Lépine
1279
I would estimate that there is about 20% difference? Yes the left cue rosewood cue is definitely the better hitting cue of the two pictured. It has more power, it is crisper and balls drop very clean, very easy to control. The right cue feels mostly like the rosewood, but yes there is something subtly missing about the hit. It's a beautiful cue with the green and blue veneers and incredible ivory work, but something is a bit just a little bit better than average about the cue? Nothing really outstanding about it's payability. I bought it on line so never shot with it before hand. Kinda disappointing for a $6.5K cue. The delema is that I can't send it to Pete to have new shafts made for it since I wouldn't be able to get it into California unless I flew there personally and figured a way to put it into my luggage and then drive from Arizona to California.
This is what I want for Christmas
The last of these George Balabushka work in progress, you can see the craftsmanship. This is amazing that raw wood is still straight 50 years later. It would be a dream to have one of these made into a custom made one of a kind cue made to fit and play ju...
I have 🤣 I swear on my life I have 😜
I can't show my blank yet as it is being used for a project. I will see it completed in a few years. The process is slow. You only get one chance to cut the wood and it is being done the traditional way. The team had to employ some outside help to cast an...
Here is a type of Buzz Ring
The original idea George came up with is to remove direct contact of the forearm and the handle. Impact energy propagates through the buzz ring instead of through solid wood. The cue gets a bit of a hint of a rubbery feel as it literally bounces off the c...
It's funny, the owner of this George blank
Thought I owned a Maserati. I joked and said no way, it's a Countach S
That's Awesome!
Here is 1 of mine that I have owned several times over the past years. Szamboti blank. Hope you enjoy. Thanks ...
Wow!!! 😮 That's and incredible example!!!
You are so fortunate 😍. Thanks for sharing! There's not many of that class. It's clearly one of the very last ones George made at the peak of his skills!
Another cue-ist in our midst! . . .
. . . thanks much for sharing, Vinnie. And the implication you've traded for that cue a few times . . . more common among cue collectors, imho, than for other collectibles. Players have such an intimate connection with their cues and memories of games pla...
Vinnieb is flying far under the radar
Vinnieb and I are AZ'ers and strongly suspect we are kneeling in front of royalty 😉
Since so many of the greats are gone
I was wondering who is the current master of masters. The answer I got from the best cuemakers is Andrew Rounceville. After John Davis left the Earth, Rounceville became the most coveted full splice blank maker. Many will argue convincingly that Rouncevil...
I've seen Rounceville's splices advertised . . .
. . . on Bell Forest's website. Bob mentioned Prather as the maker he'd turn to if he were into making spliced cues for a living. Bob's made a handful of full-splice cues in the distant past but decided early on that he was going to concentrate on making ...
Many of the best runners I know as well as a large population at AzBilliards.com Forums
Consider the full splice cue as the ultimate and purist cue build type. The big pin with ivory joint, full splice cue 30 + 30, with an 18 balance point, 19Oz. made from Rosewood or Ebony is usually the ultimate serious players cue. It is usually the most ...
I'd like to tag along some time to watch high-level APA matches. I take it these guys . . .
. . . never play bar rules bank-the-eight. 🎱
He doesn't play APA league to be accurate. They only play 9 foot tables.
Don is very strong player. Runs out almost 50% of the 9 ball positions from the 3 ball. Runs out 30% of the time from the break at 8 ball on his 9 foot tournament Diamond table with customized 4.25 inch pockets. He's really great at two and three rail ban...
I'm game most any Thursday, Friday, or . . .
. . . Saturday. Especially if the game is bank-the-eight, two rail minimum, . . . . . . no defense - gotta go for a legit shot every time.
That's an impressive shot if you can do that 4 out of 5 times in a row.
I don't think I could do that even once in five.
If Only
This is the most beautiful table I have ever played on. I brought a great weapon for battle. I brought the fancy Balabushka today. And wow this cue was a surprise, it hits a tonne. It weighs more than the Lisciotti Balabushka and you can feel the hit is a...
Diamonds are top-drawer; when it's time to move . . .
. . . my 8-ft '70-ish Delta will get replaced by an 8-ft Diamond. One-piece slate, too . . .
You will love the table, it plays really well.
No crazy rolls or banks that rebound in random directions. Easy to fine tune it yourself after initial install if leveling needed. One thing to note, every Diamond table I've played on feels taller than what I am used to.
Practicing at this very moment on the Delta 88 with a Pernambuco shaft cue . . .
. . . and the Centenary . . . . . . on my wrist. Art ...
Shaft? Where hahahaha damn watch is in the way.
There might be something to the George Balabushka legend after all. I hope one day you get to own one of these. From the reactions many have written about these cues, it seems most are too old to really reflect what they were like when they were brand new...