Question for custom cue owners

I've had a few cues re-tapered (AE, Samsara, etc.) not because of deflection, but because I prefer a 12 to 14 inch long taper before the thickness exceeds 14mm.

I have a Blackcreek that will be re-tapered before I can use it.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
I've noticed that most custom cues come with 13mm or larger shafts. Some of these shafts are quite "meaty" as well. Do you use the original shafts the way they are, or do you have one or more of them retapered? Perhaps you use aftermarket shafts (ld)?
The reason why I ask is that I recently purchased a custom cue (that I do not want to name at this time) and the shaft is very thick and heavy. It weighs about 4,5 ounces. While the cue makes a wonderful sound and feels very solid, the thick shaft and and taper makes the cue deflect quite a bit and I also feel like I sometimes get less action on the ball with this shaft than even cheap production cue shafts.
It seems that many people don't care much about deflection at all, but what about the action on the cueball? Yes, yes I know you are supposed to get good action even with this kind of shaft, but I find more difficult than with "whippier" shafts. It just seems like the shaft won't help you at all. If you hit the ball even slightly bad with this shaft you get no action at all on the cueball, while a similar stroke with a different shaft will get you enough action to get the job done. I am kind of frustrated right now, but I don't want to chuck out or retaper the shaft just yet.
Click to expand...

One reason, but certainly not the only reason, your shaft has the taper it does is that many cue makers have their tapering fixtures set to the way they prefer their shafts to be cut.
Making changes to that set-up can be a real pain in the rear. :)
 
every cuemaker has their own specs for the shaft and taper, I myself want a longer taper also, and I bought another shaft from the same cuemaker and have it re-tapered, it changes the hit and stiffness a bit, but not much. The reason I re-taper it was not about cue ball action or deflection, it's so that I can follow through better with my closed bridge. and I did keep the original tip size, I like tips with rather big diameter

Sorry but I dont share your idea that fatter shafts reduce the cue ball action. on my sugartree, the fat and original shafts actually generate more cue ball action.

I think you can definitely have your shaft re-tapered, but that may make it usable for you only, so the resale value may be affected.

So, you should only re-taper a shaft in case you don't want to sell the cue ever, otherwise you should buy a new shaft (same maker) then re-taper it to your preference, then play with it.
 
tip

Try different tips, may be a fiber pad. I really like triumph, that's just me. I have 13 mm shafts and move the cue very easily. Hope this helps.
 
13mm shafts

,
Very few people will want a shaft over 13mm.
most custom cue makers will make the shaft any dia you want.

But no matter what, anywhere you can send a shaft, there is someone around that can make it smaller.
So 13mm is a safe dia to sent to anyone , it is pretty much the standard to expect 13mm shafts with any new cue.


MMike
 
It's always been my opinion that for the most part, the quality of the shaft woods that you would likely get from a custom cue maker, will be a good enough shaft and stable enough to 'tweak' to your more favorable specs. I currently play with a Sugartree that I have not altered in any way. However, there are several makes of custom cues that I've done (or had done) some hot rod work with the shafts in order to make them more comfortable for me. Additionally, many of the makers will generally work with you with any taper adjustments you might need.

Dave
 
It ain't the arrow......

Keep playing with it, if the tip is any good, you'll get used to it eventually.
 
I'll agree,....to a point

True : It ain't the arrow,................... UNLESS

The INDIAN knows the difference between a good arrow,....and a better arrow.(with all due respect).
Just saying, if you pick up someone elses cue, and it plays/feels/ pots balls whatever the positive outcome is better than your cue; well its worth investigating. IF it is indeed the diameter of the shaft that you have a better feel for than your cue; you might want to turn it down,(your shaft of course!). I have someone about my speed who has been playing reg diameter shafts for awhile but has been using everyone elses cues lately. (I mean for like a week of playing straight). He settled on getting his turned to 12 mm. (what the diff. is from 11.75, I dunno. He claims it suites him best.) So be it.

Hope that helps ya out ! :smile:
 
I've had my shafts retapered on my Schon (played with it for many years), my GEM and my current Carolina Custom. I like long pro tapers (18 inches or more) at about 12.5 to 12.85 mm. This is not an expensive fix, but you should research it to have someone do it who knows what he's doing. Depending on how much you pull it back, the shafts need to be rested between turns or they may warp. I've never had any trouble with the shafts I've had turned back (6 so far), all straight as an arrow.

