MORE REVIEWS & COMMENTS

"Hi Bob, Todd C here. You made a couple of Sharpshooter Shafts for my Coker Cue a few months ago. Just writing you as a follow up review.

Firstly I have to comment on your excellent customer service. Hard to find that these days I'm afraid. Throughout the whole process it was clear that you wanted me to be pleased and I must say that I am. As far as the playability goes it is excellent. In my opinion the two greatest traits of these shafts are consistency and control.

First Consistency; There is allot of hype concerning laminated shafts and deflection these days but every body seems to be missing their real advantage. Consistency! I know it is possible for a good cue maker to make a great playing shaft from hard rock maple which is equal to if not superior to any laminated shaft on the market, but show me one who can make a matched set. It is pretty difficult. There are just too many variations in wood to ensure consistency. Why do you think some pro's order up to a dozen shafts with a custom cue?

I have had many cues, most of them custom and I always order two shafts and I have yet to have a true matched set of traditional shafts. Don't get me wrong, I have gotten some really great playing custom shafts but the consistency was un-reliable. About the closest I ever came was a cue that I had Paul Huebler make me for three cushion billiards. Both those shafts were excellent but even they could not perform identically. I am not just blowing smoke here, I could set up a shot and make it with one shaft and miss it with the other. No sh-t, I couldn't believe it myself and neither could my billiard buddies, but we proved it over and over. And those were some great playing shafts.

The laminated shafts are just made of a more stable material and there is just no way around it. The shafts you sent me were a perfectly matched set as far as I could tell and believe me I tested them. But in all fairness so were my Predators. So what is superior about your product? Control! I am a fairly high level amateur player Bob( SL7 in eight ball, SL8 in nine ball, B class) so cue ball control is very important to me. With handicaps the way they are at my level if I lose control of the cue ball more than a couple of time in a match I will more than likely lose. And I don't lose much. I have good cue ball control with whatever stick , shaft combination I use as long as I am used to it. Where your shafts really excel, for me anyway, is that they are very forgiving. While the Predator made it very easy to generate a tremendous amount of spin, it was just too touchy to very slight imperfections of stroke.

I was always too tense when shooting with the Predator, worried that I would overdraw or follow the ball. And as you know, shooting with tension can lead to all types of other mechanical problems. With your shafts I can shoot with a much more open and free swinging stroke and control the speed of the cue ball much more easily. It is a pleasure! These Sharpshooters have also given me back some confidence in shot-making as well. The Predator's just threw the object ball too much. It got to the point that whenever I had to make a medium to difficult cut or rail shot I just didn't feel comfortable straying too far from the center of the cue ball for fear of throwing the ball out of the pocket.

As you know using side spin is essential to high level play. It makes it possible to move the cue ball with less power which in turn makes shot making percentages go up. With the Predator it was just too tough to find the right blend of speed and spin. I could do it, but I didn't like it! Again it is just easier with your shafts which allows me to be more relaxed and confident. I can "feel" the shot. "

Bob, I don't post on forums, too much B.S. for me so I can't help you there but I might be able to do one better in a couple of different ways. First you have my permission to have prospective customers in my area (New England) contact me at (413)--------- if they want a testimonial on your shafts. Secondly I have a friend who writes a column on cue sticks for one of the major national pool magazines. He was really impressed with the quality of your shafts and believe me he knows his shit when it comes to cues! I put a bug in his ear about doing a column on aftermarket shafts because of their increasing popularity and he loved the Idea! He will probably contact you some time this winter when he starts doing his research for the article.

Obviously the article will be about all of the different shaft options available to pool players but yours will be one of them and you know that can't hurt! O.K. well that is enough for now, I hope this helps. I can only type with two fingers so this took me over an hour to compose but you were nice to me so I thought I would return the favor. I just think the world would be a much nicer place if people treated each other like that more often. Don't You?

