Potential Gus Szamboti Cue

[waynehouston]

To me the pilots look a little off. But that may just be the picture angle
What I do find most "off " about it is the inlay size and balance..
You tend to see his use larger size diamonds in the buttsleeve then he uses in the points
To me the balance of this cue is suspicious.

That's a valid point, thanks for the feedback.

 

[HaroldWilson]

That's one hell of a spirit lifter, thank you for that sir.

Thought you would like it

It is almost the same cue.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

there may also be the possibility that if there is something 'off' about the shaft pilots, could it be the 2 shafts the op said were destroyed were the originals and these 2 are replacements?

Speculative, I know.

OP, do you know for sure that all 4 shafts came with the cue as originals?

EDIT: Reread and see the op indicates these are two of the orig 4 shafts.

best,
brian kc

 

[PRED]

To me the pilots look a little off. But that may just be the picture angle
What I do find most "off " about it is the inlay size and balance..
You tend to see his use larger size diamonds in the buttsleeve then he uses in the points
To me the balance of this cue is suspicious.

More than one Szamboti plain Jane has been subject to the "non-factory" upgrade.

 

[waynehouston]

More than one Szamboti plain Jane has been subject to the "non-factory" upgrade.

Pred-

Help me out on what you mean by that?

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Pred-

Help me out on what you mean by that?

I believe he was responding to Bob who said the "balance" of your cue looks "suspicious" because Gus typically would use larger diamonds in the butt of the cue compared to the ones in the points, like the one pictured in the link that was posted by Harold.

So I think Pred was just pointing out that perhaps the inlays were not orig and done by someone else, as has been seen done before.

best,
brian kc

 

[shamadam]

I'm no expert either, but at some point, someone told me that Gus's points were always the same distance from the joint.
Your cues points look to be farther from the joint than the ones in the link. Just an observation. Awesome cue either way.
Also, those pilot's scream Mottey to me. The whole cue reminds me of an early Mottey.

 

[waynehouston]

I believe he was responding to Bob who said the "balance" of your cue looks "suspicious" because Gus typically would use larger diamonds in the butt of the cue compared to the ones in the points, like the one pictured in the link that was posted by Harold.

So I think Pred was just pointing out that perhaps the inlays were not orig and done by someone else, as has been seen done before.

best,
brian kc

Got it, thanks Brian.

 

[Duane Remick]

I'm no expert either, but at some point, someone told me that Gus's points were always the same distance from the joint.
Your cues points look to be farther from the joint than the ones in the link. Just an observation. Awesome cue either way.
Also, those pilot's scream Mottey to me. The whole cue reminds me of an early Mottey.

"Right...
The shorter points,
the inlays,
the rings-the black outside of the red seems to be thicker than Szams"
Really nice cue....
"BUT I thought Paul signed all of His cues ????

 

[shamadam]

"Right...
The shorter points,
the inlays,
the rings-the black outside of the red seems to be thicker than Szams"
Really nice cue....
"BUT I thought Paul signed all of His cues ????

I'm pretty sure he did, but with his later stuff the points had a bit of a smaller gap between them above the wrap, and they did get taller. He might not have signed this one, or it could have been lost in a refinish. I'm still just guessing in regards to if it is a Mottey or not, but I'm leaning away from it being a Szam.

 

[BankT8Ball]

Could this be an early Richard Blacks cue?
He didn't sign his early cues and this one sort of looks
like one of his early cues. Send pics to Richard and he
will let you know if it's one of his.
Either way congrats on your cue.
GL
Mike

 

[Worminator]

I have never seen a Gus (or Barry for that matter) with that diamonds that small.

 

[waynehouston]

Could this be an early Richard Blacks cue?
He didn't sign his early cues and this one sort of looks
like one of his early cues. Send pics to Richard and he
will let you know if it's one of his.
Either way congrats on your cue.
GL
Mike

I'll def do that Mike. Richard doesn't live too far away and will set something up for him to take a look at it.

Thanks! At this point, I'm more interested in the history more than anything. It's got a few people stumped.

 

[WildWing]

I'll def do that Mike. Richard doesn't live too far away and will set something up for him to take a look at it.

Thanks! At this point, I'm more interested in the history more than anything. It's got a few people stumped.

Good idea to check with Richard, but I think the answer will be not one of his. The one big clue is the bumper. Richard used a smaller diameter rubber bumper for that period and more. Also, it was brown, not black.

A Gus? Well, we won't know until it's positively identified. However, the finish would not be one of his, assuming the finish is original. A decades-old Gus lacquer finish would be pretty evident, and this looks more like a modern finish.

It screams Mottey to me, but then again, there are a bunch of makers who are in the universe of this look. If it turns out to be a Gus, you are very fortunate.

All the best,
WW

 

[waynehouston]

Had it in Richard's hands today and he's ruled himself out as the maker. He did say it was very well made cue and was leaning towards Mottey. Had the pleasure of meeting Jake Hulsey as well, what a damn cool guy!

Next step is to try and get Mr. Mottey's email and ask if he's willing to take a look.

Thanks Gents-

 

[PoolBum]

Had it in Richard's hands today and he's ruled himself out as the maker. He did say it was very well made cue and was leaning towards Mottey. Had the pleasure of meeting Jake Hulsey as well, what a damn cool guy!

Next step is to try and get Mr. Mottey's email and ask if he's willing to take a look.

Thanks Gents-

If it's not a Gus, a Mottey is not a bad second prize!

 

[Chip Roberson]

It looks like a cue Gus made , and the bumper is the same as on the one he made for me. If it's not the real deal, it's fooled the hell out of me.

 

[waynehouston]

It looks like a cue Gus made , and the bumper is the same as on the one he made for me. If it's not the real deal, it's fooled the hell out of me.

I hope it looks the same inside too

 

[Moet.1977]

?

Mike Johnson of Jensen cues is another possibility he didn't sign some
of his early cues. And his cues are very well made.

But I think it looks like a Paul Mottey to me.

 

[waynehouston]

Good Morning All-

I'm definitely a newbie here, and my apologies in advance if this is not the correct thread to post my question in.

I recently acquired a cue firmly believed as to be a Gus Szamboti original. I've tried contacting Barry via email and phone to ask for permission to even send him photos, but have been unsuccessful. I can respect the fact that he may be overwhelmed with work, or have other happenings at the moment. If contact can be established, I'll gladly fly the cue up to him personally for verification. The positive end result will be to ebay the cue.

In the meantime, I wanted to post a few pics of the cue for the forum's input. Feel free to chime in with key notes, as well as areas of concerns. Some of the questions that may come up may be addressed in the following.

-Cue was re-wrapped by Ernie Gutierrez of Ginacue.

-The cue has been in the same showcase for at least the last 20 years, personally seen growing up. As far as age is concerned, it's at least that.

-It originally came with 4 shafts. Two remain while the other two were destroyed by accident.

-Cue and one of the shafts weigh in at 20.6 ounces, with one shaft weighing in at 4.3 ounces, and the other at 3.7.

-The measurement from the joint collar to the tip of the points measures in at exactly 3 inches.

Additional pics..