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Author Topic: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!  (Read 11920 times)

Armourboy

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Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« on: August 11, 2013, 05:30:24 AM »
Ok so with the advent of the almighty Youtube and the ability to go back and watch old PBA matches before I got into the sport ( probably about 1998) I've noticed a ton of balls that I flat out don't know what they are or even who made them in some cases.

Now I've figured out some of them by going through the old approved list based around the year they were used, but that doesn't really give me a ton of info on what people thought about them at the time.

Like today, just found out Norm Duke used to throw a ball from a company named Champion that apparently had them poured by Faball.

So ok really what I'm after is those odd little tidbits about how things were, how balls reacted, who threw what when, why they no longer throw it or what ball you wished the would completely reintroduce.

On a side note I've spent the last day or so looking at the matches from the change over from urethane to reactive urethane and the difference it was. Norm Duke wheeling it across the lane in a match or two blew my mind lol. I've pretty much only seen him throw more down and in so it was a bit of a shock to the system.

 

milorafferty

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #61 on: August 16, 2013, 11:04:50 AM »
Some of them can be pretty bad. The worst one I have bought is a Bounty Hunter. It has the CG stamp about 1 1/2 inches above and to the right of the pin. The guy didn't list it as a second, but  I didn't pay much for it either.

Obviously this is kind of going off of my own topic but who cares.

I know seconds still exist and are sold, my question is though just how bad can seconds get, or I guess what is the line between and acceptable second and just a plain bad ball?
"If guns kill people, do pencils misspell words?"

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kidlost2000

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #62 on: August 16, 2013, 11:59:04 AM »
Bonanza was the blems from Track/AMF/Columbia at the time they were all made together.

Hurricane was the Ebonite x-out brand.

I have a NIB 15lb Hurricane of the Apex Intensity. The color was off, and looks really good.

These went away when they learned to put the same logo on the ball with the added marker of X-out or 2nd. This increased the price. Bolwingball.com went one better with "pro-pin" and "pro cg" balls from Roto-Storm. Actually sold at the same price or higher then first quality balls for awhile.

It is all about marketing and sales. Many times it can be a color blem, label mess up, pin to cg is too far, too much top weight, pin/cg/mb out of line ect.
…… you can't  add a physics term to a bowling term and expect it to mean something.

kidlost2000

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #63 on: August 16, 2013, 12:37:02 PM »
I never saw a Brunswick blem/xout till the time of the Infernos. I always wondered where they went because I wanted them lol.
…… you can't  add a physics term to a bowling term and expect it to mean something.

Jesse James

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #64 on: August 16, 2013, 01:46:11 PM »
Interesting thread. I have an LT-48 that I absolutely love. It's a medium oil ball for me that still hits very well. My father stole it out of my basement, and refuses to give it back, LOL!!

I have an AZO Fatman that was never any good for anything other than toast. I have always used it as a glorified spare ball. The main problem, I believe, is knowing how to correctly drill this ball. None of the pro shops in my area ever had a clue about how to drill it!

One of the very first balls I ever owned was the red, Brunswick Edge. Back in the day it hooked/arced fairly well. On today's oils this thing would just slide as if on ice!
Some days you're the bug....some days you're the windshield...that's bowling!

BOWLGNUT

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #65 on: August 16, 2013, 03:21:45 PM »
I forgot to mention that I got a Brunswick Command Zone Arc off E-bay awhile back. I use to have one in early 90's .
I hate ten pins but love the game of bowling with just the right ball to take them out.

JohnP

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #66 on: August 16, 2013, 04:28:37 PM »
Fat Man and Little Boy were awesome pieces.....

Yes, but bad name choices for a company that was trying to market in Japan!! --  JohnP

avabob

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Re: Great Balls of the past or odd companies even!
« Reply #67 on: August 16, 2013, 09:29:42 PM »
Command Zone Arc was one of the great balls from Brunswick.  It actually came out in the late 90's.  I used one in the 2000 Masters at Albuquerque to make the cut.  Shot back to back 800's with it in league out of the box.