Talk to you later."  Todd C

"Hi Bob, I sent payment tonight for the Sharpshooter shaft for my Schon. Look forward to receiving it. Read with interest the e-mail you sent along that you received from Todd C. What he described is what I have experienced with the Sharpshooter shaft I got from you last February for my Meucci. I get more 'control' and 'consistency' with the Meucci and Sharpshooter than I do with my Schon with Schon shafts. I have two Schon shafts, one with the Hercules medium tip and one with the Schon tip. Even taking into account the different tips, the two shafts shoot differently.

I have a circa 1950 Brunswick Anniversary 9 ft. table with Brunswick speed rails and Simonis 860 cloth which I practice (and learn) on. My standard warm up is to break a rack and run (hopefully) all the balls. With the Meucci and Sharpshooter shaft, by the second rack, balls are falling consistently. With the Schon and either Schon shaft, I have more misses.

So I look forward to getting the Sharpshooter for my Schon. I especially like the looks, feel, weight, and solidity of the Schon (it's a 19.25 oz. SR-16, one of 12 made, the Meucci is 18.3 oz., an Oldie 1), and want to get the same feel of 'control' and 'consistency' with the Schon that I have with the Meucci.

Thanks again, Bob."   Steve

"Hi Bob, I sent payment tonight for the Sharpshooter shaft for my Schon. Look forward to receiving it. Read with interest the e-mail you sent along that you received from Todd C.. What he described is what I have experienced with the Sharpshooter shaft I got from you last February for my Meucci. I get more 'control' and 'consistency' with the Meucci and Sharpshooter than I do with my Schon with Schon shafts. I have two Schon shafts, one with the Hercules medium tip and one with the Schon tip. Even taking into account the different tips, the two shafts shoot differently.

I have a circa 1950 Brunswick Anniversary 9 ft. table with Brunswick speed rails and Simonis 860 cloth which I practice (and learn) on. My standard warm up is to break a rack and run (hopefully) all the balls. With the Meucci and Sharpshooter shaft, by the second rack, balls are falling consistently. With the Schon and either Schon shaft, I have more misses. So I look forward to getting the Sharpshooter for my Schon.

I especially like the looks, feel, weight, and solidity of the Schon (it's a 19.25 oz. SR-16, one of 12 made, the Meucci is 18.3 oz., an Oldie 1), and want to get the same feel of 'control' and 'consistency' with the Schon that I have with the Meucci. Thanks again, Bob.

This afternoon I met with CHARLES PHAM at a pool hall in Norman, OK. He is a student there and wanted to shoot my SharpShooter you made for my Schon. He was more than "highly impressed" with its appearance and performance. He is a semi-famous Vietnamese shooter from the Tulsa area. He shoots really well. We played 9-Ball for a couple of hours on the 9-footer Gold Crown Brunswick's. He plays with a very high-dollar Auerbach loaded with ivory inlays. He told me he would be ordering at least one and maybe another for himself. He showed my shaft off to some of his friends who were equally impressed. He is about a 10-speed shooter also. \\\\\ Hopefully, he will buy something from you. Hope all is well in your life and family. Later."

Terry.

"I spoke with one of my nieces a few months ago, and she had just joined a pool league in Las Vegas, and was loving it. Years back, I used to play a lot of pool and this conversation got the juices flowing again, so I pulled out my old ('91) Meucci HOF-1, after not shooting for about 10 years, went to a local pool hall and found that, unfortunately, the shaft had warped. So, this gave me an opportunity to upgrade the cue with newer technology. I began to research replacement shafts and heard and read a lot about the black dot, red dot, predator, terminator, ER, etc. and discovered the Sharpshooter Laminated Shaft reviews on EPT. I was impressed enough by these reviews to contact Bob Moss, American Cowboy Billiards, for more information. The EPT reviews on numerous various shafts, and these conversations with Bob Moss, led me to decide on the Sharpshooter, and I ordered one. My purpose for writing this review is to thank the EPT contributors and to acknowledge the excellent level of expertise available here. I really do appreciate it.

I was first impressed with this Sharpshooter by the reviews, but also by the level of custom features available and I took full advantage of them. I also really liked the price! I ordered a 29 1/2" shaft, 13 mm dia. tip, 12" pro-taper (patented "analigmic" (sp?) parabolic taper), custom ring work to match the old mooch, shaft custom fit to the forearm, and, on Bob's advice, the Aegis ferrule and the layered Hercules medium-hard tip.

