$ taper vs c taper - results feedback

[river11]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:39 AM, rbpwrx said:

When I first tried the C-taper (130 - I play an X or TX), I found them harsh, and super low launching. I fell in love with a $-Taper 125, stock in a Cobra MB head at local shop (felt great, carried 190), and had my eyes peeled for a good used set of Cobra MBs with the $-Taper 130.

 

But in the meantime, I had a C-Taper 130 in an extra 7i, and got used to it over the winter. Grew to like it more than X100, PX 6.5 or 7.0, Modus3 130, Black Gold X, Tour Concept X, etc. All the usual suspects. Flew straighter, went further, stopped faster, felt better. You DO have to load the shaft more. But that improved my swing. 

Fast forward to a month ago, finally found my Cobra set w/ $-Taper 130s. Black, beautiful, fitted for a mini-tour player. I took them to the course immediately.

Initial impressions:
- unexpectedly high launch (guess I got used to the C-Taper);

- strange, consistent right miss - just a few yards, but I felt like I was puring them, and they were right fringe every time - normally I'm fighting a hook;
- definitely low spin - they took off high, flattened out, and just sailed;
- strange dead feel, compared to the C-Taper.

 

So I put C-Taper 130s in the odd clubs, and took the mixed set back out. The difference was even more pronounced. C-Tapers felt lively, free, flew the normal crazy distances. $-Tapers felt dead, sluggish, heavy. Had to work a lot harder than the C-Tapers. I was suspecting counterfeit clubs, at this point!

So, I took them apart. Et voila! Serious brass weights in every shaft. Some over an inch long. Guess that pro *really* wanted to avoid going left! And liked D4 or D5. Maybe D6. Anyway, that's why the heavy dead feel and right miss.

 

I haven't reshafted with the unweighted $-Taper yet. I expect to like them a lot more. May just put them in my Adams MB2s (which right now have hard-stepped KBS Tour 125s. Close, but still a little handle-soft. I love the feel, but they go left. Same issue with X100s, TC1s, BGx, Nippons, etc. PXs hold off the draw, but I just can't get them to feel decent. It's either too harsh or strangely flabby if I catch one.)

I will re-comment when I get them in a club. Stay tuned on the unweighted $-Taper 130 report. Meanwhile, I am putting C-Taper 130s in all those Cobra MB heads. It's a great fit for me. Can't argue with success.

Moral of the story: first impressions are not always right. We all get used to whatever we are currently playing. If your game shafts are flying great for you, and scoring well, don't fix what's not broke. But if you do switch b/c you need to fix something, stick with them a bit. See if you get used to them. See if, god forbid, they force a swing improvement. IMHO, that's the best part of better gear: a better move. Cheers!

PS Had an instinct about the Nippon Superpeening Blue X, and they took *years* to find, but this is my current dark horse. Have one in another 7i now. Only other shaft in the running between the KBSs. Firm feel, crisp, tight, little bit lighter and more neutral/ less lively than the C-Taper, with a touch more kick high up. I like that I don't get jumpers with the Nippons, btw. SPBx is like a refined X100.

PPS Speaking of which, I may also have to revisit the X7. They felt like telephone poles a few years ago, but that was before I got used to the C-Taper. So there may be 4 in the running.

PPPS Scratch that, 5. Tour Issue X100s. Firmer at the handle than the consumer X100, they don't go left as easy, but still don't feel like rebar. Tried and true. Tips don't bend.

Also eager to try the Tour Vs. I'm sure everyone is on the edge of their seats!

Hey bro did you ever put the $ taper back in?

[rbpwrx]

On 10/23/2021 at 1:53 AM, river11 said:

Hey bro did you ever put the $ taper back in?

