What cue do I have???

If you really got it in 1965...

nine o nine said:

Seriously....I bought it at a flea market in 1965 . I had just gotten out of the Air Force so I remember the the year well. A guy had a bunch of cues for sale and I picked this one not having really any idea of what I was buying. I wanted my own cue because I had started playing at the local Elks club with friends who also had their own cues. MItch

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If you got it in 1965 then it isn't an Adam GB-3...

It looks like it's been refinished poorly.

You can see what looks to be stain marks under the finish.

Have you personally had it refinished???

Jaden

nine o nine said:

You're right Macguy. It was 1965 when I bought it....used, not new. Mitch

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Then to be more clear, it was made much later the 1965. Can you take a picture of the inside of the butt cap without the bumper? You said the butt cap was replaced, who did it? What is the length of the butt sleeve from the end of the wrap to the beginning of the butt cap? What is the length of the butt cap? If the shaft is original can we see the joint part of the shaft.

best wrap ever!

I need to know who wrapped this cue. Regular play for 50 years and it still looks great! I play twice a week and 3 years in my wrap is almost done and I would like to get this guy to do mine.

The veneers weren't this vivid in 1965 or earlier. Most custom cues were still Titlists at that point.

This is a 70's cue or later for sure just because of that vibrant red. It looks sharp though.

I personally think 80's Adam/Helmstetter.

Get someone else to take pics this time if you find it impossible to do any better than those photos.

Smartphones 2 yr old or newer probable have a Macro or Flower setting for closeups.

Get good bright light or use flash.

It's not that hard;

with a little effort you can enable people to see the cue as you see it,

If you really want help identifying the cue take the earlier suggestions

and most of all don't ask AZBers to look at a dark blob then try to guess if its a bushka blob or a Schoen blob or some kind of garden tool blob.

There are also many free things like Picasa with easy push button cleanup of photos and uploads to an easy free google website.

It's an Adam GB-3. Did some one by any chance recently steal a 1953 Balabushka from you?
Also, to answer your question, No. Not all of the cues have the script on the forearm.

I would say Adam GB-3. The give-away is the positioning of the nickel ring inside the joint collar. They were done slightly closer to the center of the collar than those who would do Bushka-style rings. The veneer colors are exactly GB-3, much too vibrant for anything mid-60s. This Adam line was something like late 80s or early 90s, if this is the case. Looks like it's been rewrapped and butt plate replaced. Hard to tell by the photo if that butt plate is delrin or something like the original, which I believe Adam called "Cerocite," or something like that.

It is a 1964 Honda accord. I am certain.

Black-Balled said:

It is a 1964 Honda accord. I am certain.

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Nope, Wrong bumper.

In the early 1970's I had a National cue that was similar but mine did not have the inlays, but had a nice smooth leather wrap similar to this one. I loved that cue but it was stolen from my locker . The butt was thinner than most and so was the shaft but it hit great playing all games. I'm not sure what year mine was made but I bought it used as well.

Dave

jayman said:

Nope, Wrong bumper.

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Ahaha, nice

Nostroke said:

It was made in 65 but the butt was replaced in 79 and the shaft in 83!

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Exactly.

Dale

I have a Schon from early 80s that is similar, it needs a new forearm, my friend broke it in half. Not sure if its worth repairing, probably not I guess. I think the veneers are slightly a different color, so its probably not a Schon but looks typical for them.

Black-Balled said:

It is a 1964 Honda accord. I am certain.

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Ha! I can't give you a green rep on tapatalk but I would if I could.

only balabushka and verl horn made sticks similar to that one in 1965.

so its one of those two if this guy is from east coast then balabuska , central u.s. horn.

but most likely with his low post count has some kind of other stick that is much newer and is trying to get some high offers on a fake stick since he is adamant in the year.

nine o nine said:

Gentlmen, I didn't post to cause an argument nor to doubt my veracity. I know nothing about the cue but what I have said. If it was refinished, poorly or not, it was before I bought it. I had the cap replaced three years ago by a local cue repairman. I also said that I no longer have the shafts therefore cannot provided a picture of the inside of the thread. I'll take the measurements of the sleeve and the cap and get back to Macguy. It's Christmas eve and my wife and I are traveling to be with the family for the weekend. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday season. Best to all of you, Mitch

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I didn't in any way want to offend you but I have been fooling with cues for about 50 years. Buying, selling, fixing, building. I would be in the pool room and the things people would say to you was incredible.

They would show me one of the old cane cues that I could buy for like $15.00 and swear it belonged to their grandfather who was NY state champion and they had turned down a $1000.00 for the cue.

I have been shown many cues they claimed to be Balabushkas that they had inherited from their father who was a professional and played pool with Mosconi and Minnesota Fats.

Of course the cue is some production cue easily identified by anyone who knows cues. I don't think most actually realized that a Balabushka could even be identified and somewhere they had heard the name and incorporated it into their story.

These were not isolated innocent. I would hear one of these stories every week or two as they would tell me this preposterous story with a completely straight face.

I have no idea what they were thinking, if they actually believed what they were saying of just plain making stuff up.

For this reason when someone tells me something about a cue, I have no problem doubting them no matter how sincere they sound. Like I said, they tell me these stories with complete straight faces.

I normally say nothing as I have no desire to embarrass them. I just thought I would explain to you why your story may not necessarily be taken as fact just because you say so. I know everybody on here has heard the same stuff as I have.

dontlitethat said:

That's what I was going to say.... I believe Adam made cues for helmsttetter.


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Something like that.

Richard Helmstetter formed the cue building company Adam Custom Cues in Japan with David Forman . Helmstetter was, of course, the cuemaker for Adam Cues and continued on to build that factory into a mass production machine. The early cues were more of the "hands on" techniques long before the more automated presence.

So, Richard Helmstetter made the cues for Adam Cues. It wasn't like he was using Adam Cues as a contract manufacturer. Richard Helmstetter WAS Adam Cues.

Freddie

Looks like a pre-Adam Helmstetter or I suppose an early Viking with a Burton Spain full-splice blank...

If the dates are correct, who else was making a blank that looked like that in 1965? And to whom did he sell them that would make a cue with that look? Not Frank Paradise. Maybe Gordon Hart, Helmstetter...

Freddie <~~~ can't tell

Cornerman said:

Something like that.

Richard Helmstetter formed the cue building company Adam Custom Cues in Japan with David Forman . Helmstetter was, of course, the cuemaker for Adam Cues and continued on to build that factory into a mass production machine. The early cues were more of the "hands on" techniques long before the more automated presence.

So, Richard Helmstetter made the cues for Adam Cues. It wasn't like he was using Adam Cues as a contract manufacturer. Richard Helmstetter WAS Adam Cues.

Freddie

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But why were there both helmstetter and Adam on the market? I always thought a factory that made Adam cues was contracted to make helmstetters. Now, to heard they were both richard's ventures...doesn't make sense that Forman would stand for competition from within especially using the same equipment and machines.

I don't get it.