For over 10 years now, Bustin Boards has been making longboards. The roots of this company have always stemmed from the desire to create alternate forms of transportation that are both unique and fun. A few years back, we came the board that inspired a movement later coined as “push culture.” We took our mold with forward camber and overall rockered design and cut out a sexy, twin kicked, drop-through deck that was super low to the ground, totally unique, and fun to ride. This became the Maestro board, and it’s STILL one of our most popular decks week in and week out.
So what’s new, you ask? Let’s start with what changed the most. The MaestroPRO is the newest edition of the Maestro family and has replaced the Maestro FG (fiberglass). Many daily commuters have been daily commutin’ for quite some time now, and they’ve either already moved on to more technical boards and ride their Maestros just for a good comfy push, or they’re yearning for a similar feeling deck that will help them take their riding to the next level. Well, friends, this is the deck that can just about do it all.
Designed with a gentle camber in the center, an overall rockered platform with varying concave to provide flex in parts of the deck and stiffness where you need it. The overall mold is as bacon as it gets:
But every curve has been designed with the final shape in mind. The final product provides some of the classic feel of the original Maestro with a more versatile symmetrical shape, foot locking 3D at the edge of the deck that works with the mild wedging to lock in on slides, serious concave around the neck to provide stiffness and strength, and a radial tail that keeps the tails stiff and strong despite being significantly larger than earlier models.
There are two mounting options on the new MaestroPRO. We did this to offer riders more options to hone in the flex or add obscenely large wheels (we see this out of many commuters who want to roll over everything in their path). On the inner hole pattern, you can easily fit Randals, Paris, or Bear trucks and 70mm wheels with room for 75mm depending on bushing choice. This deck feels very lively with 50 degree trucks because of an 8 degree wedge on either side of the board. This was done to keep the lively feel of the original Maestro but functions very nicely by bumping down the truck angle to a 40 to 45. Randal 42s, Paris 43s, Bear 40s, and Ronins 42.5 degree trucks will all function very nicely on this deck. We set out MaetroPro up stock with Paris 50 degree trucks and 72mm Five-O wheels. The board is super responsive, fun to ride, and slides like a dream with this setup.
For most riders up to 200 pounds, this deck will have a fun flex that works with your push to provide a more lively ride. For larger riders who do lots of tricks, you may bottom out when landing aerial maneuvers depending on how hard you land on your feet. The sublimated graphic and triaxial fiberglass is tough and will withstand abuse over time, but for the big guys who want to do big tricks, we intend to bring in less flexy options in the future. For cruising and sliding, the flex is ideal for all riders up to 200 lbs. We do not recommend small wheels with this deck. It was designed with 70mm and larger wheels in mind, and because it sits very low with a modest flex, you are much more likely to bottom out with tiny wheels. If you have any questions about the flex, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-855-NYC-PUSH or email skate@bustinboards.com.
Let’s move on!
The 2013 Mini Maestro is here and ready for action. A couple key features separate this from it’s earlier model. First and foremost, it’s got a shorter wheelbase by an inch over the former Maestro Mini; however, the usable footspace remains the same, because we were careful to make the cutouts the perfect size to maximize space without risk of bite. With the wheelbase shorter, the tail becomes all the more functional, and to compensate, we made the tail significantly larger and added some design features to make it stronger and stiffer for added pop and strength.
The changes to the mold that we made are subtle yet effective. We have followed the way of the Yoface, making the tail come in at a radius. This strengthens the tail, adding stiffness and pop where you need it most. Furthermore, we increased concave around the neck compared to the rest of the board. This creates more stiffness around the thinnest part of the board, making it stronger and less susceptible to failure. Finally, we bumped this board up from 7 to 8 plies. With such a small profile, the deck is still very light and extremely nimble, but the added thickness adds strength and longevity. The Maestro Mini may be small, but it is mighty.
Set up your Maestro Mini with carving trucks like Paris, Bears, or Randals, and 70mm wheels. You can use larger wheels, but you will need to adjust the bushings to compensate and avoid bite. The good thing about this, though, is that the wheelbase is small enough that with limited turning of the trucks, you still get plenty of turn out of the actual board, which makes this a very versatile deck for your every day commute. Standard TKP trucks like Indys and Polar Bears will also work on this deck, but they will bump out the wheelbase just a touch, making your tails a little bit smaller. On the plus side, they are very low and have no chance of bite. An ideal commuter deck might be Polar Bear 180mm trucks and 75mm Royce wheels. You will be super low to the ground, bite free, and you can roll over anything in your path!
Finally we have the classic Maestro. We have only made a couple changes to the original, most of which is aesthetic. First, we will only be offering this deck in 8 ply from now on. This was done to increase strength and simplify the lineup overall. The 7-ply has been a great deck for us but with skaters evolving and pushing the limits of their gear, we must too evolve and make sure that their gear is ready to be pushed! With a little more torsional rigidity of the 8-ply Maestro, you will notice more control over your trucks and a little more agility as a result. A few finishing touches like sharper rails and dyed veneers make this the best looking and feeling all-wood Maestro to date! Set up your Maestro with 50-degree RKPs like Paris, Bear, Randal, or our Surf-Rodz trucks, or throw on some TKPs such as Polar Bear 180s, Indy 215s, or Surf-Rodz 177mm INDeeSZ to make an ultra low and nimble ride.
The Maestro series is all about fun and transport. For a long riding, high flying, all-around shred stick, you can’t go wrong. Hopefully this blog has helped you discern what’s what, and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to email skate@bustinboards.com or call 1-855-NYC-PUSH to get your questions answered. Shred on!
