Predator vs Custom cue?
- Thread starter Sedog
- Start date
In all honesty bud, I play with a custom cue butt attached to a 314'2 shaft and have never ran more than a single rack of 9 ball at a time. One day, I had the tip replaced on my "bar room player". It's an old McDermott sneaky with factory shaft / Elk Master tip...has a slight wobble at the joint when rolled across the table. When I got to the poolroom I racked up some 9 ball and ran my First ever 3 pack on an 8ft Gold Crown w/ the cheapest cue I own!! Having been thrilled with the outcome of my first 20 minutes of play, I soon came to the realization that since I was not playing with my fancy shaft on my fancy cue w/ fancy grip.... I simply tried harder, and I played better than I ever had before lol.
Broke dry on the 4th rack ><!
Broke dry on the 4th rack ><!
if you switch from your predator with Z2 to a BD cue with their SS360/2 shaft you will improve rapidly .
People in my area play with Predator and a few of them made the switch , they all started to play much better .
People in my area play with Predator and a few of them made the switch , they all started to play much better .
I'd say no, you won't play better with a custom cue with maple shaft than you would with a Predator. Having said that, the best run I've ever had (7 pack on a 9ft Gold Crown) was with a maple shaft, but generally I'm playing more confident with the 314-2. It's all what your used to, but I believe the modern shafts are superior.
I must say Bob Danielson is an extremely nice guy. He did something truly gracious for me. I was not aware there was an SS360/2! Interesting. I have an SS360 built to my specs. The quality is superior to Predator in my opinion. I don't agree that you will suddenly play a mile better, but a shaft with great *feel* can make a difference for sure!
I would very much support anyone's decision to deal with Bob.
KMRUNOUT
I have hit with many many LD shafts, and in particular many Z and Z2 shafts. My personal opinion is that I don't much like the feel of them. They are very dull feeling to me. However, my friend has a Mike Webb cue. It is a purpleheart cue with curly maple points. Pretty simple...he built it a long time ago for her. That cue is THE NUTS. She converted over to a Z2 shaft about 8 years ago, maybe a little less. Well let me just say that cue plays lights out with that setup. I do her tip work and maintain her Kamui Black Soft tip in flawless condition and rather short. Good lord does that cue hit nice. I feel like superman with it.
So...does a really nice hitting custom cue make a difference? I would say yes!
KMRUNOUT
I agree that Mr. Danielson is a nice person, however, my experience with his product was not so good. Goes to show, it's personal preference.
I think the primary factor in "playability" is the shaft plus having the right butt weight/balance to go with it. There's a lot of choices for that in off the shelf. Obviously, you can get a custom made to your specifications. IMHO, the plus argument for custom is you can get it to your specs and if you buy right from the right maker, it will hold its value or even appreciate. You may also be a fan of pretty wood. I have a number of customs and still play with an OB2 on all of them. The butts weight and balance are where I like them and I do like the pretty wood. I've hit with one Predator that had a Z2. It was some fairly expensive limited edition. The balance and hit were great. I have no doubt I could play every bit as good with that cue as any cue I own. I wouldn't consider spending that kind of money however on a production cue. To each their own.
I think the primary factor in "playability" is the shaft plus having the right butt weight/balance to go with it. There's a lot of choices for that in off the shelf. Obviously, you can get a custom made to your specifications. IMHO, the plus argument for custom is you can get it to your specs and if you buy right from the right maker, it will hold its value or even appreciate. You may also be a fan of pretty wood. I have a number of customs and still play with an OB2 on all of them. The butts weight and balance are where I like them and I do like the pretty wood. I've hit with one Predator that had a Z2. It was some fairly expensive limited edition. The balance and hit were great. I have no doubt I could play every bit as good with that cue as any cue I own. I wouldn't consider spending that kind of money however on a production cue. To each their own.
