I hit with a Balabushka yesterday!

pdcue said:
Not so good on the assumptions there Xey...

George built cues mostly for East coast<NY/NJ> straight pool players.
Not Barbox bangers. It was not unusual to see thick shafts on Bushkas.
He made whatever size the customer ordered, and 13mm and
larger was very popular amoung many players in those days.

Also, pro taper all the way. I have never seen, nor even heard of
one of George's shafts being conical.

Dale
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I saw several and don't remember seeing any with a 13 mm tip and certainly not larger. Mostly 12.5 or 12.7. Until Meucci started up, I don't remember anybody making 13mm. I'm not saying it didn't happen, just that I've never seen any. I've never seen a conical Bushka shaft, either.
 
jay helfert said:
Original Bushkas were 57", with 13mm tip standard. Mine was about 19oz.
Just felt good in my hands, with a nice balance to it. I remember that cue because it was so easy for me to play with.
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I found an old cue in poor condition a while back that was 57", I'm guessing there were other cuemakers making 57" cues also.
 
Pushout said:
I saw several and don't remember seeing any with a 13 mm tip and certainly not larger. Mostly 12.5 or 12.7. Until Meucci started up, I don't remember anybody making 13mm. I'm not saying it didn't happen, just that I've never seen any. I've never seen a conical Bushka shaft, either.
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Might be a regional thing - in the 70s, I never saw one that was
LESS than 13mm - the shafts on Rempe's Bushka were 13 1/2mm.

He might have still had that one when the pic in your avatar was taken

Dale
 
pdcue said:
Might be a regional thing - in the 70s, I never saw one that was
LESS than 13mm - the shafts on Rempe's Bushka were 13 1/2mm.

He might have still had that one when the pic in your avatar was taken

Dale
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It might be a regional thing, as you say. I think by the time I met Rempe, he was playing with an Adam. I had a 13 1/2 mm shaft that I ordered for my Palmer, and it was one of two, I think, that I had seen at that time. I didn't play with it long, however.
 
pdcue said:
Might be a regional thing - in the 70s, I never saw one that was
LESS than 13mm - the shafts on Rempe's Bushka were 13 1/2mm.

He might have still had that one when the pic in your avatar was taken

Dale
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Airways Fats has Rempe's old Balabushka.
 
pdcue said:
FWIW - Deno got his new from George, by way of Joe Burns
when they were uh..."partners" - around 1970 IIRC.
I sold him a NOS replacement bumper about 5 years ago
only took 1 year of negotiating

Dale Pierce
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Dale,what is your number for a NOS replacement bumper?
 
hangemhigh said:
Airways Fats has Rempe's old Balabushka.
Click to expand...

He certainly does - safely sequestered away somewhere.

It is a super rare "Rambo/Hoppe" style<Ivory ring>.

For years he has been playing with a cue made by some other guy.

Dale Pierce
 
jay helfert said:
I actually owned and played with two Balabushka cues in my life. 30 years ago you could buy one for $250. I sold my last one for $200 in 1974 in Dayton. Nice move huh. The sad thing is that I loved that cue. It had a nice clean solid hit. Nothing dramatic, just worked as it was intended.

I had bought it in L.A. a year before for $100 and played well with it, unitl I ran into Joey Spaeth in Dayton. He gave my 8-7 and the Break and beat me for $300 at 50 a game. I was pissed and when someone offered me 200 for the cue, I grabbed it. Who knew?
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yeah .it would have only been worth at least 5,000
 
jay helfert said:
Original Bushkas were 57", with 13mm tip standard. Mine was about 19oz.
Just felt good in my hands, with a nice balance to it. I remember that cue because it was so easy for me to play with.
Click to expand...
I shot with one once ... I remember it having a very hard hit ....
 
Williebetmore is correct about the unique hit of the Balabushka Cue, as I too have had the experience of playing with a Balabushka.

Before you get all frustrated and feel the hit of a Balabushka is out of you reach because you are finically challenged.

Consider buying a Keith Josey, or Jim Buss Cue with what I call those expensive old growth shafts both cuemakers offer a an upgrade. Those are the only (2) cuemaker I know of who offer those old growth shafts. Cost is about a 150 dollar/shaft upgrade.

As I have had the pleasure of being able to try out those old growth maple shafts that are kind of a ice tea or weak coffee color rather than the normal color of maple shafts.

