Types of Taper?

[naji]

Also, I have to ask.. what instrument do people use to measure the weight of their personal cue?

I saw TAR video production master, weighs Efren's cue on a small flat digital scale , he puts scale at center of table and balanced the cue on the scale.

 

[pdcue]

Well, maybe you are right, it might mean professional, but I have grown up understanding that it was a progressive taper, which would describe starting out with a barely noticeable taper, and increasing the taper rate as you get closer to the joint. Absence of one? Show me a shaft without any taper at all, must be 20mm at the tip.

Maybe I'm right?

Let's see, 99.999% of the English speaking world use "pro" as short for professional
for everything from golfers to escorts.

Who uses it as short for progressive? - not even teabaggers...

As I understand it, pro taper was first embraced by Balkline enthusiasts, then by
Straight Pool players - who were at one time the exclusive professional
pocket billiard players.

Dale

 

[jaetee]

Thanks for the replies! I had a thought (this rarely happens).

I've played with that same McDermott almost exclusively for the last decade and a half. I'm sure the extended pro taper (thanks for clearing that up) has quite a bit of deflection that I've just naturally adjusted to over the years.

Cut to yesterday when I'm shooting with a 12mm Schon with a much stronger taper, I'm rattling shots and I just don't feel as comfortable. I think that maybe that shaft has less deflection, so may just be throwing me off that little bit.

Now, I wonder if I should just adjust to it, get the Schon shaft retapered, or get a new low deflection shaft with the taper I like and focus on adjusting to that...

Decisions.. I've been reading about low deflection shafts, and it sounds like the adjustment may be more than I anticipated.

I'd get the Schon shaft re-tapered. IMHO, Schon has exceptional quality control and their shafts are among the best "production" solid maple shafts you will find available. And since you're already used to maple shafts, I think that is the cheapest and best option that won't mess with your game.

For the better part of the last 25 years my primary playing cue was a McDermott D-26 I had ordered back in '88 with two extended length shafts (red cue at left in my avatar). I left one of the shafts standard and the other was turned down to 12.5mm and retapered for me by Wayne Gunn. I pretty much used that shaft 99% of the time when I played regularly into the mid 90's. For the last 15 years my playing time cut back considerably as career, family and other hobbies dominated my time.

When I started playing regularly again last year I decided to change up cue case. I rationalized my new cue purchase with the reasoning that I didn't want to put my precious, almost mint McDermott D-26 at risk of theft. As much as a McDermott fan as I was, I have always liked the way Schon cues hit and look as well, so hunted one down. The Schon I ended up with is an older version of the CX-3 with black ebony points and grey diamond inlays, which came with a 13mm standard Schon shaft (2nd cue from right side of my avatar). And although it hit great from the onset the diameter felt a bit fat to me and I eventually had the shaft turned down to 12.5mm and the taper slightly modified to match the specs of what Wayne had done to the upper 16-18" of my McDermott back in the day.

The Schon is my daily player now and I haven't looked back. The hit feels just a tad stiffer than the McDermott D-26 with same diameter/taper shaft, but I think the extra 2" on the McD shaft make more of a difference than anything else. Both shafts have similar looking tight straight wood grain, and both have milk dud tips installed which came from the same source.

 

[poolplayer2093]

Thanks for the replies! I had a thought (this rarely happens).

I've played with that same McDermott almost exclusively for the last decade and a half. I'm sure the extended pro taper (thanks for clearing that up) has quite a bit of deflection that I've just naturally adjusted to over the years.

Cut to yesterday when I'm shooting with a 12mm Schon with a much stronger taper, I'm rattling shots and I just don't feel as comfortable. I think that maybe that shaft has less deflection, so may just be throwing me off that little bit.

Now, I wonder if I should just adjust to it, get the Schon shaft retapered, or get a new low deflection shaft with the taper I like and focus on adjusting to that...

Decisions.. I've been reading about low deflection shafts, and it sounds like the adjustment may be more than I anticipated.

that long taper has the shaft bending different amounts depending on how hard you're shooting. you've just adjusted to that. the stiffer the shaft the less it bends, from shot to shot, for hard or soft shots. it'll take maybe 1-3 weeks to get used to it and 6months-1yr to get completely dialed into it. honestly i think you should go ahead and make the change. it will open you up to a whole world of different shots that are way harder to do with a whippy(McDermott) shaft