Who In America Makes LD Shafts Out of Solid Blanks or Converts Existing Shafts to LD?

i once had a predator 314 shaft that finished by paul mottey to match one of those feather cues, that looked like the gina's.. anyways it had the fancy ring work, which i know has nothing to do it how it plays, but it also had an ivory ferrule which to me made it feel ALOT better... seemed to make it a happy medium between a regular shaft and a 314.. i regret selling it.. and every 314 i have tried since i hated...

one time at Valley Forge, i tried all the different shafts that were available.. , i thought the ob-1 shaft felt like a dead log.. and the predator shafts felt bad.. but i did like the feel of the universal smart shaft.. although it felt like a normal shaft and not as much low deflection...

my relative just got a Jim Pierce alittle while back and it has two bowling alley shafts with ivory ferrules.. he doesnt like them much.. he feels they are too LD for him and its giving him a hard time to play.. I can pick up the cue and play with it like i have been playing with it for years.. to me it plays great.. but he cant make a ball... weird how that works..

chris
 
i once had a predator 314 shaft that finished by paul mottey to match one of those feather cues, that looked like the gina's.. anyways it had the fancy ring work, which i know has nothing to do it how it plays, but it also had an ivory ferrule which to me made it feel ALOT better... seemed to make it a happy medium between a regular shaft and a 314.. i regret selling it.. and every 314 i have tried since i hated...

one time at Valley Forge, i tried all the different shafts that were available.. , i thought the ob-1 shaft felt like a dead log.. and the predator shafts felt bad.. but i did like the feel of the universal smart shaft.. although it felt like a normal shaft and not as much low deflection...

my relative just got a Jim Pierce alittle while back and it has two bowling alley shafts with ivory ferrules.. he doesnt like them much.. he feels they are too LD for him and its giving him a hard time to play.. I can pick up the cue and play with it like i have been playing with it for years.. to me it plays great.. but he cant make a ball... weird how that works..

chris

Chris

It is weird how it works. Your brain makes subconscious adjustments after hitting a million balls.

Kevin
 
Messing with Mr Borani has now got me curious. I've had a PM from Japan and there are several people doing it there, both from their own blanks and from existing shafts.

Anyone out there using a solid maple LD shaft? Who would you recommend for this work? I can't get Ernie Gutierrez interested in the concept and he's way busy building huge dollar cues. I have a Predator 314 that is way LD but feels like a loaf of rye bread on the ball. I'd love a LD shaft that felt traditional.

Is LD and solid feel possible? Or are the 2 mutually exclusive?

Thanks

Kevin

check out the mezz alpha shaft.
 
LD shafts

Bob Owen of Shurtz Custom Cues makes LD shafts 2 or 3 different ways, and does excellent work. Shurtz is located here in Wichita at Mt. Vernon and Washington, 1-316-269-3844.
 
Kevin Varney LD

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Before he disappeared, hangemhigh was selling ferrule-less, solid-maple LD shafts. Quite a few people on AzB reported favorably on these shafts.

My understanding is that the shafts were made by Jess June (of Ca$h Cues and World Class Cues) in Jackson, Tennessee. Whether Jess is currently in business and still offering these shafts himself, I do not know.
 
Before he disappeared, hangemhigh was selling ferrule-less, solid-maple LD shafts. Quite a few people on AzB reported favorably on these shafts.

My understanding is that the shafts were made by Jess June (of Ca$h Cues and World Class Cues) in Jackson, Tennessee. Whether Jess is currently in business and still offering these shafts himself, I do not know.

Maybe I'll just senf Tommy and Varney some money and sit on my porch and wait for the LD.

Thanks

Kevin
 
Thank you for the response...

thats your claim not theirs nowhere does predator claim that the lamination is for ld characteristics what they do claim is that it is for radial consistency. Maybe ae should try one of your shafts and attribute claims to uou thst you never made.



First off, I did not name any particular companies, there are several that market laminated LD shafts.

Second, I did not say that anyone made any claims that it does. I said that they would like you to believe that it does so they have a better marketing stance.

IF you believe that it affects the LDness (new word) of the shaft, then that can give them a better marketing position against other LD shaft makers.

All LD shaft makers coming in after Predator are in a negative position and either have to fight to gain market share or go for a further niche market.

I originally had actually designed my ld shaft with a combination of flat and radial laminates. I may still do so in the future to increase stability for mass production if I end up needing to mass produce them.

