What do you look for when reading the quality of a shaft?

[jlrowe]

Im not sure how to read the growth rings on a shaft. Could someone explain and maybe post pic of how to do this. Also is there anything else to look for besides this in determining a high quality shaft? Can it be determined by the tone etc?
Thanks JL Rowe

 

[jazznpool]

JL, First, I suggest you do an AZB search. It will keep you busy for hours. This has been covered many times here and there is a lot of information on the subject. Something to keep in mind, even if the shaft maple is superb, the quality of the shaft taper is a critical factor in producing a shaft that plays good (so are the ferrule, tip and construction methods). Tone is certainly a grading factor--more important to some than others. It is a broad indicator of density and spine. I prefer to not have thuddy toned shafts on any cues I have a hand in making.

Martin

Im not sure how to read the growth rings on a shaft. Could someone explain and maybe post pic of how to do this. Also is there anything else to look for besides this in determining a high quality shaft? Can it be determined by the tone etc?
Thanks JL Rowe