This was made for Deadstroke32. He originally had a Tiger X shaft and I made the butt for him. Later he traded the shaft back to me and I made him a Varney shaft. The shaft was made to his specs...hence the ultra stiff taper & short ferrule. This cue in no way represents how my cues play. In fact this is why I don't like making things other than how I normally do...they still carry my name. Don't get me wrong...nothing wrong with this cue, it just wasn't made all at once...and the "hit" and "taper" are custom to Deadstroke32. Its extremely stiff & hard hitting. This would be a fine example to send back to me for a j/b joint and j/b tip/ferrule. I just want to be honest to anyone considering purchasing a Varney cue.