The Ebonite GB4 Pearl gives me a benchmark symmetric pearl that fits perfectly between other symmetric pearl balls like the Hammer Raw Pearl (weaker ball) and the Radical Bigfoot (bigger ball). Compared to the GB4 Solid, you can expect a much cleaner ball motion with excellent continuation through the pins. I drilled mine 4 1/4" x 65 to make it read the mid-lane and stretch out the transitions from skid to hook to roll. You can order the GB4 Pearl now from Bowler Builders Pro Shops and pro shops everywhere!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j0cjP4Oh4uU

Went 40x4.75x35 (pin over ring) on my GB4 Pearl looking for a cleaner compliment to my trusty GB4.  The solid is one of my favorite balls from last season and has found its way in my bag on a variety of patterns - particularly medium and short.  The short coming of the solid is that it comes really dull out of the box and just didn't quite roll the same for me when shiny.
The GB4 Pearl is everything the solid is not - it is clean through the front and very responsive off of the friction.  Initially I struggled with this ball in that it wanted to skid too far down the lane and would be too responsive off of the dry boards.  For my purposes, sanding it to 3k calmed it down and made it more playable on a wider range of patterns.
The GB4 Pearl excels most when the lanes have dried out a bit and I want to stand left and open my angles up.  This ball is strong through the latter half of the lane and can really cover some territory if it encounters some dry boards.

In terms of shape and overall hook, the GB4 Pearl fits between my Obsession Tour Gold (slightly stronger/rollier) and Eruption Pearl (more skid).  The Pearl is much more skid/flippy than the solid and is preferred once the oil has transitioned requiring more help creating length + back end.

The GB4 Pearl is a great compliment to the solid and a ball that I would recommend for bowlers in a league environment.  It provides a lot of hook potential and back end for the price point, making it a ball that would look good towards the end of a league session.  The weaker cover does make it a bit touchy on tougher sport and challenge type patterns and in those situations I would consider taking a look at the Obsession Tour Pearl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnH2GTpdaTg&t=415s

Hello, and thank you for reading my review of the Ebonite GB4 Pearl. I hail from Southwest Ohio, where there is an abundance of friction. My GB4 Pearl is drilled 60 by 5 by 80, which places the pin right below my middle finger. I went with this layout because it has worked so well for me in the past with previous shiny Gamebreaker pieces. This layout cuts the flare potential down a bit, allowing me to have a slower response to friction. My release specs are as follow: 520rpm, 60 degrees of rotation, 24 degrees of tilt, and my axis is 4 and 3/16 over by 1 and 3/8 up.

With all of this info at hand, the motion I get out of this ball is ease through the fronts with a smooth and continuous response to friction.  The conditions that this ball comes into play are your high friction lane surfaces and when the lanes have transitioned a fair amount. It is not the weakest ball in my bag, but a great piece when I'm facing more friction and my other equipment is too angular and sensitive to the oil. The GB4 Pearl fits that slot in my bag like all of its predecessors. The colors fit my eye well down lane, making reading ball motion easy. An added bonus of Dynamicore carries more off-hits than expected. I'm a huge fan of pearl GB pieces, and this one will not disappoint!

LANE CONDITION

Length:
35'

Volume:
27mls

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):
Sport/Challenge


COMMENTS

Likes:
Ebonite knocked it out with the GB4 Pearl. I do not know why I do not use this ball any more. This ball has helped me salvage my sport/challenge league scores, bailed me out of tournaments (transition), and is a good league ball when I bring it with me. This ball is extremely clean thru the fronts and midlane with a sharp turn once it touches friction. This ball has not lost performance with a light 2000 or 3000 surface. 


Dislikes:


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