Closest thing I have ever hit with compared to the old growth hit of a authentic Balabushka, and a deal if you can not find an authentic Balabushka for sale at a bargain price.
 
BreakNRunner said:
Williebetmore is correct about the unique hit of the Balabushka Cue, as I too have had the experience of playing with a Balabushka.

Before you get all frustrated and feel the hit of a Balabushka is out of you reach because you are finically challenged.

Consider buying a Keith Josey, or Jim Buss Cue with what I call those expensive old growth shafts both cuemakers offer a an upgrade. Those are the only (2) cuemaker I know of who offer those old growth shafts. Cost is about a 150 dollar/shaft upgrade.

As I have had the pleasure of being able to try out those old growth maple shafts that are kind of a ice tea or weak coffee color rather than the normal color of maple shafts.

Closest thing I have ever hit with compared to the old growth hit of a authentic Balabushka, and a deal if you can not find an authentic Balabushka for sale at a bargain price.
Click to expand...


you said what i have been saying here for months old wood is the best part of a cue, i'm playing with a Richard Black here in Germany and it plays good but the shafts suck, i have taken out more dings-they are as soft as balsa wood, i never get dings on shafts, i dont move balls with my shaft etc. but some how this cue just finds a way to get dings in it-the wood is soft and damn near green-the dings thus come out easily but when i get home, out comes an old cue with older wood. kiln dtied wood isnt the same, its like fine wine it takes time, old cues play better
 
Williebetmore said:
Imagine my surprise then yesterday when "Hal2" from Ohio made a visit to Betmore's Basement for a little straight pool; and pulled his Balabushka from the case. He was kind enough to let me hit with it for a while. Just an unbelieveable solid and accurate hit. I've always played with low-deflection Predator or OB-1 shaft; and the hit of the 'Bushka is very different (yes, better). It was just a pleasure to look at, and more of a pleasure to play with..
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I'm gonna tell you that if there was a personality & pool game that would fit with an original Balabushka, you've got it. And since you find it pleasurable, you should find one. IMO.

Fred
 
When Mark Griffin lived in Anchorage he had a HUGE cue collection which included something like a 8 or 10 Balabushkas. He had the best 30 or so cues readily assessable in his pool room (in his house) and encouraged people that he invited over to hit with all of them.

…very cool.
 
Original or Chinese?

Was it an Original or a Chinese model? Did you get the certificate of authenticity? LOL :rolleyes:
 
Cornerman said:
I'm gonna tell you that if there was a personality & pool game that would fit with an original Balabushka, you've got it. And since you find it pleasurable, you should find one. IMO.

Fred
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Fred,
I'm going to take that as a compliment (or a veiled reference to my pending membership in the "Old Fogey's Club").

I have considered buying one (have signed permission slip from the wife); but I worry about the deflection. I have always played with a Predator or OB-1; and I wonder if the MUCH better hit outweighs the need to re-learn side English (and the slightly higher margin of error this entails). I wonder what George Balabushka would say on this issue (or perhaps someone like Sailor could comment).
 
breakup said:
When Mark Griffin lived in Anchorage he had a HUGE cue collection which included something like a 8 or 10 Balabushkas. He had the best 30 or so cues readily assessable in his pool room (in his house) and encouraged people that he invited over to hit with all of them.

…very cool.
Click to expand...

breakup,
Yes, very cool. Mark is an awesome guy (and must be an awesome host as well).

P.S. - it must suck for you now that he's got that court injunction and you are not allowed within 100 yards of the 'Bushka's.
 
pdcue said:
He certainly does - safely sequestered away somewhere.

It is a super rare "Rambo/Hoppe" style<Ivory ring>.

For years he has been playing with a cue made by some other guy.

Dale Pierce
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funny, I happen to be selling a hoppe style bushka with even rarer ebony points. Other than that, it's a plain jane.

Also comes with a letter of authenticity from pete.

For that matter, I am also selling my other bushka. The provenance is off the charts on this one. I purchased it directly fronm George's son, gregory.

In the letter, it says the cue was built for him (gregory), but that his father used it as his own cue. and to boot, he can remember some champion players always coming to the house looking to "borrow" a cue for a tournament. he mentions Pete Margo specifically in the letter. Plain 4 pointer (rosewood) and 4 veneers.

any offers?

rg
 
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