<br />
Maybe a silly question, but was the purpose of the colored shafts just for customization? Is there any other conceivable benefit other than "This looks really sweet with my custom paintfill job."?<br />
<br />
<br />
dnfido,<br />
<br />
There are no silly questions here! The concept was customization and performance is the same. Customization has become huge in golf, but steel shafts had never been incorporated into the mix. Here we are introducting a unique option for golfers wanting that really sweet look.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your question,<br />
CM
<br />
Has the C-Taper been more of a success than you guys originally thought it would be?<br />
<br />
<br />
Mattw1106,<br />
<br />
The C-Taper has been a great success and, to be honest, we believe a lot of that is attributable to the WRX community. There are/were a lot of honest peer reviews at launch and soon after that tested us on our performance claims of 5% (lower launch, less spin, and more distance). And, as we expected when we put that out there, the claims held true in most instances. <br />
<br />
There wasn't a surprise so much there. We knew once people put it in play and gave it an honest run through they'd see the performance advancements. Each stage of R&D testing for this shaft verified our findings and against our competitors the difference was clear. <br />
<br />
On Tour, we've already got somewhere around 8-10 guys in the C-Taper shaft including the #1 US Golfer in the OWGR. That stat has been running pretty much since May of 2011 and came about following his first of 3 wins with the C-Taper shaft. This was a huge validation of the product. On Tour, we probably would've had a bit more success with it early on but the market demand emptied our inventory for about a month. And, as Kim would tell you, once you get a product moving on TOUR, you don't want to kill that momentum with no inventory. Luckily, momentum is really just starting. less than a year later, we have two top 20 OWGR players in the product and many more in the top 100. <br />
<br />
At the OEM level, we've been extremely proud how fast the C-Taper was adopted. We can't thank our fans and partners enough for the integration there. Within 6 months, the C-Taper was adopted by nearly every major manufacturer and is now available (in multiple flexes) in many of the '12 carts in the market. This was the most surprising factor for our team.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
EH
<br />
What shafts do you recommend for ctaper players in their wedges?<br />
<br />
<br />
Knockdown,<br />
<br />
I play the C-tapers in my wedges. I llike the less spin, and consistent feel in the whole set. We have many tour pros doing that now. Just make sure you dont go too stiff. If you can hit your PW with an easy smooth swing, then you can use that same flex in the wedges.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
CM
<br />
Regarding the C-tapers: Saw a video of Kim Braly basically saying they fit a very small percentage of the golfing population. I probably shouldn't be playing them based on what he said but when I tried them out they felt so incredibly good and I got fitted --> turns out they fit me like a charm despite me not being having a beast swing speed or tempo. It was the feel that caught me, never really felt anything like it before. Can you elaborate on the feel of the KBS shafts and the C-tapers in particular - they really feel different from Proj X and DG IMO. Thanks<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
even_steven,<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes the feel is great. Making a steel shaft is a very long and difficult process (over 25 manufacturing steps). Overall, there are design differences (taper rates, wall thickness, etc.) that set C-Taper apart from other low spin shafts and this is why it feels smoother.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
CM
<br />
Are there any plans to release a C TAPER HYBRID SHAFT? If not, could I strongly urge you to consider making plans?<br />
<br />
<br />
Carlo,<br />
<br />
