Of the 3 that you mentioned, I have a Joss 20-17. All I can say is that I love my Joss w/kielwood shaft combo. In my honest opinion it leaves zero to be desired. My previous player was a Mcdermott and was also great. Just hadn't picked it up much since purchasing the Joss. I like it that much!
Looking for a solid American cue
- Thread starter Santin23
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Santin23
Registered
Thanks, pal. The Joss cues I’ve got on my wishlist are the 10-08 and the “Color of Money” model, but I’d like to upgrade them with a lizard wrap.
I don't know how any of those brands play today with the next generation builders, but I'll add my 2 cents from my experience with all these brands from 15-20 years ago, I had a Plain Jane Joss (Dan Janes era) that I sold, I have two Schons (Evan Clark era) and a Jacoby (David Jacoby era). All with SS piloted 5/16x14 joints
Not saying that the next generation builders are not as good, just that I don't have experience with them.
Comparing the cues that I have/had, the Jacoby hit was the softest and while it's a beautiful cue, the craftsmanship was not top notch (could be just a glitch on this particular cue), it gained new life recently with a CF shaft that balances nicely the softer hit of the cue. you can get cheap extension for it but with the old screw, the new quick release joint will cost you $200, ouch....
I have an STL3 Schon that used to be my main player for years (until I got a Carmeli), I like the Schon hit and balance, it's nice and firm. The other Schon that I have is an LTD cue, a little bit heavier than the STL3 but a bit more forward balanced which makes it feel a bit lighter, Also plays nice. Craftsmanship is top notch but I do wish they had sharp points and not the rounded CNC points, The Schon R12 is still my favorite cue design and a cue I would love to own one day.
The Joss had a solid hit, I only got it in order to flip it so I didn't get to shoot with it much, I would place the stiffness between the Jacoby and the Schon. you can get cheap extensions to fit Joss cues.
If I were to buy a new cue from those 3 brands, I wouldn't get a Schon, for the simple reason that they don't offer an extension and it's not that simple to add one to it (you can use a slip-on extension but it's just not that great as a screw-on type). I've also heard mix reviews about the quality of today's Schon cues with the current builder but no first hand experience so take it with a grain of salt.
Joss looks like that they are keeping their quality as it used to be, I would love to add a Joss cue to my collection, but really haven't seen a current design that I like... but that's just me. Maybe the COM cue for what it is.
Current Jacoby also looks nice, nice woods. I don't know how the play compared to the old ones (like the one I own), probably different as they mostly use radial joints these days.
Pechauer looks very nice and I have very little experience with their cues, I've hit a few balls with a Plain Jane cue about 16-17 years ago and I remember it being firm and solid, but that particular cue felt a bit thick and chunky. personally, I don't like cues with proprietary joints that are hard to be fitted with 3rd party shafts (I'm still a Predator shafts fan boy).
So I would probably pick a Joss just because I don't have one and I have a lot of shafts that can fit the classic 5/16x14 joint.
Jacoby for the nicer woods and designs.
Get a Schon if you can find an R series cue.
Those Viking/Carmeli that were mentioned sure do look nice and priced OK, if they are built and play as good as my Carmeli player (Simple 8 points cue) then they're definitely a great choice.
Not saying that the next generation builders are not as good, just that I don't have experience with them.
Comparing the cues that I have/had, the Jacoby hit was the softest and while it's a beautiful cue, the craftsmanship was not top notch (could be just a glitch on this particular cue), it gained new life recently with a CF shaft that balances nicely the softer hit of the cue. you can get cheap extension for it but with the old screw, the new quick release joint will cost you $200, ouch....
I have an STL3 Schon that used to be my main player for years (until I got a Carmeli), I like the Schon hit and balance, it's nice and firm. The other Schon that I have is an LTD cue, a little bit heavier than the STL3 but a bit more forward balanced which makes it feel a bit lighter, Also plays nice. Craftsmanship is top notch but I do wish they had sharp points and not the rounded CNC points, The Schon R12 is still my favorite cue design and a cue I would love to own one day.
The Joss had a solid hit, I only got it in order to flip it so I didn't get to shoot with it much, I would place the stiffness between the Jacoby and the Schon. you can get cheap extensions to fit Joss cues.
If I were to buy a new cue from those 3 brands, I wouldn't get a Schon, for the simple reason that they don't offer an extension and it's not that simple to add one to it (you can use a slip-on extension but it's just not that great as a screw-on type). I've also heard mix reviews about the quality of today's Schon cues with the current builder but no first hand experience so take it with a grain of salt.
Joss looks like that they are keeping their quality as it used to be, I would love to add a Joss cue to my collection, but really haven't seen a current design that I like... but that's just me. Maybe the COM cue for what it is.
Current Jacoby also looks nice, nice woods. I don't know how the play compared to the old ones (like the one I own), probably different as they mostly use radial joints these days.
Pechauer looks very nice and I have very little experience with their cues, I've hit a few balls with a Plain Jane cue about 16-17 years ago and I remember it being firm and solid, but that particular cue felt a bit thick and chunky. personally, I don't like cues with proprietary joints that are hard to be fitted with 3rd party shafts (I'm still a Predator shafts fan boy).
