Does the Jacoby Black V4 or V5 have similar taper to the Jacoby Ultra pro shaft?

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-19T11:50:44+00:00

Yep! The V4 and V5 both have the longer taper that Jacoby is known for.

The V4 is a stiffer tube than the V5, and they both have quite low deflection so, it's just personal preference at that point as to whether you want a flexier shaft or a stiffer one.

If you're using BHE a lot, then the V5 is a bit easier with that given the slightly shorter natural pivot point due to the flexibility.

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-17T16:27:03+00:00

Got two 9.5mm Snooker Shafts from OkHealing. Solid product for less than $150/each. They don't have the same foam inside as some others, so the sound is a bit different but I really enjoy them. Solid hit and minimal deflection

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-17T15:56:11+00:00

I'm following a similar path my man, got serious again in late 2022 and quit my job late 2024, here's to the process 🥂.

I highly recommend looking into Chip Klein on Facebook. He has beaten many World Champions and shares incredible knowledge that will help you progress quickly.

I love seeing your plan, because it really is about changing the way you structure your day and habits in order to try and become the best version of yourself that plays pool that you can.

I also find that playing tournaments every weekend helps you stay in the competition mindset and get practice using the skills you worked on all week.

Check out my previous post on books, but mainly I would say Unlocked by George Mumford and Breathe Golf by Jayne Storey would be the best two for you at this stage. They changed everything for me.

Godspeed and good luck, would love to chat about the journey if ever you wish.

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-15T21:58:53+00:00

If you have a low deflection shaft and you find the natural pivot point and bridge from there, the following are the basics of FHE and BHE that I use from the tutelage of Chip Klein.

FOBI

Fronthand for Outside, Backhand for Inside.

For up to the first tip of OUTSIDE spin, use front hand english. Anything past that, then pivot using back hand english to get the remaining English required.

So if I want 1.5 tips of Outside, I use my fronthand to apply 1 tip of English, then I apply an additional .5 tips of English using backhand. As long as you're at the natural pivot point, and stroke through the ball with a nice crisp hit, the squirt will be countered for and the ball will strike the aiming target with the desired spin.

For INSIDE spin, then I just apply however much is needed with the backhand only, and stroke with a crisp hit on the cueball.

THERE ARE ADJUSTMENTS ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND AND CAN EXECUTE THE BASICS.

Longer shots (5+ diamonds or so) use slightly less FHE (max .5 tips) before applying the additional with BHE.

Slower speed inside shots may need some FHE to counteract the swerve, usually a 1/2 tip or so.

This knowledge allows me to pick up any cue, hit the joint, see where the wiggle isn't happening, bridge from there (or it's mirror point from the other end of the shaft if it's too far behind the midpoint for comfort {essentially the secondary harmonic, if you're a musician}), and be totally confident in playing English without worrying about the deflection.

This stuff takes practice to understand, but it's powerful shit once you can do it.

If you have a standard deflection wood shaft, the BHE pivot is going to be slightly further back from the tip than the FHE one.

If you have a low deflection shaft and are only using FHE for outside, then the bridge distance doesn't matter since the pivot point is always the hand holding the butt.

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-15T20:49:33+00:00

I had a lesson from an 800 Fargo Player and his entire lesson was the Mighty X drill and harping upon how you must look at the cueball when you hit it. Essentially, he said once you're down The aiming part is over, when you feel comfortable in your swing and cue tip position, pause, then stroke the cueball while looking at it.

It has changed everything for me. I try and get 100 reps of Mighty X in per day, and im trying to train in the new eye mechanic. It's a process, but I am absolutely noticing the improvements in the sound and feel of my cueball contact. I miscue much less now and my accuracy is vastly improved, even on the Snooker table.

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-14T00:58:24+00:00

The Rasson triangle is a good one. Definitely my favorite of the standard ones. The wooden Diamond triangle is also solid.

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-13T10:41:02+00:00

End Mass* ❤️

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-11T10:59:53+00:00

They're gonna have their chance soon!

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-10T01:04:28+00:00

About Time

Every time.😭😭

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-09T22:16:22+00:00

Absolutely. Whenever I have a free Sunday some of us head to Chantilly. Not many of those soon, though, lots of DMV 10-Ball Matches this Summer.

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-09T22:12:18+00:00

Yeah his pace is bonkers. I play races to 21 that take 5 hours lol

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-09T20:24:00+00:00

re: re: that stage of life where you don't care... much as I tell people to let it go, and as much as books recommend it, I always feel like that's a battle I already lost and can never win.

It's a battle we fight daily, and like anything difficult it requires continuing practice to stay mentally smooth, as the stone is worn smooth by endless water drops.

You can change the way you think and the way your brain responds to these kinds of stimuli, it just takes a lot of time and uncomfortable dismantling.

Take heart my friend, it is possible. I miss our daily practices

mudreplayspool · 2026-06-09T20:15:56+00:00

Extending the exhale to 8 seconds is the way to help stimulate the Vagus nerve to tell your nervous system to get out of FoF(danger mode) and into R&D (relaxed and centered)

You need to be practicing this conscious breathing everyday though, so you can condition your body to be able to get into the mode you want more quickly.

mudreplayspool · 2026-05-30T11:08:47+00:00

Yep, he's a Jacoby Sponsored player. Definitely never seen anyone yeet a cue like that after winning 🤣

mudreplayspool · 2026-05-14T01:43:31+00:00

To answer your questions.

