why do we need a ferrule?
- Thread starter Ernie eyocues
- Start date
I can't tell what "new configuration" you mean, but the idea of no ferrule, but using a tip pad only, has been around for at least 20 years if not much longer.
Freddie <~~~ clueless and sometimes ferrule-less
Yuuuuuup. Atleast 20
Anymore ferruleless shaft information out there? Also would it be rude to ask a cue builder if they will build one if they do not offer one already? I know even having a tip changed by someone who did not build the cue can change the hit so would they really want to do something that is not already in their arsenal?
I build LD shafts with a 1/2 inch capped ferule. I have given the thought of no ferule but my biggest concern is chalking damage to the wood right behind the tip. Most LD shafts have a bore hole in the end of them and chalk is a pretty good abrasive against wood. No ferule, not for me.
This I believe is a very valid point that few consider when they go to a builder for a custom cue.
Generally most cue makers methods & styles is what creates the unique "hit" of their cues. Guys seem to think that ordering a custom they should be able to order anything they want, which is their right but why would you want to ask a cue maker to deviate from his standard practices? It would stand to reason you might select a cue maker that is known for what you're looking for instead of asking someone to do something they don't normally do.
Case in point, after getting back into the game a little over a year ago I heard some negativity about a cue maker I've known most of my life saying "His newer cues don't play as good as his earlier cues do". I visited this maker a short time later to get some work done. We hadn't seen each other in 15 years & when ordering my shafts he asked a bunch of questions regarding ferrule length, taper, etc. I replied, "I want them how you always made them". He said I figured that, it's not a problem, I just don't do many shafts like that anymore.
He explained how now everyone wants short ferrules instead of full length & that everyone seems to want Conical tapers instead of a pro taper so he started making shafts with comical tapers & short Juma ferrules standard. I asked him if he had a few I could hit with & after hitting with them I understood the negativity I'd heard from other players about his newer cues. They didn't have the same hit, feel or playability. I related to him what I'd heard & told him that after hitting with his newer style shaft I understood what people were saying, they didn't play the same. He was visibly upset, I felt bad but again as a friend I felt he needed to know.
I returned several weeks late, picked up my new shafts with his old pro tapers, full ferrule length & material. They played beautifully, I told him "do what you want, but you got your reputation making a cue that plays & hits a certain way, maybe you should stick with that".
