Back in March I came upon a for sale ad here at AZB for a Scruggs shaft with JOSS ring work. My birthday was coming, so I jumped on it. The intent was to put that shaft on my old JOSS.
The shafts I got with the cue in 1985 are Stroud shafts. Great shafts by all accounts but not JOSS shafts. I was actually shopping to get an original JOSS shaft when I found the Scuggs. I will still get a JOSS shaft or two when money allows but right now I have the Scruggs, and it is amazing.
I had actually been using a couple of newer JOSS shafts on the cue for the last few years. I really liked how they played on the old cue. Yes, they are the stiff JOSS "off the shelf" shafts that some people don't like.
Now for the review(major points are in bold for quick reference):
You can see the original for sale ad and pictures here: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=268818
When I got the shaft it was in beautiful condition. I could not have been played much but had been chalked. It had a 4-5mm chip in the finish right against the joint face that the seller has revealed. It actually isn't a complete chip, the piece is still attached and I may just try to "wick" some super glue under it before I consider having a repair man address it. I have done this before with minor finish lifts at an edge and have made them disappear. Not always, but it has worked a couple times. For the moment, the chip remains.
The tip seemed to be a fairly old unknown layered tip. I say old not because it is worn, it is pristine, but because it is so darned hard. It was suggested by the seller to change it but I wanted to try it out. I love that tip! It is not a forgiving tip, but it can produce a lot of predictable and controllable action when needed. The tip will stay for now.
The surface of the shaft had an almost imperceptible roughness to it on one area about 6-7 inches long on one side toward the tip end. It wasn't a real finishing issue as much as it was a burnishing issue. I just went ahead and burnished it with a piece of leather and it was perfect in a minute or so.
I have no idea what the ferrule is. I am sure a cue maker would have an idea. It is very white and seems to be well sealed, it did not pick up any chalk the first tome I played. The few specs it picked up during play blew or wiped right off without leaving a trace. It seems to be on the hard side but not too much mass as the deflection is very acceptable. I don't play LD, probably an LD fan would find too much deflection but I was playing long before such things and compensate without thinking about it anyway.
The maple dashed rings are almost imperceptibly thicker than the JOSS rings. The casual observer does not notice as I proved last night by asking people, but a cue person notices right away. Either the shaft was not originally made for a JOSS cue or it was a slight flaw. Either way it is minor and not of concern. The joint face is perfect, the pilot is a perfect for my JOSS. And when screwed to my butt it rolls perfect. I have a reputation for being a bit forgiving on the matter of straightness so let me be clear on this shaft: it is STRAIGHT and when screwed to my cue it is STRAIGHT. If there is any variance you would need a lathe and proper measuring tools to prove it.
All together the shaft shows obvious heritage and pedigree when compared back to back with my Janes shafts and Stroud shafts. It plays like it too. The deflection is very expected, predictable, and similar to the others while overall being very slightly less than the others. The stiffness again is similar to the JOSS shafts while being slightly less. Changing from the JOSS to the Scruggs shafts requires no real adjustment after the first three or four practice shots. Though similar in play it is clearly superior to the JANES and Stroud shafts. The feel of it when it contacts the ball is amazing. I like a solid "crack" with a slight "ping" and that's what I get. Obviously part of this comes from the butt however I feel the key is toward the tip with the tip, ferrule and taper being of most importance. For some people this kind of feel is distracting and disturbs the follow through I think. To me this is the importance of the feel of the hit. It does not really affect the performance of the cue but it can affect the performance of the player so the hit must be what the player likes and is comfortable with. For me, this shaft is as close to perfection as I have found.
I don't get out much and really miss playing regularly. Last night was a treat. Trying out that shaft after having it several months was an absolute rare delight for me but what really made it special was the result. I have found more than my favorite shaft, I have renewed my relationship with my old JOSS. She's top notch, absolutely world class. She has a few little battle scars...she's a player. Her "action" days are over but I can promise you that when she plays she plays her heart out. A cue like this has soul. The problem now is retirement. I have lost count of how many times I have tried to retire the cue in favor of something else simply out of regard for it's value and age. But I have always gone back to the old JOSS. Now it is hopeless, I will never retire this cue, I don't even want to try, so I hope she does not mind playing occasionally into old age. Now that I have the Scruggs shaft I know she is more than up to the task.
A special thanks to atthecat for a spectacular transaction and an earth shattering price. Shafts like this do not come along often at prices like that even with a soft market. Atthecat has had several block letter JOSS cues for sale and I think he may still have one or two for sale. If you are considering one I will say it's hard to go wrong with an old JOSS, but don't keep it in the closet, play the cue. And atthecat is a great person to deal with, so no worries there.
