I-2 Shaft problem

[Carom212]

Hello everyone.

I am interested in buying an I-2 shaft.

I currently own a McDermott Cues M54B Indian Gecko.

My friend also has a McDermott cue and brought an I-2 shaft. He told me that the shaft was not aligned right with his pool cue.

Does that mean if i purchase an I-2 shaft, it would be the same on my pool cue?

My actually question is, can I just buy the I-2 shaft and use it right away or does it have to be custom fitted to my pool cue?

[skor]

The best way to fit in a perfect way is to send your butt in for a custom fitting.

unless there is a huge alignment issue, I don't think that is a big deal that is worth the extra $$$ for the custom work.

[KJ]

Hi Carom,
Doing the work that I do for Sey, this kind of thing interests me. First off, was your friends 'I' shaft purchased from Seybert's ? Also when you speak of 'aligned right', do you mean that it was of a different diameter at the joint than the handle or did the cue not roll straight ?
I ask these questions because I think I can help. Even if the shaft wasn't purchased from Seybert's I am quite certain that I can find the problem.
If the problem is that the shaft is of a different diameter, it should be stated that McDermott cue diameters at the joint are all over the board. They don't maintain a standard. I think that it has to do with the amount of finish that they shoot.
When I build a shaft for a McD. I have to settle for an average of what diameters are known for that particular series of cue.
On the other hand, if I have the cue to mate to then there is no problem. Hope this helps.

[Carom212]

Thanks for checking my post KJ.

I actually went ahead and got the I-2 shaft from a close friend that works at a pool hall that I go to. He had ordered it for me from his supplier.

The shaft diameter is larger then my joint handle. When I roll the whole cue stick, it wobbles.

I used to own a viking cue stick and I have ordered shafts for my viking in the past and never had this problem. The shafts I ordered from viking fits perfectly right out of the package. However not for the I-2 shaft that I got for my McDermott cue.

The model/series cue I have is the McDermott Cues M54B Indian Gecko.

I will try to take some pictures of it and post it here to show you the diameter difference.

Thanks

[KJ]

Hey Carom,
As I stated, your problem caught my interest.
I won't need pictures, I know what your problem is, or at least the 3 or 4 areas of the joint that I'd want to look at (in person - close up).
For instance, I'd want to know if the joint faces of both the handle & the shaft are square to the centerline of the cue. etc..
I can do the work & I have the McD. i2 decals to replace as I'll be reducing the diameter of the shaft at the joint. You'll be without your cue for about a week but when it comes back, it will be right.
Call Rick at Seybert's for pricing & scheduling.

[poohkiller]

I know that problem, once I've tried a McDermott Shadow (about $300 cue) with an I3 shaft and the same problem occured there too.

This is a disadvantage of McD. - and to be honest I find it pretty strange that they allow themselves to let these kinds of things happen...

[tsuguy]

This is just one example as to why I tend to point new cue buyers away from McDermott ( and Viking although that would be a different issue ) and more toward a lower end Pechauer. If Pechauer had an issue like this he would have someone's head!

McDermott is too "manufactured" to care.

[poohkiller]

McDermott is too "manufactured" to care.

Yeah but they aren't sooo cheap! I could say they are expensive when it comes to 6-7-8 hundred dollar cues or McDs in the price range of 1000-2000 bucks (not to mention to higher priced ones).
So if once Pechauer can do it (akin with many other brands) then they also should be able to put together a cue that's joint diameter is exactly .850 inches if once they say that it should be that much. I know that they say that their cues are handcrafted but this thing should not be a varying factor.
On the other hand I had a McDermott too and I loved the way it hit and felt and its quality was great too. Perfect inlays, great wrap and a lovely looking finish was installed on my Warden. Despite all that this joint issue is a pity... :S

[Carom212]

Hey Carom,
As I stated, your problem caught my interest.
I won't need pictures, I know what your problem is, or at least the 3 or 4 areas of the joint that I'd want to look at (in person - close up).
For instance, I'd want to know if the joint faces of both the handle & the shaft are square to the centerline of the cue. etc..
I can do the work & I have the McD. i2 decals to replace as I'll be reducing the diameter of the shaft at the joint. You'll be without your cue for about a week but when it comes back, it will be right.
Call Rick at Seybert's for pricing & scheduling.

Hey KJ,

Thanks for helping me out. One problem, I sent the I-2 shaft back to the store and got a full refund. However I do have another question, if I were to send my cue stick to Seybert's and purchase an I-2 from this website as well, would it be possible to custom fit it??

[KJ]

Hi Carom,
Absolutely, that's one of the things that I do for Sey & I've done quite a few of them (in the hundreds). It's called : mate & match. Not only is the shaft 'mated' to the cue with the same diameters at the joint , but the ringwork is also 'matched' so that the cue looks like it came from the factory with that shaft; mated & matched.
If you'd like more info, contact the great folks at Seybert's
& let's get started.

[Carom212]

Hi Carom,
Absolutely, that's one of the things that I do for Sey & I've done quite a few of them (in the hundreds). It's called : mate & match. Not only is the shaft 'mated' to the cue with the same diameters at the joint , but the ringwork is also 'matched' so that the cue looks like it came from the factory with that shaft; mated & matched.
If you'd like more info, contact the great folks at Seybert's
& let's get started.

Hey KJ,

Thanks again for the help. Currently I have jury duty for the next couple of days starting monday :(

Hopfully I get out early and will call Seybert and talk to them about "mate & match".

[Love2ShootPool]

Just my two cents ... If you have a McDermott with a 3/8x10 joint, you will HAVE to have the I Shaft (or any other shaft for that matter) custom fit. I have never had a shaft fit this joint perfectly that was not the original which was mated to the cue. However, if you have a McDermott with the Quick Release joint or a Uni-Loc joint, they will match up. These two joints are machined and every one is the same. The 3/8x10 joints however are actually different from cue to cue. The reason sof this is that the shaft and butt are actually together when milling. So, they match when manfactured. Hope this helps.

[Carom212]

I am currently in the process of sending in my cue to get it "Mated and Match" to the shaft. I wrote an E-mail to the folks at Seybert and I have received a reply. In the reply, I was instructed to send in the butt of the cue and not the shaft. So, I am a little confused because I have the shaft I brought but needs to be custom fitted. I own a McDermott Indian Gecko M5-4B and a McDermott i-2 Shaft.

[KJ]

Hi Carom,
There must have been some confusion in communication. Go ahead and send in the butt & the shaft you'd like mated and I'll speak with Seybert's tomorrow just to make sure everyone's on the same page. I'll see that it gets taken care of, sorry for the confusion. KJ

[Carom212]

Thank you for the quick reply. I will be sending out the package on saturday, on a 2 day delivery. :)

[Carom212]

My cue and shaft should arrive on tuesday, Dec 4th. :)

[Carom212]

I would just like to give thanks to the person that mate and matched my cue stick. Too bad the I-2 Shaft I sent to Seybert's had a manufacture defect. :(

[KJ]

You are very welcome Sir. You have a very nice cue and it's obvious that you take care of it. Enjoy it for a long time. KJ