If you're worried about resale, then get an after market shaft (I recommend Gulyassy shafts). Then you have something you can shoot with that you like, and you can put the stock shafts away for resale someday. Everybody over here in Cyprus likes to play with Predators, with a few Lucasi Hybrid shafts. There's only two or three guys who are ordering shafts for the whole country so selection is limited; I let some of the top players try my Gulyassy SPTX (Earl's shaft) and they went nuts over it.:thumbup:
 
Preference is personal. I prefer shafts at 13.0-13.2 mm with thick tapers and rather hard tips shaped to a nickel diameter. I don't like lots of feedback. For me, that combination allows for lots of action and accuracy. The cue doesn't substantially affect the stroke I intend. I can play fine with other shafts, but I have not seen a reason to change. You need to decide your own preferences.
 
I play with an after-market cheap(er) Players shaft on my custom cue. The cue came with 3 shafts, different lengths and diameters which was great, I think all were under 13 mm though. One was under 12.5 mm, and that one was my favorite, it was also the longest and had the shortes ferrule.

But I had some issues with spin shots and balls rattling or missing, so I went with a lower defelction shaft which killed some of the great feel my cue had, but not by too much, and allowed me to play shots better. That Players HXT shaft is the only one I found that played nice with a custom cue, the Predator shafts just kill all feel, it's like hitting with a metal rod, the OBs were a bit too whippy feeling. Actually, I tried some of Mike Webbs LD shafts and those played great and had a good feel to the hit, and Pechauer makes a LD shaft I liked. But both of those were almost 2x the cost of the Players.

So now I have the original 3 shafts if I ever sell the cue, and have a shaft I like to play with actually in use. Best of both worlds, keep the original shafts clean and in good shapes and get a shaft I like.
 
The myth is that 4 oz, or better, tight grain is a "premium" shaft. So most cuemakers try to obtain that. That was George and Gus' standard shaft weights. They of course would make a shaft to whatever you liked, but standard because 13mm, 4.0 oz. When I say myth, its because I have had lighter shafts that have played great, I think there is much more to shafts, tips and ferrules than 4.0 oz and a million ring count...

If you find a shaft you really like, use it as a model. OR keep it and just get butts to fit. But in resale scenarios, 12.75+ are good shafts. It allows the buyer some flexibility for his desired size.

JV

Straightpool_99 said:
I've noticed that most custom cues come with 13mm or larger shafts. Some of these shafts are quite "meaty" as well. Do you use the original shafts the way they are, or do you have one or more of them retapered? Perhaps you use aftermarket shafts (ld)?

The reason why I ask is that I recently purchased a custom cue (that I do not want to name at this time) and the shaft is very thick and heavy. It weighs about 4,5 ounces. While the cue makes a wonderful sound and feels very solid, the thick shaft and and taper makes the cue deflect quite a bit and I also feel like I sometimes get less action on the ball with this shaft than even cheap production cue shafts.

It seems that many people don't care much about deflection at all, but what about the action on the cueball? Yes, yes I know you are supposed to get good action even with this kind of shaft, but I find more difficult than with "whippier" shafts. It just seems like the shaft won't help you at all. If you hit the ball even slightly bad with this shaft you get no action at all on the cueball, while a similar stroke with a different shaft will get you enough action to get the job done. I am kind of frustrated right now, but I don't want to chuck out or retaper the shaft just yet.
Click to expand...
 
The cool thing about custom cuemakers, is that they all use a different taper on their shafts and butts to produce what is known as their own "signature hit" for their cues. It is really not just the tip diameter or weight of the shaft that makes a specific cue hit the way it does, it is how the shaft is made (tapered) to arrive at the way the cuemaker wants it to play. That's why a Southwest plays different than a JossWest, a Bobby Hunter plays different than an Andy Gilbert, etc etc.

So, if you bought a custom cue and now you re-tapered the shaft, you have just made the cue play differently than the original cuemaker intended it to play. That may work out well for you, but not for the next guy who buys a cue for it's specific playing characteristics. Retapering a shaft is a crapshoot for playability, regardless of the thickness of the tip.

That's why people say to play as many different cues as they can before they buy one.
 
I've bought very few custom cues on the secondary market. Most of mine have been ordered and made the way I wanted them. I've had some shafts re-tapered and\or taken down in size a bit. I've never bought a cue I didn't think I could play with just the way it came, but sometimes it becomes necessary, not because of the shaft itself but because I've gained weight and my fingers became fatter:embarrassed2: In my experience I haven't seen most custom cues with larger than 13 mm. 13mm seems to be the standard today for most people but when I started playing seriously in the early '70s 12 1/2 was pretty much the standard. I have both 13 and 12 1/2 currently and can play well with either. You can have any shaft taken down and re-tapered, if you want. I'd stay away from after-market-shafts, personally. If you're not comfortable with the shafts you can have others made or have the originals re-done.
 
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