Mr Bowling 300 Forum

Defunct ball brand General bowling discussion
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Pro Member 1,211 posts pbateson Pro Member 1,211 posts
pbateson
Which bowling ball brand is no longer made?
Khun Paul
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1VegasBowler Beginner 109 posts
1VegasBowler
pbateson wrote:
Which bowling ball brand is no longer made?


I believe it's Manhattan Rubber.
DV8 Equipment - Ruckus Schizo #15, Thug Unruly #12, Vandal #12.
Brunswick Equipment - Ultimate Nirvana #14, Vintage Danger Zone #12, T-Zone #12.

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themrfreeze Moderator 3,820 posts
themrfreeze
Faball no longer exists either.  Neither does High-Skore, or Star-Trak, and I'm sure there are other smaller companies that have disappeared as well.  First ball I ever had was a "Golden Ram" plastic ball...who the heck made those?
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1VegasBowler Beginner 109 posts
1VegasBowler
First ball I ever used was a Manhattan Rubber. It belonged to my father and I used his until he bought me one for Christmas back in the early 70's.
DV8 Equipment - Ruckus Schizo #15, Thug Unruly #12, Vandal #12.
Brunswick Equipment - Ultimate Nirvana #14, Vintage Danger Zone #12, T-Zone #12.

Memberships

Board of Directors USBC Southern Nevada - http://www.sonvbowl.com

9TapTour Las Vegas Region - http://www.9taptour.com
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mystrsyko Master 843 posts
mystrsyko
Circle is one from this millenium that folded
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Pullmyfinger Pro Member 1,611 posts
Pullmyfinger
Champions is one. I believe John Mazza and few other bowlers at that time may have hed a stake in that. Del Ballard as well. 

There was another one too that Wayne Webb was a pitchman for too. Can't remember the name, but I know he made a show or two using them. I think one was when they bowled at Bowl One in Troy and had the finals in The Arena at Thunderbowl. This was after his Hammer days. 
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hailmaizeandblue Moderator 1,658 posts
hailmaizeandblue
Webb was throwing Dyno-Thane throughout the mid-late 1990's. They didn't go away until a few years ago.


Norm Duke and Jess Stayrook were with a company in 1996-1997 period called PowerPlay Bowling -- if you see some of the telecasts from that time, they are wearing a shirt with a lightning bolt and the letters PPB on the chest. That company made 3 balls and went away.
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Dare Pro Member 1,817 posts
Dare
I bought a Wayne Webb autographed ball some 16 years ago,all
I remember about it was it was blue.
Motiv Ripcord       Columbia Beast
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BowlingOldies Pro Member 1,757 posts
BowlingOldies
I owned a Star-Trac ball.  Blue thing, about the color of pale blue billiard chalk.  The thing about this ball that was supposed to be special was that it had a hollowed-out core, about the size of a tennis ball.  You'll see it in use on a few PBA telecasts from around '77 or '78, as I recall.  Quite a few guys tried it for a while.  But I don't remember the company ever coming with another ball besides that first one.  A true one-and-done, one hit wonder.
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jpkaina Amateur 370 posts
jpkaina
StarTrak is still around, you just know them as Track Inc...
I have a Banger ball. Only reason I have it is the company was based out of Sparks, and the owner gave us some freebies.

"Tomorrow's just your future yesterday" Craig Ferguson
High Game: 300 x 13
High Series: 841 (288 254 299)
#harmnone
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BowlingOldies Pro Member 1,757 posts
BowlingOldies

Quote:
jpkaina wrote:  "StarTrak is still around, you just know them as Track Inc..." 

 

Fancy that.  I had no idea.

The blue Star-Trak ball I had was circa 1977 or '78, as I recall, and the fad didn't last long (one year, if that).  I don't remember them coming with another product before I became inactive in bowling by the mid '80s or so.  If they're the same group that became Track (and I don't doubt you), then they must have gone through a fairly long period when they were retooling or something, because when did Track first emerge?  '90s?
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themrfreeze Moderator 3,820 posts
themrfreeze
BowlingOldies wrote:

Fancy that.  I had no idea.

The blue Star-Trak ball I had was circa 1977 or '78, as I recall, and the fad didn't last long (one year, if that).



I'm aware of two balls that Star-Trak made:  The Force III and the Force 10.  The III was a baby blue urethane ball, which would make it an early '80s ball.  The Force 10 came after that.  If they made a ball before the Force III (possibly the one you're thinking of), I wouldn't know.
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Fordman Pro Member 3,406 posts
Fordman
The reason they went away was that they were on a 5 year journey to explore the universe right Scotty....
Shake a Vets hand you owe them.
Dearborn Mi. Home town of Henry Ford
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avabob Master 650 posts
avabob
If I remember right somebody ( might have been Mickey Higham ) shot an 800 at the 1977 ABC in Reno using a star track.  It was a powder blue solid.  Not sure of the shell, but it predated urethane.  It might have been some kind of rubber/polyester composite.  My recollection was that it was, by and large, not very popular, although I seem to remember quite a few guys trying them.  Nobody but Columbia was really making anything exceptional at that time.
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hailmaizeandblue Moderator 1,658 posts
hailmaizeandblue
Track came back to life (essentially) in 1990 or so.

Dave D'Entremont was wheeling a navy-blue Trackster (urethane) ball until reactive came out in 1992-1993.

IIRC...
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