BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Brunswick => Topic started by: Weshawk09 on November 23, 2013, 12:25:04 PM
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well the fiance has spoken and i had to get rid of some equipment if i wanted to get some new toys... i have sold most of them forcing me to use whats left obviously. One of those balls was a damage and man i forgot how much i have enjoyed throwing a brunswick ball. In saying that ive been looking to make a BIG B arsenal and here is what i have:
Mastermind for the fresh
Melee for my benchmark
Ringer platinum for a later block something i can just stand left and throw it right
I feel like i know its only three balls but should there be a ball between the mastermind and melee? if so what and i would even be willing to venture into DV8 i like the look of the nightmare balls but which one could fill the void im looking at.
Or maybe the these three are that good that they fill those gaps themselves with diff hand positions and rolls.
Bowling our city tournament Dec 14th so time is winding down PLEASE HELP ME!
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I think that overall, you have the majority of the bases covered. This is what you have so far:
Heavy: Mastermind
Medium: Melee
Dry: Ringer Platinum
If you wanted to add anything additional, there are only 2 spots that I can think of that could justify an additional ball. Between the Mastermind and Melee, you may want to add the Aura Mystic. This pearl ball would give you a nice step down when the Mastermind becomes too much once the fresh breaks down. Plus, it can handle some heavier volumes compared to the Melee which is more of a benchmark piece.
The other spot that I could possibly see you adding a ball is between the Aura Mystic that I mentioned and your Melee. In this spot, I'd go with the Meanstreak Brawler. This would be one of those spots where you could use the Brawler potentially as a benchmark or when the Melee doesn't have enough overall hook/carry power on some fresher medium patterns. The hybrid cover will be a little more angular but not as much as the Mystic mentioned earlier. It would be a nice complement either way while providing a different motion.
So overall, my suggestion would be:
Heavy: Mastermind (solid)
Medium-Heavy: Aura Mystic (pearl)
Medium-Heavy: Meanstreak Brawler (hybrid)
Medium: Melee (solid)
Medium-Light: Ringer Platinum (pearl)
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I second what tommyboy said. That arsenal won't get much better than that.
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well the fiance has spoken and i had to get rid of some equipment if i wanted to get some new toys... i have sold most of them forcing me to use whats left obviously. One of those balls was a damage and man i forgot how much i have enjoyed throwing a brunswick ball. In saying that ive been looking to make a BIG B arsenal and here is what i have:
Mastermind for the fresh
Melee for my benchmark
Ringer platinum for a later block something i can just stand left and throw it right
I feel like i know its only three balls but should there be a ball between the mastermind and melee? if so what and i would even be willing to venture into DV8 i like the look of the nightmare balls but which one could fill the void im looking at.
Or maybe the these three are that good that they fill those gaps themselves with diff hand positions and rolls.
Bowling our city tournament Dec 14th so time is winding down PLEASE HELP ME!
Honestly, I dont think there is a huge gap in there to warrant needing another ball. If anything, you can always fine tune the covers with surface adjustments to close the gap a little if needed. With the Mastermind at 1500 out of the box, if you want to close the gap without spending another $200, you could add some Rough Buff over the top of it or take the ball up to 2000 with no polish. If you are not one to want to tweak surfaces, then yes go ahead and add another piece in there like the Mystic.
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That does sound better but would i be okay with just the brawler drilled a little stronger instead of the mystic and brawler... reason im saying this is because I quite frankly dont have to cash for the mastermind and mystic which sucks
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You could very well do the Mastermind, Melee and Ringer. I have one of my Masterminds drilled fairly weak and can go straight from that to my Melee.
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If you just wanted to go with the Brawler, drill it stronger. You also might have to tweak the cover but it is an option that can work.
There is also the Meanstreak Beatdown, which is designed to be better on some heavier conditions off the start due to the cover. In a ballreviewscanada.com video, it was about 4-5 boards stronger than the Brawler. It's actually closer to the Paranormal Aura in terms of what that ball can do. This could possibly be a slightly better option than the Brawler if you're just looking for a single ball between the Melee and the Mastermind.
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My Burgundy Ringer needs a little oil up front to really perform, but when the lanes get really fried the Strike King excels! That's what I'd add... surprised nobody mentioned it.
