Please elaborate on the essence of the original Balabushka cues.

9 Ball Fan

Darth Maximus
Silver Member
An item few will ever see in person, let alone actually touch for themselves.....

It is a mystery to us common folk, what it would feel like to stroke a cue ball with one.

Is the magic in the weight and balance; aka the way it feels in the hand? Is it in a soft, yet solid hit? Is it in the careful selection of quality materials? Is it due to a unique design that enhances the playability?

I like the style of the cues. I know they are legendary. I know I can't afford one.

What else comes close? Not that I'd have a frame of reference, for comparison.....
 

Wybrook

A. Wheeler
Silver Member
Hi,

To be honest, they play like crap. If you were blindfolded and handed one to shoot with, you would not like it at all.

The butts are way too big, the balance is obviously butt heavy, and the hit is hard.

They are just old and rare is why people rave over them.

Any $60 cue today plays better.

Its like an old Corvette. They really drive like crap and aren't fast, but they are super collectible due to their age and rarity.
 

tucson9ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had the opportunity to play with one back in the mid 80's. A guy by the name of Alton owned one at the local pool hall I frequented.
He wasn't a good pool player but he really enjoyed the game. We were playing some 9 ball and he asked if I wanted to try his cue? After running a few balls I asked what kind of cue is this? When he replied, whoa! I realized I was holding something special.
I don't recall it having any special feel to it. It was a solid hit but nothing special that I could detect. At the time I believe he said he would let it go for 2k. This particular cue was rather plain, don't think it was worth 2k at the time but in hind sight.....
But yeah, I would agree with others, they are valued due to collectability, not their playability. JMHO
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi,

To be honest, they play like crap. If you were blindfolded and handed one to shoot with, you would not like it at all.

The butts are way too big, the balance is obviously butt heavy, and the hit is hard.

They are just old and rare is why people rave over them.

Any $60 cue today plays better.

Its like an old Corvette. They really drive like crap and aren't fast, but they are super collectible due to their age and rarity.
I wouldn't be quite so harsh but i do kinda agree. I've played with two documented 'bushkas and they hit just most other steel-joint cues. A lot of older cues had BIG butts. Never liked that aspect. Collectibility?? Off the charts Playability? Modern cues have come a long way in almost all areas.
 

ctyhntr

RIP Kelly
Silver Member
Pete Tascarella is acknowledged as a master in the Balabushka style. As a frame of reference and for comparison, Tascarella cues would come close. After George Balabushka died, Pete Tascarella and partner bought up George's workshop. I heard he still makes cues on the same lathe and equipment George used.


...
What else comes close? Not that I'd have a frame of reference, for comparison.....
 

9 Ball Fan

Darth Maximus
Silver Member
Pete Tascarella is acknowledged as a master in the Balabushka style. As a frame of reference and for comparison, Tascarella cues would come close. After George Balabushka died, Pete Tascarella and partner bought up George's workshop. I heard he still makes cues on the same lathe and equipment George used.

Well now, that is authenticity.
 

Buster8001

Did you say shrubberies?
Silver Member
Georges cues are a product of the equipment on which they were used - slow cloth & heavy balls. The firm hit was needed to move the rock around the table, and bust up clusters. Players in that era needed to invent things like these cues, slip strokes, and 18 inch pattern play because of those factors. The game isn't like that anymore, so those cues' characteristics aren't needed. However, the cues still move the rock. They don't "fit" many players, these days, because of the advances in other equipment. However, they're still bad ass on slow cloth barbox play.

