Opinions on JOSS cues

jed1894

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Joss is about the only cue that I haven't hit or owned (other than the really nice high dollar cues). I've always heard good things about them so I may get one and give it a try. What should I expect? Any thoughts?

Also, I noticed that the pro taper is 13.25mm. Does this also mean that the tip diameter is also 13.25 vs. a standard 13mm or 12.75mm? If so, what's the benifit of a 13.25 tip?

thanks, JED
 

axejunkie

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JOSS makes a good quality cue for the price. They've been making cues for a long time and know how to make them play well. You could try a search on the forums since this topic's been discussed before quite a bit.

I believe the main reason the tips are 13.25 is you can have them turned down to your liking, i.e. if you start too small then you have to buy a new shaft. Some people like shafts that size and some like them much smaller, it really comes down to preference and how good your stroke is.
 

Michael-Hoang

Omega Billiards
Silver Member
You can expect to get one of the best playing cues in the market made by one of the best cuemakes of all time. SVB was playing with a Joss for a longggg time.


Dan makes all the shafts standard at 13.25 mm. If you want it smaller, you can always have it turn down. But if the shafts start out small, and you want a bigger size, there is nothing that can be done.
 

jed1894

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So....the larger shaft means harder/stiffer hit, right? If so, my experimenting with the house/bar cues lately might be an answer: I've been experimenting with playing with fat bar cues (not much taper) and like the hit (harder). So, a Joss, with the larger shaft, should be similiar, right? Or am I talking in circles here?

JED
 

desi2960

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
great cue

i have owned a dozen joss cues, i now have a plain jane i got on ebay for 200.00. i also have a 1979 josswest that appraised for 3000.00. i have never seen a joss that hit bad, i think for the money joss east a great production cue, and bill stroud makes a great custom collector cue. chuck starkey
 

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you like steel joints, you'll probably like them. They are making a wood to wood joint now, also, that I haven't played with yet. Sammy Jones spoke to Dan Janes on the phone about making me a cue with the wood to wood, but I don't have the money at this time.
In my opinion, they play very similar to Schon cues. Good bang for the buck and if you shop around you can get a good deal on one.
I don't like the steel joints, personally, but Dan made me a cue back before they started mass producing and it was one of the best cues I've ever owned.
 

brechbt

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just posted a Joss for sale in the sale forum. In my totally unbiased opinion this would be a great introduction to the world of Joss.
 

Getnbzy

Take 2 they're small
Silver Member
I was in seattle in the late 80's and had a few joss easts that played good. 1 that played great. I got it from local player Mike dooley. It had rectangular long box style points in ebony with a single red veneer. Pool tables in maple in the butt with MOP balls. At the joint it read "Made for nick varner world champion" The idiot i am i got it refinished by duane schrader (Oregon cuemaker) and got it back with the varner script gone:mad: Mistake # 2, I left it with a girl 1 time and never saw it again. Young and dumb. If anyone sees a cue like the above described thats in less then 3 pieces let me know. For some reason in the early 90's the joss east cue line from a playability stand point changed IMO.
 

Purdman

Banned
jed1894 said:
Joss is about the only cue that I haven't hit or owned (other than the really nice high dollar cues). I've always heard good things about them so I may get one and give it a try. What should I expect? Any thoughts?

Also, I noticed that the pro taper is 13.25mm. Does this also mean that the tip diameter is also 13.25 vs. a standard 13mm or 12.75mm? If so, what's the benifit of a 13.25 tip?

thanks, JED

12.5, 12.75, 13.00, or 13.25 mm, it's your choice. I like the 12.5 myself.

http://www.josscues.com/html/shafts.html

Purdman :)
 

tom haney

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Absolutely the best hitting production cue out there.
Unless you want to call Coker a production cue.
They're really nice hitters, also.
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
they play great, $ for $ they are the best cues made. I played with one for 3 years full time. I still have one.
 

Shawn Armstrong

AZB deceased - stopped posting 5/13/2022
Silver Member
jed1894 said:
Joss is about the only cue that I haven't hit or owned (other than the really nice high dollar cues). I've always heard good things about them so I may get one and give it a try. What should I expect? Any thoughts?

Also, I noticed that the pro taper is 13.25mm. Does this also mean that the tip diameter is also 13.25 vs. a standard 13mm or 12.75mm? If so, what's the benifit of a 13.25 tip?

thanks, JED
Just got my custom Joss cue last week. Sweetest piece of wood I've ever hit balls with, and I've owned custom cues by people with "names" in the industry. $750 for a cue that would have costed thousands from a "custom" cuemaker.

My feeling on custom cuemakers is this. If you were going to have laser eye surgery done, would you go with the guy that performs thousands of flawless operations per year, or the guy that does 100? If Joss is able to pump out that many cues without flaws, maybe they build a cue worthy of recognition? Just my $0.02............

You cannot go wrong with a Joss.
 

D_Lewis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Shawn Armstrong said:
Just got my custom Joss cue last week. Sweetest piece of wood I've ever hit balls with, and I've owned custom cues by people with "names" in the industry. $750 for a cue that would have costed thousands from a "custom" cuemaker.

My feeling on custom cuemakers is this. If you were going to have laser eye surgery done, would you go with the guy that performs thousands of flawless operations per year, or the guy that does 100? If Joss is able to pump out that many cues without flaws, maybe they build a cue worthy of recognition? Just my $0.02............

You cannot go wrong with a Joss.


Well said! Joss is the shit.
 

8BALL EDDIE

Member
Joss Cues are my favorite and the only cues I play with... Probably, will remain that way until I die.

In the past, I've played with Meucci, Predator, Schön, McDermott, Pechauer, Viking, Mali, Schmelke, Lucasi, a few customs and a couple cheap low end cues like Viper and Players.

For me, personally, nothing beats the work Dan puts into Joss Cues. I love the feel and balance, the control I have with the way they play and the overall reliability I know and trust in a Joss. To top it all off, I admire the family-owned and operated aspect to this iconic, American company. There's a reason so many greats have owned; played with; won with Joss Cues.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I don't believe in trying to fix something that aint broken. There's a touch of class that comes with carrying a more traditional styled cue. I don't need carbon fiber or 50-layers of pigskin on the end of my ferrule. Legends of the Billiards world like Eddie Taylor, Mike Sigel, Luther Lassiter, Minnesota Fats and Nick Varner all played with Joss Cues. If it's good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me.

Like other aspects of the game, it's all in what you're comfortable with. No one cue is right for everyone. Try different cues and find what you like and what works best for you - then stick with it. Consistency can be a vital step along the route to betterment.
 
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hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You can expect to get one of the best playing cues in the market made by one of the best cuemakes of all time. SVB was playing with a Joss for a longggg time.


Dan makes all the shafts standard at 13.25 mm. If you want it smaller, you can always have it turn down. But if the shafts start out small, and you want a bigger size, there is nothing that can be done.

I think Shane has a Schon not a Joss

Edit.. so new member posting, reply to a 2 year old post LOL, got me again.
 

Z-Nole

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I’ve got an old Joss West from the 60’s that I bought on a whim and I love the hit. All my friends in college had production Joss cues amd I liked the way they hit so I had to by this one. Glad I did.
 
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