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It looks like your idea could be good. I usually like to start with my "middle" ball, which is the Melee with gloss knocked off so I have somewhere to go (either up or down).
What I'm finding is the Platinum Ringer is not weak by any stretch of the imagination because it responds pretty abruptly to friction. For "dry" you may like the Strike King just because if you can put the right layout on one it would be a bigger step down.
It all depends on your comfort level regarding the opening up of your angles as the lanes dry out. On truly dry my Platinum Ringer crosses more boards than my Melee, but that's just me. I bowl a second shift scratch league and they can get pretty torched before we're finished.
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The Melee and Ringer Platinum are very close. I actually think at oob the RP will cover more boards then the Melee. I'd see a better fit going Mastermind, Brawler, Ringer Platinum or Melee.
Still need to play with my Melee a little more but its not showing to be a step up from the Ringer Platinum many might expect.
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Threw the ringer platinum on a broken down shot and was 6/4 left of where I was with the melee......ringer hooks a lot more than I expected.
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Threw the ringer platinum on a broken down shot and was 6/4 left of where I was with the melee......ringer hooks a lot more than I expected.
Glad it isn't just me seeing this. I only had a few shots in with the Melee but will make a video this Tuesday of the Platinum and Melee together. I think the Red and the Platinum are pretty close to on par with each other. I think you can make a color choice and be happy. I am choosing Platinum lol.
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The strong suit of the Melee is that you know where it's going. The other night when the outside of about 15 was torched I could still stay in the area everyone (with their pearl reactives) had vacated. I still followed the shot inward, but everyone else would have killed to have played where I did and still have the carry I had. I would have had to open up the angles much more with my Platinum Ringer.
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I haven't thrown the Melee or Platinum, but this is exactly my experience with the Versa Max and Burgundy Ringer. My Versa is drilled weaker and polished up it is a great ball that allows a direct line to the pocket on a variety of Lane conditions. My Ringer works on pretty much the same conditions, but gives me a different line.
I stand with my recommendation to look at the Strike King as the step down. It's a lot of ball for the money.
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If you're strictly bowling on THS, keep the Mastermind and the Ringer and adjust your line as needed. Sell the Melee and buy your fiance a nice gift, you won't regret it. -- JohnP
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The strong suit of the Melee is that you know where it's going. The other night when the outside of about 15 was torched I could still stay in the area everyone (with their pearl reactives) had vacated. I still followed the shot inward, but everyone else would have killed to have played where I did and still have the carry I had. I would have had to open up the angles much more with my Platinum Ringer.
So what I've seen so far is correct and the Melee is a step down from the Ringer?
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The Melee should not be a step down from the Ringer. Even looking at Brunswick's site comparing the 2 balls, the Melee is more cover heavy, has a higher hook rating, reads earlier, and is less angular.
Now is it possible for the Ringer to be drilled to be similar to the Melee? Sure. But, it would have to be drilled stronger and there would likely be some surface changes involved.
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Have you thrown both? There is nothing early about the Melee. It is a lot cleaner/longer then the Platinum. After watching br canadas video I almost didn't drill the Melee. I decided to drill it to be earlier in hopes of keeping it from being too long. I am glad I did. Just curious on others opinions who have thrown both.
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Have you thrown both? There is nothing early about the Melee. It is a lot cleaner/longer then the Platinum. After watching br canadas video I almost didn't drill the Melee. I decided to drill it to be earlier in hopes of keeping it from being too long. I am glad I did. Just curious on others opinions who have thrown both.
I threw both since the Big B, Radical, and DV8 seminar was in town... Same layout, no way to tell if the surface had been fudged with...
On a somewhat "burnt up" 41' house shot the Melee required me to be deeper at the arrows when compared with the Platinum Ringer. Length is a little tougher for me to judge, and I certainly wasn't paying close attention with the thought that I'd quizzed on the ball reaction later.
That being said... The Dude played a very similar line to the Platinum Ringer in this specific environment, but I had more area for success with it.
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No quiz just not helpful when you don't remember much about what you threw and then refer back to what you read off of the site. The Dude appears to be a lot more ball on the backend then the Platinum and Melee from those who went to the demo and tried all three.