When the Sharpshooter Shaft arrived, the first thing I did was inspect it for cosmetic flaws. There weren't any. The quality of visible craftsmanship is excellent in every way. The ring work is a perfect match and looks better than the original (thanks to Dan , custom cue-maker), the shaft is incredibly smooth, the joint fit to the forearm is perfect, and the tip and ferrule are perfectly mounted. Everything is flush. All workmanship is excellent, very high quality. Again, Thank You ! Later that evening, after I shaped the tip to a short nickel, my wife and I went to a local pool hall for dinner and to try it out. I went alone the next day for several hours. I really like it. The hit is solid but sensitive, with good, positive feel and feedback. It produces great spin, and I seem to have more control than I remember having before with the old mooch. This SS shaft definitely has less whip without being too stiff, and it feels well balanced to the butt. It's comfortable. I only have a few hours playing time on it, so I can't say definitively that my game has improved because of the shaft alone (if only it could aim for me!). But I can say that I really like it, I'm impressed by it, I have no regrets about buying it, it feels good, and I would recommend it to anybody. I can see that it will improve my game. Today, I weighed it on an electronic scale. The butt with the old shaft is 18.62 oz, the butt with the new Sharpshooter is 18.67 oz (and it's ½" longer!), which definitely maintains the cue's design balance.

Also a bonus, Bob Moss is a huge asset to his customers. I called him several times and probably emailed him 9 or 10 times with lots of questions...each time he responded within 24 hours, with patience, with knowledge, without any pressure, and encouraged me to compare, research, and make my own choices. Naturally, he touted his own product, but, IMHO, he is right. He was in touch with me throughout the whole process and emailed me photos before it was shipped back. Bob definitely has a superior, quality product that is worth more than he is charging, and he backs it up with superior customer service. Again, thanks EPT members for your excellent advise."

Ray Davies, Albuquerque New Mexico

"Hi Bob, I have just sent payment for the Sharpshooter shaft for the Viking plus shipping costs.
Could you please ship all items together? I don't mind waiting, if i have to. I received a message from noel i think you will like what he has to say. (Message from Noel) I am so enamored with the Sharpshooter shaft that I am going to be ordering one more for my other playing cue... but, this time, I may be sending the cue butt to Bob so that the shaft will fit exactly.

I get less deflection with the Sharpshooter shaft... and extraordinary spin on the cue ball. You will be surprised with the english that you will generate with the shaft. Good luck on your shaft and I know you will like it. nbc (Noel) Looks like you business is set to go through the roof. Take care, God Bless"

"Hi Bob, I got the 2 sharpshooter shafts on Friday morning, And the quality is superb. Very impressed. Am sending Steve a review of them.

To Steve, Below i have given a review of "Sharpshooter Shaft" I purchased a sharpshooter shaft for my Joss cue, it's made of 25 layers of flat laminate. Now don't get me wrong but i thought a shaft was a shaft! But was i really surprised, The feel of the shaft was like silk, it was polished to perfection, i mean it was really smooth not just from the bridging area but the whole way across to the ring work.

The feel of the shaft when shooting is is a Good Solid Hit with positive feedback, what i mean is when shooting shots with extreme english with my Joss shaft, the shaft seemed to be whippy and i would have to adjust severely for the DEFLECTION as i would miss the shot. But with the sharpshooter shaft the DEFLECTION is cut down to a minimum, and when hitting the cue ball with extreme english the force of the shot pushes straight through the cue ball rather than pushing the cue ball out at an angle.

