Fatboy's Bushkas

[dave sutton]

why on earth do you think he coulndnt make his own blanks ?

well based on many many accounts and the fact that he bought every single forarm he ever used bruns spain gus or davis. never seen a g.b. forearm. for only making uner 100 cues a year i dont understand why hed pay someone else when his cues were only 100$ or so

also i think the big pilot prob effected how the cue hit also. i have a few big pilot cues from the 60 and 70s. kinda like lambros ultra joint in a way

 

[cueaddicts]

well based on many many accounts and the fact that he bought every single forarm he ever used bruns spain gus or davis. never seen a g.b. forearm. for only making uner 100 cues a year i dont understand why hed pay someone else when his cues were only 100$ or so

also i think the big pilot prob effected how the cue hit also. i have a few big pilot cues from the 60 and 70s. kinda like lambros ultra joint in a way

That's a pretty easy question to answer.......time. With the rudimentary equipment that he had, he was most certainly able to build more cues per year buying the prong blanks than if he were making them. He probably tried making them, too, and chose to go this way. Quality was very good and the blanks were cheap.

 

[Murray Tucker]

however there is a reason 3 out of 4 or 5 pro players use predator shafts.

inconsistantcy is not it.

ps i am not just talking about any 314. i have special pick of mine. i weighted 20 shafts and picked the best one. came out amlost 4 oz at 12.75

If inconsistency is not a problem with a Predator why did you have to go through 20 shafts to find one that you liked?

 

[Murray Tucker]

That's a pretty easy question to answer.......time. With the rudimentary equipment that he had, he was most certainly able to build more cues per year buying the prong blanks than if he were making them. He probably tried making them, too, and chose to go this way. Quality was very good and the blanks were cheap.

Yep, there were no pre-made cue machines complete with instructional video's back then. Good quality parts were available and he used them in a way that worked for him.

 

[Murray Tucker]

[

I also think it makes a difference, but there also has to something to it beyond old wood. I think that sometimes the person who made a perticular cue can not even explain what the difference is. But, perfection is a quality that can only be achieved through skill. George definately was a skilled cue maker, and through all his experience with wood working I am glad that it was a cue that sumes up his perfection, and his wonderful abilities.

Ding, Ding Ding........We have a winner folks. It takes good wood and the knowledge of how to use it. These days cue buyers think that snow white shafts that weigh 3.4 ounces are the best thing since sliced bread. Give me a 4.2 ounce ugly ass shaft with good properties any day. Pretty don't make balls. Cue buyers have been brainwashed into thinking that stainless joints hit bad. Give me a break. I could go on for pages but I won't.

 

[Fatboy]

My theory is old wood in old cues is what makes them feel different, like red wine it takes time for it to come right and peak, when wood gets too old and brittle there might be problems, were living in a cool time, because there are plenty of 10,20,30,40, year old cues out there to play with and discover if my theory about old wood has any merit, no cue is going to make anyone a champion, but I enjoy the feel of a good cue that taks back to me and I can move the rock around more precisely and reliably and I seem to do that with older cues as a rule, so thats my theory

I also think it makes a difference, but there also has to something to it beyond old wood. I think that sometimes the person who made a perticular cue can not even explain what the difference is. But, perfection is a quality that can only be achieved through skill. George definately was a skilled cue maker, and through all his experience with wood working I am glad that it was a cue that sumes up his perfection, and his wonderful abilities.

i agree with the theory that wood can become too old, like wine it reaches its peak, i guess the Stratovarious(SP????) violins are still sounding good and are older but cues take alot more abuse than a violin, Ernie at Ginacue said that super old wood 100 years plus just splinters up, i told him i could get a blank for a shaft that was around that old, he said he would try and cut it down but he said in the past he has tried it before and it was useless, so perhaps a cue can reach its peak and then get old and brittle like the rest of us ????.....

 

[Duane Remick]

i agree with the theory that wood can become too old, like wine it reaches its peak, i guess the Stratovarious(SP????) violins are still sounding good and are older but cues take alot more abuse than a violin, Ernie at Ginacue said that super old wood 100 years plus just splinters up, i told him i could get a blank for a shaft that was around that old, he said he would try and cut it down but he said in the past he has tried it before and it was useless, so perhaps a cue can reach its peak and then get old and brittle like the rest of us ????.....

