I counldn't get the location of the small one for some reason, i'm going to delete it and post the link instead.

The ferrule isn't hollow once you slip it onto the end of the shaft, and many ferrules are like that. The pad is actually phenolic, and it serves as the top to the ferrule. The reason you don't know that ferrules slip on is because the regular white ferrules have a cap like feature that acts just like the phenolic pad on the OB-1 ferrule.

You will be adding mass to it if you add a different ferrule, and you will notice more deflection. Maybe your shaft taper was modified. Did you buy from OB-1, or buy it off of a buddy?

If it is modified already then maybe that is why it doesn't play correctly.

Oh well, guess that is why there are 31 flavors right?

 

[RBLilly]

I measure the pro taper to be about 10 - 11" and then it is not really straight back from the ferrule.
If I were you I would not modify the OB-1 shaft.
Once you do that it has no value to anyone other than you.
If you dont like it after its is modified then it is worthless even to you.
Sell it to someone that likes the OB-1 and buy a shaft more suited to your preferences.

I wish Royce would make the uncut blanks available to cuemakers so we could cut the profile we prefer as the construction of the OB-1 shaft IMHO is a fantistic piece of engineering.
That thing profiled with my modified Southwest taper would be the nuts. But, sorry to say he offers it only in the one configuration.
Still I think it is an engineering advancement over the laminated and pie wedge constructed shafts.

BTW your HUGE photo is really screwing with my screen layout.

Hey Willee,

Was my taper any different since I went with the smaller tip diameter? Or do you remember?

 

[Ballistic Billiards]

reiteration

this shaft plays great, and will still play great when I'm done
modifying it. I just don't like it shaking so much. reminds me of a tuning fork.

 

[Handsumm]

I bought a blank ob-1 at 30" and had Greg Sowder do the joint collar. I didn't like the shaft diameter, so he turned it down to 12.15 and I put a Sniper on it. It plays GREAT now. Highly recommend you have it turned down and put a sniper on. Remember though, leave that fiber disk on top of the ferrule.

 

[RBLilly]

construction look at the second to the last picture
to see the hollow ferrule. There's a difference of opinion on the use of a wood tenon or not.
I've heard from a very reputable source that the ferrule is foam filled, thus, no tenon.
maybe he'll chime in here. some pictures of the ferrule without the pad would be awesome.
In any case, when I have work done on mine I'll post some pictures.

What part in there description are you not reading? They said theirs isn't hollow, and they said theirs is wood the final 4 " of the shaft including the ferrule.

I would trust the manufacturer description before some other source. Better yet cut your's off and lets see what is in it!

 

[Varney Cues]

Yea that ferrule will slip over the last couple mm of the shaft which is wood, so the ferrule won't have a hollow point in the middle, and they don't fill the ferrule with foam. Kind of like when you look at the end of a shaft that has a phenolic/wood joint. The phenolic part of the joint is a collar. Think of these wooded ferrules as a collar that slide down on the end of the shaft. A lot of ferrules are done this way.

The carbon fiber pad is there so when you replace the tip you aren't damaging the ferrule or shaft, and last I knew the pad wasn't carbon fiber, but it was phenolic.

If you want more confirmation on this call Royce at OB-1.

To set the record straight...
The wood ferrule's outside wall is slightly less than 1mm...this is slipped around about 1mm of the shaft wood tenon. The ferrule & tenon are a hollow type, very much like the 314. The 314 uses a foam filling and the other uses very light, very soft balsa wood tenon which extends through the ferrule into the shaft. This balsa/tenon may look very much like tan foam to some. The carbon disc is so not to expose the balsa tenon when retipping. After speaking with the maker he informed me the balsa, as well as the light wood ferrule was to keep the front end light and reduce deflection. Now you know the truth...I'll return you to your regularly schelduled programming.

 

[RBLilly]

To set the record straight...
The wood ferrule's outside wall is slightly less than 1mm...this is slipped around about 1mm of the shaft wood tenon. The ferrule & tenon are a hollow type, very much like the 314. The 314 uses a foam filling and the other uses very light, very soft balsa wood tenon which extends through the ferrule into the shaft. This balsa/tenon may look very much like tan foam to some. The carbon disc is so not to expose the balsa tenon when retipping. After speaking with the maker he informed me the balsa, as well as the light wood ferrule was to keep the front end light and reduce deflection. Now you know the truth...I'll return you to your regularly schelduled programming.

Thank you for the explanation! Well balsa is a wood, so I guess their description of it being all wood the last 4" would be a correct statement. Also by putting a different ferrule it will increase deflection!

