I ordered one from him based on all the positive feedback on AZ. Have to be honest though -- not thrilled. The wood is great, no doubt, but I can't say I'm especially pleased with the final product. Tip popped off within first two hours of play and taper was not what I asked for at all (and I was pretty clear). Took it in to have new tip installed and discovered had a slight wobble on the lathe and ferrule was not quite straight (looked slightly hourglass shaped, but not that extreme). I've since had the ferrule repaired at my own expense (locally) and the shaft is still playable with the slight wobble.
To be clear, I like the feel of the shaft reasonably well and the wood is the best looking I've seen. But given the initial quality issues previously mentioned, I don't know that I would buy another. I'm hoping this is just a one-off type problem and that my experience is isolated. My interaction with Steve was strictly through email, so I cannot really comment on his demeanor, but he was courteous and professional in his messages to me. I have yet to contact him regarding the aforementioned issues and am debating whether it would even be worth it to bother.
In terms of deflection, it is about on par with a McDermott G-core shaft, but not nearly as whippy feeling (despite having a very similar taper). My OB2 shaft is significantly lower deflection, as would be expected.
That's my two cents -- take it for what it's worth. From all accounts, Steve is a great guy and I don't mean this post to be disparaging. I just wanted to give a brief accounting of my experience as it pertained to the thread.