As long as I can pick and choose my shaft blanks though, it won't make a difference for the time being.

Jaden

p.s. My shafts end up having about as much LD as an original 314 but have increased feel. Because of what I have to do to maintain the feedback, I don't think I can get much lower deflection than this.

So what I am doing is marketing to the niche market that want lower deflection while still maintaining the feel and feedback of a standard shaft.
 
First off, I did not name any particular companies, there are several that market laminated LD shafts.

Second, I did not say that anyone made any claims that it does. I said that they would like you to believe that it does so they have a better marketing stance.

IF you believe that it affects the LDness (new word) of the shaft, then that can give them a better marketing position against other LD shaft makers.

All LD shaft makers coming in after Predator are in a negative position and either have to fight to gain market share or go for a further niche market.

I originally had actually designed my ld shaft with a combination of flat and radial laminates. I may still do so in the future to increase stability for mass production if I end up needing to mass produce them.

As long as I can pick and choose my shaft blanks though, it won't make a difference for the time being.

Jaden

p.s. My shafts end up having about as much LD as an original 314 but have increased feel. Because of what I have to do to maintain the feedback, I don't think I can get much lower deflection than this.

So what I am doing is marketing to the niche market that want lower deflection while still maintaining the feel and feedback of a standard shaft.

no worries i sometimes get a little tired of people slamming predator shafts they are per my experience a quality shaft i have 3 all are at least 3 years old all straight and i have to say that my favorite is my pre cat 314 but sometimes my z2 when im really instroke. Anyway i was just giving the other side didn't mean any offense to you, i was just saying that i dont think they make unreasonable claims about their product and they do support pool.
 
I actually played with a predator sneaky pete for a little while...

no worries i sometimes get a little tired of people slamming predator shafts they are per my experience a quality shaft i have 3 all are at least 3 years old all straight and i have to say that my favorite is my pre cat 314 but sometimes my z2 when im really instroke. Anyway i was just giving the other side didn't mean any offense to you, i was just saying that i dont think they make unreasonable claims about their product and they do support pool.

I changed it up though, I actually didn't use the LD tech until I played with my McDermott COTY with an I-2.

I always used BHE... When I played with the predator, I ended up cutting off the ferule coring out the foam, replacing it with a tenon and a standard ferule.

I've had people play with that shaft and say it was the best shaft they ever played with.

I had started developing my shaft before that because of hearing how hollow they seemed to hit for a lot of people.

I thought, there should be a way to get the LD without giving up the quality of the feel. I was able to do it after seven years of R and D.

Jaden
 
Barkley in Joplin, MO and B&D Cues in Springfield, MO both make maple LD shafts that I'm told by users are excellent. Neither use laminated wood for shafts.

I've not bought into the whole LD thing as I've played too many years with regular maple shafts to change now.
 
I could care less where its made if I'm buying a ready-made shaft. I was just trying to avoid the logistics of ordering a custom from Japan.

Thanks

Kevin
Guess I read it wrong, who in America makes...

Besides...why worry about logistics when plenty of US dealers have shafts such as Mezz onhand?
 
Guess I read it wrong, who in America makes...

Besides...why worry about logistics when plenty of US dealers have shafts such as Mezz onhand?

My point exactly. When I started the thread I was under the assumption that all production shafts would feel like my Predator and that I would have to go with a custom to get both (hopefully) feel and LD. If I was going to have a custom cue made, I was looking to avoid (if I could) having to pay the shipping and possible communication difficulties in dealing with a Japanese maker (I had a helpful Japanese member suggest two fellow countrymen as doing excellent work in that regard).

Early in the thread a Mezz was mentioned as having the properties I was looking for, then another guy chimed in and another. After the third I posted in the For Sale thread and bought a Mezz in about 15 minutes (I'm so easy when I don't know what I'm doing). I hope I like the Mezz I bought. If I don't, I'll sell it and keep on with my search.

I think 2 makers asked to send product to me for evaluation. As Tate has done that in the past and is way better versed on all things cue than myself, I referred them to him and am anxious to see their product.

Thanks again

Kevin
 
They are typically mutually exclusive because of the way that LD is done, you have to reduce end mass and the typical way this is done leads to a hollow feel because it literally hollows out the core in the front of the shaft to reduce end mass.

I have come up with a way to reduce the end mass while maintaining the feedback without having that hollow feel and I can do it to any shaft.

Jaden

Hi Jaden,

I'm intrigued. Let's give this shaft a test.

Chris
 
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