Are Adams' Balabushka's Worth The Cost?

I've had one for about 15 years now. Points are nice and the cue is still pin straight and hits good. I had the 13mm shaft tapered down a bit for more action. The wife uses it now and likes it. I also had it refinished with the signature removed(makes it look a lot nicer I think)
 
Balabushka - If I was going to use one, I recommend you get one made by George himself.

If you are looking for a great cue value for the money I recommend a USED Rick Howard or Andy Gilbert cue. They are IMO, top quality from honest guys building outstanding playing cues. Used cues are an outstanding value and you are going to get A LOT more for your money verses buying ANY production cue.

These guys....http://schmelkecue.com/

Alot of folks on AZ love schmelke cues and that might be another option if you are wanting a new cue at a lower price. I have not played with one but it looks like they would be tough to beat on price.

I wish you the best of rolls,

Ken
 
justinb386 said:
For the retail prices that they go for, I think a Schon can actually be had for similar prices.
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LOL, Schon's have suffered the same fate! New Schon's are not worth the retail price. However, find a Runde Era Schon and you have found a jewel!
 
Adams/ Balabuska

I got in a used adam/buska cue and sold this cue to a friend ..
Right away he said the joint collar came loose, no big deal ,I glued it back on.
A week later the butt sleeve came loose .
Then there was another failure .
At that time I was embarrassed I had even sold the cue to this person .
I offered the buyer a full refund . he said no I will keep the cue ...


That was the first and last time I will ever own or sale a adams buska .
I started to invest into my own cues for sale.

I had no choice but to only invest into cues that will not fall apart ..
And no choice in making a list of cues I will not buy because of the cue falling apart .

The top two cues on my do not buy list is Meucci and Adams/Buska .

One other issue was the buyer of the adams/ buska told everyone he bought a George Balabuska original .
I told this guy several time it wasn't a balabuska cue , its a replica ...
Didn't make any difference and he just kept on telling people that he had a real buska ..

The cue falling apart was enough to make never want to buy and sale one ever again
The customer/ friend telling everyone I sold him a original when it wasn't , I personally didn't like ..
It wasn't the truth ...

That is the two reasons that I don't deal with replica buska's
 
Adam Helmsteter have been making cues for a long time and are good at it. There is no reason to believe they don't build a quality cue. I believe the Balabushka cues being built today are better quality than what George used to make. I saw a x ray of a George Balabushka cue. The butt sleeve had a wood screw in it going into the handle. That was all that was holding the butt sleeve on. I could not believe what I was looking at. There was no structural integrity involved in it whatsoever. You can darn well bet that on the new Balabushka cues that butt sleeve is actually sleeved and cemented to a handle tenon. I had one of the Bushka models made by Adam that did not have the signature on it. It was a very good cue. Well made and hit very nice. There are people out there that bash the new Balabushka's just because George didn't make it. For the most part these are closed minded people and don't know what they are talking about. There are production cues being made today that exceed custom cues in quality. You just have to be able to recognize them. For the most part custom cues are simply not worth the money.
 
Rtoron said:
Adam Helmsteter have been making cues for a long time and are good at it. There is no reason to believe they don't build a quality cue. I believe the Balabushka cues being built today are better quality than what George used to make. I saw a x ray of a George Balabushka cue. The butt sleeve had a wood screw in it going into the handle. That was all that was holding the butt sleeve on. I could not believe what I was looking at. There was no structural integrity involved in it whatsoever. You can darn well bet that on the new Balabushka cues that butt sleeve is actually sleeved and cemented to a handle tenon. I had one of the Bushka models made by Adam that did not have the signature on it. It was a very good cue. Well made and hit very nice. There are people out there that bash the new Balabushka's just because George didn't make it. For the most part these are closed minded people and don't know what they are talking about. There are production cues being made today that exceed custom cues in quality. You just have to be able to recognize them. For the most part custom cues are simply not worth the money.
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The cues made in the ADAM Japan factory are very good quality. I have one. I also visited the factory back when Dick Helmstetter was still living in Iruma, Japan and running the factory to have him put an ivory ferrule on my Richard Black cue.