My Jensen hits very close to the only GB I've tried.
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If they played as bad as you stated, the greats, and ALL of the almost greats; of which there were many who used them, would not be so great, or would they? Great players will play great with any decent cue, and GB cues played more than just decent. I can think of a few that I have owned that played somewhat similar,a Skip Weston cue, A Richard Black that I still own, and yes, Jensen, not to mention Pete's cues. I can only speak for the individual cues I owned from those makers, as even within one cue makers' inventory, their cues may not all play the same. My Richard Black is STILL my first choice to use in any game of consequence that I engage in, and I would say the one I own- his Split Diamond model, plays very close to a GB I once owned. Yes the butt diameters COULD be larger than many of today's cues, esp. the Willie Hoppes etc. - but the balance on GB cues that I had ever used was not bad at all. it is true, you need less cue today to move the ball with today's equipment; many cues in the 50s and 60s were 20 to 22 ounces. Few are today. My ideal weight on today's equipment is 18.5 to 19 ounces - with 18.5 for a more forward balanced cue and closer to 19 for a more evenly balance cue.
 
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Jon Manning

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
He started an era, one we are still in... well, him and Spain(to those in the know) Most of the greats alive or dead acknowledge him as inspiration.
Being first counts for a lot.
 
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Hunter

The King of Memes
Silver Member
I have a Bushka that was built with a thinner handle and butt than most, and it plays really sporty. I have a soft tip on the shaft that I occasionally play with and it has an ivory ferrule. It is almost fifty years old, straight as an arrow and the workmanship is flawless. If you compare the hit with other cues from the same era, there is no comparison.

It is hard sometimes trying to compare apples and oranges. I also collect guns. You can't really compare an old classic shotgun like a Holland & Holland with a with a modern Krieghoff that is set up for competition shooting. Likewise, you can't really compare a Bushka to a Predator with a Revo shaft as far as sheer performance capabilities.

The thing that will tell the tale is the timeliness of the piece. Is the Revo shaft going to be the end all to end alls? I remember when the Predator and OB shafts were all the rage.

Holland & Hollands will always be collectible, rare and great investments, as will George's cues. Times change, but there will always be well made reminders of simpler days like '57 Chevies and '59 Caddies, which won't ever be made again and are limited in supply.
 

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Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
"Butt too heavy," etc etc is subjective. Once you play with a cue for awhile it doesn't feel heavy anymore. It feels right and the cue you used to play with now feels too light in the butt. Not all Bushkas had large butts and were heavy. Mine is 18.75 oz. The better I get the better the cue plays, funny that...
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Pete Tascarella is acknowledged as a master in the Balabushka style. As a frame of reference and for comparison, Tascarella cues would come close. After George Balabushka died, Pete Tascarella and partner bought up George's workshop. I heard he still makes cues on the same lathe and equipment George used.

That wouldn't be his main lathe, I think.
Thomas Wayne mentioned GB's lathe had a small spindle hole.
That's why he had to invent a joinery that could be done in the middle of the lathe instead of at the chuck ( cue going inside the spindle hole ).

That being said, imo Szamboti and Petersen are better cues imo.
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am pretty sure the big surge in popularity came after The Color Of Money came out with it's Jossabushka and just kept climbing. Now it's on par with the early historical builds for anything. No one buys a Model T Ford to commute, but they are still valuable as examples of early cars and building methods that made America what it is.
 

PhilosopherKing

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you can't afford a Tasc, both Jerry -R- and Steve Klein make cues that closely follow Balabushka's classic designs.

-R- would be my choice on a budget.
 

Kickin' Chicken

Kick Shot Aficionado
Gold Member
Silver Member
Hi,

To be honest, they play like crap. If you were blindfolded and handed one to shoot with, you would not like it at all.

The butts are way too big, the balance is obviously butt heavy, and the hit is hard.

They are just old and rare is why people rave over them.

Any $60 cue today plays better.

Its like an old Corvette. They really drive like crap and aren't fast, but they are super collectible due to their age and rarity.

all I can say to this is you haven't hit with the Bushkas I've hit with. :confused:
 

PhilosopherKing

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've also heard that. Even so, you can still get a lot of cue for the money on the secondary market.

If a person wanted a new cue, I suppose Kenny Murrell would be a good choice.
 
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