Which cuemakers worked for a top cuemaker?
- Thread starter LC3
- Start date
I am with you. This tree is going to become nothing but a weeping willow.
BTW.. Mike Morgan is doing repairs for Adam cues, just like the Tascarellas did way back.
JV
I hope you're not suggesting in any way shape or form that Gus worked for George. He didn't.
Freddie
It is correct that Bill was a partner in Tim's business. They also made cues that were a collaborative effort being worked on on both shops. Bill never worked for another cuemaker but in the early days worried the crap out of both George Balabuska and Gus Szamboti and probably several more in discussions on the making of cues.
There is more to the story with Bill and Tim but until they want to discuss that it should stay with them.
Excerpts from InsidePOOL Magazine 2010 - Vol II (February) Bender Cues - A Study in Synergy, F. Agnir
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In 1989, Mike, Tracy, John, and Ed (Boada) started setting up shop in Wauconda, IL. Ed named the new venture the Omega Cue Company. He invited well known cuemaker David Kersenbrock to the shop to pick his brain. David was in the middle of writing his cue building book and not actively building cues, so he was available to come to the shop. Kersenbrock showed the group some of his techniques like pressing linen wraps, using live tooling on the lathe and the use of a table saw to taper shafts. “We spent most of those five days building the table saw shaft machine,” recalls Bender. “After that, David left.”
Some assume that Kersenbrock taught Bender how to build cues. Actually, David only spent those five days at the shop when it first opened. Mike had already developed and established his own theory and method of building cues. “I don’t make them like David,” says Mike. “I already had the design of my cues set before he visited. But I’ll always be grateful for his shaft machine concept.”
The signature look of the cues included a 5-pt spliced forearm, a design element introduced by Tracy Dunham. Although no significant similarities existed between an Omega and a Kersenbrock Cue, Ed Boado thought that they could pay homage to David Kersenbrock while using the Kersenbrock image as a marketing tool. They added David Paul Kersenbrock’s initials “dpk” to the Omega name which proved to be a marketing success.
In Aug 1990, David Kersenbrock returned to Omega/dpk doing inlay work until 1993. Prior to David’s return, Mike used a pin router for inlays then moved on to a pantograph. Kersenbrock introduced Mike to making pantograph templates with an optical device, a method Mike continues to use.
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So, that's pretty much it. Mike already was building cues and his structure didn't change after the 5 day Kersenbrock visit. The "dpk" was added as a gesture and marketing tool.
If building a table saw shaft machine (which Jerry Franklin and Kersenbrock built together first for South West Cues) and showing how to make pantograph templates (Mike already had his own pantograph but adapted Kersenbrock's template-making) constitutes "Kersenbrock taught Bender," then I think that's misrepresentation.
And a "business relationship" was never mentioned as far as Kersenbrock was concerned.
Bender was already building cues as a transition from repairing them and was an award-winning Industrial Arts machinist before he got into cues.
Freddie <~~~ lover, not a teacher
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paulcourville
Carolina Custom Shooter
You're correct in saying that Gus Szamboti never worked FOR George Balabushka.. Gus just sold George half of his cues, ready made...lol
George Balabushka never made a whole cue in his lifetime.. he bought Brunswick house cues that he cut in half and added parts to make into a 2 piece cue that he then resold. George also bought ready made point blanks from Herman Rambow then from Burton Spain and later from Gus Szamboti after Gus learned how to make his own points. There are many people out there that even today make nothing but point blanks to sell to "custom" cue makers who never mention that half of their "custom" cues are actually made by someone else...
George Balabushka never made a whole cue in his lifetime.. he bought Brunswick house cues that he cut in half and added parts to make into a 2 piece cue that he then resold. George also bought ready made point blanks from Herman Rambow then from Burton Spain and later from Gus Szamboti after Gus learned how to make his own points. There are many people out there that even today make nothing but point blanks to sell to "custom" cue makers who never mention that half of their "custom" cues are actually made by someone else...
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my first nice cue bought from these guys 1968
a garage was their shop. they were doing well, my cue came without the Joss logo because of the supply and demand at the time
became friends with Timmy from that point on. today I play with one of Timmy's cues and have since retired the original Joss
Do Bobby Hunter and Joe Gold of Cognoscenti Cues still share a shop in Chicago?
If not, they used to several years ago... and there's a lot of design similarities between Bobby's cues and Joe's cues... at least appearance-wise.
Did Bobby apprentice under Joe?
If not, they used to several years ago... and there's a lot of design similarities between Bobby's cues and Joe's cues... at least appearance-wise.
Did Bobby apprentice under Joe?
Came to post this. Also Bill Stroud and Dan Jane's were partners for several years.
SOme History
Mike Wheeler worked for Bill Stroud-JOSS WEST
RICHARD BLACK, &
Billy Schick...
NOW BUILDS His Own cues
"According to an Interview WITH MIKE BENDER In a recent Pool / Billiards magazine...
DPK Was added as a partner to the Omega cues company,for BUSINESS PURPOSES ONLY...DPK Never worked on a SINLGE CUE, Nor Taught or showed ANYTHING To Mike Bender
James WHite Learned from PAUL MOTTEY,
and
YEARS AGO Harvey Martin, Gina-Ernie Gutierrez And TAD ALL Worked together, According to Joe Salazar
Dennis Searing was abducted by the Keebler Elves and LEARNED AMAZING TRICKS for building his cues
Mike Wheeler worked for Bill Stroud-JOSS WEST
RICHARD BLACK, &
Billy Schick...
NOW BUILDS His Own cues
"According to an Interview WITH MIKE BENDER In a recent Pool / Billiards magazine...
DPK Was added as a partner to the Omega cues company,for BUSINESS PURPOSES ONLY...DPK Never worked on a SINLGE CUE, Nor Taught or showed ANYTHING To Mike Bender
James WHite Learned from PAUL MOTTEY,
and
YEARS AGO Harvey Martin, Gina-Ernie Gutierrez And TAD ALL Worked together, According to Joe Salazar
Dennis Searing was abducted by the Keebler Elves and LEARNED AMAZING TRICKS for building his cues
Verysmallrocks
m0ney $hot
I don't know about Bob, but it's plausible since Joe and Bob are both Chicago natives.
I do however know that Joe learned from Craig Peterson and David Kershenbrock. I still remember meeting Dave when Joe dragged him in to the Chicago Billiard Cafe, and I happened to be sitting up front, and Joe always stopped to talk with me, so he introduced Dave. Dave showed me his cue design blueprints, and talked with me for nearly an hour while Joe did his thing. Joe disappeared for about a year after that day. When he came back, I was again at the CBC, which was terrifically lucky in both cases, as I never hung out there too often. He brought in his very first Cognoscenti, which was a plain Jane with different rings than the ones on all his later cues. He offered it to me and anyone else in the room for $600, which at the time I thought was steep. Oops!
I know Evan Clarke worked with Bob Runde at Schon for many years, and that it was Bob who produced the designs and style.
I used to know everyone that ever worked for Ray Schuler, but I have largely forgotten their names. Ray being a horse's ass may have influenced my lack of memory. The only two I do remember are Adrian Viguera and Mark Vogel, but I have no idea what they are doing anymore. Last I heard Mark was in AZ working for a now defunct cue maker whose name is escaping me.
I have known others from the Chicago area who made cues, but most of them were pretty terrible at it at first, so I don't recall their names.