I haven't seen one of the Balabushka cues that are made in China now (other than online), so I can't speak for them.
 
HawaiianEye said:
The cues made in the ADAM Japan factory are very good quality. I have one. I also visited the factory back when Dick Helmstetter was still living in Iruma, Japan and running the factory to have him put an ivory ferrule on my Richard Black cue.

I haven't seen one of the Balabushka cues that are made in China now (other than online), so I can't speak for them.
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Let me help you


非常好的游泳池提示
Fēicháng hǎo de yóuyǒngchí tíshì
 
A Lil' Helstetter trivia................

HawaiianEye said:
The cues made in the ADAM Japan factory are very good quality. I have one. I also visited the factory back when Dick Helmstetter was still living in Iruma, Japan and running the factory to have him put an ivory ferrule on my Richard Black cue.

I haven't seen one of the Balabushka cues that are made in China now (other than online), so I can't speak for them.
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Dick was on the team at Callaway that designed the BigBertha driver back in '90-'91. The shafts used to have RCH(his initials) stenciled on them. Over the years he held various positions at Callaway. Pool was his first love but golf made him seriously wealthy.
 
garczar said:
Dick was on the team at Callaway that designed the BigBertha driver back in '90-'91. The shafts used to have RCH(his initials) stenciled on them. Over the years he held various positions at Callaway. Pool was his first love but golf made him seriously wealthy.
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there's a big surprise.
golfers are bigger suckers for new equipment then pool players.
i know i've been in both camps.
 
This is a Helmstetter 87-14 that I bought new in 87 with 2 shafts. Been playing with it all my life and would not trade it for anything. Also have an 87-4 that I use for 9 ball. Also 2 shafts

helm4b.JPG
 
Roscoe said:
This is a Helmstetter 87-14 that I bought new in 87 with 2 shafts. Been playing with it all my life and would not trade it for anything. Also have an 87-4 that I use for 9 ball. Also 2 shafts

helm4b.JPG
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Did you buy it from The Ballroom in Toms River?
 
No. Buddy of mine was COO at Paragon Sporting Goods in NYC. Got both for cost. Here's the butt shot

helm4a.JPG


Roscoe
 
I had an Adams Cue, it was a super cue, but then I had a dozen super cues, wish I had kept that one, it was a nifty & very nicely done cue.
 
Friend of mine used to have a "kit" car, Ferrari replica, I'd cringe at the implied dishonesty when he'd call it a Ferrari.
 
Will not ever sale again list

Meucci is first on the never sale a cue made by these companies .
Adams Balabushka is second cue on my don't sale list.

The one I sold was falling apart faster then it could be glued back together .
I was so embarrassed because the Adams Balabushka cue I sold to this guy was falling apart.
Joints , butt sleeve collar on the shaft all had to be glued on again.
I offered the customer a full refund …
He wasn't having any part of the refund , he was to busy telling everyone he had a original Gorge Balabushka.
That's the second reason , it was a Balabushka replica and I told the customer that 20 times ..

.
 
justinb386 said:
If I could afford to pay retail on a new Adam Balabushka, then I would not be looking for one of the new ones. They are currently made in China, I think. They used to be made in Japan, at the same factory that Mezz cues are currently being made (I do not know this, but it is just something I read on here in the past). The Adam Bushka replica's that were made in Japan by Adam/Helmstetter were very high quality, I think. The ones that are currently being made, in China, are probably not as good of quality as the ones that were made in Japan. If you can find one of the older ones (not sure when they stopped making them in Japan, but maybe around 5 years ago, as just a guess), then I would buy a good used one, that was made in Japan, because I think that those were probably much higher quality then the ones that are currently made in China. And yeah, I think that the Japanese Adam Bushka's were worth the money that they retailed for. They were very high quality cues. I do not know how good the quality is of the ones that are currently being made in China. Note to the experts. If I am wrong about anything I stated, then please feel free to correct me. I only know what I read and learn from this forum.
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I know this is an old thread but people still read old threads sooo,I bought an adams balabushka mosconi tribute cue last year,beautiful cue,wasn't happy with the hit or feel,so I took the shaft down to 12.5,changed the tip and couldn't be happier,hits like a million dollars now
6
 

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