70’s Custom Gary Allen Cue w/ Szamboti blank, !vory Barbells, Malachite inlays!
- Thread starter Jase0ne
- Start date
Having just purchased a Szamboti forearm Palmer myself, I will venture to say that Gus's wood selection made any well constructed cue with his forearm play very, very solid. His birdseye wood was very dense, you can feel the weight of it in your hands and see the difference in appearance of the actual birds eyes in his woods- they are smaller in diameter and more condensed visually- unlike other birdseyes that are wider and more open in appearance.
I firmly believe that the more pin- head like appearing birds eyes denote a higher level of wood fiber density in the wood- which translates to a firmer hit from the cue. I have seen other 60s and 70s era custom cues that display this type of birds eye maple and I suspect such quality woods are no longer available. I never have seen this wood on any custom cue made in the past 30 years.
I think that Gus's point construction and quality wood selection make his cues very unique in the world of four point, SS piloted joint cues - they just play different IMO.
I think that all the highest quality wood instruments worldwide - both musical and cue related - have as much to do with their unique wood selection as the quality of the construction process itself. I am not just talking one TYPE of wood vs. another - although that is certainly a factor- but the specific individual properties of a selected piece of wood. Stradavarius violin would be another example of this.
I wonder if anyone knows or if Barry has spoken about how his Dad selected his woods for cue making.
This cue for sale here is a rare and treasured find for the buyer- for sure!
I firmly believe that the more pin- head like appearing birds eyes denote a higher level of wood fiber density in the wood- which translates to a firmer hit from the cue. I have seen other 60s and 70s era custom cues that display this type of birds eye maple and I suspect such quality woods are no longer available. I never have seen this wood on any custom cue made in the past 30 years.
I think that Gus's point construction and quality wood selection make his cues very unique in the world of four point, SS piloted joint cues - they just play different IMO.
I think that all the highest quality wood instruments worldwide - both musical and cue related - have as much to do with their unique wood selection as the quality of the construction process itself. I am not just talking one TYPE of wood vs. another - although that is certainly a factor- but the specific individual properties of a selected piece of wood. Stradavarius violin would be another example of this.
I wonder if anyone knows or if Barry has spoken about how his Dad selected his woods for cue making.
This cue for sale here is a rare and treasured find for the buyer- for sure!
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It's the wood.
Another line of inquiry focused on the wood itself. Scientists hypothesized that the cooler climate of the Little Ice Age (1300–1850) may have been a factor, since it would have caused the alpine spruce trees used for the belly (the upward-facing surface) of the violin to grow more slowly, leading to denser wood and better sound. More recently, scientists found that some of the wood Stradivarius used for violins was treated with various chemicals, including aluminum, calcium, and copper, which may have altered its acoustic properties.
