Joss Cues.... Anyone Know The History?

slyfox

slyfox

Olney Fan
Silver Member
I've shot with a few really cool Joss cues. I know a decent amount about custom cues but nothing really about Joss, JossWest, JossEast.

Just wondering if someone could give me some history of the cues?

Thanks!! :thumbup:
 
Road players Dan Janes (former room owner) and Bill Stroud started Joss Cues in Baltimore in 1968. Bill set out on his own in 1972, making Joss West cues. Dan then hired Tim Scruggs (who had worked briefly with Dan and Bill in 1970), and they worked together at Joss until 1978, when Tim set out on his own. Dan and his son Stephen still make Joss cues in the Baltimore area.

The Blue Book of Pool Cues has lots of information on these cue makers.
 
You may try bud02 he posted this in another thread recently:

"
The history bench mark for the tool we use in our passion is the Brunswick 26 1/2 the Balke-Collender and the Titlist. All modern cues are modeled after these cues which were not custom but production cues. Of course coring has negated the time honored tradition of full splice jointing two types of wood into a single blended tool, I don't draw the line in the sand between production and custom, or full slice and coring.

My preferred "production" cue is Joss I don't fault Dan, for being a hall of fame master cue maker, yet producing a line of manufactured cues, but rather I see him as carrying on the tradition of the Brunswick line, producing great affordable cues for the masses. No frills no gimmicks like most production cue companies chasing the latest space age material or process, just a solid playing cue. Cues with consistency you know exactly what to expect when you pick one up, just like the Brunswick line.
Dan is also approachable and will gladly produce a one of cue for you as well. This is all my opinion of course but sometimes it doesn't hurt to view the mountains from a different angle. Some of the most prized cues to collectors and shooters are converted titlist cues, converted "production cues"

I would never fault Josey for using an out of house FS butt. Dozens of people produced titlist cues, I don't here people knocking a titlist conversion because its a production butt, do you? And as you pointed out, its more affordable without compromising quality.
"
 
slyfox said:
I've shot with a few really cool Joss cues. I know a decent amount about custom cues but nothing really about Joss, JossWest, JossEast.

Just wondering if someone could give me some history of the cues?

Thanks!! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Joss East was the name given Joss Cues after Bill Stroud left to go on his own, so people could tell the difference in Dan's company from Bill's Joss West. I'm not sure Dan used the name much himself but I could be wrong. When Dan started making production cues full time the name became Joss Cues LTD.
For what it's worth, I had a custom Joss made after Tim Scruggs left that was one of the best cues I've ever owned and I regret selling it. The production models don't even come close.
 
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Joss Cues

There never was a Joss East. Just Joss and Joss West (When Bill Left). I have known Dan Janes since 1973 and we still stay in touch. Truly a finer man you will never meet inside or outside of the pool world. I will forward your thread via email to Dan. Here is his website...has a ton of info!!!

http://www.josscues.com/
 
Wedge said:
There never was a Joss East. Just Joss and Joss West (When Bill Left). I have known Dan Janes since 1973 and we still stay in touch. Truly a finer man you will never meet inside or outside of the pool world. I will forward your thread via email to Dan. Here is his website...has a ton of info!!!

http://www.josscues.com/
Click to expand...

I've seen pictures on AZ of tournament banners with Joss East on them from, I think, the mid and late '70s. But as I said above, I'm not sure Dan used the term himself. A bunch of players did, though.
 
Wedge said:
There never was a Joss East.

http://www.josscues.com/
Click to expand...


Glad somebody straightened that out.

I am not sure I even go for calling them "production" cues.

Both Dan and Stephen still make one off cues as far as I know. That they make models lines of cues is true, but you can call them up and have any one of them built how you like or have something scratch built.

I know, I know....people still call them production cues.....
 
Thanks for all the info guys. A good friend of mine who is older always called them Joss East. not saying he is right or wrong just thought that was cool.

So the original bock letter JOSS would be from what era? Would Stroud still be around? I keep seeing so many different logos for Joss and didn't know.
I love my Olney but Joss is the closest thing I've found.
Thanks gentlemen.
 
Joss sticks

Kinda hoping Dan Janes would post on this thread....
..but while we're waiting, I'm sorta qualified to talk about Joss.....
...my primary cue is a 68 Joss, first year they were made, still straight
with the original shaft (modified, ivory ferrule replaced and re-tapered to 12mm)
Dan Janes, like me, is a book worm.The word Joss is from a James Clavell
novel.A Joss stick is a candle you light in a Buddhist temple.
Joss, in the Macao area of China, doesn't translate exact to English.....
...means a combination of 'fate' or 'fortune'...but not quite.
Macao was a Portuguese colony and the Chinese borrowed their word
for 'God'...Deos....but they pronounced the word Joss.

part 2....calling for Dan Janes

ps
there are Joss sticks available on ebay for $1.71....
...Joss cues are also available.....for quite a bit more:cool:
 
I actually have a few Joss cues... probably selling a couple of them to pick up a bigger one.... One is a (estimating) 15 year old sneaky.

Every one I have played with is great and I'm thinking about saving up for a nice one.

With that said, hopefully Dan has some time to post something....

Thanks everyone. It's always cool to learn some pool history. :thumbup:
 
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