Comments on: Week #9) Gus Szamboti Custom Cue

By: Sherm

Sherm — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:39:01 +0000

Danny is a good friend of mine and stays with me sometimes when he’s in the area. Last time he was here I showed him this site and the cue. He told me he had two Gus’ just like this one. I owned one of them at one time, but it was after Kelley Simpson, a female Pro back in the 80′s who was Danny’s girlfriend, broke it over a table when she missed a shot, IN PRACTICE! Danny sent the cue back to Gus, who cut it just above the points, doweled it and re-did the joint end. That cue, after the repairs was one of the best hitting cues I’ve ever played with and I’ve owned 14 of Gus’ cues. Two of which had been broken and repaired by Gus! The other one was broken accidentally while breaking a 9-ball rack, by Gary Spaeth. When Gus fixed them you couldn’t tell from the way it played, that it was ever broken. I love the classic design of this cue and have emulated some of the details in my own cues. I prefer the spear heads over diamonds any day!

By: Matt_24

Matt_24 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:31:41 +0000

Szamboti cues are the greatest cues ever made. Known for their playability. Artistically innovative for the period they were created in. I’d be hard pressed to classify any Gus Szamboti cue as a non-monster minus the first WICO point Szamboti cues.

By: RackRunner

RackRunner — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:28:34 +0000

I love this cue. Gus is also my favorite cue maker of all time. I had one, sold it, and have forever regreted selling it. If I had my choice to buy another one, it wouldn’t be too different from this cue.

By: scottr

scottr — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:28:58 +0000

Monster to me. Probably not a Monster to others who own fancier Gus Szamboti cues.

Scott

By: Skippy

Skippy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:47:12 +0000

I know you guys could have found a cue that had a much more elaborate design, but, personally, I’m glad you didn’t. I LOVE THIS CUE. I guess I’m just a bit of a purist. In my mind, the simplicity of it and the classic design and colors makes it a great cue. I guess, by your definition of a “Monster” cue, this probably wouldn’t make that classification, but I wouldn’t trade that cue for ANY monster cue out there.

I look at it this way…this cue is analogous to a women that is “naturally” beautiful without makeup. She looks as good when she rolls out of bed in the morning as she did the night before. Many cuemakers today, I think, try to be too over the top with crazy designs.

Anyhow…those are my thoughts. Thanks for sharing this great cue.

Cheers,
Skippy
Skippy’s Cue Guide

By: jeff

jeff — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:48:29 +0000

monster collectible . . . but not a monster gus.
havent seen too many szam’s i didnt like

By: Murray Tucker

Murray Tucker — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:36:25 +0000

This is what a cue should look like. I appreciate the time, effort and skill it takes to make cues “art” but they just aren’t my style. IMHO you just can’t beat the timeless look of veneered points and tasteful well balanced inlays. Of all the cues so far this is the one that I would want in my case.

By: Steve Ferraro

Steve Ferraro — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:44:51 +0000

Timeless Gus…perfect example of less is more. I owned one similar w/o the stitch rings and the teardrops in the points 25 yrs ago. IMO, a Monster in every sense of the purist word.

By: Jimbo

Jimbo — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:37:16 +0000

John I think it’s great that you are here and adding comments, but I think it’s sad and obvious that your main intent is to shill for your site. I can appreciate that you think this site is great and want to use that as an aid for your personal gain but please stop the act, we can see right threw you.
Jim Brennan

By: JB Cases dot Com

JB Cases dot Com — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:57:55 +0000

Well, I agree with Jim Stadum that we are judging individual cues. Although I also agree with others that a cue maker’s reputation factors in as well. The thing with Szamboti that sticks out to me is near perfection in the execution. He did things in the 70s that cue makers today with all the modern equipment have a hard time doing consistently. So for that reason I go with Eric’s assessment that all Szambotis are monsters of some degree. I personally have played with two of them (not owned) and both were about as sweet a hitting cue as one could imagine.

That said we are not judging the cue by how well it was built internally, how well balanced it is, or by anything other than what we can see.

The fact is that Gus has built much fancier cues, including the famous Szamboti box cue with matching Fellini case that Denny Glenn owns. In recent times we have made a similar GTF Case for a fancier Gus Szamboti that Will Prout owns. So in light of the fact that there are Szams out there with a much higher degree of decoration I agree with the panel that this cue is not a Monster.

http://www.jbcases.com

By: SactownTom

SactownTom — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:27:34 +0000

I’ve heard the name ‘Gus’ and lots of times players and collectors alike refer to the cues as “Boti’s” but I’ve never seen any of this masters cues in person nor hit with them. I am envious of those that have owned/own or have played with what a lot of knowledgeable players/collectors consider a ‘premier cue maker’s cue’. Someone else proclaimed that Gus made so many Monsters that this one would only lesson the value of the this classic adjective, for this Monday, I have to agree.

By: Fatboy

Fatboy — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Gus is my all time favorite cue maker, so I am biased. Far as I’m concerned every cue he ever made is a Monster compaired to the rest of the cues in the world. This is a classc Gus the colors, maple windows, dash rings , delron butt cap etc etc etc. Its not a monster compaired to some of Gus’s bigger cues. But compaired to 99.23563% of the cues in the world at last count, this cue is still a monster. Anywhere you go and bust out this cue to play with-the oohhss and awwhh’s will happen and the cue will be passed around the rail for everyone to look at. Gus=Monster.

best
eric