Are the old Adam cues from the 70's and 80's nice players?

J

justinb386

Banned
This question is for those who have played with any of the vintage Adam cues from the 70's and 80's?

Here is a link to the cue I am really interested in.

https://bluebookofpoolcuevalues.com...1970S_TO_EARLY_1980S_CUES_Level_5_A_H_10_Ritz

Did you, or do you like the way they play?

Would you use one as your daily player?

Can you compare any other cues that they hit similar to, or do they have a unique type of hit?

Do they hit anything like the Helmstetter cues? I am guessing not, because they have a different joint pin, and probably weighted differently too. Would the hit be similar at all to the Adam Balabushka line of cues?

The one I am looking at has a piloted joint (maybe 5/16x14, but not sure).

Were these good quality cues, compared to the quality of the cues that Adam Japan made in the 90's for example?

Anyways, thanks for any opinions about the playability of these cues.
 
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I remember the Adam, Helmstetter & Balabushka (reproduction) cues to be solid hitters. Adam was considered the entry level line. Once you got past their cues with the nylon wraps their offerings were all pretty good. There was one Adam cue I had the opportunity to buy used that I passed on which I regret to this very day.
Were they the best cue? What's the best cue? To put it into perspective I remember them being better hitters than say Mali or McDermott.

Helmstetters were quite overpriced, but probably because they were the most ornate of the 3 cue lines offered by Adam.
There was a 4th line Adam offered that was pretty good also, but I can't remember the name though.
 
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I have a 80's Adams "Julio Stamboulini" Cue that has a big 3/8x10 pin in it and it hits like a dream. VERY rigid shaft/taper. Excellent stick

Lesh
 
Most of the early Adam cues were of full splice construction. I like the way they play. I think you will find them a little heavier and stiffer than today's typical cue, with excellent feedback. These cues have a lot of character. The other ones to look at are the Palmer PB and PM lines. They were also made by Adam and play similarly. Both are usually good deals. A nice cue can be had for $250 if it's not a particularly recognizable or fancy design.
 
Lesh said:
I have a 80's Adams "Julio Stamboulini" Cue that has a big 3/8x10 pin in it and it hits like a dream. VERY rigid shaft/taper. Excellent stick

Lesh
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I think that the "Julio Stamboulini" Adam cue that I had, had a flat faced 5/16x18 joint, but my memory might not be correct (because that was way back in like 2009 when I had it).
 
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TATE said:
Most of the early Adam cues were of full splice construction. I like the way they play. I think you will find them a little heavier and stiffer than today's typical cue, with excellent feedback. These cues have a lot of character. The other ones to look at are the Palmer PB and PM lines. They were also made by Adam and play similarly. Both are usually good deals. A nice cue can be had for $250 if it's not a particularly recognizable or fancy design.
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Thanks for your reply. When you say heavy, do you mean butt heavy? Not really well balanced? I hope they did not also use a much thicker handle in their cues. I have small hands, and always loved a cue with a thin grip (handle). Thanks.
 
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Those first Bushkas were excellent. If you can find one that's straight, go for it. If you don't like it, pm me.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
Ina word... yes. They are great cues. Wish I hadn't sold my Adam Cue. It was a very nice cue. With a new Orlandi joint, it would rival anything made.
 
justinb386 said:
Thanks for your reply. When you say heavy, do you mean butt heavy? Not really well balanced? I hope they did not also use a much thicker handle in their cues. I have small hands, and always loved a cue with a thin grip (handle). Thanks.
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I'm not Tate - but IMHO he probably meant what he said - not any of what you fear.

In general, players tended to favor heavier cues back in those days.

Dale
 
pdcue said:
I'm not Tate - but IMHO he probably meant what he said - not any of what you fear.

In general, players tended to favor heavier cues back in those days.

Dale
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Thanks for the info. I can handle playing with up to around 20 oz, but any heavier than that, and I really do not like it.
 
ceebee said:
Ina word... yes. They are great cues. Wish I hadn't sold my Adam Cue. It was a very nice cue. With a new Orlandi joint, it would rival anything made.
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Thanks for the info. Nice to know that the old vintage Adam cues are good cues. I understand that newer does not always mean better (for example, the older Schon cues from the 80's), but was just not sure about Adam.
 
pdcue said:
I'm not Tate - but IMHO he probably meant what he said - not any of what you fear.

In general, players tended to favor heavier cues back in those days.

Dale
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Yep. They're tend to run on the heavy side (19 to 21 ounces) since they use real exotic woods, (solid no coring). Many have real rosewood or macassar ebony full length handles and whatever they weighed after building, they weighed. The handles and tapers are pretty standard as far as thickness.

The thing is, we are generalizing. Each specific cue will have it's own feel, balance, etc because of variances in wood, plus there are many, many different designs.

So, we all seem to think they are good cues.
 
TATE said:
Most of the early Adam cues were of full splice construction. I like the way they play. I think you will find them a little heavier and stiffer than today's typical cue, with excellent feedback. These cues have a lot of character. The other ones to look at are the Palmer PB and PM lines. They were also made by Adam and play similarly. Both are usually good deals. A nice cue can be had for $250 if it's not a particularly recognizable or fancy design.
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I agree 100%


I dig playing vintage cues anyway and have several old Adam cues back to 1970. Any one of the ones I have would make a fine regular player.

For more modern performance one can always screw a modern LD engineered shaft to such an old cue.


.
 
they werent considered good cures back then so why would they be good now?

if you could play at all you didnt use an adams cue. or a viking. or a palmer after they went production.
 
The Stramboulini ( ADAM/Helmstetter 80's MIJ ) I had a few years ago was a very well built 'Gem' and comparable in build and play to many of my Customs. It had a 3/8 x 10 Joint. It was a mystery cue to me for awhile since it did not have 'Juilo' mythical autograph on forearm like most.

Came with nice clean funky period correct suede box case. You know the story. Wish I held onto it. Probably never see another like it.

IMO > Adam cues vary in quality and build depending on age and line. I like the 70's simple 5/16/18 pointed brass pin full splice veneered models

Have a good weekend,

-Kat,
 

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maha said:
they werent considered good cures back then so why would they be good now?

if you could play at all you didnt use an adams cue. or a viking. or a palmer after they went production.
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Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
maha said:
they werent considered good cures back then so why would they be good now?

if you could play at all you didnt use an adams cue. or a viking. or a palmer after they went production.
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So, none of the good players played with an Adam back in the 70's and 80's? I assume most of the great players prefered a Meucci or a Joss back then. Maybe Adam was not very well known for making really great playing cues (compared to a Joss from that same time period). Most of the Pro's used Meucci and Joss, right? So, all of the decent players probably also played with a Joss or a Meucci back in those days. I know I would have (and I did back in the 90's). When I was a kid (back in the 90's), I did not think much about Adam, but I had no idea that it was a good quality cue. All I ever thought about was Joss and Meucci (or a nice custom sneaky).
 
Adam

Very solid player - was my everyday player on the 70s for about 10 years
Beautiful to look at and great to play with.
A bit in the heavy side So I recently replaced the bolt on the cue pictured below.
AH-37 Galaxie
I Still take it out for a spin every once and a while. It still hits clean and crisp.
Mcp
 

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JossWest

A lot of pros and strong shortstops I know played with JW mid to late 70s and
on. I would think Zams, and bushka were mainstream then too, not sure about
them though.

td
 
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