George Balabushka

[cornerstone]

I Had That Cue In My Hands, And It Has Certainly Been Used To Play.

You Feel Both Shafts Are Original?

Did You Buy It, Or Is The Seller Still Jerkin Everybody Around?

Without The Issues With The Cue, I Would Have Bought It, When It Was In My Poolroom A Few Weeks Back. And Now Considering The Run Around With The Cue, I Have Lost All Intrest.

why would you just make a post to degrade somone elses nice cue? Just curious

 

[JB Cases]

I'm a one pool stick pool player, normally my Szamboti or Hercek, both have ivory joints and ferrules and I break with them. Other than the cue I bring a good cube of chalk.

When the other players using their decaled Chinese cue or a Meucci and break with a house cue ask me why I would break with my 'good' cue I tell them "because it is a good cue" and ask them if theirs isn't good enough to break with.

I've had several Bushkas over the years, some were okay but a couple were great playing cues. I have a gut feeling that this one is is going to play jam up.

LOL good answer. I used to say what's the purpose of having a Porsche if you can't drive fast with it.

But - you have to admit - the "invention" of the break cue was an all time classic move - doubled cue sales overnight, not to mention what it did for cases. I don't know who came first with the "Break" cue - Huebler or Joss but either of them should be getting nice fat checks each month for their contribution to cue sales. ;-)

 

[WilleeCue]

When the other players using their decaled Chinese cue or a Meucci and break with a house cue ask me why I would break with my 'good' cue I tell them "because it is a good cue" and ask them if theirs isn't good enough to break with.

The issue of breaking has nothing to do with the strength of the cue but rather the shape of the tip.
Keep on breaking with it and the tip will mushroom, flatten, harden, and require much attention with a tip tool.
None of which is a good thing for a "shooter" looking for consistency.

However, "its a good cue" is the standard comeback.

 

[JB Cases]

The issue of breaking has nothing to do with the strength of the cue but rather the shape of the tip.
Keep on breaking with it and the tip will mushroom, flatten, harden, and require much attention with a tip tool.
None of which is a good thing for a "shooter" looking for consistency.

However, "its a good cue" is the standard comeback.

This is nonsense. Sorry Willee, normally I agree with you. Once your tip is in shape and settled in you can do any shot including the break and it's not going to move on you.

The invention of the "break" cue was something that came about because the break in nine ball was deemed the "most important shot" and someone thought "hey we should have a special cue for the most important shot".

Mike Sigel first recommended one on his videos in the early 90's. IIRC. Huebler also came out with the Break Jump in the late 80s.

Now of course it's a science with all the special break jump cues out there. I have made a lot of money selling break jump cues. And some of them work really well for breaking. But honestly, a break cue is not totally needed and all good players know it.

 

[thedude]

The issue of breaking has nothing to do with the strength of the cue but rather the shape of the tip.
Keep on breaking with it and the tip will mushroom, flatten, harden, and require much attention with a tip tool.
None of which is a good thing for a "shooter" looking for consistency.

However, "its a good cue" is the standard comeback.

I broke with a Hercules tip on my Jacoby for years without it effecting the tip. Sure, maybe I had to shape it more often... didn't do the statistics.

I've also been breaking for the last year with my Bob Frey SP, and sniper tips... with no ill effects to the tip. In fact, I've broken with every cue I've owned with the exception when I tried a predator 5k3... I was afraid the shaft on the predator would explode.

And BTW, there's nothing like seeing a well used bushka... thanks for the pics.

 

[steveinflorida]

The Need For Specialty Cues ?????

This is nonsense. Sorry Willee, normally I agree with you. Once your tip is in shape and settled in you can do any shot including the break and it's not going to move on you.

The invention of the "break" cue was something that came about because the break in nine ball was deemed the "most important shot" and someone thought "hey we should have a special cue for the most important shot".

Mike Sigel first recommended one on his videos in the early 90's. IIRC. Huebler also came out with the Break Jump in the late 80s.

Now of course it's a science with all the special break jump cues out there. I have made a lot of money selling break jump cues. And some of them work really well for breaking. But honestly, a break cue is not totally needed and all good players know it.

Puts me to mind of Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo. Back in the early sixties, I think, they nearly doubled the sales of the baby shampoo by adding ONE word on the back label immediatley following the instructions for use. That word......REPEAT.

 

[FAST_N_LOOSE]

why would you just make a post to degrade somone elses nice cue? Just curious

WHERE THE HELL DID I DIGRADE THE CUE?

I MADE STATEMENTS, AND ASKED A QUESTION.

THE CUE HIT THE BALL VERY WELL, BUT HAD ISSUES. MOST 40 YEAR OLD CUES DO, IT WASN'T AN ATTACK.

