BALABUSHKA REPLICA POOL CUES - Made in Taiwan

L I F D 1

L I F D 1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
QUALITY of the replica BALABUSHKA POOL CUE

stumbled upon these during an internet search completely by accident.
wasn't aware that there still being made and then I found out, they're made in Taiwan (how good can they really be)

I've seen the Bushka replica's in person, they look cheap, sound cheap, but some are selling as much as a Thousand Dollars.

What Gives?
 

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R

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
L I F D 1 said:
QUALITY of the replica BALABUSHKA POOL CUE

stumbled upon these during an internet search completely by accident.
wasn't aware that there still being made and then I found out, they're made in Taiwan (how good can they really be)

I've seen the Bushka replica's in person, they look cheap, sound cheap, but some are selling as much as a Thousand Dollars.

What Gives?
Click to expand...

building-a-smarter-bank-with-ron-shevlin-2-638.jpg
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Are you sure they’re made in Taiwan?
Adam of Japan makes Balabuska cues...legallly.
They made a deal with George’s widow.

And they’re pretty good cues, from what I’ve seen.
 
G

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
pt109 said:
Are you sure they’re made in Taiwan?
Adam of Japan makes Balabuska cues...legallly.
They made a deal with George’s widow.

And they’re pretty good cues, from what I’ve seen.
Click to expand...
Not anymore. The rights were sold to some outfit in Arizona. Production went from Japan to Taiwan/China. They are stll nice cues but not as nice as the ADAM cues. Easy way to tell is the thin joint rings. The ADAM versions had much thicker silver rings. BTW, the only ADAM cues still made in Japan is the hi-end Musashi series. All others are made in China/Taiwan. The factory that makes Lucasi has had a big ADAM contract for quite a while.
 
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pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
garczar said:
Not anymore. The rights were sold to some guy in Arizona. Production went from Japan to Taiwan/China. They are stll nice cues but not as nice as the ADAM cues. Easy way to tell is the thin joint rings. The ADAM versions had much thicker silver rings. BTW, the only ADAM cues still made in Japan is the hi-end Musashi series. All others are made in China/Taiwan. The factory that makes Lucasi has had a big ADAM contract for quite a while.
Click to expand...

Thanx....I had no idea....not much in the cue biz for a few years.
In the 90s, I had over a thousand Adam cues in stock
 
greyghost

greyghost

Coast to Coast
Silver Member
pt109 said:
Thanx, Chuck......
Click to expand...



Not long ago she was shouting on Facebook how she owned balabushka lol like they were anything but the end of the earth compared to George’s work. I let her know she bought a name not method and George’s cues could have been called “insert whatever” lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
JL in ATL

JL in ATL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
greyghost said:
Not long ago she was shouting on Facebook how she owned balabushka lol like they were anything but the end of the earth compared to George’s work. I let her know she bought a name not method and George’s cues could have been called “insert whatever” lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

I guess it's all in what feels good. I play wit a GB1 with a Cynergy shaft and it's my favorite combination I've ever used.

Regards,

John
 
G

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
greyghost said:
Not long ago she was shouting on Facebook how she owned balabushka lol like they were anything but the end of the earth compared to George’s work. I let her know she bought a name not method and George’s cues could have been called “insert whatever” lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Yep. The current iteration of GB cues are actually pretty well made but imo overpriced. I don't give a rodent's behind whose name is scrawled on the side. They are a good steel-joint import. The one's i've seen look to be of Lucasi quality which is pretty darned good. They may be made by same plant, don't know for sure.
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
I've played with a couple of these Bushka's knock offs and they would have trouble finding a buyer at more than $400 on here, $500 tops for a private sale (closer to $300 is more likely). JMHO as always.
 
Chopdoc

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
L I F D 1 said:
QUALITY of the replica BALABUSHKA POOL CUE

stumbled upon these during an internet search completely by accident.
wasn't aware that there still being made and then I found out, they're made in Taiwan (how good can they really be)

I've seen the Bushka replica's in person, they look cheap, sound cheap, but some are selling as much as a Thousand Dollars.