.
The shafts I got with the cue in 1985 are Stroud shafts. Great shafts by all accounts but not JOSS shafts. I was actually shopping to get an original JOSS shaft when I found the Scuggs. I will still get a JOSS shaft or two when money allows but right now I have the Scruggs, and it is amazing.
I had actually been using a couple of newer JOSS shafts on the cue for the last few years. I really liked how they played on the old cue. Yes, they are the stiff JOSS "off the shelf" shafts that some people don't like.
Now for the review(major points are in bold for quick reference):
You can see the original for sale ad and pictures here: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=268818
When I got the shaft it was in beautiful condition. I could not have been played much but had been chalked. It had a 4-5mm chip in the finish right against the joint face that the seller has revealed. It actually isn't a complete chip, the piece is still attached and I may just try to "wick" some super glue under it before I consider having a repair man address it. I have done this before with minor finish lifts at an edge and have made them disappear. Not always, but it has worked a couple times. For the moment, the chip remains.
The tip seemed to be a fairly old unknown layered tip. I say old not because it is worn, it is pristine, but because it is so darned hard. It was suggested by the seller to change it but I wanted to try it out. I love that tip! It is not a forgiving tip, but it can produce a lot of predictable and controllable action when needed. The tip will stay for now.
The surface of the shaft had an almost imperceptible roughness to it on one area about 6-7 inches long on one side toward the tip end. It wasn't a real finishing issue as much as it was a burnishing issue. I just went ahead and burnished it with a piece of leather and it was perfect in a minute or so.
I have no idea what the ferrule is. I am sure a cue maker would have an idea. It is very white and seems to be well sealed, it did not pick up any chalk the first tome I played. The few specs it picked up during play blew or wiped right off without leaving a trace. It seems to be on the hard side but not too much mass as the deflection is very acceptable. I don't play LD, probably an LD fan would find too much deflection but I was playing long before such things and compensate without thinking about it anyway.
The maple dashed rings are almost imperceptibly thicker than the JOSS rings. The casual observer does not notice as I proved last night by asking people, but a cue person notices right away. Either the shaft was not originally made for a JOSS cue or it was a slight flaw. Either way it is minor and not of concern. The joint face is perfect, the pilot is a perfect for my JOSS. And when screwed to my butt it rolls perfect. I have a reputation for being a bit forgiving on the matter of straightness so let me be clear on this shaft: it is STRAIGHT and when screwed to my cue it is STRAIGHT. If there is any variance you would need a lathe and proper measuring tools to prove it.
All together the shaft shows obvious heritage and pedigree when compared back to back with my Janes shafts and Stroud shafts. It plays like it too. The deflection is very expected, predictable, and similar to the others while overall being very slightly less than the others. The stiffness again is similar to the JOSS shafts while being slightly less. Changing from the JOSS to the Scruggs shafts requires no real adjustment after the first three or four practice shots. Though similar in play it is clearly superior to the JANES and Stroud shafts. The feel of it when it contacts the ball is amazing. I like a solid "crack" with a slight "ping" and that's what I get. Obviously part of this comes from the butt however I feel the key is toward the tip with the tip, ferrule and taper being of most importance. For some people this kind of feel is distracting and disturbs the follow through I think. To me this is the importance of the feel of the hit. It does not really affect the performance of the cue but it can affect the performance of the player so the hit must be what the player likes and is comfortable with. For me, this shaft is as close to perfection as I have found.
I don't get out much and really miss playing regularly. Last night was a treat. Trying out that shaft after having it several months was an absolute rare delight for me but what really made it special was the result. I have found more than my favorite shaft, I have renewed my relationship with my old JOSS. She's top notch, absolutely world class. She has a few little battle scars...she's a player. Her "action" days are over but I can promise you that when she plays she plays her heart out. A cue like this has soul. The problem now is retirement. I have lost count of how many times I have tried to retire the cue in favor of something else simply out of regard for it's value and age. But I have always gone back to the old JOSS. Now it is hopeless, I will never retire this cue, I don't even want to try, so I hope she does not mind playing occasionally into old age. Now that I have the Scruggs shaft I know she is more than up to the task.
A special thanks to atthecat for a spectacular transaction and an earth shattering price. Shafts like this do not come along often at prices like that even with a soft market. Atthecat has had several block letter JOSS cues for sale and I think he may still have one or two for sale. If you are considering one I will say it's hard to go wrong with an old JOSS, but don't keep it in the closet, play the cue. And atthecat is a great person to deal with, so no worries there.
.
