You Ask "Who Makes The Best Bushka Tribute?"

Skins-

I am not trying to an a$$, but I prefer your "Prince" to the tribute cue.

That cue IMO, is the best Tasc I have seen.

Sorry.

Ken

Yeah I also think that cue is up there with the nicest cues to come out of the Tascarella shop as well.... It is absolutely perfect. The tribute cue I think is the nicest "tribute" though.... :D Thanks Ken!
 
Tascarella builds awesome cues. He is certainly one of my favorites.


I wanted to throw out a few questions for opinions. What makes the best tribute cue? Accuracy to the original cue being used as the tribute? Attention to the smallest of details? The play-ability like George's cues? I see tribute thrown around a lot, so wanted to ask. BTW, the material in the butt sleeve is actually a material Palmer had made (Used by George). I have collected some of it lately, and used some in one cue so far. Nice stuff.


Pete Tascarella learned how to build cues by looking over the shoulder of George Balabushka.

Do you believe that to be accurate?
 
Tascarella....quite likely....a strong contender admittedly....but his version ivory cue joint gets both thumbs down.
I think it's an imitator but that's only my opinion on his cue joint.....and yes, I have played with one of his cues.

In the looks department, A+ all the way but I consider him as strictly a piloted steel joint cue-maker and that's why
I'll never buy a Tascarella pool cue and gosh, Tascarella cues are amply available with the secondary resale market.

Matt B.

Matt,
Please let us know what cue Pete is imitating with that joint? Since he did a sleeved ivory joint before anyone I know.

BTW Pete's cues are on the market, and I know this will rub people the wrong way but IDGAF, he rarely lets people cut in line regardless of how much they make or offer, and there are two guys in his shop which is why the Pete's can make them and try to get caught up. If Jr wasn't in the shop Pete would easily have an 8 year waiting list, and no guarantee he would take your order at 70 years old. He still makes cues the old way, and it should not be used against him that he has a son in the business.

JV
 
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Can I ask?

Do you think Balabushka's play as good as Pete's modern Cue? He has out built the fabled Balabushka. That is what I see. Never owned one of Pete's Cues but yes Balabushka's. Modern Cues just do better.
Pretty stuff,
Nick :)
 
...............I wanted to throw out a few questions for opinions. What makes the best tribute cue? Accuracy to the original cue being used as the tribute? Attention to the smallest of details? The play-ability like George's cues? I see tribute thrown around a lot, so wanted to ask...........


All of that plus the materials used and of course the overall fit and finish of the cue, dimensions ect.... I know there are some makers out there that make a great cue but for me personally if I want a tribute I go the one who has/had the closest relationship with/to the original..

Ya want a Buska type cue... Go to Pete 1st and if that don't work then Kline, or Jerry R., or Murrel...etc... There are enough that make a great cue but there's things about Tascs that only they pull off. There's a reason why their waiting list is so long....
 
Matt,
Please let us know what cue Pete is imitating with that joint? Since he did a sleeved ivory joint before anyone I know.

BTW Pete's cues are on the market, and I know this will rub people the wrong way but IDGAF, he rarely lets people cut in line regardless of how much they make or offer, and there are two guys in his shop which is why the Pete's can make them and try to get caught up. If Jr wasn't in the shop Pete would easily have an 8 year waiting list, and no guarantee he would take your order at 70 years old. He still makes cues the old way, and it should not be used against him that he has a son in the business.

JV

Absolutely.... So many people talk out their a$$es and know absolutely nothing, just to get into the discussion.... I learned from listening and keeping my mouth shut if my "opinion" wasn't based on some sort of semi factual knowledge of some kind... Now I know everything! :eek:

Skins >>>>> That last sentence is what my wife accuses me of at least... :wink:
 
First I would like to congratulations to You on a beautiful Pair of Tascarellas! The cues and the work in them speak for themselves . I had spoken to World Pro about picking this beauty up by it just wasn't in the budget without selling a cue and I couldn't get it done fast enough.

As far as secondary market Tasc's go ...It's usually the basic cues or some early cues that have "issues" with their points . It's rare that you see a Tasc of this caliber come to market.

Personally I play with a wrapless Full-splice Tasc with the sleeved Ivory joint and out of the 50 or so cues I own it would be the last cue I would ever sell.
 
Do you think Balabushka's play as good as Pete's modern Cue? He has out built the fabled Balabushka. That is what I see. Never owned one of Pete's Cues but yes Balabushka's. Modern Cues just do better.
Pretty stuff,
Nick :)

I think Pete's cues play just like the best hitting Bushka's I"ve played with. George used some suspect materials sometimes and inferior glues ect.. and those cues may not have been the gems that he was know to create so I think where The Pete's differ is in their consistency. Like any great maker, they can still tweak a cue to a certain customers liking without loosing that overall Tascarella feel and playability. It's those "tweaks" that some can argue make the cue subjective to their liking but every Tasc I've played with has the basic same feel regardless of tweaks. It's their basic feel that makes Tascarella's one of my favorite playing cues EVER and a MUST have for any collector for sure.
 
