Please allow me to correct some false or misinformed information.
Gus Szamboti and George Balabushka never ever worked together on cues. In fact, they never even discussed methods or trade secrets with one another. Moreover, George was very secretive about his techniques and never disclosed any information with any cuemakers of that time, until Pete Tascarella(Pete's just my opinion, not spoken by Barry). The ONLY relationship that George and Gus had was that Gus made short spliced blanks for George, and that relationship could not have been formed prior to 1973 which is when Gus first started making prongs.
From conversations that I've had with Barry Szamboti in the past, I get the impression that his dad was for the most part self taught in area of cuemaking and that most of his progress was a direct result of trial and error. For example, let me share with you this quick story that Barry told me the last time I was at his shop. I'll put it in quotes, but it won't be verbatim to what Barry told me, mostly because I can't remember it word for word, but the story is true.
"My dad made his first prongs after 1973. It had to be, because that's when my brother got his drivers license. I remember dad working in the shop, trying to make these prongs, and he kept sending my brother and I to Sears to buy sawblades. There is no way that my dad was making prongs prior to that year, because that's when my brother turned 16 and was able to drive."
Listening to that story, while standing in Barry's shop and looking at all of the equipment, I could almost see visions of his dad standing in front of a piece of machinery and trying to figure out how to make prongs.
Anyway, having said that, rest assure that Gus Szamboti's only mentor was himself and that he never discussed, much less studied cuemaking from George Balabushka.
While it may have been possible to order a Gus Szamboti cue in 1972, it would be impossible to order a '4-pointer', as at that time, Gus was not making pronged cues. If he discovered prongs for himself in 1973, which according to Barry we know is a fact, then that cue must have been ordered in late 1973-1974. However, if he gave Gus an extra 50.00 to get it quicker(according to Barry, this was not uncommon for his dad to do), then I suspect that the cue must have been ordered in 1975 or later. My reasoning is that to my knowledge, Gus or Barry for that matter, wouldn't just throw together a blank and turn it into a cue. Gus would have needed time to build up a supply of 4 point blanks after he discovered how to make them in 1973, and those blanks would have needed time to cure, age and to be turned before Gus put them in a cue. So I would hazzard to guess that you friends Gus was made more in the 1975-1976 range at the absolute earliest.
Unfortunately, these men, as well as many other cuemakers from yesterday became famous after their ultimate demise, and many things that we hear or know about them is nothing more than folklore. Rumors that after being spread for so many years, turn into facts and so on. Luckily, in the case of Gus Szamboti, we have his son Barry to confirm or deny stories, facts, or any information about his dad. I'll leave you with this final thought from Barry, spoken to me in person.
"I can only confirm what someone tells me if I know it's a fact. Take my personal Gus Szamboti cue for example, I know my dad made it, but I didn't watch him make it with my own two eyes, so therefore I cannot say 100% that it's one of dad's cues."
Barry Szamboti would have never told me that his dad and George never worked together on cues together, unless he knew it was a fact.
