Shaft Taper Question

[bank8]

KJ,

I play with a Pechauer, currently with a Z2 shaft of it. I have a meucci, which in my opinion is poorly built, but I love the black dot taper. The Z2's hit is excellent, but I feel the taper just isnt right for me. Is the 314 closer to a black dot taper? If not, could you turn a shaft to the taper I'm looking for? Can you explain the different tapers? You turned down a McDermott shaft for me a couple years ago and did an excellent job! Thanks for any suggestions you can offer.

[KJ]

Comparatively speaking, the Meucci has a very long pro-taper.
The long pro-taper in itself is not necessarily a bad thing until the overall diameter of the shaft is reduced. That's when some people refer to it as 'whippy'.

The Z shaft has what's known as a conical pro-taper. It starts out relatively small at the tip (11.75mm), but grows incrementally from there resulting in less of a pro-taper. This smaller dia. at the tip results in less front-end mass which means less deflection. If the Z's taper were modified to more of a pro-taper, the results could very well be similar to a reduced Meucci; whippy.

The 314 series of shafts already have an extended pro-taper, though maybe not as extreme as the Meucci. I find the 314s to be a little stiffer, even when turned down to 12.5mm or so. I believe this is due to it's gradual increase in taper.
Basically, compared to a Z, the 314 has a longer pro-taper but yet, not whippy.

If you haven't tried a 314 series shaft, I suggest that you find someone in your area that has one and see if they will let you hit some balls with it so you can make a first hand comparison. The 314 has just slightly more deflection than the Z but IMO, has a much more pleasing taper. The 314 is what I play with. Hope this helps.

[bank8]

Thanks a lot KJ. I'll actually get to hit with a 314 tomorrow. I've been thinking going that way for awhile, just dont like the taper at all in the Z2. Is the Z2 taper the same as an OB2 or slightly different?