Looking for a Adam Japan made Balabushka

Well they would be on eBay sometimes, but you would have to know what to ask to see if it was Japan made- I doubt you will find new old stock so it would be a used cue. There is a guy on ebay from NY who sells new ones- I believe they are China made- I had one that I bought about 4 years ago and it was perfectly fine and played great too. Good Luck!

Ditto on e-bay suggestion.

PoolFan101 said:

Hello ,

I posted in the want section but no to much traffic there , was hoping someone would have or know were a Adam Japan made Balabushka would be for sale. I had to sell mine years ago and liked it . I am looking for Another one , I don't know to enough about the new China made version's to get. I really like that look and design and The one I had played really good. Thanks for any help

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I have an ADAM Japan Hall of Fame model that I bought several years ago when I found out they were going to quit making them. Mine is MINT. It has only hit a few racks and then has remained in the case in the closet.

Mine does not have a signature on it and that is the reason I bought it. George Balabushka never signed his cues and that big signature made them look cheap to me. Another reason I bought this particular cue was that it was ebony and had a straight grain maple forearm. George Balabusha preferred ebony for the butts and he said straight grain maple was the best for forearms.

__________

"Cue forearms were characteristically made with straight-grained maple, based on Balabushka's belief that a single-direction maple grain provided superior integrity to that of curly maple or birdseye maple."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Balabushka

__________

Here is a picture that I found online. I can post some real pictures of it, if I can find them on my hard drive here. I may have them on my other laptop.

I've had several people ask me if it was a Szamboti when I took it out of the case at the pool hall a couple of times.

If you are interested, let me know and maybe we can make some kind of deal.

In edit:

I found a thread I put on here a while back.

You can see the cue at this link:

https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=437482&highlight=mcdermott+adam+pancerny

As far as i know they were all made in japan no?

trinacria said:

As far as i know they were all made in japan no?

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They were made in Japan, up until several years ago.

They are now made in China.

You usually can tell the Chinese ones from the Japan ones by the silver rings in the joint collars. The ADAM Japan ones were made with nickel silver and are about twice as wide as the rings in the Chinese made cues. However, with today's copycat stuff going on in China, they may have converted to the wider rings, too, in order to confuse people into thinking they are the Japan-made cues.

PoolFan101 said:

Hello ,

I posted in the want section but no to much traffic there , was hoping someone would have or know were a Adam Japan made Balabushka would be for sale. I had to sell mine years ago and liked it . I am looking for Another one , I don't know to enough about the new China made version's to get. I really like that look and design and The one I had played really good. Thanks for any help

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There was a nice GB5 in the for sale section a couple of months back. If you do some digging, I think it will still be there. Goodluck.

Thunder Thighs said:

There was a nice GB5 in the for sale section a couple of months back. If you do some digging, I think it will still be there. Goodluck.

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I'm not sure the GB series cues with the signature is what the OP is looking for.

I believe he is seeking the Balabushka Hall of Fame CS-436 cue as shown above:

https://www.shootersbilliards.com/George-Balabushka-Replica-Pool-Cue-CS-436.html

Here is the Szamboti CS-433 equivalent:

https://www.shootersbilliards.com/Gus-Szamboti-Replica-Pool-Cue-CS-433.html

HawaiianEye said:

They were made in Japan, up until several years ago.

They are now made in China.

You usually can tell the Chinese ones from the Japan ones by the silver rings in the joint collars. The ADAM Japan ones were made with nickel silver and are about twice as wide as the rings in the Chinese made cues. However, with today's copycat stuff going on in China, they may have converted to the wider rings, too, in order to confuse people into thinking they are the Japan-made cues.

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yeah, I didn't know. I had an adams century, supposedly made in japan, but I can tell you it was a great playing cue, regardless of the makes origin. beautiful cue as well.

ExWorter said:

I'm not sure the GB series cues with the signature is what the OP is looking for.

I believe he is seeking the Balabushka Hall of Fame CS-436 cue as shown above:

https://www.shootersbilliards.com/George-Balabushka-Replica-Pool-Cue-CS-436.html

Here is the Szamboti CS-433 equivalent:

https://www.shootersbilliards.com/Gus-Szamboti-Replica-Pool-Cue-CS-433.html

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Oh ok... here's one https://www.ebay.com/itm/132820771206

The GB series was also made in Japan at one time. I have a GB 2 that was made there.

I got it many years ago before the changeover of to China.

It came with this certificate of authenticity type document.

Thunder Thighs said:

Oh ok... here's one https://www.ebay.com/itm/132820771206

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Chinese made cue.

Thunder Thighs said:

Oh ok... here's one https://www.ebay.com/itm/132820771206

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That cue is NOT made by ADAM Japan.

Do you see the cheap plastic rings at the top and bottom of the wrap?

The ADAM Japan cues do NOT have those rings.

Do you see the "Hall of Fame" etching in the butt cap?

The ADAM Japan cues do NOT have that.

Do you see the "thin" silver rings in the joint collars?

The ADAM Japan cues do not have thin silver rings.

ExWorter said:

I'm not sure the GB series cues with the signature is what the OP is looking for.

I believe he is seeking the Balabushka Hall of Fame CS-436 cue as shown above:

https://www.shootersbilliards.com/George-Balabushka-Replica-Pool-Cue-CS-436.html

Here is the Szamboti CS-433 equivalent:

https://www.shootersbilliards.com/Gus-Szamboti-Replica-Pool-Cue-CS-433.html

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I don't know who made these. The CS line of ADAM cues haven't been made for some time. I guess they could be NOS cues.

garczar said:

I don't know who made these. The CS line of ADAM cues haven't been made for some time. I guess they could be NOS cues.

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Those may have been made in Japan and be NOS.

They look legit, or somebody did a very good "copy" of a "replica".



All the BS on ebay about "certificates" with those cues can't be trusted, etiher. The Chinese will make a certificate for anything.

99% of all the ADAM HOF and Balabushka cues you see on ebay are BS made in China.

I just got off the phone with CompetitionSports. He moved from NY to Fla a few yrs back. He said that the cues on the Shooters site are most likely NOS. Said ADAM stopped making them around 10+yrs ago. He also told me that the lady in Arizona is still the importer/dist. of the Chinese-built Balabushka signature cues. That 'bushka ADAM is nice but i don't think its $950 nice.

garczar said:

I just got off the phone with CompetitionSports. He moved from NY to Fla a few yrs back. He said that the cues on the Shooters site are most likely NOS. Said ADAM stopped making them around 10+yrs ago. He also told me that the lady in Arizona is still the importer/dist. of the Chinese-built Balabushka signature cues. That 'bushka ADAM is nice but i don't think its $950 nice.

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I have talked to Don several times, back when he ran CS.

The $950 price is what they listed for on all the popular billiard warehouse sites back when they were still being made.

HawaiianEye said:

I have talked to Don several times, back when he ran CS.

The $950 price is what they listed for on all the popular billiard warehouse sites back when they were still being made.

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So you think that Shooters site doesn't have any left? Just never pulled the ad? Site says 2020 at the bottom. Just curious here.

garczar said:

So you think that Shooters site doesn't have any left? Just never pulled the ad? Site says 2020 at the bottom. Just curious here.

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They may have some.

I don't know.

I remember when they were being sold by Billiard Warehouse and several other sites.

Looks like that Shooters place is done. Was up for sale and no answer to call or email and FB page is gone. I was just curious. Would never pay $950(or more) for one. I'd spend a little more and have Garten Bierbower make me a cue. His stuff is classic old-school and built like a tank.