Two Shaft Question

S

Snorks

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My cue came with two shafts. I changed tips to the sniper on both shafts but I seldom (OK never) play the second shaft. What do you do? Do you play both shafts equally (letting them both get blue, dirty, dinged etc), or do you keep one shaft basically new and play the other?

Inquiring minds want to know what people do with multiple shafts with your player :)
 
Are both of the shafts identical?

-If so, then I would see no problem with keeping the second shaft in your case as a back up. If your tip falls off, ferrule cracks, shaft warps, etc... then it is good to have the second shaft to fall back on.

-If the shafts aren't identical then they can meet different needs. Personally, with my cue I have 3 shafts. The original shaft is a low deflection shaft that came with the cue. I don't use this shaft and it stays in my case just in case I ever decide to sell the cue. Then I have a thinner, "whippy", maple shaft, which I use for playing 9-ball and one-pocket. The third shaft is thicker, stiffer, with with a less aggressive taper, which I use while playing games like straight-pool and 8-ball.

Hope this helps.

-Dave
 
Snorks said:
My cue came with two shafts. I changed tips to the sniper on both shafts but I seldom (OK never) play the second shaft. What do you do? Do you play both shafts equally (letting them both get blue, dirty, dinged etc), or do you keep one shaft basically new and play the other?

Inquiring minds want to know what people do with multiple shafts with your player :)
Click to expand...

For most players, their second shaft is like a spare tire. If something goes wrong with the first shaft, they have a back up.
Now some players also have one shaft they use for 9-Ball and one they use for One Pocket. Usually they have slightly different tips for the two games.

I have seen players carry a thin shaft for snooker and a thick shaft for billiards. Yes, three or four shafts in their case. Last guy I saw with four different shafts was Greg Stevens, and he used them all (one was for the big ball on bar boxes). Beenie had mutiple shafts for different games as well. And Ronnie.....well don't get me started on Ronnie's trick shafts, designed specifically for one handed play. He had two for this purpose alone, one longer and one heavier. I saw him switch shafts and his opponent never noticed.
 
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What Jay said . . .

jay helfert said:
For most players, their second shaft is like a spare tire. If something goes wrong with the first shaft, they have a back up.
Now some players also have one shaft they use for 9-Ball and one they use for One Pocket. Usually they have slightly different tips for the two games.

I have seen players carry a thin shaft for snooker and a thick shaft for billiards.
Click to expand...


I think most carry a "spare" for just in case . . . Snooker is the big difference as they typically use much thinner shafts 10 - 12 mm . . . so a guy who typically plays billiards, pool and snooker is gonna carry a lot of wood. Many cue builders sell with two shafts standard, and three in some cases . . . gives you a lot of versatility for that butt!
 
If the shafts are the same diameter, I will put a different tip on each one. I will play them both for different games, one softer, one harder tip. I usually like a thinner shaft, but if I buy a new cue, I will not turn them down, but find a thinner one or two to use. If it's a very expensive cue, I will keep one shaft "as new".
:p
 
I like one shaft for breaking and one for playing. (I prefer the breaking shaft to be a bit sturdier, though.)

Some prefer one for playing and one for emergency back-up.

Some prefer one for playing and one for careful storage, so they can sell the cue with a perfectly clean, unused shaft, later on.

Some prefer to put different tips on each shaft for different uses.

Some folks don't really care and you can't tell one shaft from the other.


It does make a difference if they are the same or different in design. Regardless of colors or collar materials, is the diameter and taper the same? That would be the first thing you need to figure out. Then, you can determine the uses you prefer for them.
 
Snorks said:
My cue came with two shafts. I changed tips to the sniper on both shafts but I seldom (OK never) play the second shaft. What do you do? Do you play both shafts equally (letting them both get blue, dirty, dinged etc), or do you keep one shaft basically new and play the other?

Inquiring minds want to know what people do with multiple shafts with your player :)
Click to expand...

Both of my shafts for my playing cue are identical. So that being said, I use them both pretty equally. I want both of the tips to be broke in, and if I happen to mess one shaft up during a match........like get a ding in it! Then I can pull out the other one as a spare, and know that it will play pretty much the same. I have also miscued with a shaft and noticed that I needed to do a little work on the tip, so instead of working on the tip during league I just pulled out the other shaft and used it instead.

I don't know what everyone else does, but this is what I do!
 
you're probably playing with the one because it plays better than the other. so why play both.
 
jay helfert said:
For most players, their second shaft is like a spare tire. If something goes wrong with the first shaft, they have a back up.
Now some players also have one shaft they use for 9-Ball and one they use for One Pocket. Usually they have slightly different tips for the two games.

I have seen players carry a thin shaft for snooker and a thick shaft for billiards. Yes, three or four shafts in their case. Last guy I saw with four different shafts was Greg Stevens, and he used them all (one was for the big ball on bar boxes). Beenie had mutiple shafts for different games as well. And Ronnie.....well don't get me started on Ronnie's trick shafts, designed specifically for one handed play. He had two for this purpose alone, one longer and one heavier. I saw him switch shafts and his opponent never noticed.
Click to expand...

Ronnie must have been quite a player. I know a guy who said he saw Ronnie playing a shortstop at Johnston City one handed and the shortstop didn't have a chance.
 
I awalys have 2 or more shafts for my playing cue, I usually find one I like more than the other(s) and use it the most, but I use them all except for some origonal shafts on very expensive old cues,

I have one cue with 7 shafts 2 origonal, 3 playing shafts and 2 new shafts. Thats a bit excessive but the cue is a great G. Szam and plays as good as any cue I have ever owned, I use it often but its not my main cue-it was for a while, I ordered a 7X1 case when I get it i'll post a pic.
 
Well ...

now with the 100+ options open to you with 2 shafts, I wil add another one .... LOL

I have 2 shafts for my Break/Jump Cue as it seemed like if you were going to 'break' anything, it would be with the cue you shoot the hardest with. And what if a tip or ferrule problem with your break cue. Would you like going to your playing cue to break with, with perhaps your break going straight downhill in the middle of a tournament?

I use one all the time (not the original), and save the original for backup only because the one I use has a flater phenolic tip than the original, which is better for consistency on Breaking/Jumping. (I know, I know, I just haven't taken the original shaft's tip down yet ... LOL).
 
Some have come close, but no one has hit on the true reason. I consider it absolutely essential to have two shafts for any cue that I expect to be a top performer. No different than putters or drivers. You'll never see a pro golfer without spares in his locker at a big-buck tour event. Sometimes shafts get lazy,complacent, or just disinterested. They need to know who's boss. Give me a night of lackluster performance, and you're staying home on the wall next time out. Come thru when I need you, and you've earned a ride in the case for nights to come. One can be fatter or skinnier, or wear a Moori rather than a Sniper. Doesn't matter. What's important is that you always have one screaming to get in the game, willing to give 110% on a moment's notice and stay on top of its game the whole damn night. I've never been fortunate enough to have two shafts made at the same time for the same cue. Sibling rivalry has got to be much more intense than introducing a stranger after the cue has left its maker. Yes it may be the indian, not the arrow. But this indian feels better knowing I've got an arrow that wants the game more than me.
 
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