We saw that WRX had posted on this following the PGA Show. There has been some discussion of this and we may decide to move forward with the project. Glad to know you're a supporter this early on!<br />
<br />
On a side note, the current Hybrid shaft is a great product and under-marketed from our perspective. The design mimics the KBS TOUR shaft and performs with a similar trajectory, feel and stability as the TOUR shaft. That said, we've discussed a C-Taper hybrid to complement the current Hybrid and we'll keep our community posted best we can via our newsletter and social media. <br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
EH
So the playing characteristics of the shaft does not change. Just the custom colors. My assumption is we will pay extra for the cusomized look and not playing characteristics?<br />
<br />
Good work by the way.<br />
<br />
Tom
Hi Everyone!<br />
<br />
Thanks again for all the questions! We're going to wrap this up now and call it a day but we tried to get through as many questions we could without bias which ones we answered. There were some awesome questions in there and we look forward to gathering your feedback as well. Please post your comments / thoughts to this thread on the all-new CUSTOM SERIES!<br />
<br />
If in case we missed your question and you're dying to know, please send our Customer Service an email using the following form ([url="http://www.kbsshafts.com/contactkb.php"]http://www.kbsshafts.com/contactkb.php[/url]) and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
Thanks again to the WRX team for organizing this and we appreciate all the support from the WRX community! Visit our website starting tomorrow for more information and giveaways on the all-new KBS CUSTOM SERIES!<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
- The KBS Team
<br />
Are there any plans to release a C TAPER HYBRID SHAFT? If not, could I strongly urge you to consider making plans?<br />
<br />
<br />
Carlo,<br />
<br />
We saw that WRX had posted on this following the PGA Show. There has been some discussion of this and we may decide to move forward with the project. Glad to know you're a supporter this early on!<br />
<br />
On a side note, the current Hybrid shaft is a great product and under-marketed from our perspective. The design mimics the KBS TOUR shaft and performs with a similar trajectory, feel and stability as the TOUR shaft. That said, we've discussed a C-Taper hybrid to complement the current Hybrid and we'll keep our community posted best we can via our newsletter and social media. <br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
EH<br />
<br />
<br />
That would be pretty awesome, to come out with a C-taper hybrid shaft for sure.
Taylormade just sent me the new ATV wedges for testing. These are the non-chrome versions, pre-marketing models. They have KBS Tours. I don't know if this is what they are going to use commercially or if they just did them for me because I have KBSs in my profile with them. <br />
My question is how are these different than the Hi-Revs which essentially have the same stepdown patternas far as I know. Or is the first stepdown 1/4 to a 1/2 inch higher up from the hosel? Thus a longer tip section? Because of the increased spin will I in effect lose a few yards in distance when compared to the Tours? <br />
I use the C-Tapers in my R9 TP-B irons. I don't hit them any farther but I do like the feel and smaller dispersion pattern.
In the bag: Playing --- SIM TaylorMade driver w/Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S. 3wd TM SIM (set @ 16*) with Fuji Atmos Blue Tour Spec 7S. 5 wd TM SIM w/Fujikura Atmos Red Tour Spec 7X (set
On -, @18.5*). HyBrids-Cleveland Hi-Bore #1 (16* plays like 2-Iron) W/Fuji-S., RBZ-2 Tour 5 w/Fuji MCH 80-S alternates with SIM Max #4 (set
@ 21.5* w/ Fuji Atmos HB Black Tour Spec 9S, Irons TM M-3 4i bent to 5i, loft TM P760 6-9,PW all w/Fuji Pro 95i-S. SW-TM Hi Toe 56* 4-way grind bent to 54* w/Modus 105-S, LW- TM Hi-Toe 60 C-grind Tour only custom grind raw face Grind bent to 59* w/NS Pro 950GH-S, Putter-- BOBBY GRACE Night&Day-Custom, M.Coz-Bandsaw Prototype. Ball TaylorMade TP5X. Alternates in the Hybrids and 4-i depending on what part of the country, course, climate, and conditions.
