Balabushka/Adam/Helmstetter Acquisition

[pmall]

Robert Mallen, owner of G Cue Billiard Store in Tempe, AZ, acquired the trademark rights to Balabushka, Adam and Helmstetter. The Balabushka name of course was made famous from the movie, The Color of Money, and helped expand the mystique of high end custom cues.

Additionally, Mallen has developed a new performance chalk formula under the Balabushka name superior to the old formula that was on the market in the late 90’s.

If you are interested, The full article can be found online at The Examiner.

 

[Scott Lee]

pmall...Just FYI the 'mystique' of George Balabushka's cues are what made him famous...long before the 1986 movie. In the 60's & 70's most of the best players owned one or more of George's cues. The 'remake' Balabushka cues are merely copies, and nothing like the originals, either in terms of playability or value.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

The Balabushka name of course was made famous from the movie, The Color of Money, and helped expand the mystique of high end custom cues.

 

[Chopdoc]

I don't think anybody pretends that the "replicas" are anything like a real Balabushka. And although he was well known to the better players in his time, the movie did bring his name to fame among the general population.

Although some may look upon the replicas with disdain, they were not bad cues. And because they came from Adam of Helmstetter fame, they did maintain a link in some way to the great names in cue making. Richard Helmstetter is a legend in his own right.

I have no idea what direction the cues might be taking now, but I think the era of things like the Adam Balabushka is well over. They did seem to carve out a healthy place for themselves in the market for a lot of years and commanded a premium even used. People did and do like them and we won't change that by lecturing them about George Balabushka.

I was actually hoping an interesting Helmstetter/Adam/etc would be among the trade offers I am seeking for my Predator. No such luck yet, but I have had some great offers I think.



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