So I would probably pick a Joss just because I don't have one and I have a lot of shafts that can fit the classic 5/16x14 joint.
Jacoby for the nicer woods and designs.
Get a Schon if you can find an R series cue.
Those Viking/Carmeli that were mentioned sure do look nice and priced OK, if they are built and play as good as my Carmeli player (Simple 8 points cue) then they're definitely a great choice.
staticfire98
New member
You really cannot go wrong with any of the cues on that list. It would truly be best if you could hit them and make a choice for yourself. I personally play with a Schon, but own a variety of other cues. I have never hit a Jacoby as there are none around my local hall.
There is a, local to me, cue marker by the name of Carl Giuli. He is in tight with Joss, and his cues are remarkably similar in build quality to them. He has an auction for one of his cues every month on eBay. You can get a lot of cue for your money if you watch them closely. My current Giuli is one heck of a cool looking cue...and everything is always for sale.......
There is a, local to me, cue marker by the name of Carl Giuli. He is in tight with Joss, and his cues are remarkably similar in build quality to them. He has an auction for one of his cues every month on eBay. You can get a lot of cue for your money if you watch them closely. My current Giuli is one heck of a cool looking cue...and everything is always for sale.......
Xdecemberguy
Member
Signature Series - Ariel Carmeli - vikingcue.com
www.vikingcue.com
Same as “hits a ton”.
No I don’t think so
Santin23
Registered
Hey man, thanks for your reply. I’ve seen these cues on fb, they look pretty good indeed. Any idea of estimated delivery time?
Forgot to add, I do not know what people feel about them, but I played with a Cuetec R360 shaft and it was pretty good. I do not know if they make them anymore but if you can find one, I would pick it up if you go with a Cuetec cue.
As to the hit of those 3 cues. I have 4 Schon's, and used to have a 1 of 1 Schon from 82, it was fantastic. The Schon's I have now are 2 LTD's, one SP, and one Elite. They were purchased over the last 6 yrs and the quality is superb. The Jacoby is a cocobolo H2, just a beautiful cue, and the Joss is from the late 90's or early 2000's.
Hard to compare the Joss hit to the Jacoby as the shaft is a different construction, vs the Schon standard shafts, I would say it is close, maybe very slightly less stiff for the Joss. The Jacoby to the Schon, I only have an Ultra Shaft and Rhino carbon shaft for the Jacoby, but for the Schon's, I have their Standard shafts, 4 Ultra shafts and two Rhino shafts.
All Rhino shafts for both are 12.5mm, and all Ultra shafts for both are 12.5 mm and all now have the same tips so it becomes easy to make a comparison with those 2 style shafts as the only difference is the joint. Also the Ultra shafts with their 128 layered shafts should be as consistent as it gets. With the same shafts, all 4 of my Schon's have a very slightly crisper hit, and that is the same for the Rhino shafts.
Naysayers may hold on to old lore that it can't be, but you don't get more real than I have, 4 cues of one manufacture, and one of another, all using virtually identical as can be shafts with the same tips and there is a difference, slight, but different. I really can't say one hit is better, that's a personal preference, and I feel could be adjusted with a different tip. One day I like the Schon's one day I like the Jacoby, so I guess it really doesn't matter that much. My McDermott's with G Core shafts, have a very soft hit, even after replacing the tip with a harder one.
Hard to compare the Joss hit to the Jacoby as the shaft is a different construction, vs the Schon standard shafts, I would say it is close, maybe very slightly less stiff for the Joss. The Jacoby to the Schon, I only have an Ultra Shaft and Rhino carbon shaft for the Jacoby, but for the Schon's, I have their Standard shafts, 4 Ultra shafts and two Rhino shafts.
All Rhino shafts for both are 12.5mm, and all Ultra shafts for both are 12.5 mm and all now have the same tips so it becomes easy to make a comparison with those 2 style shafts as the only difference is the joint. Also the Ultra shafts with their 128 layered shafts should be as consistent as it gets. With the same shafts, all 4 of my Schon's have a very slightly crisper hit, and that is the same for the Rhino shafts.
Naysayers may hold on to old lore that it can't be, but you don't get more real than I have, 4 cues of one manufacture, and one of another, all using virtually identical as can be shafts with the same tips and there is a difference, slight, but different. I really can't say one hit is better, that's a personal preference, and I feel could be adjusted with a different tip. One day I like the Schon's one day I like the Jacoby, so I guess it really doesn't matter that much. My McDermott's with G Core shafts, have a very soft hit, even after replacing the tip with a harder one.
This inspired me to call him and order a beautiful cue - haven’t bought a new cue in years - I’m excited!
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Paul_#_
Well-known member
Price? Looks nice.
I believe he only sells cues he has in stock. He might do custom orders, I am not sure. He is very responsive on Facebook.
$1050
Based on the several factors, I always assumed that GIULI contracted JOSS to make his cue line, to his design. JOSS has done that for others in the past, so that would not shock me. Nothing wrong with it at all.
Nothing to suggest he isn’t making the cues he says he’s making so far as I know - why are you implying that?
Could you have Joss make a custom cue..?