It takes a little time to adjust to but not long. Now this is the real BONUS of the sharpshooter shaft, this shaft creates so much english compared to my joss shaft. You don't have to hit the balls so hard to make the cue ball dance across the table, but you in turn start to get a GAME OF FINESSE. I set up an easy test, Object ball over left corner pocket & cue ball mid-table by the left side pocket shooting with right english, medium speed. Usually i can make the cue ball go 3 cushions to the top of the table, With the sharpshooter shaft i went 5 cushions back to mid table, i was shocked but the cue ball just seemed to catch so much english, i felt like a pro. (You rarely see pro's smacking balls around the table, they seem to just hit the cue ball with a lot of soft strokes rather than hard strokes)

THE BIG QUESTION, Sharpshooter of Pr----r? When looking to buy a new shaft this was the constant question that i kept asking myself, which one ? Well i have played with both and me personally i prefer the sharpshooter shaft. The reason's i didn't like the predator shaft was , it just didn't seem to give much feedback when taking a shot and seemed to have a hollow hit not a solid hit. Plus i could not generate nearly as much ENGLISH even though it had a MOORI tip on. I had to work a lot harder to get the cue ball to dance across the table.

I also found that the P shaft gave a little more deflection compared to the Sharpshooter shaft and the collar size is standard. Whilst the Sharpshooter shaft can be custom made for a flush fitting so that it feels just right. I think that P shafts are expensive and not worth the money. The 2 shafts i have purchased have been customized to my personal specs, 15" pro taper ,Aegis Ferrule, Black diamond + Balabushka tip, plus the shafts sit flush with the cue. I couldn't ask for more and Bob can customize a shaft for your cue. Overall I'm very pleased with the shafts, from the Quality to the feel when shooting."

"I would recommend one to anyone who is using a 1 piece shaft & P. I personally think that my game has improved since using it. Last night at Amsterdam Billiards i ran 84 balls in a 14.1 (straight pool) game a personal best. You won't be disappointed when getting one, I'm not at all. Thanks"

"Hi Bob, I just got back from playing pool and cannot believe my performance. I beat the local 9 ball champ 16-2. I ran an all time best of 14 racks, he was amazed. I put it down to the sharpshooter & Viking combo, i gave him your e-mail address he said he would contact you about one for his Schon cue. I hope thing are doing well. Take care"

"Hi Bob, I have just got back from the pool hall, only practiced for about 4 hours today. So this is what i would call my rest day as i plan to drink the 4 bottles of Budweiser i picked up on the way back.

You are right Bob, I'm very impressed with the Sharpshooter shaft it has performed better than expected. I have had about 13 hours of play with the (joss) sharpshooter, and am very impressed with the workmanship. I was talking to some guy's at the pool hall about your shaft and gave your e-mail so that they could contact you about a "sharpshooter". It's sad really as i haven't even played with the Viking Cue yet, as i feel that my Joss cue feels "JUST RIGHT" and the balls keep making that lovely noise when dropping in the pocket. So i don't want to spoil my recent good form(Yet). You are very right about throw, in snooker throw is very minimal but in pool, it's an important fundamental that must be understood if you are to improve your game. I have found that the Sharpshooter does make it easier to judge the throw of the object ball, and especially when you have 2 balls frozen together i am making more balls than before. I think that if you got a website your Sharpshooter sales would go through the roof, and why not? I think that every customer that purchased one would not be disappointed, as they could say it was "Custom Made" to my specs + improved their game. If you need to give my address out for reference about the Sharpshooters or anything else do so, as i would be glad to help. Anyway time to drink my Bud. Take care"

Royston Troth UK

"I am a highly competitive middle-aged 8-ball and 9-ball (APA/BCA/BPA) league shooter in the Oklahoma City metro area. I have been playing pool and snooker for at least 30 years. I am a also a collector of finer pool cues. Like most serious competitors, I search for equipment and techniques which help to "improve" my game...even the smallest amount. You know...even 1 ball in a 5-game set can make the difference between winning and losing.

I have had at least 150 cues in my life. They ranged in price from "free" to many thousands of dollars. In addition, I have tried all types of shafts and tips and the various combinations searching for that "Excalibur" of cues. Along the way, I finally learned to "play" pool and got to be truly a high level player. I found I could play well with just about any decent cue I picked up. I just could not play up to my capability with all of them. I knew I could play better.

Three months ago I learned about the SHARPSHOOTER shaft offered by American Cowboy Billiards. Of all the shafts I have shot in my entire life, this shaft changed my game for the better at least (not exaggerating) 20%. My consistent performance and my confidence improved dramatically. The shaft was custom made and fitted for my Schon. The fit and finish of the shaft rivals any top notch shaft from the best makers in the world. The two-week turnaround time was not excessive. I also had some custom joint protectors made and fitted to my cue. I was also impressed with their quality.

