I guess we can classify Balabuska cues as production cues. Like Schon.
Obviously not. But there is a point to be made. More or less for simple discussion.
The point just isn't as powerful as one might wish.
Once a cue maker is rolling he can make for instance splices and have them in various stages of completion. While glue is drying or they are "resting" after turns, he performs other operations on parts or cues.
Even when talking about shafts it holds true. Once a maker has some shafts in various stages, some close to finish, one need not wait years to get a shaft from him. So, whether he buys blanks near completion or makes them himself has less impact than one might think.
Making all the components would not slow an efficient cue maker down as much as some might think. Buying more of the components would not speed him up as much as others might think.
Of course that it all bench racing and it will depend on the cue maker himself. His speed will depend on many aspects of how he works. And we are talking about Balabushka here. I doubt anybody would say his cues or his production are like a Schon....
Terms are terms. Did GB produce cues? Sure. Did he assemble cues? Sure.
Heck, I have seen and heard people go apeshit over such terms for no good reason. Almost invariably they are in the wrong in going off the deep end about it.
To say that GB was not a one man shop because he bought things like splices from others is an interesting statement. No reason to go apeshit over it.
How much if any that affected his production speed is an interesting thought.
From what I understand GB made as many cues as he liked, not one more or less than that. He was not attempting to maximize production. So the answers to questions about how many he produced are not really in his methods or materials. The answers were more in the heart and head of the man. And that is a helluva lot harder to understand.
Of course, his notes and records could reveal a lot, but none of us has those.
This is a great thread. I hope it does not degrade to rolling around in the mud, the blood, and the beer.
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