I was in New York for business when a friend from New Jersey offered to pick me up and drive to Penndell Pennsylvania to visit his good friend, Gus Szamboti, the best cue maker of his time. When Gus answered the door the first thing he said was, "I understand you want to make cues". I stupidly said, "Yes” and Gus said, "I don't let cue makers into my shop!", then he let me in.
To get to where Gus made his cues we had to carefully walk down a narrow very steep set of stairs where I saw a very small space packed with the tools of his trade. My first question was how did you get all this equipment down here? Gus pointed to a small window with sunlight showing on the other side and said, "I took everything apart and put everything back together down here".
Gus explained that he machined and fitted everything on his cues then walked me over to one of his cues that had come in for a leather wrap. Gus said although he could have just wrapped the cue in leather he replaced the butt plate at no charge because he had figured out a better way to do the butt plate.
I then got yelled at for the way I was handling one of Gus's work in progress cues, after that I was afraid to ask any more questions. In spite of being chastised for my behavior Gus invited us to stay for dinner and I left what has been the best promise I have ever received, Gus said he would make me a cue!
When I got back home, of course I told the guys in the room that I was going to get a Szamboti. I didn't but I should have realized this caused a problem, people started asking if Gus would make them a cue. Looking for a safe way out I told the truth, Gus said the waiting list for his cues is so long that he would not be able to make cues for the people on the list in his lifetime.
There were two exceptions, Canadian Ross Nichols, an excellent snooker player, asked and when I called, Gus said, "Give Ross my number". When Gus talked to Ross Gus said he would get the cue to him in about one year but before they hung up Gus asked, “How old are you?” When Ross told him, Gus said, "I’ll have the cue for you in six months".
The second was Lee Boyer and when I talked to Gus, he said, "Give Lee my number".
This is link to Part 2 of my visit with Gus:
To get to where Gus made his cues we had to carefully walk down a narrow very steep set of stairs where I saw a very small space packed with the tools of his trade. My first question was how did you get all this equipment down here? Gus pointed to a small window with sunlight showing on the other side and said, "I took everything apart and put everything back together down here".
Gus explained that he machined and fitted everything on his cues then walked me over to one of his cues that had come in for a leather wrap. Gus said although he could have just wrapped the cue in leather he replaced the butt plate at no charge because he had figured out a better way to do the butt plate.
I then got yelled at for the way I was handling one of Gus's work in progress cues, after that I was afraid to ask any more questions. In spite of being chastised for my behavior Gus invited us to stay for dinner and I left what has been the best promise I have ever received, Gus said he would make me a cue!
When I got back home, of course I told the guys in the room that I was going to get a Szamboti. I didn't but I should have realized this caused a problem, people started asking if Gus would make them a cue. Looking for a safe way out I told the truth, Gus said the waiting list for his cues is so long that he would not be able to make cues for the people on the list in his lifetime.
There were two exceptions, Canadian Ross Nichols, an excellent snooker player, asked and when I called, Gus said, "Give Ross my number". When Gus talked to Ross Gus said he would get the cue to him in about one year but before they hung up Gus asked, “How old are you?” When Ross told him, Gus said, "I’ll have the cue for you in six months".
The second was Lee Boyer and when I talked to Gus, he said, "Give Lee my number".
This is link to Part 2 of my visit with Gus:
More About My Visit with Gus Szamboti
This is a link to Part One: https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/my-visit-to-gus-szamboti-basement-shop-in-penndel-pennsylvania.560699/ ************************ I asked Gus when he started making cues. Gus, a Tool and Die Maker and or Machinist said the wife of a co-worker asked him to make...
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