I had to choose from several available tips. I just happened to choose the HERCULES Medium Hard "Balabushka" tip. It just fits my style of shooting better than some of the others available.
I have shot other makers "laminated" shafts. You know, the name brands with the high prices. I paid far less for my Sharpshooter which outperforms all of them. This one shaft does it ALL. I recommend it for anyone who is truly serious about improving his/her game. I cannot say enough praise about it. Whether you make your living shooting pool, shoot in league competition or just shoot for fun, you cannot go wrong with this shaft.

I have no financial interest in American Cowboy Billiards and have not been paid or received payment for my comments. These comments are my personal opinion based on my own personal experience with the Sharpshooter Shaft. "

Terry Cronkite Terry Cronkite Ok City Oklahoma

" First, I have to say that in this day and age great customer service is the exception rather than the rule. This is really a shame, but it is true. I have purchased a number of products but have rarely received the type of service that Bob Moss provides. When I emailed him an inquiry on his SS shaft, he responded within 24 hours with lots of information, pictures and testimonials on the product. During and after the purchase, Bob kept in touch making sure everything was to my liking.

I have used a P shaft before on a Pechauer cue and really noticed no difference in performance at all. The P.is a different type of technology, being a shaft made of 10 Pie-shaped maple segments. I bought the P. expecting a lot based on all of the testimonials out there. I really did not feel much difference from the standard Pechauer shaft, except the slightly different physical dimensions, 12.75 versus 13mm. It had less deflection, but the hit still was a little soft for me.

So I went looking for a new cue, as I needed a more solid hit. I bought the Schon STL-7 and was immediately impressed with it, the standard shaft was great. After reading the reviews here I decided to give this other custom shaft a try, looking for the best combination.

I purchased the Bob Moss Sharpshooter 21 segment flat laminated shaft. I was immediately impressed by the finish of the shaft which was smoother to the touch than anything I had ever used. I didn't even have it custom fitted, just had him make it for the standard Schon butt and the thing fit perfectly. The shaft gives a strong feedback on the hit, and being on the stiff side (which is my preference), allows a lot of finesse and control. I play mostly straight pool, use a heavy cue (21 oz.) with a generally soft to medium stroke. This shaft fits my game very well. I can use smaller degrees of english with the same results. I can move the cue ball as little as possible, pinch balls better and generally play more exact position. When I have to move the cue ball around the table, I can do it with a firm but not hard stroke.

The Sharpshooter Shaft is a very impressive product, and costs 30% less than other custom type shafts. If you need an extra shaft for your cue, just order one, you wont be disappointed-"
 

David James David James, California

"Hello all... I was recently made aware of a product sold by American Cowboy Billiards (Bob Moss) called a Sharp Shooter Shaft. I had bought numerous products from Bob on his ebay auctions & was extremely satisfied with everything he had to offer. In the mist of everything I had mentioned to Bob that I was searching for a shaft that would not only have little if any deflection, But would also not lose its spinability in the process (unlike the P. shaft) Bob at that point proceeded to tell me about a Sharp Shooter shaft. Like anyone that has a product for sale, He told me how much better his was compared to the others on the market (which is typical I might add). The only difference is, This time the salesman is right!!! Bob then informed me that I had a Sharp Shooter shaft user as a neighbor & gave me an email address to contact him (which I did). Just 2 blocks away I shot with the Sharp Shooter shaft & was thoroughly impressed. It is a fine example of what a product driven industry should be... In my search I have tried a lot of industries standards & somehow the Sharp Shooter has become the exception, Rather than the rule. Since then, I have placed my order with Bob. I truly hope that I see more players come across this avenue of perfection, So that it can help raise the bar on what us as players expect from Cue makers in the years to come... My motto for the last few years has been simply this (Always buy the best & you will never be dissatisfied with it) FYI: The Sharp Shooter was much less than I would have paid for it by far..."

Dale Schwartz, Edmond, Oklahoma