Author Topic: Taboo (Read 39523 times)

admin · « **on:** December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM »

- Color: Black/Purple/Blue
- Coverstock: Grand Theft Reactive
- Core: High Mass-Bias Gas Mask Core
- Factory Finish: 800/1000/2000/2000 Abralon
- RG: 16#-2.51, 15#-2.50, 14#-2.49, 13#-2.53, 12#-2.60
- RG Differential: 16#-.049, 15#-.060, 14#-.057, 13#-.055, 12#-.039
- Recommended Lane Condition: Medium/Heavy to Heavy Oil
- Description: Hammer Bowling’s original rule breaker is at it again. Introducing the hot new Taboo. First we started with the venerable Black Widow core. Then we wrapped it in our brand new Grand Theft Reactive Coverstock. And, as if that wasn’t enough, It’s our first ball to be poured with our game-changing HD color process. What’s that mean for you? Far more hook and continuation in the backend culminating in a ball that just strikes more.

badbeard · « **Reply #16 on:** February 23, 2011, 09:45:28 AM »

LANE CONDITION

Length:

Volume:

Type (THS,

COMMENTS

Like

The Taboo is real strong ball. Just drilled mine up 45x3-3/8 x85 my pap is 51/4 x 1/1/8 up, revs 190 and 18mph.Span is just 3-6/16. So I am speed dominate. I used this layout to give me a early roll on THS. Ball surface is 360 with a light hand polish. I don't usually use such a large Val angle but this allowed me to get the pin down little below my ring finger and a little right of thr finger.The Mass bias is to the right of my Val. This ball is now my benchmark ball and it hits hard.

s:

Dislikes: none

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

pin-smasher · « **Reply #17 on:** February 23, 2011, 10:34:03 AM »

BALL SPECS

Pin Length: 2-3

Starting Top Weight: 3 oz

Ball Weight:15.3

DRILL PATTERN

drilled 60 X 4.5 X 70 dual angle drilling

BOWLER STYLE

Rev Rate:better than average revs

Ball Speed: 16-17

PAP/Track: 5-3/4 over 3/8 up

SURFACE PREP

Grit: box finish

Type: (Matte, Polish, Sanded): ebonite powerhouse polish

LANE CONDITION

Length: 38

Volume:med

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): house

BALL REACTION

Length: good length with polish

Back End: powerfull backend

Overall Hook: very strong

Midlane Read: picks up nice in the midlane

Breakpoint Shape: smooth arcing motion and strong but not jumpy

COMMENTS

Likes:awesome ball that has good length and a strong move to the pocket and i can play many different angles with it and carry is excellent

Dislikes: none so far

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

crusher267658 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 23, 2011, 02:58:57 PM »

BALL SPECS

Pin Length: 3 1/2

Starting Top Weight: 3ozs

Ball Weight:15lbs

DRILL PATTERN

Pin to PAP: 6"

CG to PAP: 5 1/2"

X Hole (if there is one): N/A

BOWLER STYLE

Rev Rate: Between tweener and cranker

Ball Speed: between 15 and 17 MPH

PAP/Track: High track

SURFACE PREP

Grit: OOB

Type: (Matte, Polish, Sanded): OOB

LANE CONDITION

Length: 43ft

Volume: Medium

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc): THS

BALL REACTION

Scale of 1-10

Length: 8

Back End: 9

Overall Hook: 9

Midlane Read: 4

Breakpoint Shape: 7

COMMENTS

Likes: Really gets down the lane with ease. Gets thru the heads clean with a nice smooth and strong reaction on the backend. Pin carry is phenominal.

Dislikes: With this long PIN to PAP distance the ball has a tendancy to be a little squirty off the break point and over/under at times.

No matter how dark the area around you gets... Never take your eyes off the match you lit.

beeks1305 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 07, 2011, 04:04:31 PM »

LANE CONDITION

Length:37ft, 39ft, 42ft

Volume:med-med/heavy

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):

COMMENTS

Likes: I have my Taboo drilled with the pin about one inch over ring finger and mass bias just to the right of thumb. I love how this ball gets down lane very clean and makes a very hard move off the spot. I would describe it as being angular but very controllable. Crushes the pins with great continuation and carry. Very versatile piece, takes to changes in hand position very well, which makes it playable on multiple surfaces. This and my pin down Infection make a great combination.

Dislikes:

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

Matt C · « **Reply #20 on:** March 16, 2011, 03:46:36 PM »

LANE CONDITION

Length: short

Volume: light

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):old wood lanes with very light THS

COMMENTS

Likes:Having owned many balls over the years, I can say without a doubt the Gas Mask core is my favorite core of all time. Every ball I have had with this core has been a winner. That said, Hammer has had its issues with coverstocks on the Widow series which made me move away from them. Still I couldnt resist the Taboo.

Drilled 85*5 1/2*30 dual angle. I was trying a layout suggest by Mo Pinel to help with these horrid conditions I have to bowl on. Pin ended up about a inch above the bridge with the MB slightly to the right of the thumb hole.

left out of box condition.

I ended up with a ball that makes a strong move at the break point with a good amount of continuation. The carry is what I have come to expect with this core.

With all that said, this layout is real touchy on how u release it. If i come up the back just a little to much the ball will roll out and will not finish. If i get in deep I have to really pay attention to the ball speed or it will burn up trying to get through the oil and will not finish. So it has been a bit of a learning curve. The results were not as good as expected, but I think in the end ill end up with a ball I will be able to use for a couple games before I go searching for the plastic ball.

Dislikes: for the ball itself none, Im not totaly pleased with the layout i chose, and might buy another and use a different layout. For now ill play with the coverstock and see what happens.

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

StefanieN · « **Reply #21 on:** March 24, 2011, 11:43:07 AM »

The Hammer Taboo is the Benchmark ball in my arsenal.

As you can see in the drawing below, the pin is below my ring finger with the CG kicked out just a little bit. This has always been my favorite drillings mostly due to my ball speed. Having the pin below my fingers tends to get the ball started a little quicker for me.

I kept the Taboo with the surface out of the box and it has been highly predictable for me. This ball rolls early for me but still continues through the pins and hits like a truck. I have already had much success with this ball and plan on adding another one to my arsenal very soon. Definitely a must have for anyone looking for that 'go to ball' when the going gets tough!

Stefanie Nation

Pinbasher209 · « **Reply #22 on:** April 05, 2011, 03:55:11 PM »

LANE CONDITION

Type: THS

COMMENTS

Likes: I have about 60 games on this ball and, theTaboo moves well for me, Low rev stroker aprox 14-15 mph , I bowl on an early league with fresh oil, ball moves well with fresh oil, but really comes alive for me when the lanes start to break down, I love to use this ball on drier patterns as it moves stronger to the pocket even with my low revs, I can use the same line for my 3 game sets, that's a plus, I have rolled several 600's and 700's with my 185 average and steadily climbing. Great ball for low rev bowlers as this ball will move, I haven't had a chance to use on heavy oil patterns, but I'm sure I won't be disapointed.

Must have ball, thanks Hammer

Dislikes: None yet

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

SteveAustin2808 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 25, 2011, 05:29:31 PM »

Hammer Taboo
Weight: 15#
Top Weight: 3 oz.
Pin: 3-4"

Layout: 45x5x60

First Impressions:
A lot of mid-lane reaction with a ton of backend reaction off the dry. I haven't seen this type of backend reaction since the Track Equation!

Comparison:

Versus the Jigsaw Trap

The Taboo is about 4-5 feet earlier and definitely reads the dry a lot quicker. Starting point with both balls are also have a 5 board difference. When the Taboo is reacting sooner and the oil in the heads starts to fade, I go to the Trap and that gives me more length downlane in comparison to the Taboo.

Versus the Plague

The Taboo is much much stronger. The Plague is more mid-lane reaction with a very smooth arc down lane while the Taboo simply just turns left off the breakpoint. No problems in sending this one wide outside on a THS because it will come back!

Final Thoughts:

If you are seeking a very fine tunable coverstock to match up to your game, then the Taboo is your answer. The coverstock can be tweaked and the reaction is very predictable. This is Hammer's most versatile coverstock as long as I have been throwing Hammer and has the potential to be the hottest ball of 2011! Nothing Hits Like A Hammer!!

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McCorvey's Pro Shop Staff

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kgmach · « **Reply #24 on:** October 04, 2011, 10:07:09 PM »

LANE CONDITION

Length:ALL

Volume:ALL

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

COMMENTS

Likes:The Grand Theft Reactive cover wrapped around the Gas Mask core that the Black Widow line made famous made this my favorite ball of all time. The cover is super versatile for scuffing or polishing to alter the length of skid needed. The core revs up mid-lane and continues to drive in a very predictable manner.

Dislikes: This ball is not dry head friendly!!!

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

NOTHING hits like a HAMMER

K Gmach

Hammer Amateur Staff

USBC Certified Coach

Go BREWERS!

Njpov3 · « **Reply #25 on:** December 04, 2011, 12:45:14 PM »

LANE CONDITION

Length:

Volume:

Type (THS, Sport Pattern etc):

COMMENTS

Likes:

Dislikes:

PICTURES AND/OR VIDEOS

This is my first hammer, and they're right, nothing hits like a hammer!

First game, out of box finish, fresh lanes, 290 (would have been a 300, but I threw my first ball under-estimating the power of this ball. It has the legs to make a backend break into the pocket, even if you throw 2-3 boards in or outside.

My only complaint is that the next 2 games were plagued by 7-pins (I am a lefty, so that's not all that uncommon). Does anyone have any tips on how to prevent buckets after the first game with this ball?

Overall, this is my favorite ball since the Ebonite Total NV, looking forward to my first league night with this!

jbungard · « **Reply #26 on:** January 12, 2012, 03:51:26 PM »

Hammer Taboo

A good piece from the EBI/Hammer folks that works well for me on house patterns from deeper angles.

The Taboo’s Gas Mask core provides a unique shot shape that borders on skid/flip with smoother surface finishes; more of a skid/hard arc at box and more aggressive surface finishes. The Taboo’s coverstock is versatile and relatively strong at P1000, P500/P4000, and P2000 surfaces.

Brunswick Pro Anvilane: A good match at the box finish and P1000/P2000 touch-ups

HPL/SPL: A good match at P4000 and P1000/Rough Buff or P1000/Resurrection

Wood: Similar to HPL/SPL finishes with a smoother shot shape.

Guardian: I haven’t found a good combination on Guardian. This may be due to my high tilt and the ball seems to go left in the Guardian, then slide coming off the Guardian, then move. The core/surface combination seems to accentuate the different lane sections. I have better matches, asymmetric and symmetric, for these challenges.

My Taboo is drilled 50 x 4” x 30, no weight hole, 15 lb 6 oz out of the box, 2 ox top weight box, pin-out 3” (4” x 3 ¼” with a 2” pin to VAL buffer). Intermediate mass bias is 0.016 box, differential RG is 0.060, RG is 2.50: Strong, flaring and relatively early. The pin is just right of ring finger, CG on the midline in the positive side weight quadrant. Mass Bias is just right of the thumb hole.

The Taboo is good on red patterns: Okay on white and blue patterns though not as forgiving as several other balls in my bag. The Taboo tends to accentuate differences in my release. As a result, I tend to use it more often on easier patterns and switch to other more forgiving balls on more challenging patterns.

In my part of the country (desert southwest), there are large numbers of Taboos on the lanes. Lower tilt players seem to excel with the Taboo. Higher tilt players, such as me, tend to be more condition-specific with the Taboo and other Gas-mask core Hammers.

The 50 x 4” x 30 layout is a good match for many lower tilt players. If I were to drill another Taboo, I’d go with a layout closer to the benchmark layout for my tilt and speed: 45 x 4.5” x 50. This ball has plenty of back-end and doesn’t need the help provided by low angles to the VAL.

One of the strengths of the Taboo for me is its ability to recover from deeper lay-down points when pointed to the track. Good 10-pin carry and trip-4 ability from inside angles. Conversely, there are better carrying pieces in my bag from outside lines.

All-in-all, the Taboo is a good ball worth your consideration for medium to medium-heavy conditioning patterns.

Edited on 1/12/2012 at 2:52 PM

darkslayer23 · « **Reply #27 on:** January 18, 2013, 11:20:43 PM »

Were to begin with this ball? Well I'd have to say that it is just awful. My mom bought it to have a more aggressive ball because our alley always has heavy oil conditions. The ball was to heavy and was set up to be less aggressive so my dad took it. It was to heavy for him, so he gave it to me. First week I had it started great. I had the first 5 strikes which was a career best for me, then I began thinking about a 300, which was stupid because I pulled it. After that, I've had nothing but problems with it. Hammer swears this ball is one of their most reactive balls, but it barely hooks more then my Razyr, if at all. The only good thing about this ball is how hard it hits the pocket. But that's the problem, if it doesn't hit the pocket, it is weak. Every so often I'll have a good game with it, but they are few and far between. And the ball is so hard to control that it is a strike or nothing ball. It would honestly surprise me if a pro bowler could roll a 200 using only this ball. Hammer really needs to focus on balls that hit the pins harder then high hooking balls.