Shaft taper

[eightballtom]

Hi all,

I'm interested in the effect the taper of the shaft has on a shot, and what the various options are when ordering a custom cue. Do individual cuemakers have their own 'signature' taper that they've developed over time, or it it fairly standard from one cue to another.

Obviously there are different types of taper, but what's the thinking behind opting for one over another?

Is there a direct relationship between the taper of the shaft and how 'whippy' it is, or does that come down more to the characteristics of an individual piece of wood?

What kinds of taper do people on the forum request when ordering a new cue - and why?

There are some pretty knowledgeable people on here, and many who own (or have made) more cues than I've had hot dinners! Would love to hear what you've got to say!

Tom

[cueinhand]

no one reply the question about the shaft taper?
It was a complax problem.

[bongo]

Well i'll give the information that I can, I am not a cue maker (I wish I was!) so maybe some cue makers will fill in the gaps for me!

A thin cue is likely to give more vibration, which isn't good, especially for power shots. For normal snooker cues, there is a constant taper, from the butt diameter right down to the tip size. So if you have a thick butt and a small tip then there will be a lot of taper, but if you have a thin butt and a 11mm tip for example, then there will be a bit less taper. There isn't really a name for a taper just the two sizes of tip and butt which design the taper.

Maybe a cue maker could correct me on a few things or fill in any gaps for me.

Hope this helped!

bongo.

[eightballtom]

Thanks for your responses guys - I'd all but given up on that particular quest for knowledge!

I've heard of 'barrel' tapers being used on snooker/pool cues, and then there would be the parrallel taper you'd get on an american pool cue (although I've never seen this kind of shape on a snooker cue - think it's more to help with the looped bridge). Then obviously there's the standard, straight taper described above.

I just wondered if people on here have experimented with these different shapes, or whether the taper is simply dictated by butt diameter and tip size? The amount of money some of the guys on here (not mentioning any names) spend on cues, I'd imagine they either have their ideal specs down to the last detail, or try something a bit different each time!

[trevs1]

The taper of any particular cue is only one aspect of just how rigid that cue may end up being, and ulitmately, how it performs. Timber stiffness, weight (and its distribution), ferrule material and size, even the age of the cue can have effects on the stiffness of a cue.

The main reason people specify a 'certain' taper is for comfort and familiarity. Many players who have used slimmish cues for many years would find it tricky and uncomfortable getting used to a cue which was very thick. It would feel to them like they had a telegraph pole resting on their bridge hand, which as you can imagine, is not too clever.

Cues can be made with all different sorts of tapers to them, there is no correct or incorrect taper, it's just preference. Obviously, there are some limitations when it comes to asking for something specific, but in general, most is achievable.

[eightballtom]

Thanks, Trev - that makes sense.

I primarily play english pool in my local leagues, and for that I play with a Peradon 'Royal Pool' from the UK8ball store - a cue designed with the small table game in mind. This cue is slim and quite whippy, and definitely not suitable for snoker. For that I have a Mastercue which is a good deal chunkier and very stiff in comparison (I think they're known for being a little rigid), and I do find it difficult to adapt when I play snooker. I think I'd be better off with something a little slimmer and with just a touch of 'give' in the shaft.

Admittedly a lot of it is psychological, and I'm sure that if I persevered with the cue I'd adapt to it eventually (and I'm also sure my technique isn't as finely tuned as it needs to be for snooker), but I'm definitely in agreement about the comfort thing as whenever I play snooker the first thing I notice is the weight and thickness of the shaft on my bridge hand.