First I would like to congratulations to You on a beautiful Pair of Tascarellas! The cues and the work in them speak for themselves . I had spoken to World Pro about picking this beauty up by it just wasn't in the budget without selling a cue and I couldn't get it done fast enough.

As far as secondary market Tasc's go ...It's usually the basic cues or some early cues that have "issues" with their points . It's rare that you see a Tasc of this caliber come to market.

Personally I play with a wrapless Full-splice Tasc with the sleeved Ivory joint and out of the 50 or so cues I own it would be the last cue I would ever sell.

Thanks! Yeah Bobby was VERY reluctant about letting this go and the ONLY reason was because he prefers a leather wrap! Get that!! He likes to play with his cues not let them sit in a case and he did play with this one (ran a 160+ and multiple 100+'s)... He couldn't see replacing the wrap and taking away from the whole project of the replica tribute...

When I saw the listing my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe this cue was for sale. I immediately asked what he wanted and didn't blink or haggle (you cant do that with cues of this caliber or you loose out)... Bobby was Sooo gracious to let me work out a way to pay for it even though in the meantime he had other offers MORE than what was going to pay!.. Besides doing another project with the Pete's a cue like your full spliced wrapless is next on my agenda. :)
 
For what it may be worth, two different widely respected cue-makers both told me the very same thing in the course of making me a cue. The forearm veneers are tackled first because the gluing/drying process involves many months of sit time 4-6 months. Each cue-maker is currently making me a cue and both cue-makers gave me identical time frames for finishing my cue.

I ordered my cue from Bob Owen last July and it arrives this month. I ordered a cue from Jerry Rauenzahn this week and he told me 9 1/2 - 10 months....same as Bob........we discussed my cue in detail and afterwards, Jerry said exactly what Bob Owen mentioned about assembling the cue and the related timeframes for the entire process.

The complexity of the cue design adds to the total number of hours but there is going to be some base number that correlates to making a cue and the veneers take awhile if you want the cue to stand the test of time.

Matt B.

Who cares? Nobody disputed how long it takes to make a cue.
 
Do you think Balabushka's play as good as Pete's modern Cue? He has out built the fabled Balabushka. That is what I see. Never owned one of Pete's Cues but yes Balabushka's. Modern Cues just do better.
Pretty stuff,
Nick :)

Depends on the cue and obviously, it's condition of care over the years etc... George built cues to a customers specs. With a particular cue, one may not like those specs. But, one of George's later cues remains the best hitting cue I have ever played with. It was just very solid, felt really good in the hand, and the shaft wood was phenomenal. And I have played with a lot of cues. This was also over many years, so not like it was just hitting a few balls with this particular cue. To think George's cues are inferior to anything today is the wrong impression. Obviously time has proven George's cues were made as good as they get.

Is there more fancy inlays now? Sure. Is there more intricate cue designs now? Sure. What does that matter when playing billiards? Nothing.

Is there better glues and materials now? That is debatable. They simply made quality stuff back then. Today it is all about manufacturing profits, cutting costs. Many of George's cues today are as sound as they were when purchased.
 
Depends on the cue and obviously, it's condition of care over the years etc... George built cues to a customers specs. With a particular cue, one may not like those specs. But, one of George's later cues remains the best hitting cue I have ever played with. It was just very solid, felt really good in the hand, and the shaft wood was phenomenal. And I have played with a lot of cues. This was also over many years, so not like it was just hitting a few balls with this particular cue. To think George's cues are inferior to anything today is the wrong impression. Obviously time has proven George's cues were made as good as they get.

Is there more fancy inlays now? Sure. Is there more intricate cue designs now? Sure. What does that matter when playing billiards? Nothing.

Is there better glues and materials now? That is debatable. They simply made quality stuff back then. Today it is all about manufacturing profits, cutting costs. Many of George's cues today are as sound as they were when purchased.

Absolutely agree with you.....Just to be clear I wasn't trying to imply that George's cues for any reason were inferior, on the contrary, they were some of the best built ever. That's why they are so sought after by those who know cues.... I was trying to think of the only possibilities that may allow a cue built with perfect technique and execution to be suspect to the dreaded "hit" scrutiny.... That said I have the same experience as you. I've owned send played with many of George's cues but it's a GB cue made in 1973 that's my reference to all cues I play with.... I had the cue in 1983 and told a friend about it and their exact words were " if you like the way that cue plays then you'll like Pete "The Cops" cues... First time I'd ever heard about Pete T..... Later I read a short spot mentioning him in an early Pool & Billiards or Billiards Digest mag. I eventually had Pete make me a cue and realized what all the hoopla was about... It was fit and finish as close to George as you could imagine.. I even played with the idea that it was a cue from George ( ya know maybe faked his own demise and was making cues under an alias haha lol...).. Anyway, ever since I've loved Tascarella's and almost pull the trigger on everyone I see for sale.. Except there can only be 1 Marcus... :wink:

By the way, love that cue in your avatar... That is a definite trigger puller!
 
