Would the pros play with LD shafts if they weren't sponsored?

mantis99 said:
Would a sniper rather shoot in high wind or low wind? Sure they can accommodate for either, but I bet if asked, they would rather deal with the least amount of variability possible. Unless you simply don't like he feel of an LD shaft, or you are so used to using A regular shaft that you have trouble adjusting, why wouldn't you use one?
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I personally don't like the after market LD shafts and my shafts don't deflect too much for me. I use 12mm tips with stiff taper.

I don't shoot any better with a Predator, G Core or OB shaft and I have tried all three, though the predator for a longer period of time. I don't see any need to buy an after market shaft because they are the rage at the moment. There are plenty of good solid maple shafts that have reasonably low deflection and work for me.

If people like the LD aftermarket shafts that's ok. But I don't understand why so many people insist that everyone needs to purchase an aftermarket LD shaft. My feeling is that many of those people just want more people to be like them.

Play with what you like that's all that really matters.
 
The question was about pro players... The answer is yes they will and do... A few old schooler pros don't because you cannot teach an old dog new tricks...

Forget the opinions of the unwashed masses here.. They either can't or won't put in the hours to hone their games to a razor sharp edge...... And most can't even understand pro speed much less try and reach it.....
 
If they felt it would help them win they would use them. Getting sponsors is fine and dandy, but winning tournaments is why they got in this.

If I were a pro bass fisherman sponsored by Rapala and I was in a spot that called for a Gulp worm would I use a crankbait? I might say I used a Rapala crankbait, but I used a Gulp worm.
 
gunzby said:
If they felt it would help them win they would use them. Getting sponsors is fine and dandy, but winning tournaments is why they got in this.

If I were a pro bass fisherman sponsored by Rapala and I was in a spot that called for a Gulp worm would I use a crankbait? I might say I used a Rapala crankbait, but I used a Gulp worm.
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I think the op is assuming that most pros would use the best shaft for their game if the only money came from winning. The overall question is would they still choose he LD shaft over a standard shaft if their livelihood depended solely on winning.
 
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JoeW said:
Anyone ever compare a 10 mm snooker shaft to an LD shaft. Given the specs for an LD shaft, it would seem that a snooker shaft is similar (?). If this is true wouldn't some pros have played with a snooker cue before the advent of the LD shaft?
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just ask rick howard and bob meucci and those straight pool champions from old era!
 
Lamar said:
Thanks for the opinions, what I really wanted to mean is.

Players with no sponsor (as far as I know): dennis orcollo is now playing with South West, Alcano with Viking and I think Thorsteen plays with Vollmer every time he can and Mika played with Capone years ago, for example..

¿There's any reason why they come back to solid standar maple shafts inspite of the uncertainty and the error this shafts introduce in the shoot when you unintentionally play out of the center ball, and the extra effort when applying english?
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Just to add to it
Dennis Orcullo indeed plays with a SW but the shaft he uses is a 314 first gen without the logo, yes he brought this by himself from a good friend of mine.

Ronnie Alcano uses different cue, the latest is a musassi cue plain jane with accs pro shaft.

Thorsten for all i know uses a Lucassi prototype cue but with a solid lucassi shaft, the front end might be bored?

Efren Reyes still use his old reliable judd fuller with a very thin shaft, upon speaking with him, he did try few cues but he did come back to old growth shafts
 
To get a more accurate view, we would need some of the pros answering this question.
randyg
 
Lamar said:
Hy guys, what do you think? If most of the pros wouldn't be sponsored by predator, mezz, tiger, etc.. Would they play with LD shafts or would they back to solid standar maple shafts?

Thx.
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As far as I know, most of the top pros are using LD shafts. I play with them and could try their cues. Dennis Orcullo is using SW butt but not SW shaft. The shaft he is using is very LD with soft G2 tip. Many Taiwanese pros are using SW but they would always choose the ones with lower deflection. Thorsten is using Lucasi and his shaft is super LD. Mika is using WD700 which is a LD shaft. Most players should benefit from LD shaft but not over the limit like Z2(just my opinion). Tradition hard maple shafts(with regular length ferrule) could also be low deflection. It depends on who make them. I have two Franklin SW with 13mm shafts that just deflect a bit more than my Mezz Alpha Hybrid shaft and much less than other custom cues.
 
embassy147 said:
... I have two Franklin SW with 13mm shafts that just deflect a bit more than my Mezz Alpha Hybrid shaft and much less than other custom cues.
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Is there anything you know that is different about these shafts from most SW shafts? Standard ferrule material and length? Standard shaft taper? What's the weight of the shafts? Is the growth ring count high, medium, or low? Anyone work on them after SW?

