Have you checked out Doc Pop’s responsive freehand workshop on YouTube?
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Yes. He is amazing. And I tend to drop my yo-yo every time I let go of the counterweight. This is going to take me a while to get used to.
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I’m in the same boat. Still trying to just get used to not having it attached to my finger.
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Summer is still here so I’m still on a Vintage Butterfly kick. However, this one is a step child to Butterfly history, which would eventually give birth to one of Today’s most dominate yoyo companies. This is an early 80’s Pro Spin Stinger from none other than Donald F. Duncan Jr. Sales & Promotions which eventually became Playmaxx out of Arizona. This one weights in at 42 grams and requires some finesse because it feels as cheep as it looks. It does and can jam some 0A, as the Starburst responds tightly and since it requires a slight of hand, it has opened up some creative doors of play for me. It definitely reminds me that I really do enjoy yoyoing, Happy Fixed Axle Friday.
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Another fantastic post @Exmime 
Your last post inspired me to purchase a blackbird No.19 for myself (originally I was unaware that a butterfly shaped blackbird existed) and it did not disappoint. Played pretty good stock right out of the box, string and all. Happy to have it in my collection.
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Gee, Spain looks beautiful.
Australia looks like dead grass, gnarly heat smashed trees and red dirt.
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Speaking of Bob Rule, Here is a great quote from Bob from www.yoyomuseum.com regarding the advancements in yo-yos that were his favorite to see [over his lifetime].
“Probably the advancement I see the most is the Butterfly invented by Wayne Lunberg. I called it a ‘bicycle with training wheels’ but had to accept it as it helped the players advance in skill so fast.”
10 years prior to the Stinger was the Original Dragonfly by Festival and endorsed by Bob Rule. It weights in at 41grams and is a lot lighter than the Flambeau Duncan Butterflys from the same time period. However being closer in weight to the Pro Spin Stinger, it’s weight distribution makes it feel a little heavier in play. This particular one is mint, so it still plays fresh and crisp with no oxidization on the axle for its age. Set up with some cheap bulk poly and I’m enjoying some 0A this Friday morning.
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Happy Friday yall! Kicking it a little more old school today with one of my No Jives. Theres just a nostalgic childlike joyfulness I get when throwing TK stuff. Will forever be my favorite brand
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This quote from Bob Rule has really had me perplexed all week being such a Butterfly fanboy. I quess there becomes a time when you have to take the “Training Wheels” off. So I’ve been getting after it this Friday with this 1998 BC era Tom Kuhn No Jive Sunburst Mandala and trying to not fall off the bicycle. Playing my string length a little shorter to incorporate some more looping within my 0A tricks.
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For a time pro demonstrators definitely looked at wide profiles with the same disdain that fixed axle purists looked at bearings in the late 90’s. But it also became apparent pretty quick that kids would stick with yo-yoing longer with that particular feature (much like said ball bearings later on), which sells more throws and expands our little universe. A crutch isn’t bad if you NEED it. And now of course those things are the standard. It’s how the game changes.
I remember one time I sent Augie Fash a clean machine and asked how he wanted it setup & tuned. He said “my mind says butterfly but my heart says imperial.” I’ve always related to that a bit.
For years I believed that if I could get GOOD enough, anything I could hit unresponsive I should be able to hit fixed. Eventually I realized that to “get good” really means playing in harmony with the hardware rather than in spite of it. Like the guitarist Joe Pass said “When the chord changes, you should change.”
Seems obvious but it’s about the hardest thing in the world.
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I have a BC laminate yoyo with identical shape to this and I don’t fit it too hard to use for modern 0A. That curve over from the gap helps a lot.
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I can really see this change in your understanding in the evolution of your tricks over the past decade.
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So I recently got the Weekender and really enjoying responsive. And I really like the idea of wooden yoyo. Does anyone have any experience with this throw?
Duncan butterfly wood
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I’ve posted mine in this thread a few times, its what the AL Butterfly is based on.
Kyle Nations @Chainsawctopus is also playing one in his Bandalores debut back in 2018, though he put A-RT stickers on the sides.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnW95eUnCVO/?utm_medium=copy_link
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Ok so totally a viable throw. I really want a tmbr made from oak. But maybe this will be a good in the mean time throw. Thanks!
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Jeez dude those are great shots. You really captured that oak PockeHt grain and love the rainbow swirl!!!
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