After the success of the Versa Max, I was very happy to see another solid single color ball from Brunswick.  I certainly was not disappointed with this release.  I see the same shape out of this 50X4.75X30 Melee as I saw out of the Versa, just a few more boards of overall reaction.  This gives you the strong smooth predictable roll that is thought of when you throw a ball with the Big B on it.  It should be the first choice out of the bag and is easily one of the best bench mark balls I have thrown. 

Mike Freundel
Brunswick Regional Staff
The views of this post are solely those of the writer, and not Brunswick Bowling and Billiards.

LANE CONDITION

Length:40

Volume:Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


COMMENTS

Likes:  If you loved your Versa-Max you'll love this new ball. This ball is a couple feet longer than the Versa with better continuation through the pins. The biggest difference  you'll notice with this ball is that when the lanes start to burn up this ball does not quit down lane. The more continuous motion of this ball slaps out more corners when the lanes start to dry up. This ball will be the first ball out of the bag to test the lanes or a great ball for your league bowling as this ball is not extremely sensitive to oil or the dry. Get yourself a Melee you wont be disappointed.

Greg Piper
Brunswick Regional Staff Member

"The opinions above are solely of the writer and not of the Brunswick corporation."


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

BALL SPECS


Pin Length: 4


Starting Top Weight: 3.4 oz


Ball Weight: 15 lbs 6 oz



DRILL PATTERN


Ball: 60 x 5 x 40


X Hole (if there is one): none



BOWLER STYLE


Rev Rate: 375 rpms


Ball Speed:17.5 mph



PAP/Track: 4 3/4 over 3/4 up



SURFACE PREP


Grit: High gloss polish


Type: (Matte, Polish, Sanded): Polished



LANE CONDITIONS


Lengths of patterns: 41 foot house



Volumes:  moderate to lower



Type: house




BALL REACTION


Length: Clean through the heads with slight read of midlane



Back End: strong continuous arc


Overall Hook: moderately aggressive


Midlane Read: none


Breakpoint Shape: strong arc



COMMENTS


Likes: Strong move off of friction, easy length, versatility, and super pin carry



Dislikes: none


The Melee is the updated answer to the very successful Versamax.  If you owned the Versamax you already know how usable and unique the reaction was.  If you didn't own one you missed out and here is the chance to get in on the fun!  The Melee is about 2 and 1 stronger than the Versamax with more length and a stronger move off at the breakpoint.  The Melee also has more continuation at the breakpoint and because of the extra energy retention really carries the corner pins well.  So far I am at 1523 for 6 games of league this week with just the Melee.  The ball is simply spectacular and I have no plans of putting it down unless the conditions drastically change!  I am not sure I have ever had a better match up on our house shot!  I can also see the Melee getting a bunch of use on a variety of moderate sport shot conditions due to its great versatility.  Just make your adjustments as the lanes breakdown and it works from almost any angle.  I can see this ball with the proper surface and layout working for almost any style.  If you can change speeds or rotation and you bowl on moderate conditions all you need is a Melee!

A little about me, I am slightly rev dominant, 12 degrees of tilt and 35 degrees of axis rotation. PAP is 4 over and 3/4 up.

The Melee is to replace the Versa Max. The VM was very special for me. I absolutely loved this ball. I was super excited to drill these and see what happened.

First one is drilled RICO. I use this ball a lot on the fresh when there is some hook. It really controls the back part of the lane for me. The shape of this ball is unmatched in my eyes. It is really special. I will also use it after my Mastermind if I feel that opening up my angles will not strike a lot.

Second one is drilled 70x4.5x40. I use this ball once the lanes begin to break down or I need the ball to really get down the lane without going sideways. This will provides me with that length and a smooth motion controllable motion off the spot.

The Melee when compared to the Versa Max is very similar. The shape is almost identical but is a little longer, a little more angular and a little stronger. I will be drilling more of these to replace Versa's that I really like. In the past with the Versa Max, I could only go so far left before the ball wouldn't go through the pins properly. With the Melee, I have not have this happen. Since it is a little more angular, it does save more energy for downlane, thus creating more entry angle down lane.

If you liked/loved the Versa Max, you must get a Melee. If you missed out on the Versa Max, don't miss out on the Melee this time.

Brunswick Melee Review:

Ball Weight: 15 lbs.
Drill Pattern: 50* x 4 3/8” x 64*
X-Hole: 7/8” wide x 3” deep on P3
PAP: 4 3/8” x 0”
SPEED: 18.0 – 18.5 mph (release)
TILT: 17*

I drilled the Brunswick Melee to be the benchmark ball in my bag, and it has not disappointed. With the 50* x 4 3/8” x 64* drill pattern, the pin ended up directly under my bridge. I used a smaller and deeper weight hole on my P3, to touch the core of the ball, creating a more dynamic hook shape.  I have used the Melee on a wide variety of lane conditions. I will post them below, as well as a brief synopsis of how the ball performed.

