Was Balabushka an assembler...?

cueman said:
He was both. And every cuemaker I know is both. I know of no single cuemaker who makes ever single part of the cue from scratch. I also know of no cuemakers who have been at it very long who do not make any of the parts from scratch. You saying George did not make "any of the parts himself" is wrong. He did not make the prongs in his pointed cues as you pointed out. That is only one part of a cue. What about butt sleeves? Handles? Tapering shafts? Making the butt plate? His unique weight bolt system? Installing linen? Inlays? Ferrules?

I know of no cuemaker who weaves his own Irish linen.
A few make their own screws. Most buy their screws and weight bolts.
Very few skin their own animals or reptiles to produce their own leather wraps.
Very few make the materials from scratch that ferrules and rings are made out of. Most buy round stock and cut it up.
Very few make their own tips. Some do.
Very few cut their own wood from the forest. Most buy their shafts already doweled and their exotic woods in squares or boards.
Very few cut their own veneers and dye them.
So in the very thing George gets criticized for, even the people who made his blanks did not make their own veneers to go into the point blanks. So in that aspect they were assemblers also.
Everyone uses some materials or parts that they did not produce from raw materials. Just because some use more than others does not mean they are not cuemakers.
People who throw the “Cue Assembler” insult around so freely must think that all the parts come in ready to screw together and glue up like a model airplane with no machining to be done. But that is not the case. Because even for those who buy point and shaft blanks, there are holes to drill, threads to be tapped, tenons to be cut, rings to be made, and many other machine processes including tapering.

So yes Gus was right, George indeed excelled as a cuemaker.
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Yup.

Thanks

Kevin
 
What does it matter?

I still make special efforts to see paintings from Vermeer and Caravaggio. The suggestions that they and other “masters” may have been assisted by camera obscura or mirrors in establishing their compositions have not devalued their art.

How many songs did Sinatra or Elvis write?
 
My bottom line on this.
If a Balabuska played bad, George should be held responsible.
If a Balabuska played well, George should get the credit.
 
Best hitting cue on the planet

I believe the end result is what matters most in the building of cues. Heres alittle story which i'm happy to share a few years ago mark k. Invited me to his poolhall in conn. To check out some cues. Well after a couple of hours of playing with some of the nicest cues on the planet(thanks mark) mark handed me his personal g.bushka to hit a few balls with and i can honestly say that was the best hitting cue on the planet....................
So the end result is g.b. Is the finest cuemaker in the cuemaking history ....... And lucky for us pete tascarella picks up the torch and continues making the finest cues to be played with......imho
 
I was under the impression that George bought shafts from Palmer, per Tate the Palmer collector.

Elmer's glue, really? I would have thought he would have used hide glue. It was the main glue that guitar builders used until 1964 for its superior holding capabilities and ease of repair as it can be taken apart with heat and water. Now it's a $1500 upgrade.

And whoever said he wasn't a skilled wood worker didn't realize that George made a wooden finger in place of the one he lost.

With regards to Ernie and George, I really don't think George would use flat bottomed points in a cue.
 
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Chris....very well said. Everyone can nit pick...but you are correct,,,there is a lot that goes into making a cue...regardless how you get.make the parts and pieces. To be honest even how they all go together is a talent and art...not only in colors, designs, etc...but just glue lines, finish work...getting a wrap perfectly flush with the cue.

Even if a cue came pre cut and ready to assemble,,,I think it takes practice and talent to put it together with precision....while adhering to weight, balance, keeping round, feel, resonance...and so on.

I welcome anyone to try it some time....they might be surprised.
 
Chris....very well said. Everyone can not pick...but you are correct,,,there is a lot that goes into making a cue...regardless how you get.make the parts and pieces. To be honest even how they all go together is a talent and art...not only in colors, designs, etc...but just glue lines, finish work...getting a wrap perfectly flush with the cue.

Even if a cue came per cut and ready to assemble,,,I think it takes practice and talent to put it together with precision....while adhering to weight, balance, keeping round, feel, resonance...and so on.

I welcome anyone to try it some time....they might be surprised.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Gus Samboti, said that George Balabushka excelled as a cue maker.
Question: Was Balabushka a cue maker, or was he a cue assembler, since he did not make any of the parts himself (the prong for instance)? :smile:
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No. He was a cue maker. An assembler would be just as the word describes, one who assembles.

Everyone who plays pool with two piece pool cues is a cue assembler.

If cues were simply a bunch of pre-made parts that all screwed together then the person who screwed them together would be an assembler.

But once the parts have to worked on and modified to fit the person doing the work becomes a builder, or maker.

George took parts that COULD NOT be assembled into a cue without transforming them and transformed them into a cue. Any time you are starting with raw parts and cutting into the wood, sanding the wood, tapering the wood, reshaping it to your will, eventually ending up with a finished pool cue you are a cue maker. If you simply do these things on finished cues you are a cue repairman.

So no, George was not a cue assembler. He was a cue maker. That he chose Szamboti or others to make his blanks only indicates that he was smart enough to outsource some of the work as long as the blanks met his standard of quality. It woud be no different than if he had hired someone to work in his shop and trained them to make blanks.
 
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