Well said. I personally play with an OB Classic Pro. For me, OB Classic Pro represents the greatest balance between excellent feel and very low cue ball deflection. I think their build quality is excellent, and Royce is a great guy. I am even more excited about their new Plus shafts coming out. I use an Andy Gilbert butt, a cue designed exactly to my specs. I doubt I will get another cue anytime soon, if ever. Although I will say I really like the hit and playability of the OB Sneaky Petes. I'm sure I could play just fine with one of those. A friend also purchased one of the high end Predator special editions. It was wrapless with an amazing design (might be one of the Mezz ones, can't remember). This cue played very very good with the Predator Z2 shaft it came with. I believe he actually changed over to an OB Classic Pro.
Point is there are many combinations that can work well. The bottom line is that different butts will provide a different feel and balance. The most important thing is finding the setup that works best for each individual.
KMRUNOUT
all cues play essentially the same, they simply feel different, and LD shafts simply deflect a little less
physics don't change, straight shaft and good tip is all there it to it, no more no less
physics don't change, straight shaft and good tip is all there it to it, no more no less
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I played with Predator shafts for many years and liked the lower deflection and owned several of the Predator SE and LTD cues (Samsara and Mezz) which which both hit lights out. I also had a custom Tascarella Full Splice and a Tad each with a spare Predator shafts, however the balance and craftsmanship on these was far far superior.
However I never really liked the feel of the shafts compared to solid maple or the sound of the hit. The unnatural side spin I could put on the ball I also found was not always as predictable or controllable as a normal shaft.
I now have a 4 pointer black boar with a 12.5 mm shaft with an ivory ferrule and recently ran 4 racks of 8-ball on a 9 foot table and have been regularly stringing together 2-3 racks in both 8-ball and 9 ball which is more consistent to what I was with the Predator shaft.
In hindsight, I have found that adjusting for the deflection with ivory ferrules has helped me to focus more on my shot selection and ball control than I ever did with the LD shafts which sometimes tended to tempt me into taking on too much. This is probably why I have become more consistent because I have started to play a higher percentage game.
I also learnt recently that Thorsten Hohmann won his WC 9-ball with an ivory ferruled Vollmer cue and still uses a Vollmer shaft and he played a higher percentage game than most of his opponents with LD shafts in that tournament, likewise Rico Diks uses Ivory Ferrules and plays fairly conservative but extremely consistent so there may be something in it..
Just my experience.
However I never really liked the feel of the shafts compared to solid maple or the sound of the hit. The unnatural side spin I could put on the ball I also found was not always as predictable or controllable as a normal shaft.
I now have a 4 pointer black boar with a 12.5 mm shaft with an ivory ferrule and recently ran 4 racks of 8-ball on a 9 foot table and have been regularly stringing together 2-3 racks in both 8-ball and 9 ball which is more consistent to what I was with the Predator shaft.
In hindsight, I have found that adjusting for the deflection with ivory ferrules has helped me to focus more on my shot selection and ball control than I ever did with the LD shafts which sometimes tended to tempt me into taking on too much. This is probably why I have become more consistent because I have started to play a higher percentage game.
I also learnt recently that Thorsten Hohmann won his WC 9-ball with an ivory ferruled Vollmer cue and still uses a Vollmer shaft and he played a higher percentage game than most of his opponents with LD shafts in that tournament, likewise Rico Diks uses Ivory Ferrules and plays fairly conservative but extremely consistent so there may be something in it..
Just my experience.
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What you say makes sense. I'm sure you realize, however, that you could have made the exact same changes in your shot selection regardless of which shaft you played with. And then if you ever got into big trouble and needed to come with some huge english shot, you would have had that in reserve with the Predator. Not saying you couldn't with any shaft, but obviously you recognize the shot options with the LD being wider, hence your post.
KMRUNOUT
Clearly the differences in feel have a basis in physics, as do the deflection properties of the shafts. If you are implying that the feel and balance of a cue are irrelevant, you have a pretty tough argument to make.
Player confidence is a huge factor in how well you play. A cue that feels good, and offers better accuracy due to lower deflection, inspires confidence (aside from the obvious physics based differences). When I feel good about the cue I'm using, I play better.
Very simple really. A bit misleading to imply this doesn't matter.
You would have been more accurate to say "All I care about is a straight shaft and a good tip, nothing more nothing less".
KMRUNOUT
With all due respect.
I'll call BS on this one.
You might be right but I doubt it How much better did they play? How was this quantified? Over what period of time?