Why is Tascarella the Bushka expert?

classiccues said:
Pete still has 16 or 17 cues that are in various stages of completion from George. I got to see about 8 of them when choosing for the GTB.

JV
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That's some willpower right there, who else could have those cues for that long and not complete them.:thumbup:
Jason
 
classiccues said:
Spoke to Paul Rubino last night, after sending him to this thread... he said other than getting a massive migraine, he would add the following... He mentioned the shaft receipt in the Billiard Encyclopedia, dated 4/73 for 960 shafts, pre-turned. He spoke to the wood supplier during his interviews for the book. He mentioned, he was sure that the shafts were turned to around 13.5mm, with around an .870/.890 diameter at the collar end. He also mentioned that the supplier and George had an agreement, any shaft that could fit a quarter under it, is all George had to pay for that shaft.

He said George was savvy enough to buy the parts as complete as far along as possible. (Shafts, Blanks, Inserts, etc..)

Other tidbits, was George co-owned a pool room in NY and had to sell his share to focus on his cue business which growing very steadily. He also mentioned he probably made some cues earlier than '59...

This from a recognized cue historian...

JV
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Makes complete sense, as George's completed shaft would be from about .840 to .845 at the collar, and 13 mm at the ferrule. This would take a minimum of turning down and finishing, to make the final shaft, with ferrule and tip. There is no doubt that George would be very efficient with the shafts. As I said above, and I am sure of, he also used the French Champion tips, so he didn't spend any time attaching fiber base to tip, as it was already done. And there weren't super glues (CA) back then.

Good research, Joe.

All the best,
WW
 
classiccues said:
Spoke to Paul Rubino last night, after sending him to this thread... he said other than getting a massive migraine, he would add the following... He mentioned the shaft receipt in the Billiard Encyclopedia, dated 4/73 for 960 shafts, pre-turned. He spoke to the wood supplier during his interviews for the book. He mentioned, he was sure that the shafts were turned to around 13.5mm, with around an .870/.890 diameter at the collar end. He also mentioned that the supplier and George had an agreement, any shaft that could fit a quarter under it, is all George had to pay for that shaft.

He said George was savvy enough to buy the parts as complete as far along as possible. (Shafts, Blanks, Inserts, etc..)

Other tidbits, was George co-owned a pool room in NY and had to sell his share to focus on his cue business which growing very steadily. He also mentioned he probably made some cues earlier than '59...

This from a recognized cue historian...

JV
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Makes sense now. If he had to taper from 1" squares, it would have taken a ton of time.
 
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I am surprised that in all these posts no one has talked about the Balabushka "sound".

Balabushkas, at least the half dozen or so I have hit, had a very distinctive sound. Not a pingy sound or a thud but this crisp energetic note. It has been shown that golf ball feel is mostly the sound the ball makes and not really any tangible different in actual hardness.

So the sound of a Balabshka was part of the magic. No other cue really has that sound. It was magical and contributed a lot to the way the Balabushka played.

For what it is worth, the modern cuemaker that I think has the closest sound to George's is Josh Treadway. I am so skeptical of any claimed Balabushka, if I were buying one I would need a pretty complete provenance rather than just a letter of authenticity.
 
WildWing said:
You haven't gotten much response to this question, which is a fair one, so I'll try to help, having played some with both George and Tasc cues.

The dimensions are different, as I said before. George's were a bit shorter, and a bit thicker. Feel of a cue is subjective, so individual preference would dictate which one would be preferable.

The hit of a cue is not so subjective. Either a cue has a good hit or there are some problems. Both George's and Pete's cues have good solid hits, given the level of craftsmanship and work in both. Attention to detail on both of them is no doubt why this is the case.

Is there a difference then, if both used the same techniques? Well, maybe a little. If you hit some with George's cues in the 70s, they originally had the old French Champion tips on, while Pete's cues come currently with LePros, with red fiber bases. I think they do it to be reminiscent of the old French Champion tip. The old Champion tip was much softer than a current LePro tip, even though the Champion may have been touted as a "hard" tip at the time. It wasn't, believe me. So, to make a short story long, assuming similar height of tip, my memory is that George's cues had a nice solid hit, and it was a bit more compliant than a current Tasc, which has a bit more crisp hit to it. This assumes a 5/16 X 14 shaft with steel joint, with a buttplate bumper for each, which the vast majority of George's cues had.

Just to add a bit of proof to the nostalgia, here are some of my old stock French Champion tips (along with some Crowns), which most of you have not played for some time, if ever. Completely different from today's, whether single or multi-layer. Both solid hitting cues; and original tips make a lot of difference. Hope that helps.