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That is not what I said at all.

Depends on the cue and obviously, it's condition of care over the years etc... George built cues to a customers specs. With a particular cue, one may not like those specs. But, one of George's later cues remains the best hitting cue I have ever played with. It was just very solid, felt really good in the hand, and the shaft wood was phenomenal. And I have played with a lot of cues. This was also over many years, so not like it was just hitting a few balls with this particular cue. To think George's cues are inferior to anything today is the wrong impression. Obviously time has proven George's cues were made as good as they get.

Is there more fancy inlays now? Sure. Is there more intricate cue designs now? Sure. What does that matter when playing billiards? Nothing.

Is there better glues and materials now? That is debatable. They simply made quality stuff back then. Today it is all about manufacturing profits, cutting costs. Many of George's cues today are as sound as they were when purchased.

Just because a Cue is a modern Cue means nothing. Old stuff was great. Although there are almost no builders that can build with George, the few that could now are building better playing equipment.
Nick :)
 
The joint would be his sleeved ivory.......which is I'll concede is better than an ivory collar joint and IMO, flat & piloted are the only joints conveying the playing attributes of ivory.
And even some piloted ivory joints, depends on the cue-maker, do not feel like a flat ivory joint; maybe it's the hardware in the shafts but some just don't feel like ivory.....that's
what I meant and obviously, it's just my opinion on the matter......Despite that I am not a cue-maker, I am a pool player for more than 5 decades and lots of variables determine
the hit and feel of any cue. Nonetheless, I have played with many, many different cue-makers and my "personal" firsthand experience is what I base my "opinion" on.


Matt B.
 
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There's been a lot of talk here about who makes the best Bushka tribute cue... Well hands down, no competition, none close in my opinion...it's...........TASCARELLA!
Everything is perfect on this Willie Mosconi Balabushka Tribute Cue...Even made with original materials... Thanks Bobby!










OMG ... now i got woooood :smiling-heart:
Congrats my friend :thumbup2:

Berny
 
All of that plus the materials used and of course the overall fit and finish of the cue, dimensions ect.... I know there are some makers out there that make a great cue but for me personally if I want a tribute I go the one who has/had the closest relationship with/to the original..

Ya want a Buska type cue... Go to Pete 1st and if that don't work then Kline, or Jerry R., or Murrel...etc... There are enough that make a great cue but there's things about Tascs that only they pull off. There's a reason why their waiting list is so long....

The waiting list is actually not long. I don't know why people insist on making up a "waiting list." Perhaps to drive prices up.

I have contacted Pete and he told me 1.5 years.
 
i was on the list for pete to make me a titlist conversion, my name came up, I had no funds due to being laid off a few months earlier. sold him the titlist for $150, lost a tank of gas I used to go get it. oh well, at least somebody got a real nice tascarella conversion thanks to me being broke. another dream lost. the last one that came out of his shop was probably going to be mine, would love to see it if someone got one recently.
 
I think Pete's cues play just like the best hitting Bushka's I"ve played with. George used some suspect materials sometimes and inferior glues ect.. and those cues may not have been the gems that he was know to create so I think where The Pete's differ is in their consistency. Like any great maker, they can still tweak a cue to a certain customers liking without loosing that overall Tascarella feel and playability. It's those "tweaks" that some can argue make the cue subjective to their liking but every Tasc I've played with has the basic same feel regardless of tweaks. It's their basic feel that makes Tascarella's one of my favorite playing cues EVER and a MUST have for any collector for sure.

I think the whole balabushka think is from the color of money, classic designs for sure, but nothing spectacular. Pete actually let me take a few shots with one, I couldn't freakin believe it, I shot a balabushka, but either way, it hit really nice, but the prices are from the name being dropped in the film, ironically Joss lost prestige in recent years, and their cue was the one actually used in the film.
 
I am really sick of reading this from people who for whatever reason just don't know. There were Bushka collectors before the movie. Did the movie help, the movie helped ALL cues, but Bushka's and Szambotis were ridiculously priced in the late 70's and early 80's and the movie didn't have a damn thing to do with it. People who waited for Gus' cues could instantly sell them for 3 or 4 times what they paid Gus, in fact I'll argue that flipping took place way before 1986. I saw a Bushka for sale in NY for 1200 in 1981 and thought that they must be joking, until someone took the time to explain to a kid about George.

JV

I think the whole balabushka think is from the color of money, classic designs for sure, but nothing spectacular. Pete actually let me take a few shots with one, I couldn't freakin believe it, I shot a balabushka, but either way, it hit really nice, but the prices are from the name being dropped in the film, ironically Joss lost prestige in recent years, and their cue was the one actually used in the film.
 
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