41 FT. TYPICAL HOUSE SHOT:

On a typical house shot (THS), I was able to play inside the track area (12 – 13 at the arrows), swinging the Melee quite a bit, 3 – 4 at the break point, to create a lot of area. The amount of “miss room” I had with the Melee was quite impressive. The great thing about the Melee is that I am able to keep migrating further into the lane with my target and my feet, or point the ball off the outside edge, and still have very good pin carry, which is not always true of other symmetrical core, polished bowling balls I have reviewed. Being on the left side allows me to stay further out longer, but having the ability to move inside and know you can carry is a valuable tool for all bowlers to have, and the Melee does that for me very well.

KEGEL “ABBEY ROAD” OIL PATTERN:

This 40ft. Challenge Series pattern proved to be a terrific pattern for the Melee. I tried it on the fresh, and found that with the 40ft. of oil, the Melee was great playing around 15 at the arrows, and getting out to about 6 - 7 at the break point.  I bowled a (5) game block on the pattern, and by game three, I was able to migrate a little further out, around 11 – 12 at the arrows with the break point at 5 – 6, and found a very nice ball reaction.  This was very impressive to me and having the Melee to use and get pin carry while moving to a tighter line later in a block, when others were starting to struggle with pin carry and angle to the pocket, gave me a leg up on other bowlers. The Melee will be my go to ball going forward on fresh patterns and late block adjustments when I need to get straighter without sacrificing pin carry.

KEGEL ROUTE “66” OIL PATTERN:

This 45ft. Challenge Series oil pattern was my least favorite oil pattern for the Melee at box finish, even though it performed very well on it. I was able to bowl a (5) game block, all with the Melee, and found that I was able to get to the pocket quite a bit, but I did struggle with pin carry due to the added length of oil, and the polished cover stock of the Melee. So, I bowled another (5) game block on this pattern, but this time I had changed the cover of the Melee to a 1500 sanded surface, with no polish. This was just the thing the Melee needed to shine on this oil pattern. Pin carry was phenomenal, and the ball never made the “over-under” type of motion some balls do as the oil pattern breaks down. It was a very readable reaction, and strong off the back of the pattern. The Melee can indeed be your go to ball on longer and/or heavier blend oil patterns with a surface change to the cover stock. Once thing I love about Brunswick bowling balls, is the fact that they take to surface changes very easily, so don’t hesitate to change the cover stock of your Brunswick Melee bowling ball, because it can and will take to it like a duck to water.

KEGEL “BROADWAY” OIL PATTERN:

I used the Melee on this 37ft. Challenge Series pattern, and found that this was a fantastic pattern for the Melee at its box finish. I believe the shorter length of the pattern really plays to the strength of the polished cover stock on the Melee, and I was able to get to the pocket from multiple angles. I started off playing just inside the track area around 11 – 12 and had my break point at 5 – 6 down lane. I had great pin carry and a very readable ball reaction, which are both trademarks of the Melee. I ended up moving to 15 – 16 at the arrows and keeping my break point at 5 – 6 as the pattern broke down, and I saw little to no negative impact on pin carry which truly is phenomenal. This shows that the Melee really is a great all around bowling ball, with the versatility and benchmark type reaction both second to none.

In closing, I would like to thank Parker Bohn and everyone at Brunswick Bowling. Brunswick truly has the best, most versatile lineup around. Showing what the Melee can do across a variety of oil patterns, from THS to long and short Challenge Series patterns, will help bowlers see the versatility of the Melee, and just how easily this ball can be used on a wide array of conditions. It is the first ball out of my bag on most patterns, it’s my benchmark ball, and when the lane condition breaks down, I grab the Melee, move inside and have fun. I hope you enjoyed my review of the Brunswick Melee bowling ball, good luck and good bowling everyone. Go get your Melee today!

James Goulding III
Brunswick Advisory Staff

LANE CONDITION

Length: 40 feet

Volume: 50ml

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Kegel's Bourbon Street


COMMENTS

Likes: Drilled my Melee 50 X 6 X 75. Extreme length with box surface. Knocked off the polish and left the cover at 2000. The surface change allows the ball to pick up in the midlane and the backend reaction looks even greater than before since the ball picks up sooner. Even with no polish, looking forward to seeing this ball perform in the later games of any tournament. Definitely the longest ball I've ever thrown by Brunswick after bringing the surface down. May have to get another one of these! Same pattern, Kegel's Bourbon Street.

Chuck Mogavero
Brunswick Regional Staff
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.


Dislikes: None yet!


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

I have had this ball since mid December and was very excited to get it in my hands. However, the first few weeks were not that great for me rolling this ball. After talking and working with my friends, we got this thing turned into a monster! a couple of surface changes and a bigger weight hole and it was good to go! The ball is super smooth through the heads and drives hard through the pocket. I play pretty straight up the boards and typically have carry issues. I don't see the carry issues while rolling the melee. It carries off hits pretty well. Ive had the front 9 twice in the last two weeks and have a nice 764 series and a couple more700's. This is probably the most consistent rolling piece I've had in quite sometime. This ball is as advertised! If you are looking for that smooth, reliable, control-the-pocket piece, look no further than the MELEE!!!