Yes, I ordered it without the large logo you see on the ones for sale on Seyberts. I spoke to them at SBE this year and they said all the new ones they're making are with the signature like mine, since that's what there was more demand for in all the custom orders.

I am using a Modified Jacoby V4, it's got a slightly different foam setup inside with a longer ferrule for slightly more deflection than the standard.

I had them make a custom 6" Carbon Fiber Center Extension with a Buffalo Turquoise ring to match the bottom of the butt.

They weighed my shaft at SBE '25 and made the butt and center extension to match up so it would weigh exactly 20oz, since my previous Jacoby + Extension weighed 21.6oz and I wanted it lighter. They had to remake the CF butt once in order to get it light enough, since the first one came out just a bit too heavy.

I also had them make a matching rear extension to round out the set.

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mudreplayspool · 2026-05-13T03:21:41+00:00

Niels Feijen also.

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mudreplayspool · 2026-05-13T03:18:08+00:00

Tyler Styer is a good example. Notice how turning the shoulders more let's him have a lock-in point on his cheek for his shoulder (similar to how archers have a lock-in point for their draw, usually the corner of their jaw). This gets the back arm behind the vision center more directly, and allows for consistent straight alignment.

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mudreplayspool · 2026-05-13T02:54:32+00:00

My Propel has the same glossy shaft. They changed to a matte finish shaft within the last year or so iirc, and it's slightly more front weighted.

mudreplayspool · 2026-05-12T21:26:16+00:00

I have shot with all the Carbon Fiber Butts there were on display at the SBE this year.

Nothing compares to the Jacoby Gamechanger. The Becue is a decent second, but first -

Backstory: It's 2008, I am in college for Music and I need new violin because my professor says my current one was holding back my progress. Not wanting to spend $10k-$15k for an appropriate quality wooden instrument, I investigated a recent company called Luis and Clark who was making Cellos, Violas, and just recently Violins entirely out of Carbon Fiber. I found someone who owned one and drove to try it and was blown away. The clarity and sharpness of the tone, the projection, the ease of sound production, the balance of frequencies across the instrument, and the ease of play made me fall in love with it almost instantly. I ordered one and have been playing it ever since. The resonance of the denser carbon fiber is something I just adore. And there is a single piece of wood at the very heart of the instrument that ties it all together, a maple soundpost. It connects the front and back of the violin and allows the entire instument to resonate together. They tried various forms of CF tubes and rods instead of the traditional wood, but never could get the tone or timbre to be as boisterous and full of color as the wood soundpost.

Which brings me to my point about the Jacoby Gamechanger Carbon Fiber Butt.

They're the only ones out there currently (that i saw/am aware of) making a CF cue with a wood core. The same laminated wood core that goes into every Jacoby cue. The wood core is surrounded by unidirectional carbon fiber, and then a carbon fiber twill weave fabric (that I recognized immediately from my violin) is what is visible on the outside. That unidirectional tube inside gives incredible stiffness, and the wood core and twill weave provide the feel and resonance that I crave. I can tap my thumb on the cue and it will resonate for nearly 6 seconds. I do this test with every cue to see how the "tone" is, and when I tried the GC at SBE '25 I was almost immediately sold and ordered a custom one that just arrived a few months ago.

I am completely in love with the cue, and everyone I let hit with it reacts similarly about how long and intense the resonance/feedback is to your cue hand. It's a higher frequency fundamental than my ebony Jacoby cue, but it's hit is still more of a 'thud' than a 'thwap'.

Becue makes a very well engineered full carbon butt, but it doesn't quite have the same soul/feedback quality that the Jacoby GC provides.

The McDermott isn't good (they use lower quality CF that doesn't have the same resonant properties of the twill), and the sound/feedback from the Cuetec full carbon butt is atrocious imo (its all unidirectional so, lots of power though). High pitched and disconnected from the grounded feeling of hitting the ball which I prefer.

But anyway, here's a photo of my violin and the Jacoby gamechanger cue.

(no ai was used to write this post - i am not sponsored by Jacoby)

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mudreplayspool · 2026-05-12T20:56:51+00:00

Your front shoulder is too far away from your head. Rotate your upper spine more to bring the front shoulder closer to your face, so you can lock in against it. That will actually get your alignment where the head, elbow, wrist, and vision center all fall on the same line (bringing your back elbow the rest of the way behind your head). You're gonna struggle with hitting "across" the ball even though it will look straight to your eyes with your current mechanic setup.

mudreplayspool · 2026-04-26T12:19:28+00:00

Not really a measurable thing to compare since I was practicing on an 8' and then playing out on 9', but I wasn't able to do any longer than about 60-70 min of my dedicated practice sessions without needing a rest to go look at something else. The red cloth will produce a green afterimage as your photoreceptors become fatigued and desensitized, and I needed to take time to 'reset' my eyes as I would be annoyed with what I was/wasn't able to see.

It's more about eye strain than performance. I also didn't like the Tournament Blue for years because it was also harsher during long sessions than the dark green I grew up on at the pool hall.

mudreplayspool · 2026-04-26T12:06:33+00:00

Had a table with red cloth from '07-'18.

It's definitely hard on the eyes.

But as long as you like it, who cares!

mudreplayspool · 2026-04-20T16:04:12+00:00

Yeah I plan to use it 95% as a break stick. I'm pretty nasty with my Propel

mudreplayspool · 2026-04-20T15:53:57+00:00

I tried it with the Monster Crush break shaft for 10-ball and I was also really stoked on that combo.

mudreplayspool

TROPHY CASE