I will have a better idea Tuesday when I can get more games on the Melee just curious what those currently throwing both were experiencing.
melee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee5WrF12c7I
platinum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUOZgeEIFaU
dude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYwhuSCCCRI
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No quiz just not helpful when you don't remember much about what you threw and then refer back to what you read off of the site. The Dude appears to be a lot more ball on the backend then the Platinum and Melee from those who went to the demo and tried all three.
I will have a better idea Tuesday when I can get more games on the Melee just curious what those currently throwing both were experiencing.
melee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee5WrF12c7I
platinum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUOZgeEIFaU
dude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYwhuSCCCRI
Let me make myself clear... I know that in this specific situation the Melee was covering more boards than the Platinum Ringer and Dude... I am NOT regurgitating info from websites, press releases, or videos.
Please note I did qualify my experience with a remark that I couldn't be sure that these pieces were OOB, but they didn't appear to be heavily altered from that baseline... I.E. in the case with the 4 demo day Melees no one of the 4 appeared significantly different than the other. I was also using the 14# demo balls which, in my experience, don't see as much usage as the 15# equipment.
Your mileage may vary...
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Sorry looked at the wrong name inreference to someone quoting some info from the site in how the melee is listed stronger then the platinum
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Okay so I'm basically looking at the mastermind for sure but still on the fence with the rest I know I want the mastermind to cover even the heaviest of patterns. Also I'm not looking for ths balls this is being built for tourneys I can alter my hand enough to still bowl league. I like the melee bc I've heard it long and still controllable which is something I'm missing in a ball. Then after the mastermind I'm looking at a brawler drilled strong or a beat down drilled how? Then a melee and platinum or even like what I see about the dude. Also for the sake of conversation what would your layouts be for each ball. Just generally without getting into my pap and all that I mean if I had to put my approach and roll out there I would say I through it like Tom Hess but maybe less speed around 15mph.
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Let me clarify any misunderstanding from anything I may have said earlier.
My Melee is stronger, in that it will handle a bit more oil than the Platinum Ringer. I knocked some of the factory gloss off and it's even better. From the factory the two were pretty darn close.
After putting many games on both, my Platinum Ringer is stronger than expected once the lanes get drier, and is more angular and responds more quickly than the Melee. I have used both balls on two different lane surfaces, with varying amounts of oil - not just one house shot.
BOTH balls have been exceptional. If one isn't carrying the other probably will. I realize that bowler error plays a part regarding carry, too. I LOVE the read of the lane that the Melee gives me. It just reads what is there! The Platinum Ringer is slightly less predictable, but that's not necessarily bad either, just different.
If you want a dry lane ball and aren't afraid to open up your angles more, then the Platinum Ringer will be your ticket. If you want a dry lane ball good for playing closer to friction then I think the Strike King will be your friend. My Melee has allowed me to play on the dry some, and the control I had was phenomenal.
No factory can possibly anticipate the 1,586 different bowler styles, as well the the unlimited amount of different conditions we bowl on from hour to hour. They leave it to the individual bowler to decide which ball may fit his arsenal, as well as layouts and surface changes to compliment their conditions.
In this forum we can only give feedback as to what we've experienced on our conditions. If the Melee is my favorite it may not be for the next guy, who may prefer the motion of the Platinum Ringer (which is also great). "Different" doesn't have to be a bad thing since we are all different...
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How did you have your melee layed out. I guess I meant to put that in my original post. I'm in need of some nice layouts for these rocks. I'm new to laying out balls so I would like to go into buying them knowing what my arsenal can perform like. For example is the mastermind gonna be that much really if I drill it strong or would it be better to go weak on the layout so I can ball down to my melee.
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Mine is pretty strong, because I had heard from the Brunswick team that it was extremely easy to get down the lane. I ended up putting the pin beside the ring finger for the first time ever. The CG is basically stacked and I have a X - hole in about the P4 position. Most of my stuff isn't laid out this strong, but I'm glad I did with this one. The surface tweak was also good, but I'm always "tinkering" on the spinner, so who knows where I will end up.
My Tuesday league house just barely bought the new Brunswick lane machine, so this week will be the first with whatever the new pattern will be.