Yes! I put them in my MB2s, without the tip weights. Fixed all issues. Excellent shafts. A little muted/ neutral-feeling compared to the C-tapers. But those are my 2 gamer sets - Adams MB2s with $-Taper 130s and Cobra MBs with C-Taper 130s. I alternate. Still prefer the C-Tapers for general play. They feel livelier, go further. They just match my swing better. But when I want a slightly lighter-feeling club, or I'm playing in wind, I hit the $-Taper/MB2s. Little less spin, little less meat. Feels more like a Nippon shaft. More neutral. Hope that helps!

[justcallmemoses]

5 hours ago, rbpwrx said:

Yes! I put them in my MB2s, without the tip weights. Fixed all issues. Excellent shafts. A little muted/ neutral-feeling compared to the C-tapers. But those are my 2 gamer sets - Adams MB2s with $-Taper 130s and Cobra MBs with C-Taper 130s. I alternate. Still prefer the C-Tapers for general play. They feel livelier, go further. They just match my swing better. But when I want a slightly lighter-feeling club, or I'm playing in wind, I hit the $-Taper/MB2s. Little less spin, little less meat. Feels more like a Nippon shaft. More neutral. Hope that helps!

Do you play $ taper in wedges too?

[rbpwrx]

2 hours ago, justcallmemoses said:

Do you play $ taper in wedges too?

I play the same shaft 5 thru GW. So, in the $-Taper set, my 46* PW and 50* GW are $-Taper 130s with MB2 heads.
(Those heads are really like old-school 9i and PW lofts. Tiger plays a 49* PW. So to me they are just regular irons, no different from the rest of the set. I play my GW from 150 in.)
Anyway, for the top end of the bag, I have a few SW/ LW options. I carry old Vokey 254 and 260 with 7.0 Rifle Spinner shafts. (Those Spinners are amazing shafts. They pair beautifully with my C-Taper set.)

Also have a Vokey 250 with 7.0 Spinner that I sometimes substitute for the MB2 GW.
Also have a set of Mizuno MP-T10s in 54 and 58 with regular DG X100s (not tour issue).
Experimenting with a C-Taper 125 S+ in a 52* head (Cleveland RTX4).

For a quick 9 after work, I will carry just 5 clubs: 20* Adams Proto hybrid with TX Tour Green, 5i, 7i, 9i Cobra MBs w C-Taper 130s, and that 50* Vokey 250 with the 7.0 Spinner.
Can't say enough about the old Spinner wedge shafts. Was just thinking yesterday I could do everything I need to do with that 50 and a matching 56. I can almost do it all with the 50, but even laid wide open it's hard to stop a short-sider over a trap. 56 would be plenty for lobby shots and sand.
One more thing: I am considering bending the MB2s 2* weak. That would give me my preferred lofts (48* PW, 44* 9i etc). Then I could go 52* and 56* Vokeys with the 7.0 Spinners.
But to answer your point: The $-Taper 130s are a very classy, neutral, muted feeling shaft for me. And I'm not sure what to pair them with in the wedges. As much as I love the 7.0 Spinners, they are a better match for the C-Tapers. To keep that feel through the $-Taper bag, I need something a little less jumpy.

Maybe the answer is that NOS set of non-spinner Rifle 7.0s I have, waiting for heads, 2i-SW. I was planning on pairing them with the Bird-On-Ball Spalding blades I got for almost nothing on eBay.
(Now THOSE are some heads. Back when I played speed golf with only a 7i, It was a Spalding BOB head on an X300 shaft. Glory to god, now THAT was a golf club!)

Edited November 10, 2021 by rbpwrx
typo

[dmeeksDC]

Had a chance to hit balls today with a set of Adams CMBs shafted with C Taper regulars (110g). Reminded me right away what a great shaft this is if you drop down in flex from what you normally play.

 

C Taper regular is like a stiff shaft in other brands. Felt fantastic and was launching darts with the CMBs, which remain as good as any player’s iron out there. Compact club head but super easy to hit and so workable and precise. CMB w/C Tapers has to be one of the greatest head/shaft combos ever. Big difference between C Taper stiffs and regulars, very noticeable in how they feel.