Tascarella owners club only entire here !

[Lépine]

... For me, the 1st that comes to mind, and in my opinion the TOP cue to ever come out of the Tascarella shop that I know of, is the GTB cue built for Joe and Mark using one of the last few assembled George B. butts with a Gus blank found in George's shop after he passed. The shop finished the cue to Joe's and Mark's direction using all period correct materials and specs. It's very fancy but not the MOST elaborate for the op's question, but I would want THAT cue over any other built out of the Tascarella shop because it ties together the lineage and top tier craftsmanship between Balabushka, his connection with Gus Szamboti, and the continuation of excellence from the Tascarella shop...but that's me. Second would be my veneered diamond cue with one of George's original socket cap screws securing the delrin buttcap to the butt sleeve of course LOL

Is this the one? It's funny that we haven't seen a total of 18 of these yet. That blank by the way is about $17,000 all by itself, before the Tascarellas touch it. Wasn't it made for the 40th Anniversary of GB's passing?

 

[skins]

Is this the one? It's funny that we haven't seen a total of 18 of these yet. That blank by the way is about $17,000 all by itself, before the Tascarellas touch it. Wasn't it made for the 40th Anniversary of GB's passing?

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For details about the cue you'd have to talk to Joe VB or Mark K.... as for how many blanks were left in George's shop that could have been finished, I'm not exactly sure, but I'd guess a few may never be used to complete a cue. The other one Joe and Mark have, which was the last complete butt minus inlay work that George was working on at the time of his passing, will most likely never be finished.

 

[jasonlaus]

For details about the cue you'd have to talk to Joe VB or Mark K.... as for how many blanks were left in George's shop that could have been finished, I'm not exactly sure, but I'd guess a few may never be used to complete a cue. The other one Joe and Mark have, which was the last complete butt minus inlay work that George was working on at the time of his passing, will most likely never be finished.

Is this the one? It's funny that we haven't seen a total of 18 of these yet. That blank by the way is about $17,000 all by itself, before the Tascarellas touch it. Wasn't it made for the 40th Anniversary of GB's passing?

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Why would the blank be worth 17k? It's a Szamboti blank

 

[Hungarian]

Why would the blank be worth 17k? It's a Szamboti blank

Maybe $1,700?

 

[jasonlaus]

Maybe $1,700?

I paid more than that for the 4 I bought, but there's no chance 17k. Hell, you can buy a fairly nice Bushka for that amount

 

[Lépine]

$17,000 is the going rate if you want to buy one now. And it is not just a Szamboti blank, it is a nearly complete George Balabushka. There are only 4 left that I am aware of available out of the 18 originals. For a nearly complete "Last Works"one, Classiccues is asking $50,000. These are not just Gus Blanks which are only the points. These are nearly complete Balabushka. Yes, I am aware you can buy a complete Balabushka for that amount. I have two of them. However, you likely won't rebuild a vintage Balabushka into a design you want. Many of them are in poor condition with dents and the glue has been compromised.

With an original 1974-1975 Balabushka blank, it is possible like the GTB to inlay it the way you want, choose the weight, choose the wrap, the joint, and most importantly, choose the length to be a modern length of up to 60 inches. If you commission Ernie, Richard, Berry, or Pete to make the cue, it is a limitless cue. Why settle for ordinary if you can have anything you want? It is then built by the most important cue makers in history, and fully documented if you buy the parts from the right sources that can prove with a paper trail the parts came from George Balabushka, it is nearly a one of a kind. Money should not limit your possibilities, only time can do that.

This is an example of one of the George Balabushka blanks. It has the Gus Szamboti points, George's A Joint and handle. It will play like a brand new George Balabushka if completed by one of the masters that fully understands how George made his cues.

 

[bbb]

just so i dont assume anything you know what happens when you do assume,,,,,
GTB cue(s) are a george balabushka partially finished handle by george that pete finished to make a complete cue
is that correct?
how many GTB cues are there?
if pete still has partially completed handles/wood/acrylics/bumpers etc from george that were in george's shop when he died
and pete makes a cue using that material
will there possibly be more GTB cues?

 

[Lépine]

Getting a high end George Balabushka is not challenging. There's a thousand of them. And many people willing to sell them. Some people have owned dozens of them. Finding a George Balabushka blank proved to be months of phone calls and referrals to track them down. Only three of them can I get authenticated as having come from Josephine. $17,000 is not that crazy considering how rare an authentic blank is.

 

[Lépine]

just so i dont assume anything you know what happens when you do assume,,,,,
GTB cue(s) are a george balabushka partially finished handle by george that pete finished to make a complete cue
is that correct?
how many GTB cues are there?
if pete still has partially completed handles/wood/acrylics/bumpers etc from george that were in george's shop when he died
and pete makes a cue using that material
will there possibly be more GTB cues?

The GTB is an original partial George Balabushka. It was the points and handle only. The inlays, sleeve, joint, butt cap, and shafts were added to complete the cue. More "GTB" are possible except JV doesn't want the GTB marking to be used again, but that is what a Tascarella Balabushka is. I found one blank in California and three in New York. When I started my project there were 7. So several George Balabushka blanks are now sold.

My memory is not that great, one of the GTB out there was made from a blank and the owner already had the acrylic parts. The red GTB, I don't remember where the other parts came from.

The "Last Works" was an interesting offer that came knocking at my door. However it limited my possibilities. It was too finished to justify altering it to what I wanted.

 

[bbb]

The GTB is an original partial George Balabushka. It was the points and handle only. The inlays, sleeve, joint, butt cap, and shafts were added to complete the cue. More "GTB" are possible except JV doesn't want the GTB marking to be used again, but that is what a Tascarella Balabushka is. I found one blank in California and three in New York. When I started my project there were 7. So several George Balabushka blanks are now sold.

My memory is not that great, one of the GTB out there was made from a blank and the owner already had the acrylic parts. The red GTB, I don't remember where the other parts came from.

The "Last Works" was an interesting offer that came knocking at my door. However it limited my possibilities. It was too finished to justify altering it to what I wanted.

Thank you for your replies