Thanks again for shedding some light on this!

I am going back to doing my homework now, unfortunately!

 

[Ballistic Billiards]

balsa wood?!

lol

ok, now there's the truth.
thanks Kevin

 

[rayjay]

thanks for the comments...
I want to play with it, as I like the way it plays
and what I'm planning for it will only improve it.

I don't have a caliper and I don't want to change
the diameter too much, only what I have to, to get
a good taper.

Maybe mine was modified already because the taper
is looooooooooong.

I prefer a euro/conical taper, this is not to say that
I prefer a smaller tip diameter.

Don't be scared to change it, you're a good cue maker,
and this is just a shaft like any other (besides the hollow ferrule and carbon fiber pad).


the picture isn't that big, lol.
I couldn't get the location of the small one for some reason, i'm going to delete it and post the link instead.

Maybe I'm just confused...but how do you expect to change an 18"-20" pro taper, which is the same diameter from the ferrule back for 18"-20", to a "conical"/ euro taper, which is a consistent conical expansion from the ferrule back, without making the tip into a toothpick?

 

[bruin70]

I got an OB1 a few weeks ago and I'm really disappointed
with it...

...................OB1-NO CAN BE

 

[Mike in MN]

I got an OB1 a few weeks ago and I'm really disappointed
with it... don't jump on me just yet.

I'm going to change the taper and the tip and see how I feel about
it after that.

It has about an 18-20" pro taper and a Triangle tip @ 12.75mm.
Is this what everyone else has and likes?
I think it feels like a meucci which is very far from my taste in
a shaft.

I'm told that the triangle might be no good, chalk slides right off of it,
and it'll be replaced.

It's a blank shaft and needs finished at the joint so I can have my guy
change the taper for me at the same time no problem.

The super long taper is just too "soft" for me, feels like a wet noodle,
but the shaft definitely performs.

Mine didn't come with a Triangle tip, but rather a Tailsman Pro and I am doing well with that so far. I still might switch back to my standard Sniper tip, but for now the Tailsman is being good to me.

If yours came with a Triangle on it, I am interested to know where you got it because every OB-1 I've seen comes with the Tailsman as the stock tip.

 

[Ballistic Billiards]

slightly

Maybe I'm just confused...but how do you expect to change an 18"-20" pro taper, which is the same diameter from the ferrule back for 18"-20", to a "conical"/ euro taper, which is a consistent conical expansion from the ferrule back, without making the tip into a toothpick?

I'm going to have to see what I can get away with
if I don't decide to sell it first.

 

[seymore15074]

I love shooting players with OB-1 shafts...I tell them to "use the force."

Anyway, why ruin it when you could just sell it? ...then you can use that money to buy some other gimmick.

 

[Ballistic Billiards]

what you said

I love shooting players with OB-1 shafts...I tell them to "use the force."

Anyway, why ruin it when you could just sell it? ...then you can use that money to buy some other gimmick.

you've obviously never played with one.
try posting something relevant next time.

 

[RBLilly]

Gimmick

I love shooting players with OB-1 shafts...I tell them to "use the force."

Anyway, why ruin it when you could just sell it? ...then you can use that money to buy some other gimmick.

If you believe it is a gimmick then by all means don't buy it. But don't knock it until you have given it a fair shake down. These things play excellent, and I am sold on them. Not because of the hype, but because I have actually played with them and got a good feel for them. No other wooden shaft in the world is as radial consistent as this shaft. (At least not yet!)

 

[Burtus]

OB-1 hit/feel

Coop,
I think you are going to have a tough time trying to make the OB-1 feel like the Z. When I was looking for a shaft, I tried a few including the Z and 314. The Ob-1 feels much more like the 314 than the Z which to me had a twang to the hit. I then chose between the 314 and OB-1. The shaft certainly has movement up front after contact but I felt that it did not resonate back through the shaft because of the dampening OB-1 has in it. Line up for a couple of shots and shoot with you eyes closed with both shafts paying attention to feedback through the shaft. I think you may be surprised. I think the OB-1 feels solid rather than soft without a lot of vibration/twang that other shafts do. Some like the latter and I don't think either is wrong but rather a preference.

Burt

 

[Ballistic Billiards]

ok

Coop,
I think you are going to have a tough time trying to make the OB-1 feel like the Z. When I was looking for a shaft, I tried a few including the Z and 314. The Ob-1 feels much more like the 314 than the Z which to me had a twang to the hit. I then chose between the 314 and OB-1. The shaft certainly has movement up front after contact but I felt that it did not resonate back through the shaft because of the dampening OB-1 has in it. Line up for a couple of shots and shoot with you eyes closed with both shafts paying attention to feedback through the shaft. I think you may be surprised. I think the OB-1 feels solid rather than soft without a lot of vibration/twang that other shafts do. Some like the latter and I don't think either is wrong but rather a preference.