Probably on an individual basis...
Some players keep a cue, even nice cues exclusively in the trunk of thier cars regardless." I've had so many conversations with people who's cues have been stolen, seems always from thier car
Others NEVER Would consider such a move , and i believe the cues that are cared for will certainly last

 

[Duane Remick]

Duane,
I was offerred a scholarship as a percussionist to an Ivy League College. I played drums in a 21 piece college big band as a result. In the end, I was ACUI champion at a State University (with Donovan, by the way.)

Cues fascinated me because as a pool player I saw them as a precision tool, and as a percussionist I realized that the "hit" People talked about was a musical quality. I have developed my own theories about why certain cues hit great.

I don't think it was an accident that Balabushka was a musician that made musical instruments. I believe that many of his techniques derived from instrument making. Most people that talk about the "hit" of his cues have never made this connection.

I assume that Gus had a high musical aptitude, has his cues have the same kind of musical sound & sensation when you hit a ball. I have researched many of my cues with Barry, but I have never asked that question.

In any case, the musical qualities that cues by by Gus & George had seem to have been lost with cues of the present.

" 4 or 5 years ago here in Tulsa during a 1 pocket tourney' early in the am when the room was almost empty there was a player practicing by himself, Every time He made a shot , his cue has this ping" or ring' just a really nice distinct sound, it was a Gus 4 point maple window cue, i've never forgot that'
I mentioned the same to John Wright, John said Gus constructed his cues to hit and SOUND very distinct"

 

[dave sutton]

That's a pretty easy question to answer.......time. With the rudimentary equipment that he had, he was most certainly able to build more cues per year buying the prong blanks than if he were making them. He probably tried making them, too, and chose to go this way. Quality was very good and the blanks were cheap.

i read that george was only making 30 cues a year in the 50's and 60's and he eventually got up to about 75 cues a year by 1975 when he dies.

using titlist only from 50s into the 60's wasnt hard. i gaurantee 100% it was easier to find good titlists then not now. having done a few so far i can tell you it isnt that hard. simply retappering the cue and adding a buttcap joint wrap and finish. im sure every titlsit ddint make it out of his shop but how many were rejects there already passing quality tests cuemaker like rambow and maybe brinter that were working for bruswick throughout the early 1900's

 

[dave sutton]

If inconsistency is not a problem with a Predator why did you have to go through 20 shafts to find one that you liked?

as a cuemaker yourself u know all wood is different. with any shaft u can get a 3.6 oz shaft or a 4.0 oz shaft. same goes with predators. most linger around 3.6 oz or so but to find a 4 oz predator that is 12.75mm and skinny all the was down. all predtaors pretty much have the same specs. that is a special piece of wood. so far i have has 2 of them.

 

[merylane]

Ding, Ding Ding........We have a winner folks. It takes good wood and the knowledge of how to use it. These days cue buyers think that snow white shafts that weigh 3.4 ounces are the best thing since sliced bread. Give me a 4.2 ounce ugly ass shaft with good properties any day. Pretty don't make balls. Cue buyers have been brainwashed into thinking that stainless joints hit bad. Give me a break. I could go on for pages but I won't.

GO! III GO! III GO O O O O ( like speed racer )

 

[merylane]

well based on many many accounts and the fact that he bought every single forarm he ever used bruns spain gus or davis. never seen a g.b. forearm. for only making uner 100 cues a year i dont understand why hed pay someone else when his cues were only 100$ or so

also i think the big pilot prob effected how the cue hit also. i have a few big pilot cues from the 60 and 70s. kinda like lambros ultra joint in a way

and that means what?

george was a seasoned craftsman when he started building cues,
he obviously new more about how and what he was trying to achieve when
he began then any other cue maker.

he was buying 12 a month from burt + any repairs and lots of shafts.

i like many others are still amazed at what he did with so little.

just because he bought blanks is no proof that he didnt know how.

he was very inteligent and could easily tell how to make them just from looking at one.

do you know anyone making 100 + cues a year with 1 lathe?

many people bought blanks for many other reasons besides lack knowlege.


its like saying gm out sources only stuff they dont know how to make.??????

 

[Fatboy]

Probably on an individual basis...
Some players keep a cue, even nice cues exclusively in the trunk of thier cars regardless." I've had so many conversations with people who's cues have been stolen, seems always from thier car
Others NEVER Would consider such a move , and i believe the cues that are cared for will certainly last

If you left a cue in a trunk in Vegas it would be history today its 109 today.

