Why Southwest if with a different shaft?

[SB8BALLER]

My question for all of you SouthWest lovers out there- Why would you buy a cue that is known for its hit and cost way more than most cues with a 10 year wait time- then go and put a predator shaft on it.

Surely there are uncountable amount of cues with the same level of quality or higher with the same weight and balance as a SW cue butt. Is it just the fact that you have something that is hard to come buy and sought after or what? It seems counter-intuitive.

 

[Salamander]

I happen to collect and love SW cues. The construction is great, I happen to like the butt taper....etc...

The main reason I have them is because they hold their value and have actually increased over the years. However, for me, I simply do not like the SW shaft taper and use another cuemaker's shaft on my SW butt.

I can care less about looks, the ringwork does not match. However, the balance, weight, "hit", etc....work for me and I like the setup. The day I find a cue that plays better for me, then I will have no problem selling it.

 

[djv122385]

Different shaft

I know people who shoot with southwests, been on the list for 10+ years etc, and while I can't speak to the play of the shaft, I can say why it makes sense from a collectability aspect. If someone is used to the hit of pred/OB/etc, they may just want to stay with that feel. Also not that a sw is ever going to not be valuable...but having an unchalked/unused shaft will definitely increase the value/collectability of a cue.

 

[bbb]

here is my 2 cents
certain butts feel good in your hand
with the shaft that also performs as you like it
thats a great cue
regardless of the combo

 

[cuesblues]

If they use the Southwest shafts the cue will look used and lose value :smile:

I wonder if it's legal to use a nice Jerry Franklin shaft on any cue he can find with a 3/8-11 pin?
What about using the Franklin shaft on a Kersnbrock, or a Kersenbrock shaft on any cue with a 3/8-11 pin?

 

[iusedtoberich]

My favorite cue is a BB. If I every bought one, you can be certain I'd have a matching Predator shaft made for it to be my player. Why? Because that's the shaft I've played with for 15 years, on whatever butt I happen to be using.

The butt is all about the looks, imo. Buy what looks good, then put the shaft you are used to on it.

 

[TATE]

My question for all of you SouthWest lovers out there- Why would you buy a cue that is known for its hit and cost way more than most cues with a 10 year wait time- then go and put a predator shaft on it.

Surely there are uncountable amount of cues with the same level of quality or higher with the same weight and balance as a SW cue butt. Is it just the fact that you have something that is hard to come buy and sought after or what? It seems counter-intuitive.

Because buying expensive cues doesn''t have a lot to do with performance. It's about pride of ownership and an a strong human desire to own what we admire. A lot of ownership decisions are made based on buying what we covet, not what we think is a value, which is why companies like Maserati and Ferrari exist. If it was about performance, most $300 sneaky Pete's would be fine with an aftermarket shaft.

 

[Sealegs50]

From my experience, a cue butt does contribute to the overall feel of a cue. Players should play with whatever cue provides them the most confidence at the table. I think it is great when players play with cues from custom cuemakers, regardless of which shaft they use. My (possibly misguided) opinion is that the custom cuemaking industry will continue to benefit the more their cues are being used in pool rooms. That was how many of the elite cuemakers established their reputations.

 

[prewarhero]

There is no good reason to use a SW butt with a predator shaft.

 

[lakeman77]

I think the guys at Predator are pretty smart, they have done OK. I suspect they know how to make a butt that works with their shafts better than most players. Same for the folks at Southwest. To me, it doesn't make sense to me to mix up butts and shafts. And to "saving" the shaft, butts get dings too, so you end up with a perfect shaft and a less than perfect butt.

 

[LAlouie]

My question for all of you SouthWest lovers out there- Why would you buy a cue that is known for its hit and cost way more than most cues with a 10 year wait time- then go and put a predator shaft on it.

Surely there are uncountable amount of cues with the same level of quality or higher with the same weight and balance as a SW cue butt. Is it just the fact that you have something that is hard to come buy and sought after or what? It seems counter-intuitive.

Because they're idiots

 

[Straightpool_99]

I don't understand it at all. Southwest is universally known as "the players cue", the ultimate in playability and quality. A few years ago I was actively setting funds aside for a purchase of a Southwest. I'm glad I didn't buy one, but if I had, I sure would have played with the original shaft. Playing with a southwest with a Predator or OB shaft, to me is like having your Bentley engine replaced by a Toyota Camry engine, or the clockwork of your Rolex by some Seiko or Citizen digital watch...It might work as well as the original parts (the Rolex will keep better time for sure, but the Bentley sure won't be as good), but it's just pointless. The clockwork/engine/ shaft is an important part of what you are paying for.

To me it's clear that the custom cue makers have missed the message here. They keep making cues for people who grew up with ivory ferrules, heavy nap and 22 oz cues with full 13+ tips. I can't remember seeing anyone serious about the game play with that kind of setup. Not one. They must all live in Asia. Maybe it's different in the States, IDK. Southwest cues have been known for their playability, because they didn't make log shafts with huge ivory ferrules and solid Ivory handle cues, but they kept the quality up. Still it's clear that now many people feel that their shafts are being outperformed by "cheap" production shafts (relative to the price of a Southwest cue).

Now I feel is a golden opportunity for the custom makers to catch up to- and improve on the production cues performance while keeping the quality up. "The next Southwest" sure won't have the old school setup, but a more modern, playable one. The shaft IS the cue IMHO. Without a good shaft, by which I mean a playable shaft with moderate or less deflection and a nice wood quality, a cue is not a proper cue. It's just a decorated piece of wood. It might be impressive, but not a proper cue. Who's going to pay 5k for a cue that they can't make a ball with, once the Ivory fossils pass over to the poolroom in the sky? Collectors who don't play the game?