Taper of ash vs maple

[poolqjunkie]

Since there have been a few discussions on ash vs maple, I thought I would brign this up for a discussion:

1) I want to ask you do you expect the taper of your ash cue to be the same or different from your maple cue?

2) If different, do you prefer the maple taper to be longer (less stiff) or shorter (stiffer) than ash? Why?

3) In your experience, which cue maker(s) use very different taper on maple vs ash cue and which cue maker(s) use the same or very similiar taper?

[jim evans]

hi airin i think personally maple is stiffer than ash if you have 2 pieces 1 of each with everything the same the maple will be stiffer,so the 3 questions you ask would all be down too personal choice,but ime new to game so open to discussion

[Snooker Rookie]

My personal feeling is maple should be a bit slimmer (taper to be longer) than Ash cue. Responsive is the answer. But it probably depends on the shaft stiffness.

I have an Ash Stamford and Maple Stamford. The tapering of the maple is very similar to the Ash. But it is only because the stiffness of the maple is a bit soft and the Ash is consider stiff.

[alee90]

1,2)If I play maple cue, I prefer slim taper. Because maple is a little bit more stiffer than ash. So, slimmer taper helps to add more "feel" of the shot.

[poolqjunkie]

hi airin i think personally maple is stiffer than ash if you have 2 pieces 1 of each with everything the same the maple will be stiffer,so the 3 questions you ask would all be down too personal choice,but ime new to game so open to discussion

Hi Jim,
When you make a maple cue, will you make it with the same taper as you would with ash, provided that it is a cue you make for sale to the public, not a custom order in which the customer would have specified a certain hit/stiffness...etc.

[JasonOwen]

I would make it to the same taper as ash.
Think that if you went slimmer on the maple it may still have the stiffness but would feel very thin over the bridge hand.
I havent worked with maple too much yet, its coming tho, but I wouldnt plan to deviate from the taper Im using for ash.

[jim evans]

i think a lot depends on tip size ,but if you were making 2 identicle ash and maple cues, the maple would look a bit pokerish if you know what i mean

[poolqjunkie]

Even when we are only looking at ash, do you feel that since each piece of wood is different so while one taper might be perfect for one shaft another shaft may benefit from a slight adjustment...
Now when you are going from one wood (i.e. ash) to another (i.e. maple) dont you think since they have very different properties, some adjustment to the taper is needed in order to bring out the best playability in the shaft?

[jaffa.johnson]

I would make it to the same taper as ash.
Think that if you went slimmer on the maple it may still have the stiffness but would feel very thin over the bridge hand.
I havent worked with maple too much yet, its coming tho, but I wouldnt plan to deviate from the taper Im using for ash.

I hope its coming along well!!! ta.

[jaffa.johnson]

Hi Jim,
When you make a maple cue, will you make it with the same taper as you would with ash, provided that it is a cue you make for sale to the public, not a custom order in which the customer would have specified a certain hit/stiffness...etc.

Airin, would you??

For me, I dont see why a taper should be different from ash to maple. From my experience, different cue makers have different standards and unless specified by the customer, they come as standard to that makers taper.

Some are thicker than others.

[poolqjunkie]

If you have two shafts--one being stiffer and the other being springy--do you think you should just use the same taper on both of them?
Or do you see a need to adjust the taper in accordance to the properties of the wood in order to offer the customers the best playability on both shafts?
I really just want to know what you all think.
Thank you.

[lloouu]

If you have two shafts--one being stiffer and the other being springy--do you think you should just use the same taper on both of them?
Or do you see a need to adjust the taper in accordance to the properties of the wood in order to offer the customers the best playability on both shafts?
I really just want to know what you all think.
Thank you.

Just like to know how does a cue maker able to evaluate the grade (quality) of the shaft before it turns into a cue? Is there any scientific method or professional way to do that? Or only rely on cue maker's own experience or luck. Without a standard way to evaluate and classifying the raw material in different grade, it will be really hard for a normal end user to understand what they are paying for. So, they can only rely on their friends' advise and/ or the cue maker's reputation for making decision. Like someone good on making maple shaft and someone on ash.
Professional players use a cue maker's cue, in other word means that cue maker may able to create some cues to certain standard. Like Ronnie use the JP cue to make certain certain break... Buyer assume professional player should know better on picking the best cues. So, more professional use the cue with the same brand, sounds like it comes with a higher standard in the market. That's why many buyer willing to pay more for it. Unless there has some other scheme to guide the buyer, it hard for them to change their way to make choice.
Of course, there has exception...
Of course some user will buy different cue or keep changing the cue to find the best one for their own usage. However, if the player is the beginner with limited budget. Then, they won't take risk to try something new or not that well known from the market.
Anyway, quality control from the cue maker and well educated with the end user both are the keys....
Anyway, too many factor which affecting the end users' behaviour.

[jaffa.johnson]

If you have two shafts--one being stiffer and the other being springy--do you think you should just use the same taper on both of them?
Or do you see a need to adjust the taper in accordance to the properties of the wood in order to offer the customers the best playability on both shafts?
I really just want to know what you all think.
Thank you.

From a customers point of view, you want playability so if making the cues in the same taper affects the cues playability then yes i would taper differently for each piece of wood.

Does each piece of wood need a different taper to play well? How do you identify which piece needs what taper?

[poolqjunkie]

From a customers point of view, you want playability so if making the cues in the same taper affects the cues playability then yes i would taper differently for each piece of wood.

Does each piece of wood need a different taper to play well? How do you identify which piece needs what taper?

I did not say each piece of wood need a different taper to play well. I am not suggesting anything but merely asking some questions as I just want to know what you folks think.

If we have two pieces of ash with one being quite a bit denser than the other piece and the elasticity of the two shafts are quite also different--do you think using one standard taper would result in two shafts which play quite differently?

I am just asking along this line of thought if you look at maple and ash, since they are so different, do you think if you use the same taper you may get two shafts with very different playability?