What Gives?
Click to expand...

This has been discussed here a number of times, I am surprised you didn't know.

The old Adam GB cues were better, but even still overpriced. This is simply because of the premium attached to the name. It's just marketing.

I don't have one. I have said numerous times I would like one of the old ones if I find it cheap. A couple times people have offered me one at a good price, but I passed. A "good price" is still too high for me.

.
 
Michael Andros

Michael Andros

tiny balls, GIANT pockets
Silver Member
jay helfert said:
I've played with a couple of these Bushka's knock offs and they would have trouble finding a buyer at more than $400 on here, $500 tops for a private sale (closer to $300 is more likely). JMHO as always.
Click to expand...

I came close to buying a new one @ 5 years ago or so when they were Adam but I stopped just short and asked myself, do I really want to spend this kind of money for a "faux" cue? The answer was, no...
 
Pushout

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It is amazing how many people who don't know will consider one of these, Japan made or otherwise, the real thing. "He SIGNED it!" Still run into people like that, same people think the Balabushka in The Color of Money was an original. I worked with a guy for a while who swore it was.
 
Michael Andros

Michael Andros

tiny balls, GIANT pockets
Silver Member
Pushout said:
It is amazing how many people who don't know will consider one of these, Japan made or otherwise, the real thing. "He SIGNED it!" Still run into people like that, same people think the Balabushka in The Color of Money was an original. I worked with a guy for a while who swore it was.
Click to expand...

Not only was the one in CoM not an "original", it wasn't even a Buska knockoff ( Adam, etc ). It was a Joss Dan Janes made expressly for Scorsese for the film. Did Dan pretty closely copy an original? Yes, that was the purpose of making it. Scorsese could have bought a real Bushka but opted not to considering the value and how it may've gotten beaten up during filming. So he had Dan make a close proximity. At least that's my understanding...
 
Pushout

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Michael Andros said:
Not only was the one in CoM not an "original", it wasn't even a Buska knockoff ( Adam, etc ). It was a Joss Dan Janes made expressly for Scorsese for the film. Did Dan pretty closely copy an original? Yes, that was the purpose of making it. Scorsese could have bought a real Bushka but opted not to considering the value and how it may've gotten beaten up during filming. So he had Dan make a close proximity. At least that's my understanding...
Click to expand...

That's about what Dan has said here a few times, if I remember right. There were three cues made, all later sold at auction for charity.
 
ENGLISH!

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
Richard Helmstetter of Calloway Golf fame was the cue maker for them. Naturally, they eventually went on to be Production Cues, but they were excellent Production Cues.

The pic is of the Japanese variety Balabushka Cue.

I have an older one & do not know if Helmstetter made it or if it was an early production one. It hits as good as a $5,000 custom cue that sold for about $550.

When Bob Muecci was doing his robot tests for deflection. He put an Adam Balabushka made by Helmstetter on the roto & let it fly. As soon as he saw the result of how very little deflection it yielded, he commented, "This must be very well made Butt. It hit better in that regard than ALL of the others with stock shafts & Meucci's Black Dot Shafts. I think THAT gave him the idea for his Power Piston Butts.

The new ones of today look cheap, but I've not hit one.
 
Chopdoc

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
From what I read, here I believe, is that the design was chosen to show up well on camera, not specifically to replicate a GB cue.

Yes, I have met people who claim they are "real" as well.

That's common.

There was a guy at my local hall that had a plain Helmstetter. Claimed Helmstetter himself signed it in the 1960's. Worse, he said he met Helmstetter and was told this.

It's one thing to be misinformed or mistaken, another to lie.

These GB cues don't bother me in the least. They are what they are.

That they are no longer what they were does not bother me either.

That they are now made in China does not bother me. It actually is not a secret or hidden.

What someone chooses to buy or play with is totally their thing.

On a positive note the fact these are around helps keep the mystique alive.

I do personally favor and support the US makers, but I do own and seek certain old "vintage" Asian made cues, more as a curiosity.

If I had to buy and play with one cue, it would be US made.
 
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