I'm all ears for any advice.

[Leo22]

This is the cue specs that I'm about to custom if you have any suggestions or you feel something wrong I would be gratefull.
I know the taper is important which related to deflection, but I'm not sure of the measurement so I decided to leave it to him.


-Shaft grade (1 piece ash full shaft that has good (stiff) but should also have a bit of flex so the shaft can generate spring.

-Taper use your experience to the best to get a low deflection.
-Balance point: 15.5”-16″ Max (39-40cm). (I cannot play with a cue that is weighted forward) since the cue is a 55" that would be ok.
-Deflection: low, control it with taper.
-Grains: Straight grain lines all the way to the tip.
-Chevrons: (only 5 or 6) visible arrows distributed evenly along the shaft if possible.
-Butt: African ebony butt + single face splice (Amboyna Burr) + 1 set of maple veneer.
-Tip size: 9.5 mm medium
-Ferrule: Titanium
-Length: 55"
-Weight: 18.5
-Butt diameter: 29.5mm with joint hole.
-Butt shape: Traditional flat shape

[Nifty50]

I found taper a difficult one to deal with. First cue I had made for myself felt like a broomstick as the taper was quite thick. Everything else was fine. The cue maker said if he thinned it down a bit the cue would be too whippy. I’m guessing that what you can and can’t do will depend on the density of the original timber. We all know that every piece of wood is different.
Getting things perfect is difficult hence trying before buying is best.
I have a beautiful maple cue made for me by Ton Praram. I specified my own taper and it is a tad more whippy than my 30 year old cue which I was trying to replicate.
Good Luck.

[Leo22]

I found taper a difficult one to deal with. First cue I had made for myself felt like a broomstick as the taper was quite thick. Everything else was fine. The cue maker said if he thinned it down a bit the cue would be too whippy. I’m guessing that what you can and can’t do will depend on the density of the original timber. We all know that every piece of wood is different.
Getting things perfect is difficult hence trying before buying is best.
I have a beautiful maple cue made for me by Ton Praram. I specified my own taper and it is a tad more whippy than my 30 year old cue which I was trying to replicate.
Good Luck.

For the one you felt like a broomstick what was the butt diameter?

[Cue crafty]

Are you under 5tf 5"? That's a very short cue. I'm only 5ft 7" use a 57 inch cue. You probably like holding the end of the cue right?

Cheers.

[Nifty50]

For the one you felt like a broomstick what was the butt diameter?

I can’t remember exactly but all my cues are circa 30mm tapering to a tip of around 9.7mm. Weight 17.5 to 18 ozs.

[vmax]

I found taper a difficult one to deal with. First cue I had made for myself felt like a broomstick as the taper was quite thick. Everything else was fine. The cue maker said if he thinned it down a bit the cue would be too whippy. I’m guessing that what you can and can’t do will depend on the density of the original timber. We all know that every piece of wood is different.
Getting things perfect is difficult hence trying before buying is best.

I've found even two or more cues made from the same board will differ even though the taper is the same because the grain pattern changes across the board, knowing that I no longer bother with specific tapers so any cue I make ends up simply as it is and one mans whippy is another mans stiffy (viagra pun required, insert here...........................).

The crucial part of the shaft that decides flex is the point where the shaft doesn't bend, this is around the 20mm diameter point and extending or reducing this measurement will alter the flex without making the shaft too thin on the bridge hand.
One doesn't have to taper the cue all the way to the end of the butt when altering a cue, just thinning it a bit at the 20mm point for about three to four inches or even less would suffice to make changes while leaving the diameter of the butt intact.

[Leo22]

Are you under 5tf 5"? That's a very short cue. I'm only 5ft 7" use a 57 inch cue. You probably like holding the end of the cue right?

Cheers.

No I'm not, I'm 5ft 8 but when to comes to why 55" it's down to many things I play with 56" and 58 and I follow the rules of 10" from cue-ball to bridge-hand, so the distance between the grip of the cue and bridge stays fixed, no matter what if you shift forward or backward, so with 56" I would leave at the back of my grip around 4-5" like tale, and with 58 I leave a street (my arms are not long and my body width very narrow).

The other part is, the more you shift your grip forward the lighter the cue will be, at this point you will not feel any kind of weight in the grip, which you will end up missing most of the long shots,
I struggled to much with long pot until I held the cue at the end and felt the weight and started potting normally, but here the problem with distance from the tip to bridge will be around 15" and here I have balance which I never felt comfortable with that.

55 will be ok leaving 5cm or 2 inches mini extension will be used for far shots.

watch yesterday's Mark Allen match and see how he change the grip positions according to shots. and John Higgins does that too.

[Cue crafty]

No I'm not, I'm 5ft 8 but when to comes to why 55" it's down to many things I play with 56" and 58 and I follow the rules of 10" from cue-ball to bridge-hand, so the distance between the grip of the cue and bridge stays fixed, no matter what if you shift forward or backward, so with 56" I would leave at the back of my grip around 4-5" like tale, and with 58 I leave a street (my arms are not long and my body width very narrow).

The other part is, the more you shift your grip forward the lighter the cue will be, at this point you will not feel any kind of weight in the grip, which you will end up missing most of the long shots,
I struggled to much with long pot until I held the cue at the end and felt the weight and started potting normally, but here the problem with distance from the tip to bridge will be around 15" and here I have balance which I never felt comfortable with that.

55 will be ok leaving 5cm or 2 inches mini extension will be used for far shots.

watch yesterday's Mark Allen match and see how he change the grip positions according to shots. and John Higgins does that too.

That's good, I can see there's a lot of thought/science behind your reasoning so I'm sure you know what's best for you.

[akofb]

Is it usual that players have more than 1 cue? I've been playing for over 35 years and have had the same cue for 30 of them. I just never feel the need to change it. I've only just branched out to new chalk and a Century tip

[Cue crafty]

Is it usual that players have more than 1 cue? I've been playing for over 35 years and have had the same cue for 30 of them. I just never feel the need to change it. I've only just branched out to new chalk and a Century tip

If you like/enjoy cues generally then it's not a bad idea to have a back up cue, in case anything happens to your playing cue. If you've got no real interest in cues (many players haven't) and are really happy with your cue i.e. you don't ever pick up a friend's cue and like the difference in weight etc etc - then consider yourself a lucky man and think no further on the subject, you have reached Nirvana.

[akofb]

If you like/enjoy cues generally then it's not a bad idea to have a back up cue, in case anything happens to your playing cue. If you've got no real interest in cues (many players haven't) and are really happy with your cue i.e. you don't ever pick up a friend's cue and like the difference in weight etc etc - then consider yourself a lucky man and think no further on the subject, you have reached Nirvana.

I put plenty of cues out in the shop that I like the look of but just feels like a big change when I'm so used to mine. I shall retain my inner peace and stop my eyes wandering. Love the Nirvana line Crafty

[Leo22]

Is it usual that players have more than 1 cue? I've been playing for over 35 years and have had the same cue for 30 of them. I just never feel the need to change it. I've only just branched out to new chalk and a Century tip

For me no, I never liked to play with more than one cue, but the 58" cue was a mistake purchase, the spent time with 58 taught me lots of technical things about cues like pros and cons, which I mentioned above and other things which didn't mention

Then I ended up being playing again with the bent 56" and holding it in a specific side to avoid the bend. That's why I decided to get a new one.