 

[dave sutton]

and that means what?

george was a seasoned craftsman when he started building cues,
he obviously new more about how and what he was trying to achieve when
he began then any other cue maker.

he was buying 12 a month from burt + any repairs and lots of shafts.

i like many others are still amazed at what he did with so little.

just because he bought blanks is no proof that he didnt know how.

he was very inteligent and could easily tell how to make them just from looking at one.

do you know anyone making 100 + cues a year with 1 lathe?

many people bought blanks for many other reasons besides lack knowlege.


its like saying gm out sources only stuff they dont know how to make.??????

john im not saying anything bad just wondering. i know how hard making cues on 1 lathe is. i am doing it now. making 100+ cues would be very hard. however george never came close to 100 cues in a year. it is documented he made around 30 a year until the 70's where he stepped up to around 75. maybe the reason for this is bc he had multiple sources for forearms in the 70's.

i think u are misunderstanding me. if he knew what he wanted then why not make your own?
great cuemakers like harvey martin felt points and inlays weakened the cue.
brinter who taught a great like herman rambow made cues like the 360 that had a million vpoint and butterflies. guess thats a matter of opinion

 

[nick serdula]

Blah,blah,blah

Fatman!
I was given a Balabushka when I was very young. I got it for my 14th birthday. It was finished like the 1st cue in your picture. The cue was bottom of the line.
It was a hoppe with of course ebony points and a ivory ring. It did play nice. Simple titlist conversion cue.?The way the joint and shaft were put together were flawless.
Your first cue brought back some nice memories.
Think for the most part new cues play better. I think they get better every year. But I have to admit the cues I use were built by cuemakers that have decades of experience.
George made more than a few duds. But they were pretty!
Thank you
Nick

 

[thepavlos]

I don't know if someone asked this already but regarding the 3rd cue: is it ebony prongs with a rosewood butt or is it dark rosewood in the points?
Thank you
Paul

 

[merylane]

john im not saying anything bad just wondering. i know how hard making cues on 1 lathe is. i am doing it now. making 100+ cues would be very hard. however george never came close to 100 cues in a year. it is documented he made around 30 a year until the 70's where he stepped up to around 75. maybe the reason for this is bc he had multiple sources for forearms in the 70's.

i think u are misunderstanding me. if he knew what he wanted then why not make your own?
great cuemakers like harvey martin felt points and inlays weakened the cue.
brinter who taught a great like herman rambow made cues like the 360 that had a million vpoint and butterflies. guess thats a matter of opinion

12 blanks a month from burt, 12x12=144.....mmmmmm..?

 

[Duane Remick]

12 blanks a month from burt, 12x12=144.....mmmmmm..?

Speaking of Bushka's...
Nice line-up of cues on Lucky's site, THEY LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!

 

[toomanybugs]

Nice collection!

please ask for any special pics my in house pro photographer wil be shooting some cues this week, good hi-res stuff etc, close ups etc. now is the time, on any of the cues I have, Szams. Tads, Sw's, Ginacues, Bushkas, and a few other cues I never mentioned-not bigtime cues, but cues that are special to me.

Yes, I for one would like to see some pictures of the cues on a pool table, grouped by maker. You have a wonderful collection, of which I like to see more clearer.

Thank you for sharing them with us. Its like a cue museum on the web.

Adam

 

[dave sutton]

just a hint

12 blanks a month from burt, 12x12=144.....mmmmmm..?

George Balabushka: Inducted 2004
George started in 1959 and made about 30 cues per year. He used the Brunswick Titlist as the foundation for his earlier cues. In the mid 1960s he started using some blanks made by Burton Spain. Around 1971 he started using blanks made by Gus Szamboti. He was up to about 75 cues per year when he passed away in 1975. A cue that he built for under $100 new might bring several thousand dollars today.

yes the blue book says 12 month 500 to 600 total spain blanks.

also says me made 1100 to 1200 total cues over 16 years.

1200 divided by 16 is 75 per year ( best case) ......mmmmmmmmmmm.?

again ur missing my point. since were regurgitating information. blue book says cues without rings went for $70 to 140$. if he knew how to cut points. would it be more profitable to make his own. i mean what was he payin for blanks.