Balabushka - Is there any cue you could compare the hit to?

[SC02GTP]

I know where two all original Balabushkas are today and they are both dead straight and the shafts are 12.5 mm +. The tips have been changed but the cues still hit amazing.

If George were alive today, he would still be right at the top of the heap. His knowledge of woods and building techniques were second to none. This is why his work is sought out and big money passes hands to own a nice example.

Somebody mentioned above that the tips will make a cue hit differently, whish is spot on. Even modern cues from the same builder will hit or feel different from cue to cue. It is possible to get a cue that does not feel or hit right to your tastes. It happens.

 

[WildWing]

I know where two all original Balabushkas are today and they are both dead straight and the shafts are 12.5 mm +. The tips have been changed but the cues still hit amazing.

If George were alive today, he would still be right at the top of the heap. His knowledge of woods and building techniques were second to none. This is why his work is sought out and big money passes hands to own a nice example.

Somebody mentioned above that the tips will make a cue hit differently, whish is spot on. Even modern cues from the same builder will hit or feel different from cue to cue. It is possible to get a cue that does not feel or hit right to your tastes. It happens.

Agree. And by the way, attached are the tips George used.

The tip will change the sound. Substitute this with a hard Triangle, and you get a crisper hit. Then go to one of the real hard layered tips, or the current concrete LePros, and you'll get the ping some of you seem to be looking for.

George's cues were solid hitting. That's because he built them well, and eliminated voids in the contact areas.

All the best,
WW

 

[Dan White]

Here are some original tips with fiber backing taken off a Bushka. I don't know if they are Champion or not.

 

[WildWing]

Here are some original tips with fiber backing taken off a Bushka. I don't know if they are Champion or not.

It's possible, but they're so coated with blue chalk, it's hard to tell.

You'd have to scuff up the top and sides to tell. If they turn pretty dark brown, they're probably Champions. If they are blueish-gray, then they are probably Elk Master or Blue Diamonds installed on a fiber base.

All the best,
WW

 

[Dan White]

It's possible, but they're so coated with blue chalk, it's hard to tell.

You'd have to scuff up the top and sides to tell. If they turn pretty dark brown, they're probably Champions. If they are blueish-gray, then they are probably Elk Master or Blue Diamonds installed on a fiber base.

All the best,
WW

I sanded one of them down a little on one spot. So far the leather is mostly whitish. I think the chalk is impregnated pretty deep into the tip so I'm not yet seeing the virgin leather. I'm hesitant to sand too far in and make a dent in the tip. I have no idea whether these tips have any value, but seeing as "GB hisself" put them on I can live without knowing for sure what brand they are for now.

Thanks for the "tip."

 

[WildWing]

If it looks more like the first picture, the are more than likely Elk Master / Blue Diamonds installed on fiber bases. Could also be Silver King tips.

If it looks more like the second picture, they could be Champions, but there were a few veg - tanned tips in those days.

In those days, the Champions were made by a gentleman in France. The Elk Masters / Blue Diamonds have always been made by Tweeten, USA, Chicago, I believe.

However, I think we'd rather see the Bushka you pulled these off of. Do you still have the cue?

All the best,
WW

 

[WildWing]

Second pic.

 

[johnnysd]

What? Could you define "action" in this context?

I guess maybe it could be all in my head, and to try in explain it I would talk in a circle, but my experience was that you could move the ball more on very short shots with less effort with the Balabuska than say a house cue or many of todays cues. As Deanoc mentioned they were heavier cues generally in the 20oz + range, but they played "light". A couple years later I moved to playing very light cues in the 17oz range because it seemed that the cue got through the ball "faster" than heavier cues and made these shots possible, but in this area the Balabushka did the same thing, I can remember being able to do sort of high action low speed shots with my Judd, that I could not do with the Richard Black, Joss or Paul Mottey I had at the time, but feel the Balabushka could do those shots as well. But it's just my memory from when I could actually play. I am sure that made no sense whatsoever.

 

[Dan White]

I guess maybe it could be all in my head, and to try in explain it I would talk in a circle, but my experience was that you could move the ball more on very short shots with less effort with the Balabuska than say a house cue or many of todays cues. As Deanoc mentioned they were heavier cues generally in the 20oz + range, but they played "light". A couple years later I moved to playing very light cues in the 17oz range because it seemed that the cue got through the ball "faster" than heavier cues and made these shots possible, but in this area the Balabushka did the same thing, I can remember being able to do sort of high action low speed shots with my Judd, that I could not do with the Richard Black, Joss or Paul Mottey I had at the time, but feel the Balabushka could do those shots as well. But it's just my memory from when I could actually play. I am sure that made no sense whatsoever.

