[elvman]

I ordered a GB9 cue from Fast and have shot with it on three occasions so far. I would say I've put about 10 hours in with it.

First off, the cue is gorgeous and I'm proud to own it. I'm also 6'4" tall, so I added on a custom long shaft, so the cue is 60" in length total. The shaft is also tapered down to 11.75mm.

The ONLY bad thing I can say is that it's going to take some time to get used to shooting with the thinner shaft. It's a different feel all together.

So far I've noticed that my harder draws and follows DEFINITELY put more action on whitey. That's another thing I have to get used to. I can control a short draw of about six inches fairly well, now they seem to come back a foot or more. This cue is pretty amazing. I have another custom cue that is also 60" long, but I can't get much, if any, draw when I'm shooting 5 or 6 feet to the object ball. I have done this a few times already with my new Bushka! I don't have to really crank up the power to get the same results. I can shoot with medium power and get whitey to do more of what I want.

The length and balance of this cue is perfect for me. The longer shaft gives me a better follow through with less effort than any other cue I have used. Especially on those shots where I have to stretch over the table....it feels solid, balanced in my hand, and I can still get some good follow through on those hard stretched out shots.

If you're a taller player like myself, get with Fast on getting a Balabushka with a custom made shaft. Mine cost about $650, but I got lucky and won about $1K at a casino so I said what the hell and got a great cue that should last a life time!

Oh....and I also got the standard length shaft that is 13mm as an added bonus!

Happy Shooting



[ Edited by elvman on 2007/9/13 20:23 ]

[elvman]

Did I mention that I also do some fun photography work?

Enjoy the added bonus to my post! LOL

Cheers

[ Edited by elvman on 2007/9/13 20:26 ]

[FASTLARRY]

Like I told you, its a souped up hot rod, it will take a few days to learn how to control the lady. Predator will tell you the same thing. Any new cue takes about a week to get used to. When you move to a very low deflection cue off of a high, for days you wont be able to run 3 balls because the entire aim concept has changed and your mind has to reprogram what is going on all over. This could take a week. This is even more complicated by the fact you were driving a lincoln town car and now you bought a vet, a scream machine. It's all different, more English which you will later be able to control and then realize the beauty of it, you get the same draw with half the force, you now get there using a half tip when you used to have to use a full one. Those are the keys to controlling it, use less. And moving from 13 to 11.5 is a biggie. That could take another full week, but trust me on 2 things, that is where it is at and that is where you must be, so stay the course and tough it out. Your mind will totally adjust and soon it will seem normal. When that happens, you get that signal and message, then put the 13 back on and just hit a few shots, it will feel like a telephone pole and you will wonder how you ever made a ball with it? You will also see the 13 is dead, has no action or draw. The juice is not there.

That is when you will understand. You will not be able to go back to 13, and if you do, it will take you the same amount of time to erase your brain and reprogram back up to fat 13. You can't jump back and forth successfully. When I was playing a lot of snooker on 10 & 12' tables I tried to play with 10, but moving down from 12.7 to 10 was so extreme, I could not handle it. That was when I moved to pool to 11.5 and 11 for snooker and that I could deal with. Then I had a compromize between both games.

You have a 60" cue, with a juiced up long shaft 11.5 which will be great for you. The problem is if you every try to sell the cue that could later be a problem,
most wont want a long shaft and 11.5, so you narrow your market. You have a standard 13 shaft so you can sell the cue as normal, that was just an added gift from me to say thanks for all the wonderful things you did for me.
Extra shafts list for $120.



[ Edited by FASTLARRY on 2007/9/14 10:28 ]

[Leftoverchinese]

Sounds great man. Would it be more expensive if we wanted two of the 11.5mm longer shafts? My brother and I both find ourselves gripping the butt of the cue, maybe this would help.

[FASTLARRY]

The blond, is that a horse under water laying on his back?

Yes, the longer cue is an extra $120

The few custome guys who make them, begin at $800 and they look like house cues.