<br />
<br />
Agree CTaper hybrid shaft would be nice, but in a .355" T design that way it can fit into every hybrid/driving iron out there with a shim if need be. Either that or start making a CTaper 1 iron shaft
<br />
There are already a lot of questions regarding weight but mine is slightly different, I was wondering if every color will be the same weight? I know with certain grips white weighs more because its a heavier dye, I don't know if the same will run true with the coating process you have used. Also why are these only available in taper?<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi Dean,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you for your question. The differenct colors do weigh the same. This is a patent pending process using three polyurethane coatings for each shaft. This makes for vibrant colors that have great durability. Taper tip heads are the most common on the market. Also, if you have a .370 hosel head you can use a shim to take up the extra space and it will perform the same.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
CM<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
KBS,<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question, I am glad to hear color did not affect weight between different colors. I do play a taper tip, but was just curious as to why exclusively taper, hopefully we see this become more diverse as it becomes more popular.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Dean A. Wensel
<br />
I am not sure if I am the only one with this issue, but I really have had some trouble with the KBS Tour 90's. I am not sure if it is the counter balance weighting or the total shaft weigh being less, but I really have trouble with solid contact. I can pick up the same head with Dynamic Gold or Project X, and dot the sweetspot. When I hit them solid, I do love the feel, but my thought is this shaft my not be the one for me. I really want to retain the smooth KBS feel, but get a better suited option. I guess mny first question would be, have any others experienced this performance, and what shaft might you recommend to alleviate it.<br />
<br />
<br />
And I thought I was the only one! I have had the same shafts (sitting in my garage now) and I experienced the same thing. I couldn't feel the shaft load; felt weird on the downswing, and I just couldn't hit the sweetspot in general...no idea why - weight, counter-balanced feel? <br />
<br />
I have no trouble hitting nice high flat iron shots with good old s300.<br />
<br />
Would KBS Tours be better for me? PXi?<br />
<br />
<br />
Nevermind, I see they answered the question. Thanks KBS!
I am looking at the Ping G20's. I am playing older Ping ISI nickel clubs. Slightly smaller head and less offset. I am a bit nervous about taking the leap because I already have a high ball flight. I am profoundly in love with the G20 after hitting into a net on the weekend at Golfsmith. And absolutely HUGE! I have never seen performance numbers such as I experienced.<br />
<br />
I trialed the C-tapers on other clubs. How did you trial them on the G20? I think they could really help my ball flight with these clubs. What was the shaft upcharge?<br />
<br />
Thanks for any help.<br />
<br />
Jeff<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I enjoy the C-Tapers on my PING G20s - really perform well and look great.<br />
<br />
Any way to incorporate the C-Taper into putter shafts ? And any plans on additional finishes/colors on the C-Taper ?<br />
<br />
Keep the exciting products coming !<br />
Comments
173
0
<br />
dnfido,<br />
<br />
There are no silly questions here! The concept was customization and performance is the same. Customization has become huge in golf, but steel shafts had never been incorporated into the mix. Here we are introducting a unique option for golfers wanting that really sweet look.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your question,<br />
CM
n/a
n/a
173
0
<br />
Mattw1106,<br />
<br />
The C-Taper has been a great success and, to be honest, we believe a lot of that is attributable to the WRX community. There are/were a lot of honest peer reviews at launch and soon after that tested us on our performance claims of 5% (lower launch, less spin, and more distance). And, as we expected when we put that out there, the claims held true in most instances. <br />
<br />
There wasn't a surprise so much there. We knew once people put it in play and gave it an honest run through they'd see the performance advancements. Each stage of R&D testing for this shaft verified our findings and against our competitors the difference was clear. <br />
<br />
On Tour, we've already got somewhere around 8-10 guys in the C-Taper shaft including the #1 US Golfer in the OWGR. That stat has been running pretty much since May of 2011 and came about following his first of 3 wins with the C-Taper shaft. This was a huge validation of the product. On Tour, we probably would've had a bit more success with it early on but the market demand emptied our inventory for about a month. And, as Kim would tell you, once you get a product moving on TOUR, you don't want to kill that momentum with no inventory. Luckily, momentum is really just starting. less than a year later, we have two top 20 OWGR players in the product and many more in the top 100. <br />
<br />
