BALL SPECS

Pin Length: 2 - 3

Starting Top Weight: 3.0

Ball Weight: 15lb


DRILL PATTERN

Pin to PAP: 5"

CG to PAP:n/a

X Hole (if there is one): n/a


BOWLER STYLE

Rev Rate: 325

Ball Speed:17 off Hand

PAP/Track: High


SURFACE PREP

Grit: OOB

Type: (Matte, Polish, Sanded): Polish


LANE CONDITION

Length: 40ft

Volume: 23ml

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS


BALL REACTION

Length:Very smooth in the fronts

Back End:Strong

Overall Hook: Continuous

Midlane Read:

Breakpoint Shape:


COMMENTS

Likes: Melee Jab is the First ball out of my bag on those med to med heavy conditions. Using my favorite layout 65x5x50 provides me great length through the fronts with strong backend continuation

Dislikes: On heavier volume the Melee Jab push a little long for my style, balling up to my Melee Cross gives me enough upfront read to open up the lane


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

LANE CONDITION

Length: 38-40 feet

Volume: Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): Just THS so far

Layout: Pin under ring, cg kicked slightly toward PAP

Coverstock prep: 2000 abralon plus hi-gloss polish


COMMENTS

Likes: This ball clears the heads with ease, but it doesn't completely ignore the midlane the way some "long-and-strong" balls do. As such, it allows you to get left without being completely skid-flip.

Dislikes: Again, I didn't care for the 500 Siar plus Royal Compound box finish. For me, the ball had a strange shape and lacked continuation with that preparation; however, as soon as I changed the surface, the ball was exactly what I wanted/needed.


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

I was fortunate enough to get this ball sent to me from Brunswick's Ron Bragg (Thank you!), and I really appreciate it! Out of the box, the Jab was a bit earlier than I expected, and it really didn't give me the continuation others had raved about. I'm beginning to think my game and my center don't match up well to Brunswick's 500 Siar + Royal Compound box finish. No worries; I changed the surface to 2000 abralon plus a light coating of High Gloss polish, and the ball became the beast I had heard about.

The Jab is great when you have a lot of friction to clear in the front and to bounce off of at the break point. This ball can be used early in the night if you want to go up the back of it more and play with the boards (or if you have a lot of hand and/or friction); however, for me, the Jab is best as I begin moving inside later in the night. As I do, the Jab clears the heads with ease, recognizes the midlane, and gives me a strong, sweeping arc on the backend. For reference, I switched to the Jab toward the middle of Game 3 during a charity event yesterday when my Mastermind Genius began to struggle to retain energy from inside, and I promptly flushed the last 7 in a row after switching to the Jab.

All in all, the Jab is a real looker both on the rack (great color!) and on the lanes. The guys and gals who really put the revs to it can probably make this one go sideways and really turn some heads. I'm more of a tweener to power-tweener, but I still get plenty of recovery and great hitting power from this ball. In fact, I'm so impressed with this one that I will likely try to pick up a Melee Cross as well. If you're looking for a smooth, strong, hard-hitting pearl, consider a Melee Jab; you won't be disappointed!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this review, feel free to contact me via private message. Good luck and good bowling to all!

LANE CONDITION

Length:  Medium Sport, House and various tournament shots

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):  THS and Pro Anvil


COMMENTS

This is a ball that I instantly liked from the very moment I threw it. In my opinion this is the best of the Melee line. I love the way the Melee Jab is clean through the front and provides a strong continuous move off the spot. There are no surprises ever when you throw this ball, it is very predictable and that's one reason I like it. I like a ball that I can gain confidence with quickly and the Melee Jab is such a ball. Make no mistake, it needs to see a little friction on the lanes so, I typically go to this ball when the lanes start to transition. It really springs to life in that case. Shorter patterns and those with a bump to the right are ideal for this ball. Brunswick continues its tradition of producing awesome pieces of equipment and the Melee Jab is one of the newer examples of this. It fits great in the middle of an arsenal and is quickly becoming a go to ball for me.

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

The Melee Jab is an outstanding ball. This ball has a strong angular ball motion on the backend but it is very predictable. For me it does not jump out of control off the friction but it makes a hard move to the pocket. The best thing I like about this ball is if I miss left it still recovers strong where as usually with a pearl ball if I miss left they tend to skid a lot in the oil come up light. I can play this ball on a fresh shot and I can also play it late in a tournament from deep inside and still have great carry. This is a great compliment to the Melee Cross. When the cross starts leaving flat tens and is hooking to early I can jump to the Jab to clear the fronts a little better and still have a good backend reaction. Very versatile ball and would be good for anyone.

Jim Varno
Brunswick Regional 1 Staffer

**This post reflects my opinion of the ball and not necessarily those of the Brunswick Corporation.**

The Melee line is the line that I never leave home without.  This line provides great all-purpose ball motions on various conditions.  THe Melee Jab has been a ball Brunswick has been missing for a very long time.

The ball is very sharpe looking and has great shelf appeal.  But the when the you take the ball to the lanes, that's when it really starts to show off!

The Melee Jab is offers a pearlized coverstock allowing the ball to get down the lane and have a very strong yet predictable backend reaction.  For a pearl ball this ball still works very well on heavier/longer patterns.  I like to use this ball when my original (red)Melee just isn't cornering hard enough for me.

Jason Jones
Brunswick Staff
Co-Owner Pin Action Pro Shop - Bloomington, IL

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer and not of Brunswick Corporation.

The Melee Jab is clean through the fronts with good midlane and backend continuation. I drilled my Jab with the pin under ring finger with a weight hole down. This ball is hands down the most continuous ball motion that I have seen from Brunswick in quite some time. Being a pearl it is quite responsive to friction, but never really jerks off the spot and is a controlled yet strong and very continuous motion on the back.

The Jab is a very versatile ball as I've been able to play many different angles on the lane without any doubt of recovery and striking. I would suggest using the melee jab on mostly any oil pattern but fresh heavy oil patterns. For me, the Jab requires a little bit of friction the more oil/longer the pattern may be. Get a Melee Jab, you'll be surprised at how continuous it is and won't be disappointed!

LANE CONDITION

Length:

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):
THS


COMMENTS

Likes:My first time back in a couple years throwing brunswick bowling balls and let me tell you, we never saw a motion like this. Bowled league with it last night for the first time and was able to use it the whole night. I have never been able to use a ball the whole night of league at the house im at now without having to make a complete zone change or fight to carry. This ball gives you the length you need through the front and reads the middle part of the lane just right and gives plenty of motion through the pins. for those curious about layouts, I just used my favorite pin up (45x5x30). Helps promote that natural clean length from the ball with a strong angular motion down lane.

Dislikes:


PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

The Melee Jab is one of my favorite bowling balls in my bag. I used it for a Tournament in Jan in Las Vegas and shot 300 the first game. I used it on the fresh THS pattern. I have the pin under the fingers and the CG is about ½ inch right of center line. I kept the OTB surface. My rev rate is around 360. I really liked the roll of the ball. The ball pushed through the fronts picked up a good mid lane roll. The pocket hit kept the pins low and the ball had good drive through the pins. A few weeks later I tried some surface on the ball and was surprised the ball didn’t roll out. With the surface I could use the ball in heavier oil. On either pattern I could move in when the shot broke down and the ball didn’t lose the hitting power. The other great aspect of the ball is great color.