How do those Adams "Balabushka's" play?

RoryHunt

RoryHunt

The King of "so close."
Silver Member
I am a sucker for the Balabushka stylings, and they make some beauts. I also can't afford the real thing. For 600 bucks is a person getting a good to great cue? Should a guy just get a Schon? Or even the Joss model that was used in TCOM?

Thanks for the input.
 
Nobody will ever tell you your wrong for buying a Schon cue. They are great player cues and they look snazzy.

I personally play with a Joss cue and my buddy owns a 15 year old Schon. They feel *almost* similar. My buddies Schon hits a bit stiffer. They both feel good an play well. I have never shot an Adams cue so I cannot comment on how well they play. If you like the Bushka style I'd trust that the Joss COM cue will be a fine player and down the line might have a tad more resale value (if you get tired of it or want to try another cue) then the Adams. Schon cues also have great resale value and are one of the most durable cues I have ever seen.

Hope this somewhat helps you making a decision.
 
I would get a Schon... Ive seen a few of the Adams GB cues, and IMO the quality isnt worth the price tags they have on them.
Chuck
 
They look nice in the pictures but are not all that great, go with a Joss or a Schon IMO, you could always post an add in the Wanted/For Sale section saying you have so much to spend and see what is offered, you will get something very nice and save some money. :wink:
 
Bushka Replicas

I'm a sucker for that styling too. My second cue was a Joss J-18 and it was my player for 15 years. I have an Adams replica of a Lou Butera cue that is really good looking and plays pretty well. I've played it with the original shaft and with a predator or a schon shaft. Is it worth the MSRP of $1000?, no. But I'd sell it to you for $350 + shipping and paypal. PM me if you'd like pictures.
 
schon or joss

i have had a few of the adams bushks they played ok nothing to write
home about. for the money go with schon or joss . price range you are
talking about look at stl 4 - stl 7 or joss aj-10 those cues play and look
good. pm me, will give you a price. john107:anderson sc
 
Adms Balabushka

Actually the Adams's cues are very nice cues and play as well as any other well made cue. The "hit" and "playability" of any well made cue is too subjective to be the only indicator of what to buy. Tips, shaft tapers, etc, etc, make one cue play "better" than another to some and then you have to factor in the snob appeal and peer pressure of what the good players use. I have two Adams Buskas several Schons. Don't play with any of them and it certainly isn't because they aren't good cues. I just found a cue that matched what the criteria "I" wanted in a cue and thats the one I play with. I have too many cues from low end to high end customs and my advice to you is to buy the Schon over the Adams Buska simply because of resale value.
 
Schon's and Joss's name stand by themselves. Adams has to use Balabushka's name to lend value to a cue. Nuf said:wink:
 
Doug said:
The "hit" and "playability" of any well made cue is too subjective to be the only indicator of what to buy.
Click to expand...

Exactly why playability shouldnt be talked about, it means different things to different people.
Quality however is universal. The ones I have seen have points, inlays, and ringwork that all can be felt. The movement in the parts of the cue is due to under seasoned wood, and got worse over time. They have lower grade maple shafts with lots of sugar streaks and marks in them, and overall the finish isnt that good. That being said, if the cues were selling for 150-300 bucks..... fine, thats about what they are worth. 400 on up for them is robbery.
Chuck
 
I recommend you pick up a used custom cue in the wanted/for sale section.

The new Schons are not so hot with the CNC points and Joss cues are truely a production cue.

I recommend getting an older series Schon (if that is what you like), or a custom cue. It is a buyers market, especially on used cues.

JMO

Ken
 
I will take all of this into consideration, and i appreciate the feedback. After tax season, hopefully I will be in the market.
 
If you can get a old original Adams you will have a fine cue. A player on a team that I am on has one that I think he said he bought in the 60's. Lot of ivory and really a nice cue. The finish has turned yellow makes the ivory look yellow. There is a place where the finish is chipped off of the ivory and you can see that the ivory is white.
 
RoryHunt said:
I am a sucker for the Balabushka stylings, and they make some beauts. I also can't afford the real thing. For 600 bucks is a person getting a good to great cue? Should a guy just get a Schon? Or even the Joss model that was used in TCOM?

Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...

They play like an Adams cue. The only relation to a Balabushka is the name. For $600 you can get a very nice Schon or Joss, like others have said on here. Plus a bunch of other cues that all play good.
 
I have a GB 2 and really like it. I did get it for the styling, but am very satisfied with the play. I'm still using the orginal shaft. I've had the cue for about 5 years now.

The quality of mine is excellant. You cannot feel the points and they are sharp, the linen is smooth and flush and the joint fit is very snug making for a good hit. I've let a few people hit with it and they really like the feel and hit of it.

I don't have any problems getting the english I need. I've been thinking og getting one of the Legend series from Biliiard Warehouse, but I can't justify it cause I'm really happy with the one I got.

I've never missed a shot or played badly and been able to put any blame on how the stick plays. One thing about the GB 2 is that the butt is about 1/2 inch shorter than most butts. This info is not found any where. I like the length of it.
 
smokeandapancak said:
Adams stand on their own just fine.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for them now, but in the '80s they were as good a production cue as you could get. Richard Helmstetter was/is the man behind Adam cues and though they were made in Japan they were good playing cues.
 
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