Burt

Did you try them all on the same cue?
My ob1 is a radial pin on a flat faced wood:wood joint.
You're using a lucasi which should be a uni-loc quick release
with a steel collar and a piloted insert in the shaft.
Big difference in the "feel" there.

In any case, this shaft is too whippy and the tip sucks.
I'm going to put on a new tip and have the rest of the work
done that I'm planning on and I'll post a new thread then.
(that is if I don't sell the cue with the radial pin first)

I'm currently playing with a Prather and am very happy with
that stock shaft, nice and stiff.

As Seymore so eloquently expressed...
It's not the arrow... It's the archer.

This shaft has benefits but if you don't like the way it feels
what good is it?

 

[JoeyA]

I'm currently playing with a Prather and am very happy with
that stock shaft, nice and stiff.

As Seymore so eloquently expressed...
It's not the arrow... It's the archer.

This shaft has benefits but if you don't like the way it feels
what good is it?

Your last sentence speaks well.

Many people ask me what is the best playing cue and my answer is always the same. You should simply try out different cues with different tapers, different shaft sizes/lengths and different woods and decide for yourself what YOU like.

What feels poorly to you could easily feel great to another and vice versa.

Sometimes we allow ourselves to be confused by our inability to play well when using a particular cue/shaft. The new and uncomfortable difference we feel in a new shaft/cue sometimes cannot be condoned and this "feeling" often negatively impacts our ability to play well.

I am experimenting with different shafts and tapers and hope to find additional ways to tweak my game and hope to give my OB-1 shaft ala Earl Strickland/ MIke Gulyassy that is being shipped today a fair chance.

BTW, Bender shafts are always "nice and stiff".
JoeyA

 

[Ballistic Billiards]

thanks

Your last sentence speaks well.

Many people ask me what is the best playing cue and my answer is always the same. You should simply try out different cues with different tapers, different shaft sizes/lengths and different woods and decide for yourself what YOU like.

What feels poorly to you could easily feel great to another and vice versa.

Sometimes we allow ourselves to be confused by our inability to play well when using a particular cue/shaft. The new and uncomfortable difference we feel in a new shaft/cue sometimes cannot be condoned and this "feeling" often negatively impacts our ability to play well.

I am experimenting with different shafts and tapers and hope to find additional ways to tweak my game and hope to give my OB-1 shaft ala Earl Strickland/ MIke Gulyassy that is being shipped today a fair chance.

BTW, Bender shafts are always "nice and stiff".
JoeyA

Joey,
come back and give that a good review for me with some pictures if possible. I'm excited about that cue for you.

Also check out my thread in the cue makers section titled "technical..."
-cOOp

 

[RBC]

Coop,

I am sorry that you don't like the way the OB-1 feels. Obviously, what appeals to some may not appeal to others.

As to answer a few of the points mentioned, here goes:

We used triangle tips way back, so it is possible that you have one with that tip. We now use the Talisman Pro in a Medium hardness and have had much success with it.

Our taper is rather different than most because our shaft is different than most. We tested many different tapers before we settled on what we now have. The taper increases very slightly for the first 10" and then changes more rapidly. We also use a different technique to transition from one taper to the next to help eliminate individual flex points.

You might have someone taper the tip down to 12.25mm and have them do a straight cone from the tip to the current dimension at 10" back. We have done a few that way and some people like them. We do not recommend going below 12.2mm though because the ferrule is pretty thin at that point.

As far as the ferrule goes, Varney is pretty close. In our original 12.75mm tip size the ferrule is a little over 1mm, but we are splitting hairs. The important thing is that the ferrule is maple, glued to maple, with the proper glue. Basically, the ferrule and the shaft are glued together so well that they become one peice. A plastic ferrule would not likely hold up if it were to be installed in the same configuration. Changing to a plastic ferrule without adding a maple tenon would most likely not hold up. When you make this modification, you increase the tip end mass pretty dramatically, so the cue ball squirt, or deflection, will increase accordingly.

I should metion that one of the characteristics of our cue shaft is that it does spin the cue ball better than most. What most players find is that after adjusting they cue closer to the center of the cue ball. Cueing closer to the center will definitely reduce the "Shaking" you are talking about, and help you make more balls too.

Anyway, Thanks to all of those out there who are playing with our cue shaft!

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com