57" to 58" overall is considered normal though of course it's a preference thing. Your height though many would argue has nothing to do with it.
Never heard of a snooker cue with a pro taper, pointless really as from what i can see it's only advantage is for the player who wraps his index finger around the shaft which you rarely do in snooker.
A tip between 9mm amd 10mm again is considered normal above that and albeit said it's easier to pot a staight shot it's harder to play with side. Below 9mm and you'll play unintentional side way too easily. (You'll see many on ebay below 9mm but they have usually been altered for uk pool with smaller balls our pool pyayer on average go for 8mm or so.
Elkmaster and blue diamond tips are still the most popular though theres a growing trend towards the talisman soft. (buy 12mm talismans then cut them down, smaller bought talismans aint so good)
Brass Ferule of course, none of yer daft plastics
Ash shafts probably account fo 80-90% of cues maple making that up to i'd say 99% Pearwood / Steamed Pearwood / Hornbeam/ Hickory being a minority but none the less can make for decent shafts if the maker knows his stuff.
Ebony, traditionally is the wood of choice for a butt though it can be anything.
Handspliced is far more desirable than machine spliced the art being to get the points both at the top and bottom perfectly even.
Further splices of other exotic woods and veneers are used to decorate the butt. Very few have inlays if any. (Kevin Deroo comes to mind)
Cues with butterfly splicing (2 splices onto the shaft not 4) ae and always have been in a minority.
One piece or 3/4 jointed. Trend/fashion nowadays is for the one piece as most prefer the feel and few of us drive mini's nowadays. Joints be they the mike wooldridge/o min airlock type or other are always brass.
If the cue is to be made as a 3/4 there's the traditional way whereby its made as a one piece then cut or far more commonly now the butt is one piece and the shaft has the splices.
Most cues are made now with a butt joint for telescopic extensions and mini butts though they are not essential as mini butts are rarely used and the push on tele extensions do the job just as well. 28-29mm being the "norm"
Then theres the flat bit. Purely traditional now but it'll never go as there few cuemakers who dont want a badge on their cues.
Aim for a finished cue with a balance point 16" from the butt and that should please everyone.Again it's a preference thing outside the 15"-18" range is exteme few would get on with such a cue.
The finish is a vital thing for 99.99999% of us. If it has lacquer or varnish it's crap and a sign of mass produced chinese tat. An oil finish (usually raw linseed oil) and optional beeswax blows away the feel of any other cue cue on the planet.
Hope that helps.
I'd love to see a yank make a proper cue, like most of us brits we can apprecieate the skill etc in pool cues but they all look bloody ugly to us
