For kj

[bubinga]

I have the m61-k Mcdermott cue with standard shaft. Wood to Wood joint. Would like to upgrade the shaft and I am not sure weather to go with the I-2 The OB shaft. I am not considering Predator because where I play everyone is using it.
My question: Should I go with a partial shaft, or just get one, screw it on and hope for the best? I do want the shaft to fit perfectly, like the one I have now does. Also, If you are familiar with the cue, what would your recommendation be? OB or I-2? I have no way of trying any of the shafts. Oh can I get an Idea of what it would cost to fit and finish a partial shaft?

Thanks for your comments.

[KJ]

Bubinga,

Welcome to the forum. I'm honored that your first post would be directed towards me.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to help you in your selection of which brand of shaft that you should choose. What I mean is that, what might be right for one may not be right for another. It's a personal choice.

I will offer this for your consideration. If everyone where you are at is playing a Predator, there may be a good reason for that.

In an ideal situation, you would want the opportunity to play with all the different brands yourself until you decided on which one that you like the best. Is there something about the shaft that you currently have on your cue that you don't like?

I'm not going to try and talk you into a particular brand any more than I'm going to try and talk you out of a particular brand. What I will say is this : If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Everyone is looking for the 'magic bullet'. Your greatest gains at the table come from practice, practice and more practice. There are no short-cuts.

[bubinga]

Thank you KJ, for your thoughtful answer. Your comments mean a lot, since I I just currently returned to the game, after years of absence. Years ago when I used to play, I used nothing else but my favorite house cue.
By the way I thought I'd ask someone in the know. Hence you:)

Thanks again.

[bubinga]

After all that I did not answer your question. Sorry. My current shaft is a standard Mcdermott shaft with a kamui MS. I find it a bit too soft, or too flexible. I find it requires a lot of effort to put a spin on the cue ball. I am not necessarily blaming the shaft for that. I just thought the technology of the high end shafts may help my game.

Thanks again.

[KJ]

Bubinga,
OK, if you're looking for a little stiffer hit, try a harder tip first. Number 1, it's a lot cheaper than a new shaft and may give you what you're looking for. I'd suggest maybe a Kamui M or MH. A good stroke with that tip should give you all the spin you could want.

I'm assuming that you have a std. 13mm shaft. If it's been turned-down in diameter, that may be where the "too flexible" is coming from.

Both the McD. i-1 & i-2 are considered stiff shafts, as is the Predator 314. But this is subject to opinion.

I hope this helps.

[bubinga]

It helps a ton! Thank you KJ. And how did you guess? Yes the std Mcd shaft was turned down to 12.75 mm as I always use a closed bridge. I want to Thank you again. It all makes sense to me now. Just like we say in boat builidng: DON'T mess with the design!!

[skor]

I would go with KJ's advice, replace the tip with a harder tip. Kamui and BlackJack (available at Seybert's) have good hard tips that play very well, I use both and I like them.

I find the McDermott to have a soft hit, this is part of the reason I don't like their cues that much. replacing the tip will give a more stiff feedback, but if it's not enough for you then maybe you should considering buying a new cue and not just changing the shaft.

[bubinga]

Thank you Skor. I think I am gona do the best for my game with my current cue till the end of the year. I will, in the meantime, try to shoot with as many different cues as I can. And then, early next year I will get me a new cue. I don't see many cues I like though. Most of them have wraps, don't care for them. I want to see and touch the wood. don.t care for fancy inlays either. Nothing like the beauty of the wood.
Anyway, I am glad to be on this forum. Thanks again to you and KJ.