It's a titlist cue from the 60's. 28 inlays, original condition. I really like it.

Not the best photos. Actually my avatar is a better pic than these. The last one is for grins, but I think very interesting.

 

[maha]

when i was around he used french tips as he called them.
i remember them as being harder than all the rest.
i dont know if they are same as the ones mentioned made by champion.

 

[HaroldWilson]

very interesting comments from everybody, thank you the post is definitely living up to what I had hoped when posting the question.

 

[jay helfert]

I owned and played with two Balabushkas at different times. Sold my last one for $200 when I went broke at the Dayton tournament in the early 70's. BIG MISTAKE! They were two of the best hitting cues I ever owned. The hit was soft, clean and crisp, all at the same time, not much sound or anything extraneous to it. Just a clean light feeling hit to it. A very easy cue to play with, maybe the best cue I've ever owned. You didn't have to think about your cue when playing with a Balabushka. It just did whatever you wanted it to do. For me Balabushkas are the Stradivarius of pool cues, simply the finest ever made.

The closest in terms of playability that I've owned include the plain maple TADs and my Hank Corsair cue which looks a lot like a TAD (they were making them at the same time). Hank made a few solid "black beauty" ebony cues and I wish I had one of them. Morro Paez won a lot of money and made it to the World Pool Championship finals playing with one. King King has one as well. No one that has one will sell it for any price. The next best cue that I can compare with a Balbushka is one I had from Pete Tascarella. A guy hocked it to me for $1,000 and I held it for nearly a year. I really wish he hadn't redeemed it from me. What a great playing cue that was.

P.S. I loved the Champion tips. Used them on my cues for years. I had a box of them (25) that I used to sell for $10 each. I had them on display at a tournament years ago and someone made off with the box.

 

[JoeyInCali]

Well, Bushka did not have a large enough lathe to fit the cue handle inside the spindle.
So, he joined the forearm to the handle close to this way .http://dzcues.com/images/a-joint/a joint 03.jpg

For a cue to hit close to a Bushka, it has to have that kind of A-joinery imo.

 

[Chopdoc]

Well, Bushka did not have a large enough lathe to fit the cue handle inside the spindle.
So, he joined the forearm to the handle close to this way .http://dzcues.com/images/a-joint/a joint 03.jpg

For a cue to hit close to a Bushka, it has to have that kind of A-joinery imo.

You sure it wasn't the brown KU bumper that did it?









Just kidding. :wink:




.

 

[Bigb'scues]

Well, Bushka did not have a large enough lathe to fit the cue handle inside the spindle.
So, he joined the forearm to the handle close to this way .http://dzcues.com/images/a-joint/a joint 03.jpg

For a cue to hit close to a Bushka, it has to have that kind of A-joinery imo.

Similar ...but that's an A joint that many cue makers use...he also used these hangar bolts with the lag side down in the handle ..which was odd. And let's not forget the phenolic buzz ring that was a staple of his construction

 

[bstroud]

Similar ...but that's an A joint that many cue makers use...he also used these hangar bolts with the lag side down in the handle ..which was odd. And let's not forget the phenolic buzz ring that was a staple of his construction

George bought these hanger bolts at the small hardware store down the block from his house.

I had always liked the way his cues played ( I owned several) so I started Joss Cues using the same construction technique.

I got the same result. A solid playing cue with a soft sound.

I used this same construction for 45 years of cue making.

Bill Stroud

 

[DJKeys]

Balabushka

I had the pleasure to play with a 1964 Balabushka for about a half hour. It was a fantastic hitting cue, stiff, crisp and with a distinct sound.

I have hit with Haley, Scruggs, Cantando, G and B Szamboti, Black Boar and other steel jointed cues and the closest to a Bushka IMO is Tascarella.

-dj

 

[jay helfert]

George bought these hanger bolts at the small hardware store down the block from his house.

I had always liked the way his cues played ( I owned several) so I started Joss Cues using the same construction technique.

I got the same result. A solid playing cue with a soft sound.

I used this same construction for 45 years of cue making.

Bill Stroud

And your cues were the most popular player's cues for the next 20 or 30 years!

 

[johnnysd]

It's a titlist cue from the 60's. 28 inlays, original condition. I really like it.

Not the best photos. Actually my avatar is a better pic than these. The last one is for grins, but I think very interesting.

Wow, love that cue, especially the butt so old school awesome.

 

[jay helfert]

Here's a Bushka butt I bought several years ago. The shafts were pencil thin so a previous owner dumped them (?) and replaced them with Gilbert shafts. The cue plays great!