Did you test the SW and Mezz shafts in the same way?

Just trying to see if we can identify any reason(s) for the lower squirt.
 
My friend made shaft for me, 13mm tip with 12 inch pro taper. And i ask him to put 1/2 inch juma ferulle uncapped with thinner wall (2mm) and that shaft plays extra!
 
AtLarge said:
Is there anything you know that is different about these shafts from most SW shafts? Standard ferrule material and length? Standard shaft taper? What's the weight of the shafts? Is the growth ring count high, medium, or low? Anyone work on them after SW?

Did you test the SW and Mezz shafts in the same way?

Just trying to see if we can identify any reason(s) for the lower squirt.
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It is hard to tell the difference from the Franklin era shafts and the newer SW shafts from the look, taper, weight and ring count. I have measured them all the way from the tip to the joint, as long as the tip sizes are the same, they have pretty much the same taper. I have owned 4 Franklins and more than 15 SWs and have tried many others. Franklins shafts have lower squirt and are more powerful among all the SWs. My guess is wood selection in Franklin era is even more rigorous than now and he must be super talented in choosing the shaft wood. I did test all my cues in the same way.
 
embassy147 said:
As far as I know, most of the top pros are using LD shafts. I play with them and could try their cues. Dennis Orcullo is using SW butt but not SW shaft. The shaft he is using is very LD with soft G2 tip. Many Taiwanese pros are using SW but they would always choose the ones with lower deflection. Thorsten is using Lucasi and his shaft is super LD. Mika is using WD700 which is a LD shaft. Most players should benefit from LD shaft but not over the limit like Z2(just my opinion). Tradition hard maple shafts(with regular length ferrule) could also be low deflection. It depends on who make them. I have two Franklin SW with 13mm shafts that just deflect a bit more than my Mezz Alpha Hybrid shaft and much less than other custom cues.
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Hey Kenny

Your absolutely right, the shaft used by Dennis is a partial preadator 314 shaft, but he already switch to using Hirano tip already.

Glad to hear you loved those SW shafts Kenny

Joyren
 
embassy147 said:
It is hard to tell the difference from the Franklin era shafts and the newer SW shafts from the look, taper, weight and ring count. I have measured them all the way from the tip to the joint, as long as the tip sizes are the same, they have pretty much the same taper. I have owned 4 Franklins and more than 15 SWs and have tried many others. Franklins shafts have lower squirt and are more powerful among all the SWs. My guess is wood selection in Franklin era is even more rigorous than now and he must be super talented in choosing the shaft wood. I did test all my cues in the same way.
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Hey Kenny

Wow, you should give me SW Franklin cue, :):):)
And yes i couldn't agree more that Jerry wood selection is far more better than anybody else

Joyren
 
joyren said:
Hey Kenny

Your absolutely right, the shaft used by Dennis is a partial preadator 314 shaft, but he already switch to using Hirano tip already.

Glad to hear you loved those SW shafts Kenny

Joyren
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Dennis was still using G2 when I met him in All Japan. He must have changed to Hirano recently. I like my 96' Franklin SW shafts the best among all the custom cues I have tried and owned. But I still think my Mezz Alpha Hybrid is more consistent, especially playing under pressure.;)
 
I just seen Orcollo's South West and does anybody know the year on that cue and what are the wood combination's?
 
randyg said:
To get a more accurate view, we would need some of the pros answering this question.
randyg
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Well Randy, don't you speak to the pros more so than the rest of us?

Here's one: Mike Davis told me he loves LD shafts because he can load up on the english and keep the cue ball in a straight line.
 
alterations....

berlowmj2 said:
It is likely that Pros enjoy the luxury of various accommodations & modifications of the cues they receive, therefore their experience is not likely to be generalizable the the average John Q Pool Player.
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I can't say that I believe this statement to some degree. Yes, I think pros have cues customized but when it comes to the actual construction of the shaft I do not believe that is realistic or necessary.

I fish a lot and some of my friends say "oh, kvd is using that same quantum that you have but I'm sure they've done some internal adjustments to make it "really perform" Like there's some secret shop where they super tune the reels and make it "customized for KVD" .....


Same goes for cues....I'd like to see proof of this because I just don't buy it.....

I could be wrong of course and I'm not arguing but I just think we all want to believe there's some big secret that we just don't know and if we did, man, we'd be on TV too....I just don't think that's true.
 
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