At the OEM level, we've been extremely proud how fast the C-Taper was adopted. We can't thank our fans and partners enough for the integration there. Within 6 months, the C-Taper was adopted by nearly every major manufacturer and is now available (in multiple flexes) in many of the '12 carts in the market. This was the most surprising factor for our team.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
EH
173
0
<br />
Knockdown,<br />
<br />
I play the C-tapers in my wedges. I llike the less spin, and consistent feel in the whole set. We have many tour pros doing that now. Just make sure you dont go too stiff. If you can hit your PW with an easy smooth swing, then you can use that same flex in the wedges.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
CM
173
0
<br />
<br />
even_steven,<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes the feel is great. Making a steel shaft is a very long and difficult process (over 25 manufacturing steps). Overall, there are design differences (taper rates, wall thickness, etc.) that set C-Taper apart from other low spin shafts and this is why it feels smoother.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
CM
2293
116
173
0
<br />
Carlo,<br />
<br />
We saw that WRX had posted on this following the PGA Show. There has been some discussion of this and we may decide to move forward with the project. Glad to know you're a supporter this early on!<br />
<br />
On a side note, the current Hybrid shaft is a great product and under-marketed from our perspective. The design mimics the KBS TOUR shaft and performs with a similar trajectory, feel and stability as the TOUR shaft. That said, we've discussed a C-Taper hybrid to complement the current Hybrid and we'll keep our community posted best we can via our newsletter and social media. <br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
EH
n/a
n/a
296
0
18
0
<br />
Good work by the way.<br />
<br />
Tom
173
0
<br />
Thanks again for all the questions! We're going to wrap this up now and call it a day but we tried to get through as many questions we could without bias which ones we answered. There were some awesome questions in there and we look forward to gathering your feedback as well. Please post your comments / thoughts to this thread on the all-new CUSTOM SERIES!<br />
<br />
If in case we missed your question and you're dying to know, please send our Customer Service an email using the following form ([url="http://www.kbsshafts.com/contactkb.php"]http://www.kbsshafts.com/contactkb.php[/url]) and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
Thanks again to the WRX team for organizing this and we appreciate all the support from the WRX community! Visit our website starting tomorrow for more information and giveaways on the all-new KBS CUSTOM SERIES!<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
- The KBS Team
314
0
1098
24
<br />
That would be pretty awesome, to come out with a C-taper hybrid shaft for sure.
n/a
n/a
961
0
My question is how are these different than the Hi-Revs which essentially have the same stepdown patternas far as I know. Or is the first stepdown 1/4 to a 1/2 inch higher up from the hosel? Thus a longer tip section? Because of the increased spin will I in effect lose a few yards in distance when compared to the Tours? <br />
I use the C-Tapers in my R9 TP-B irons. I don't hit them any farther but I do like the feel and smaller dispersion pattern.
Alternates in the Hybrids and 4-i depending on what part of the country, course, climate, and conditions.
1143
15
<br />
Agree CTaper hybrid shaft would be nice, but in a .355" T design that way it can fit into every hybrid/driving iron out there with a shim if need be. Either that or start making a CTaper 1 iron shaft
Titleist TS3 15° w/ Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 90 TX
Titleist U·500 3i w/ Mitsubishi MMT Utility Iron 105 TX
Titleist CNCPT-02 4i-9i w/ TT Dynamic Gold TI X100
Vokey BV HandGround SM8 46.10F, 50.12F, 54.10S, 60.08M
Scotty Cameron Roundback Select Tour 1.5 Weld Neck
WITB Link
29
0
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
KBS,<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question, I am glad to hear color did not affect weight between different colors. I do play a taper tip, but was just curious as to why exclusively taper, hopefully we see this become more diverse as it becomes more popular.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you,<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Dean A. Wensel
1382
3
<br />
And I thought I was the only one! I have had the same shafts (sitting in my garage now) and I experienced the same thing. I couldn't feel the shaft load; felt weird on the downswing, and I just couldn't hit the sweetspot in general...no idea why - weight, counter-balanced feel? <br />
<br />
I have no trouble hitting nice high flat iron shots with good old s300.<br />
<br />
Would KBS Tours be better for me? PXi?<br />
<br />
<br />
Nevermind, I see they answered the question. Thanks KBS!
G400 LST Tour 65x
Epic Flash 3W Tensei Blue 75x
G410 3H 4H Tensei Blue 80x
Testing Irons
SM4 50F 54M 58S DG Spinner
Karsten TR B60 Custom Starshot
11
0
<br />
I trialed the C-tapers on other clubs. How did you trial them on the G20? I think they could really help my ball flight with these clubs. What was the shaft upcharge?<br />
<br />
Thanks for any help.<br />
<br />
Jeff<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />