Author Topic: Q & A (Read 16673 times)

VBPadvertising · « **on:** April 13, 2007, 04:50:01 AM »

Hello All,

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jason Wonders, VP of Marketing for Visionary Bowling Products. Lately I have been receiving a lot of requests to come on here and provide information and insight into our equipment line.

Typically, I like to stand back and view these posts from the outside so that I get unbiased opinions. However, since there has been enough demand, I figured I would start a post that could strictly be a question and answer section on our line of equipment.

Fire away,
Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products

imjouster · « **Reply #16 on:** April 13, 2007, 06:43:34 PM »

Don't really have much of a question, but just wanted to say thanks Jason for comming on here and doing this. I had started wondering where you disapeared to. Glad to see your comming back and actually starting this GREAT post. Thanks again.

Jeremy

On Edit: Come to think about it I would like to know just how similar the purp/silver ogre will be to the Green Gargoyle. I know it's supposed to be the replacement for it and everything, but given same lane conditions and drillings, about how much stronger or weaker would it be than the Green Gargoyle? And if it is stronger than the GG where will it be in comparison to the G-3 Gryphon? Thanks again

Jeremy
--------------------
"Strive to be perfect, that is afterall the only way to become perfect."

"If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans."

Taken from Desiderata

Proud user of Columbia 300 and Visionary Bowling Products

Edited on 4/13/2007 6:45 PM

scotts33 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 13, 2007, 07:03:36 PM »

quote:
Hi Scott,

The ball went out today. I personally pulled it for you, so I know that it went. It had about 3.15 top and pin was out a little over 3".

Glad to hear that you bowled well at the tournament up there. Gotta show them who's boss.

Jason

Thanks Jason. I'll look for it next week.....just in time for some late season tourney's.
--------------------
Scott

MI 2 AZ · « **Reply #18 on:** April 13, 2007, 08:41:00 PM »

Jason,

Welcome, glad to see you here. You must have gotten tired of all our requests to post here.

--------------------
________________________________________

I am the SGT Schultz of bowling.
"I know nothing! I see nothing! NOTHING!"
_________________________________________
I just want 2C was'zzub.

BR FAQ

MC · « **Reply #19 on:** April 13, 2007, 09:21:59 PM »

Nice bowling Scott. And thank you Jason for the update.

Also Jason, I want to say thank you for donating a ball for the St. Louis BallReviews Gathering.

Mike
--------------------
Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.
-Vince Lombardi

VBPadvertising · « **Reply #20 on:** April 13, 2007, 10:29:33 PM »

Hi Jeremy,

The Purple/Black Ogre handles a little more oil, and carrydown better than the Green Pearl. This one is a more of a control pearl and the cover is pretty strong compared the other pearl covers in our line.

The Silver/Blue Pearl is the one that will replace the Green Pearl Gargoyle. I have thrown the Silver/Blue a number of times now, and for myself it is very close to the Green Gargoyle. It gets through the heads and mids very easily, and then is pretty violent once it transitions to the dry. Like the Green Gargoyle, this Ogre is a skid/snap ball, and not meant for heavy oils or carrydown. You will need to have some dry boards or relatively clean backends for this one, but it can definitely open up the lanes when the shot is there.

Jason

VBPadvertising · « **Reply #21 on:** April 13, 2007, 10:41:01 PM »

Hey MI 2 AZ,

Been a while since I've heard from you. Hope all is going well. I didn't get tired of anyone, just finally decided that if this many people actually wanted me to post, that I would make a little more of a presence here.

Just hope that it doesn't affect anyones decisions on how to post, because it is nice to be able to stand back and get completely unbiased opinions on our equipment. It gives me a pretty good idea on which direction to go with equipment, and what we should be striving for as a company.

PS Dont worry, I haven't forgotten about what kind of ball your looking for...

Jason

charlest · « **Reply #22 on:** April 14, 2007, 05:33:18 AM »

Jason,

I'd like to thank you for two major items, but mostly for running an excellent customer oriented bowling ball company. (not sure how you're making a profit, but glad you are.)
1. I like the way you keep good balls there for as long as people like them and need them.
2. I'd like to thank you for actually replying to all the questions here.

My request has to do with information. I like to keep track of information, as many people here already know. I'm referring to coverstock names in this case. You're doing it with the Ogre's Eradicator coverstock, but most other balls, going back to the Orange and Blue Warlocks, never seemed to have a specific name. Once in a while a ball's data sheet said thatball had the same cover as another ball, but for the most part I never knew if ball's chared the family coverstock (pearl, solid, particle) or not.

I think it's important to know how a coverstock and a core react together when, for all practical purposes, every coverstock was sdifferent from eveyr other one, I never knew how to relate balls, except by buying them and comparing them.

One other item: the Blue/Green Centaur, maybe one of the greatest light oil balls ever made. When I went back to 16 lbs, it was the first ball I made sure to get, while keeping the 15 lb one for when I have to go back to 16. I have and use 2 different 16 lbs ones: one polished and one at 2000 grit.

The "pumpkin" Ogre is showing signs of being as useful on medium oil, polished, of course.

(I'm afraid, I'm one of those who put away a new Slate Blue and Green Gargoyle as soon as I heard they were being discontinued.)

Thanks for being Visionary.

PS You should be "paying" Scott (scotts33) as a Visionary ballreviews.com rep, as he's fulfilling that role quite well here.
--------------------
"None are so blind as those who will not see."

Loki300 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 14, 2007, 07:57:37 AM »

Have heard the Pearl Ogre will react like one, but would love to see a Pearl Particle released sometime soon!

TheDude · « **Reply #24 on:** April 14, 2007, 10:40:40 AM »

Jason and Betsy are great people. They gave me a helping hand a few years ago in the bowling business.

Jason how close is the orge solid to the good ole Charcoal Ex? That ball was so far ahead of it's time. Put that coverstock on a Gargoyle core.

I still have a purple Ice Ex somewhere i pull out and throw for fun once in a while.

--------------------
Timothy @Juniors Pro-Shops
LaSalle, Quebec.
Chateaugauy, Quebec.
Edmonton, Alberta.
Roto-Grip Star Proshops
Etonic Stabilites Dress wearer.

Montreal, Quebec.

Edited on 4/14/2007 10:41 AM

VBPadvertising · « **Reply #25 on:** April 15, 2007, 11:08:30 AM »

Hi fbila,

I doubt we will be putting the Eradicator on the AMB's. The Immortals would no longer be passed by the USBC, and I think the Centaur AMB's have a pretty complete line. We have never been a company to come out with a new ball and swap the cover, just to release a new ball. It might be a great ball, but my guess is that it would overlap the Centaur AMB Solid, and we really try to avoid overlapping as much as possible.

absolutebowling - Hey bud...how are things in Australia. You guys kill me with how much you love your pies. Some day you will have to show me what is so special about these Aussie pies.

Charlest-
Naming coverstocks is something that I never really anticipated doing, because we don't usually use the exact same coverstock on more than a couple balls. When we design the equipment, we have a specific core design and reaction in mind, and than we test out different coverstocks and modify them to match up with what we want. Even slight modifications to the coverstocks chemical structure can make a very significant difference to the way the ball reacts on the lane, and naming every modified cover is not something that I thought we would be doing. We have started naming the coverstocks because the industry has dictated that we do so, but I think knowing the characteristics of the ball as a whole is much more important than the characteristics of a single part.

Even when you know how a certain coverstock works, it really doesn't mean that you are going to have the same characteristics from ball to ball. The core designs and weight distributions can play just as important of a role as the covers.

Glad to hear that you are having success with your equipment. The Green/Blue Centaur is a niche ball, but it definitely filled a hole that we had in the line.

You are right, Scott is being a great ambassador for our company, and I very much appreciate all of his support, along with everyone else that here that tries to help promote our equipment.

Loki,
Believe me when I say that you are not the only one looking forward to a pearl particle. I receive requests for a pearl particle from a number of bowlers every week.

I have tested several pearl particle coverstocks, and to be completely honest, we haven't really found what a pearl particle does that can't be done by slightly modifying the surface on a solid reactive.

Particle balls by nature, will need much more maintenance and cleaning than most reactives, and particles will over time break down and need more resurfacing than other types of balls. If you can get a similar reaction, without using particles, isn't that the better route to go? Anyone out there who has a pearl particle, and tried to fool around with the surfaces on our solid reactives and not been able to get them to match up?

That being said, I'm sure we will come out with one sooner or later, because the demand for one is so high.

Hey Tim,
How's it going up in Canada? Haven't heard from you in a while. I can't say that the solid Ogre and the Charcoal are real close, but they do cover similar lane conditions, and it did get me to retire my Charcoal (atleast for now). As you know, the Charcoal was all I used for a number of years, and is one of my all time favorite balls, so it says alot that I replaced it's spot in my bag with the Ogre.

Hi Josh,
I know Lindenwood very well. They have a very good bowling program there. Because of the chemicals that we use in our production process, insurance does not allow us to give tours, but you are more than welcome to stop by and say hi. As a TSM, you can pick your balls up at the plant if you would like. Just make sure that you give us a call so that we can make sure we have what you want in inventory.

TrimMan,
Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad to hear that you are happy with us and the product. Let me know if there is anything that I can help you out with.

Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products

Edited on 4/15/2007 11:10 AM

Edited on 4/15/2007 11:13 AM

TWOHAND834 · « **Reply #26 on:** April 15, 2007, 04:24:42 PM »

Jason,

Thanks for all you do for us. As you know, I am a big Visionary fan. I am caught in between with my arsenal. I primarily use the Blue Sparkle and Crimson Ex. The trouble, is that if I get deeper in the lane (20 and deeper), the Blue Sparkle is not enough on the backend and the Crimson is a touch too aggressive. The cover on the Crimson is 4000 abralon with Ebonite's Factory Finish. I could use a mid performance pearl in my arsenal. With the discontinuance of the Green Gargoyle, should I wait for the B/S Ogre or will the Purple Ogre be a good choice? Will the Purple be too close to the Crimson as far as lane coverage and backend? For the record, my Blue Sparkle and Crimson are drilled identical (4 1/2 stacked with small weight hole). Thanks again for everything and look forward to hearing back from you.

--------------------
Steven Vance
Former Pro Shop Operator

If anyone out there is worried about the scores being too high, try duckpin!!

Androooo · « **Reply #27 on:** April 15, 2007, 06:47:24 PM »

Jason, thank you for taking the time to answer all our questions. It is much appreciated.

One question for you....

Every thought about using the Green/Blue core in a pearl coverstock?
--------------------
Andrew Phillips

The Tenpin Bowling Discount Store - Moonah Bowl

Team Bowling Balls Australia - Visionary Staff

Loki300 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 15, 2007, 09:13:09 PM »

Thanks for your reply, this is a great thread. Kudo's to you and VBP.

zdfuhsdsbdbd · « **Reply #29 on:** April 16, 2007, 08:45:18 PM »

Hi Jason, John from Nashville here. I wanted to publicly say that your coverstocks are wonderful. The ball I own, the Scorcher NPT has not a single mark on it. Some friends that bowl with your equipment I have also noticed they do not have a single mark on the ball.

I too would like to see a urethane ball like the old Faball Hammers. I would also like to see bowling balls in solid colors again. I find the multi color, swirl pattern balls distracting and I cannot get a good gauge on my roll as it goes down the lane. I currently own a Track Heat Blast, and it has so many colors in it I can't stand it! I also have the solid cobalt blue NPT from your company, I have a solid Black Scout Reactive, and a Turquoise MSG Star Trak for burnt and dry lanes.

I also like a simple core ball that I can drill over lable so I can make release adjustments. Call me old school, but a lot of guys my age, over 40, like simple equipment that is easily adjustable. We also like 2 piece balls without a core wrap like the NPT and the Faball hammers.

Edited on 4/16/2007 8:45 PM

VBPadvertising · « **Reply #30 on:** April 16, 2007, 10:17:14 PM »

Hi Steven,

That's a pretty good question. When you say that the Crimson is too strong, do you mean that it is snapping too hard on the backend? or that the ball is starting up a little too early and hooking too much overall? With the way you have the balls drilled and finished, how much length do you get out of the Crimson as compared to the Blue Sparkle? and lastly, do you prefer balls that are a little more of a strong arc? or a skid snap?

My initial thought is that you will probably want to wait for the Silver/Blue Ogre pearl, but depending on how you answer the questions above, the answer may change.

Hi Harry,

To be honest, if you had asked me this a couple months ago, I would have said "probably not". However, since we discontinued the Slate Blue Gargoyle, we have gotten more requests to bring out older style urethanes than I would have ever expected.

When we brought out the Slate Blue Gargoyle, quite a few people had requested a hard urethane, similar to the pink Hammer. We had the slate in our line for somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 years and really didn't sell too many of them (as compared to other balls we released), so I was beginning to think that the only people who really wanted a ball like that were the individuals making the most noise about it. Suprisingly, over the past 6 months (especially since we announced it was being discontinued) we have sold a lot more of these than we did at any point during the past 5 years.

At this point, I can't say yes or no, but the possibility is definitely there. I guess I may have to send out my feelers, and try to do a survey to see whether a urethane line would actually be viable.

Hey Androo -

I highly doubt we will bring out a pearlized version of the G/B Centaur. Unfortunately, I just don't think that type of ball would sell. Balls with extremely low differentials have a very small market, and you can't fill up your line with niche balls.

Hey John,

I don't think I have had the pleasure of speaking with you before. It's always nice to make new friends.

I'm sorry to say it, but I think the day of single, solid colors are pretty much over. You wouldn't believe how many people purchase balls because of color, and how much of an affect plain or boring colors can have on sales. Single color pearls still sell ok, but single color solids simply don't seem to sell in todays market.

Hope I caught all of the questions,
Jason Wonders
Visionary Bowling Products

Author Topic: Q & A (Read 16673 times)

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imjouster

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MI 2 AZ

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MC

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charlest

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TWOHAND834

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zdfuhsdsbdbd

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