I MAY HAVE HAD A SLIGHT NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THIS CUE, BUT IF YOU HAD GONE THROUGH WHAT I DID INVOLVING THIS CUE, YOU'D ALSO BE NEGATIVE ABOUT IT.

THE CUE IS NICE, THE SELLER IS WHAT I HAD ISSUES WITH.

 

[billiardcue]

The issue of breaking has nothing to do with the strength of the cue but rather the shape of the tip.
Keep on breaking with it and the tip will mushroom, flatten, harden, and require much attention with a tip tool.
None of which is a good thing for a "shooter" looking for consistency.

However, "its a good cue" is the standard comeback.

Your statement is correct and incorrect.

Breaking with a cue will take some radius from the end of the tip and require more frequent attention if you prefer a perfectly radiused tip, but pocketing balls and chalking will also reduce the tip's radius.

A quality tip that is broken in and properly burnished on the side should not mushroom from breaking. If it does replace with a better tip and/or prepare it correctly.

Breaking can cause harm to the cue in that it can break a ferrule or even crack an ivory joint. Extreme follow through and contacting the table causing a lot of flex in the shaft will eventually break down the wood fibers in the shaft. Ask Mike Sigel how many break cue shafts he went through in his heyday.

Last night when I used the cue for the first time in a local bar tournament I did not break with it. Did not wnat to chance breaking a 40+ year old original ivory ferrule. If I crack an ivory ferrule or joint on my regular playing cues, which I do break with, Joel or Barry can replace. I can't have George Balabushka replace a ferrule.

 

[billiardcue]

I won a local bar table tournament with an old Bushka a few years ago. I even broke with it. The cue played great. Nobody would have known what it was if I hadn't told em. It was in a little better condition than yours, but not quite as fancy. If I left it there without telling people what it was, nobody would have wanted to steal it.

I got $25K for it.

I didn't win the tournament last night, the cue played much better than I did.

It's a sweet playing cue, I could easily replace either of my two regular playing cues with it and not miss a beat. Miss too many balls and/or position though, can't blame the cue.

 

[billiardcue]

WHERE THE HELL DID I DIGRADE THE CUE?

I MADE STATEMENTS, AND ASKED A QUESTION.

THE CUE HIT THE BALL VERY WELL, BUT HAD ISSUES. MOST 40 YEAR OLD CUES DO, IT WASN'T AN ATTACK.

I MAY HAVE HAD A SLIGHT NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THIS CUE, BUT IF YOU HAD GONE THROUGH WHAT I DID INVOLVING THIS CUE, YOU'D ALSO BE NEGATIVE ABOUT IT.

THE CUE IS NICE, THE SELLER IS WHAT I HAD ISSUES WITH.

Just in case there is any confusion, I am not the seller Marcus is reffering to. His comment is about the person I purchased the cue from.

I am the third owner of the cue, George Balabushka made it for Leo St. James circa 1967, the gentleman I acquired it from bought it from St. James in 1969. This man was a teenager at the time and has owned the cue for 39 years, he showed it to a couple of prospective buyers before me (Marcus being one of them) and because he was somewhat reluctant to part with something he owned most of his life and trying to get the best price he could if it was to be sold, he turned some people off.

He drove from NY to my home in Virginia, we got along fine, agreed on a price and I am now the proud owner of an exceptionally nice old piece of billiard history.

 

[FAST_N_LOOSE]

Just in case there is any confusion, I am not the seller Marcus is reffering to. His comment is about the person I purchased the cue from.

I am the third owner of the cue, George Balabushka made it for Leo St. James circa 1967, the gentleman I acquired it from bought it from St. James in 1969. This man was a teenager at the time and has owned the cue for 39 years, he showed it to a couple of prospective buyers before me (Marcus being one of them) and because he was somewhat reluctant to part with something he owned most of his life and trying to get the best price he could if it was to be sold, he turned some people off.

He drove from NY to my home in Virginia, we got along fine, agreed on a price and I am now the proud owner of an exceptionally nice old piece of billiard history.

I WAS ASSUMING EVERYONE KNEW YOU WEREN'T THE SELLER I WAS REFERRING TO.

IT WASN'T HIS RELUCTANCE TO SELL IT. I WAS HIS RELUCTANCE TO ACTUALLY FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS WORD. TWICE HE AGREED TO A PRICE, AND A TIME TO MEET, AND BACKED OUT BOTH TIMES.

MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT IT UP HERE, BUT THE SITUATION MADE ME EXTREMELY ANGRY. I DESPISE PEOPLE THAT DON'T HONOR THEIR WORD, AND FOLLOW THROUGH ON DEALS. THEY ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THE CUE HOBBY


ENJOY THE CUE, IT'S A GREAT PIECE OF BILLIARDS HISTORY.