That's why I'm asking. Why would he have rosewood(or any other wood)if he didn't build blanks.
Why is Tascarella the Bushka expert?
- Thread starter hang-the-9
- Start date
That's why I'm asking. Why would he have rosewood(or any other wood)if he didn't build blanks.
For one, Rosewwod for butt sleeves, if he was using a Shorty full splice or any half splice blank in building any three-piece butt. Maple for shafts and handles.
Plus he worked with wood. He had wood.
For Jason:....He did build at least one full length rosewood cue. The Golden Balabushka
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Tim, I can't seem to PM you. I sent you a note on the other site.
That would be cool if they still are around. I hope his sons have them. He only made a handful. Half a dozen is what Greg B. told me. My notes don't have Greg saying "I still have one," or anything though.
Freddie
"If you admit that you play the accordion
You'll never play for a rock and roll band"
Ok.. The acordion music you requested is in your AZ inbox..
Play it proudly
Thanks, bud!
didn't know I was VIP
i don't know where this stuff about not being able to get cue from him unless you
were a vip or a world champion or whatever got started, but it is a bunch of crap.
I was just a kid, like 16 when I got my first one. My good buddy Alf Taylor got one
when we were hanging around the Cotton Bowling Palace in Dallas. I got his number
called him and got the cue in about 3 weeks. I purchased like 6 or so more, once
got 2 at the same time. There were numerous players in Dallas that got cues from him.
Jr. Howe, Red Fisher, John Sanchez, my buddy DEANO and so on. Red got a
merry widow rosewood from him. I got a rosewood Hoppe style from him after I saw
the one Gene Nagy had while he was in town. The longest I ever waited was like a
couple of months, and that was for the last cue I got from him which was the last
cue he shipped before he died . It is now in the Glen collection. Maybe I was a VIP
or maybe all of us that were hanging around Times Square pool room in Dallas were.
jack
i don't know where this stuff about not being able to get cue from him unless you
were a vip or a world champion or whatever got started, but it is a bunch of crap.
I was just a kid, like 16 when I got my first one. My good buddy Alf Taylor got one
when we were hanging around the Cotton Bowling Palace in Dallas. I got his number
called him and got the cue in about 3 weeks. I purchased like 6 or so more, once
got 2 at the same time. There were numerous players in Dallas that got cues from him.
Jr. Howe, Red Fisher, John Sanchez, my buddy DEANO and so on. Red got a
merry widow rosewood from him. I got a rosewood Hoppe style from him after I saw
the one Gene Nagy had while he was in town. The longest I ever waited was like a
couple of months, and that was for the last cue I got from him which was the last
cue he shipped before he died . It is now in the Glen collection. Maybe I was a VIP
or maybe all of us that were hanging around Times Square pool room in Dallas were.
jack
Darn Shame
All -
Its a darn shame that more information wasn't included in the paperwork that Pete got when he bought the shop.
Gus had a detailed notebook, I have been told. Laurie has a solid record of every cue they made.
But then again, I bet the majority of cue makers don't have a detailed listing of all of their cues they have made.
Bill Stroud stops in on AZ fairly often and is helpful if there is a question on one of his old cues, but seems to work off of memory instead of a reference. Bill made a cue that was a "catalog" cue (ie he had a flyer with various models, and you could order that model), that was incredible. I asked him how many of those did you build? He said, "Less than 6 but probably close to 5"....so that is about close to a number you would get from him.
Great thread.
Ken
All -
Its a darn shame that more information wasn't included in the paperwork that Pete got when he bought the shop.
Gus had a detailed notebook, I have been told. Laurie has a solid record of every cue they made.
But then again, I bet the majority of cue makers don't have a detailed listing of all of their cues they have made.
Bill Stroud stops in on AZ fairly often and is helpful if there is a question on one of his old cues, but seems to work off of memory instead of a reference. Bill made a cue that was a "catalog" cue (ie he had a flyer with various models, and you could order that model), that was incredible. I asked him how many of those did you build? He said, "Less than 6 but probably close to 5"....so that is about close to a number you would get from him.
Great thread.
Ken
I had the pleasure of playing with a 1965 Balaabushka at my pool hall. This guy used to come by and he bought the cue directly from George and he let me play with it for about a half-hour. It played fantastic, like a flexible piece of glass is the only way I can describe it.
I have two of Pete's cues, one short splice and one made from his full splice blank. The short splice plays the closest to that Bushka of any cue I have played since. I actually prefer the full splice (both are steel jointed), but both play very similar to the Bushka.
I also would like to add that the finish on Pete's cues is the hardest and most durable finish I have ever seen. I am rough on cues, and it takes a lot to put a ding in his finish.
-dj
You haven't gotten much response to this question, which is a fair one, so I'll try to help, having played some with both George and Tasc cues.
The dimensions are different, as I said before. George's were a bit shorter, and a bit thicker. Feel of a cue is subjective, so individual preference would dictate which one would be preferable.
The hit of a cue is not so subjective. Either a cue has a good hit or there are some problems. Both George's and Pete's cues have good solid hits, given the level of craftsmanship and work in both. Attention to detail on both of them is no doubt why this is the case.
Is there a difference then, if both used the same techniques? Well, maybe a little. If you hit some with George's cues in the 70s, they originally had the old French Champion tips on, while Pete's cues come currently with LePros, with red fiber bases. I think they do it to be reminiscent of the old French Champion tip. The old Champion tip was much softer than a current LePro tip, even though the Champion may have been touted as a "hard" tip at the time. It wasn't, believe me. So, to make a short story long, assuming similar height of tip, my memory is that George's cues had a nice solid hit, and it was a bit more compliant than a current Tasc, which has a bit more crisp hit to it. This assumes a 5/16 X 14 shaft with steel joint, with a buttplate bumper for each, which the vast majority of George's cues had.
