technically...
- Thread starter Ballistic Billiards
- Start date
making sense of all these little numbers
Here's what I've concluded in regards to shaft characteristics.
Please excuse my ignorance as I've only recently begun to
question such matters.
A long (14-18") pro taper, or modified pro taper will provide a lot
of flex and vibration in the end of the shaft on contact w/ the CB.
A conical taper will provide a stiff shaft with very little flex.
Neither will affect the CB's reaction, but only the "feel" of the cue.
What are the pros and cons to these two variations in taper?
Why is this issue never discussed in regards to custom cues for sale?
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm only trying to educate myself and figure out what is best for me.
Your advice is very much appreciated.
Here's what I've concluded in regards to shaft characteristics.
Please excuse my ignorance as I've only recently begun to
question such matters.
A long (14-18") pro taper, or modified pro taper will provide a lot
of flex and vibration in the end of the shaft on contact w/ the CB.
A conical taper will provide a stiff shaft with very little flex.
Neither will affect the CB's reaction, but only the "feel" of the cue.
What are the pros and cons to these two variations in taper?
Why is this issue never discussed in regards to custom cues for sale?
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm only trying to educate myself and figure out what is best for me.
Your advice is very much appreciated.
coopdeville said:
The different types of taper does affect c/b reaction. Pro-taper has more flex, so playing draw shots are easier. Amatuer player with bad stroke will find difficulty playing draw shot with stiffer cue. Just my opinion, stiffer cue has better feedback and provide better position on c/b.
There are more than 2 types of taper out there, I can think of 5 right now. But there could be more. It is amazing that, you think you know everthing, then suddenly, you discover something new everyday.
By the look of this thread, you thinking to get a predator? Take my advice, DON'T!! You should play a cue with abit of deflection. Not too much, not too little.(Yeah, you can say I''m crazy but I'm going to let you figure out why cause I'm not going to touch on that here.)
coopdeville said:
1. It is never discussed because most players, this is not a fact, but I can say 9 out of 10 player never know that there are different type of taper around.
2. Secondary reseller for custom may not have the right equipment to measure and tell the type of taper the shaft has.Nor do they have the skill to look at one and tell the type of taper they are.
coopdeville said:
You can't figure out the best shaft from just the advise given by us the contributer here. You need to find out the different shaft available in the market and try it all out (should try out for two week or more for a type of taper). One man's treasure maybe another man's junk, or did I get that wrong?
.
good post
Thanks ice.
I had a predator and loved it.
it had a 314 that I didn't like so I had my friend who's a
cue repair guy/ future cue maker change the taper and the diameter
after using a cheapo with an 11.5mm tip. I don't know what the
taper was like on the cheapo, it wasn't too floppy for the size.
Anyway when I told him that I didn't like the 314 and I wanted to
go a little smaller but not quite as small as before. He said something like..
Oh, you want the Z taper on it?
I said Sure. having no real idea of the difference other than the diameter.
I've since sold that cue to a guy who I shoot with everyday and it's still
the best performing setup I've had.
So, maybe I'm chasing the dragon but I know what I like now and I know
why, I think.
This thread was started for my own educational purposes as well as to
find a good taper to put on my new ob1 shaft which I don't like at all.
There's a guy on one of my 8 ball teams who can't draw a ball to save his
life and hasn't let go of that cue since I let him try it out.
He loves it.
So, while I'm deciding what to do with it( IT is a Dominiak Sweet Sixteen ),
he's using it and I'm using a Prather, which I like.
I'm going to be buying mostly customs from here out and want to make sure
I get all the bugs worked out so I get the perfect cue every time.
Anyway, thanks to everyone that had something useful to post here.
-cOOp
ps. going to look for more taper options.
icem3n said:
Thanks ice.
I had a predator and loved it.
it had a 314 that I didn't like so I had my friend who's a
cue repair guy/ future cue maker change the taper and the diameter
after using a cheapo with an 11.5mm tip. I don't know what the
taper was like on the cheapo, it wasn't too floppy for the size.
Anyway when I told him that I didn't like the 314 and I wanted to
go a little smaller but not quite as small as before. He said something like..
Oh, you want the Z taper on it?
I said Sure. having no real idea of the difference other than the diameter.
I've since sold that cue to a guy who I shoot with everyday and it's still
the best performing setup I've had.
So, maybe I'm chasing the dragon but I know what I like now and I know
why, I think.
This thread was started for my own educational purposes as well as to
find a good taper to put on my new ob1 shaft which I don't like at all.
There's a guy on one of my 8 ball teams who can't draw a ball to save his
life and hasn't let go of that cue since I let him try it out.
He loves it.
So, while I'm deciding what to do with it( IT is a Dominiak Sweet Sixteen ),
he's using it and I'm using a Prather, which I like.
I'm going to be buying mostly customs from here out and want to make sure
I get all the bugs worked out so I get the perfect cue every time.
Anyway, thanks to everyone that had something useful to post here.
-cOOp
ps. going to look for more taper options.
Dumb question Sheldy?
Where's the home or X0 YO ?
The side of the ferrule at 13MM???
Where's the home or X0 YO ?
The side of the ferrule at 13MM???
I'm all boxed up.bandido said:
Woods, computer, motors, err wait controller.
I forgot that one.
I covered all of this taper stuff years ago, and I was obsessed!!! What I decided was that I prefer a stiffer cue in most cases. A stiffer cue within reasonable stiffness (medium stiff to Extra stiff whatever you prefer in that range) will force you to develop your stroke which should be at the heart of your game. I can easily draw the cue ball the length of the 9 foot table even long corner to long corner with a Dufferin or Valley house cue.
Last edited:
coopdeville said:
I started out by trying some of the popular tapers from Viking, McDermott, Meucci, Joss, Adams, Palmer, and SouthWest.
My cue making buddy likes the SouthWest taper but I found it was a bit to stiff.
I modified it to loosen it up a bit.
Most players that try it ... like it.
coopdeville said:
Based on reading here there are no standards for tapers, and different people use the various "names" differently. The method for specifying a taper as illustrated by Sheldon is a very reasonable way to specify a taper, but of course he did not "name" his favorite taper (at least in the post, methinks he's got a pet name for it that he only uses when they are alone in his shop). This is quite similar to how airfoils are specified, some are named, but most are named/numbered.
It would be a good idea to make these various cue shaft tapers more defined, that way a specification can be understood by any cuemaker as opposed to the potential misunderstanding that could result from using ambiguous names.
Dave, but you can call him Flower if you want to
PS to Ragbug74 ... willie just said, in the post above yours, that he copied the Southwest shaft taper .... why not just ask him ?
Home is @ 0,0.JoeyInCali said:
I adjust the last number slightly for shafts between 12.5 and 13mm, to get the joint end to right around .847. I take a light pass, then measure both ends, then adjust as necessary to get it within one or 2 thou. Very little sanding is needed.
