Joss- 1968-1979- Post your Pictures Please!!!

Following your comments below, helping a fella date his cues. What does your eye tell you about mine? Who would you think is the maker or perhaps it was often a group effort? Thank you in advance for any help.
There are so many things to know. The early years of Janes and Stroud cues were pretty much 57 inch. They did a lot of ivory joint cues, steel also. The joint collars had the railroad track pattern of dashes and veneers. When Bill left, Dan went with a single maple block dash joint collar, still 57 inch standard. Then mid 70s came, back to the railroad look for the joint collars. 57 inch, still the standard through about 1978. Almost all buttplates white delrin up to this point, some implex. Looked like ivory, but wasn't.

After that, all hell broke loose. Tim Scruggs went on his own in 1978. The popular window designs went away entirely. Dan Janes with Joss looked sort of the same through the Diamond Series in about 1981, then changed everything in about 1984, solid black collar joint rings and different butt plate, CNC points.

Bottom line, you have to show a cue, and some people here can recognize the vintage. Not a lot of people, but some.

All the best,
WW
 
Following your comments below, helping a fella date his cues. What does your eye tell you about mine? Who would you think is the maker or perhaps it was often a group effort? Thank you in advance for any help.
It occurred to me that I didn't try to put a date on your cue. I would say something like 1974 to 1975, given the joint collars, and the fact that it still has the KU brown bumper on it. Joss stopped using the KU bumper in about mid 1976. Of course others are free to give an opinion.

There are many factors though, including refinishing, a different bumper, a rewrap, etc. But I would put it in the mid 70s.

All the best,
WW
 
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It occurred to me that I didn't try to put a date on your cue. I would say something like 1974 to 1975, given the joint collars, and the fact that it still has the KU brown bumper on it. Joss stopped using the KU bumper in about mid 1976. Of course others are free to give an opinion.

There are many factors though, including refinishing, a different bumper, a rewrap, etc. But I would put it in the mid 70s.

All the best,
WW
Thanks very much WildWing! I secretly hope this was a Scruggs cue but either way, it's a great player.
 
Thanks very much WildWing! I secretly hope this was a Scruggs cue but either way, it's a great player.
You're welcome. If I have the time period right, and I think I do, Tim Scruggs would have had a hand in your cue. According to Tim later on, he did most of the butt work, and Dan Janes did most of the shaft work, though of course either could do both. So I think both Scruggs and Janes built your cue.

All the best,
WW
 
i dont recall if i bought this cue in the early 1970's or early 1980's
i do remember calling dan janes and asking him to make me a cue without a logo
he said OK
its 57 inches
................
i did not tell him this but since joss cues had a great reputation i did not want anyone to know i was playing with one
i thought i was a hustler at that time and could not run 3 balls 😂
i know its not fancy but its the first cue i bought and has alot of sentimental value to me
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i dont recall if i bought this cue in the early 1970's or early 1980's
i do remember calling dan janes and asking him to make me a cue without a logo
he said OK
its 57 inches
................
i did not tell him this but since joss cues had a great reputation i did not want anyone to know i was playing with one
i thought i was a hustler at that time and could not run 3 balls 😂
i know its not fancy but its the first cue i bought and has alot of sentimental value to me
.............
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It's early to mid 80s. Single black joint collars, butt plate not delrin. They switched in that timeframe, and slightly rounded points. Very nice cue.

All the best,
WW
 
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Thanks very much WildWing! I secretly hope this was a Scruggs cue but either way, it's a great player.

Since cue makers often age shaft wood a long time, and take long intervals of time in between turns, you can fantasize that shaft was handled by Scruggs before it was eventually finished for your cue.

Just trying to help. :)
 
I don't know if I ever posted this one, if so the pics are gone anyway. Model 2 in the Diamond Catalog. Nothing fancy. Just a workhorse.

Bad pics, gotta find the better ones.

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You did post that one, maybe a couple weeks ago or so, when you posted a few cues including a first model Palmer. Good example of a Diamond Series cue, and pretty rare. As I recall, that series went something like only 1981 through 1983.
 
You did post that one, maybe a couple weeks ago or so, when you posted a few cues including a first model Palmer. Good example of a Diamond Series cue, and pretty rare. As I recall, that series went something like only 1981 through 1983.
Couldn't have been a couple weeks ago for this cue...I think. More like a few years ago. But, I have a head injury, memory problems. Not joking that's one of the reasons I was away from here for years.

Yeah, I believe you're right on the years. Oh, well.
 
Couldn't have been a couple weeks ago for this cue...I think. More like a few years ago. But, I have a head injury, memory problems. Not joking that's one of the reasons I was away from here for years.

Yeah, I believe you're right on the years. Oh, well.
You had a head injury? I sure hope you're ok.
 
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