Just to add a bit of proof to the nostalgia, here are some of my old stock French Champion tips (along with some Crowns), which most of you have not played for some time, if ever. Completely different from today's, whether single or multi-layer. Both solid hitting cues; and original tips make a lot of difference. Hope that helps.
All the best,
WW
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Sorry for the delay. Yes indeed, the very same. I first met Jack at Goodfellow AFB near San Angelo, TX. He came to give a show and put on a mini-tournament. He took a shine to me when he saw me masse around 3 balls with a $12.00 KMart cue. He invited me to play a game he wanted to show everyone "Last Pocket" - He even let me shoot the last ball in to a different pocket so I could have the satisfaction of running out. Very sweet guy. Awesome cue... He said it was a Balabushka and let me hold it and hit a few balls. I had not a clue who Balabushka was, but I was struck at how clean and shiny new it looked. That was around 1990.
As I traveled around to different bases, I saw him a couple other times and stopped in to say hi and watch his show and compete in tournaments. By that time I had procured a McDermott D1 and a Huebler merry widow. He was a nice man that genuinely loved what he did. He always acted like he remembered who I was LOL. Maybe he did, either way it was nice that he thought so much of every person.
Lesh
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jack...Interesting! I got mine in Oct. of 1975. George passed away in December. I thought perhaps I had the last cue he completed, but it appears not. I know Tascarella completed all the the cues that were in process when George died. I sold mine 25 years ago to the girl that started Atlas Billiard Supply, for several thousand dollars, with the stated intent that I had first right of refusal if they ever chose to sell it. They still have the cue! I always ask Richard Welch about the cue every time I see him at trade shows or whatever! :thumbup:
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Lesh...I just wanted to clear up something about Jack White. He NEVER owned a real Balabushka in his life. He was close friends with Gene Balner, and was a Palmer dealer. The "bushka" that he always played with in his shows was actually an old Rich cue. Of course he, for decades, insisted it was a Balabushka, because of the cachet of the name, but it was baloney. I knew Jack for 45 years, and after I had my Balabushka for a few years, and had learned about the hallmarks, etc., I confronted my mentor with the facts, and he admitted to me privately that in truth it was not a Balabushka. LOL Sometimes when you tell a lie long enough, you actually believe it yourself.
Interestingly I also visited Goodfellow in 1994, to do a show there with Jack, after which we went to the West Texas Boys Ranch, where he always did a pro bono show for the boys there, whenever he would be in San Angelo. I always thought it was wierd that there was no real AFB at Goodfellow (no runways or planes)...just buildings housing the people who lived and worked there. I completely agree that JW was a one of a kind individual, and was always very nice to everybody!
So now you know...the rest of the story! :thumbup:
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Interestingly I also visited Goodfellow in 1994, to do a show there with Jack, after which we went to the West Texas Boys Ranch, where he always did a pro bono show for the boys there, whenever he would be in San Angelo. I always thought it was wierd that there was no real AFB at Goodfellow (no runways or planes)...just buildings housing the people who lived and worked there. I completely agree that JW was a one of a kind individual, and was always very nice to everybody!
So now you know...the rest of the story! :thumbup:
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
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Freddie...I also knew that George didn't do many leather wraps, but the ones he did were spectacular. Actually even though I had seen dozens of his cues, I had never even seen another Balabushka with a leather wrap until about 5-6 years ago. I was playing some with a friend at Wyncoop in Denver, and I spied a Balabushka just sitting on a nearby table...and it had a leather wrap. I walked over to look at the cue, and the owner, who was sitting nearby, said, "Please DON'T TOUCH that cue!." I laughed respectfully, and sat down to talk to him, to explain that I had a similar cue 20 years earlier. We had a good conversation, and he not only allowed me to see the cue, but also let me hit some balls with it. The "feel" came rushing back to me! LOL I don't know how many leather wraps GB did, but it couldn't have been too many! :thumbup:
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Spoke to Paul Rubino last night, after sending him to this thread... he said other than getting a massive migraine, he would add the following... He mentioned the shaft receipt in the Billiard Encyclopedia, dated 4/73 for 960 shafts, pre-turned. He spoke to the wood supplier during his interviews for the book. He mentioned, he was sure that the shafts were turned to around 13.5mm, with around an .870/.890 diameter at the collar end. He also mentioned that the supplier and George had an agreement, any shaft that could fit a quarter under it, is all George had to pay for that shaft.
He said George was savvy enough to buy the parts as complete as far along as possible. (Shafts, Blanks, Inserts, etc..)
Other tidbits, was George co-owned a pool room in NY and had to sell his share to focus on his cue business which growing very steadily. He also mentioned he probably made some cues earlier than '59...
This from a recognized cue historian...
JV
He said George was savvy enough to buy the parts as complete as far along as possible. (Shafts, Blanks, Inserts, etc..)
Other tidbits, was George co-owned a pool room in NY and had to sell his share to focus on his cue business which growing very steadily. He also mentioned he probably made some cues earlier than '59...
This from a recognized cue historian...
JV
I don't think Pete "completed" ALL the cues that were in progress when George died. In fact, I don't know if he completed any around that time and only know of a few he worked on including the recently completed GTB cue. I'll have to mention that to Pete next time I talk to him.
Pete still has 16 or 17 cues that are in various stages of completion from George. I got to see about 8 of them when choosing for the GTB.
JV
JV
Yep I knew that.. I want one. :wink: