origins of the "PRO" taper

[BLACKHEARTCUES]

I was reading in the "SNOOKER" section of this web site. I ran accross an aricle about an English patent, that was granted to a "J.P. MANNOCK" in 1891, for an improved billiard cue.
"Mannock's patent contemplates that the first 16 3/4 inches of the shaft would be "parralel" or in other words, have no taper. This prevents the cue from rising when the stroke is made. It also makes it earier to play a stroke off the cusion. Many cues around that time were made with no taper."


I guess the "pro" taper is much older than I thought & not American at all...JER

 

[Boro Nut]

I was reading in the "SNOOKER" section of this web site. I ran accross an aricle about an English patent, that was granted to a "J.P. MANNOCK" in 1891, for an improved billiard cue.
"Mannock's patent contemplates that the first 16 3/4 inches of the shaft would be "parralel" or in other words, have no taper. This prevents the cue from rising when the stroke is made. It also makes it earier to play a stroke off the cusion. Many cues around that time were made with no taper."

I guess the "pro" taper is much older than I thought & not American at all...JER

That was in the era of billiards and ivory balls, and my association with Mannock from reading very old magazines is as a specialist cue maker/inventor, particularly associated with patented masse cues with bone of horn tips. I think they were quite sought after in their day. Worth a few bob now I would expect.

Boro Nut

 

[cueman]

I was reading in the "SNOOKER" section of this web site. I ran accross an aricle about an English patent, that was granted to a "J.P. MANNOCK" in 1891, for an improved billiard cue.
"Mannock's patent contemplates that the first 16 3/4 inches of the shaft would be "parralel" or in other words, have no taper. This prevents the cue from rising when the stroke is made. It also makes it earier to play a stroke off the cusion. Many cues around that time were made with no taper."


I guess the "pro" taper is much older than I thought & not American at all...JER

In the 1970's and even in the early 80's, I heard people call what we now call the pro-taper, the European taper and the cone taper the American Snooker taper. Then a decade later they reversed the terms. I would say Balabushka and Meucci popularized the modern pro taper here. My guess is that Mannock pulled the taper so far back that it was whippy and was not popular and fell into oblivion for a time. Then came back in the 60's in a little more user friendly manner. Have you found any other info on this cuemaker?

 

[Cue Crazy]

In the 1970's and even in the early 80's, I heard people call what we now call the pro-taper, the European taper and the cone taper the American Snooker taper. Then a decade later they reversed the terms. I would say Balabushka and Meucci popularized the modern pro taper here. My guess is that Mannock pulled the taper so far back that it was whippy and was not popular and fell into oblivion for a time. Then came back in the 60's in a little more user friendly manner. Have you found any other info on this cuemaker?

Back in the 80's I had some confusion Myself as to just where it originated from. I did learn alot from and play pool with a few old timers back then that had been playing most of their lives, and are no longer alive now unfortunatly, so perhaps that's why I had conflicting ideas of It. Maybe it had something to do with what You are saying here, and I was getting that side of the story from them, that was conflicting with the more modern shooters idea of a pro taper. The moochies were very popular in those days.

 

[pdcue]

In the 1970's and even in the early 80's, I heard people call what we now call the pro-taper, the European taper and the cone taper the American Snooker taper. Then a decade later they reversed the terms. I would say Balabushka and Meucci popularized the modern pro taper here. My guess is that Mannock pulled the taper so far back that it was whippy and was not popular and fell into oblivion for a time. Then came back in the 60's in a little more user friendly manner. Have you found any other info on this cuemaker?

That was a misquote.

Brunswick had been using the term Pro Taper at least from the 40s.
Prob much earlier due to its apeal to Balkline players and then
14.1 players.
I never heard the term European taper till the 80s, and never to
mean an un-tapered front section.

No wonder there is confusion, Pro taper = non-tapered.

Profile is a better term for shaft 'shape' - but then
you get Pro profile and it sounds like you are stuttering.

Dale<sometimes you just can't win>

Dale