All the best,
WW
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I'm sure you have no interest in selling and I have no interest in buying but I am very curious - what would these sell for each? I only asking because of a conversation I was having elsewhere with a guy that was supposedly selling original Moori's for a hundred bucks a piece. thank!
 
BmoreMoney said:
I'm sure you have no interest in selling and I have no interest in buying but I am very curious - what would these sell for each? I only asking because of a conversation I was having elsewhere with a guy that was supposedly selling original Moori's for a hundred bucks a piece. thank!
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They would be pretty valuable, though with today's crowd, probably not quite that of the original Moori tips.

The 14 mm Champions and Crowns I have wouldn't command that price, though there are a more than a few old school types that still like them. So, somewhat less than the original Mooris, but a lot more than the current layered or not.

And you're correct, no need for me to sell.

All the best,
WW
 
johnnysd said:
I am surprised that in all these posts no one has talked about the Balabushka "sound".

Balabushkas, at least the half dozen or so I have hit, had a very distinctive sound. Not a pingy sound or a thud but this crisp energetic note. It has been shown that golf ball feel is mostly the sound the ball makes and not really any tangible different in actual hardness.

So the sound of a Balabshka was part of the magic. No other cue really has that sound. It was magical and contributed a lot to the way the Balabushka played.

For what it is worth, the modern cuemaker that I think has the closest sound to George's is Josh Treadway. I am so skeptical of any claimed Balabushka, if I were buying one I would need a pretty complete provenance rather than just a letter of authenticity.
Click to expand...

I addressed that, similar construction, but different tip. Read above. Homework assignment.

All the best,
WW
 
BmoreMoney said:
I'm sure you have no interest in selling and I have no interest in buying but I am very curious - what would these sell for each? I only asking because of a conversation I was having elsewhere with a guy that was supposedly selling original Moori's for a hundred bucks a piece. thank!
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Since nobody is looking to sell.

Dennis Searing has a new tip you may be interested in.

Maybe Skins has some info on these.
Jason
 
jasonlaus said:
Since nobody is looking to sell.

Dennis Searing has a new tip you may be interested in.

Maybe Skins has some info on these.
Jason
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I honestly was just curious. I am definitely no tip snob and can't imagine paying what some are. I like my soft $10 installed elk masters just fine lol.
 
BmoreMoney said:
I honestly was just curious. I am definitely no tip snob and can't imagine paying what some are. I like my soft $10 installed elk masters just fine lol.
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Lol. Nowhere near that price, just heard some top pros have tried them and love em. New product.

Ive been a LePro guy for 25+ years myself, but gonna give one a shot pretty soon
Jason
 
Also.. as I know and as Fred knows because he has seen them, they sat in the dark in a box for 35 years or better and they look like they were turned yesterday. I don't wasn't to get into an argument about wood shade, with the internet experts, but you can read online about the consistency of maple if left out of the sun, and left with no finish on it.

JV

jasonlaus said:
That's some willpower right there, who else could have those cues for that long and not complete them.:thumbup:
Jason
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Scott Lee said:
I always thought it was wierd that there was no real AFB at Goodfellow (no runways or planes)...just buildings housing the people who lived and worked there.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
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Goodfellow was a training post for all-forces. Not an aviation post. They have since moved most of the training that occurred there to Fort Huachuca in AZ. You would even see the occaisional French, British, Aussie, Kiwi or even Lybian officer walking to class. Interesting place.

Lesh
 
jasonlaus said:
Lol. Nowhere near that price, just heard some top pros have tried them and love em. New product.

Ive been a LePro guy for 25+ years myself, but gonna give one a shot pretty soon
Jason
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The deal with LePro is sometimes you get one that is awesome and the next time you get one and it sucks.....that is what led me to use Moori and Kamui and I have never went back.

Ken
 
Ken_4fun said:
The deal with LePro is sometimes you get one that is awesome and the next time you get one and it sucks.....that is what led me to use Moori and Kamui and I have never went back.

Ken
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I've cut a few off myself. Sometimes after half an hour, sometimes after a few days. Luckily, I could replace it immediately:grin-square:
Jason
 
Ken_4fun said:
The deal with LePro is sometimes you get one that is awesome and the next time you get one and it sucks.....that is what led me to use Moori and Kamui and I have never went back.

Ken
Click to expand...

Exactly my experience too! If they had been more consistent I would probably still be playing with them. I tried the Champions but wasn't satisfied with the results. I do have one Le Pro on one shaft on my Dishaw that's been on for some time now. I play with it just enough to keep it playable. The other three shafts are all Triangles and get played with regularly.
By the way, regarding our conversation about George and the guy who lost cues, I was also told at that time that George was not thrilled with guys who went broke, sold their cue, and called him a month or so later to make them another. Just another $.02:wink:
 
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