Joss vs Joss West

Fatboy said:
Wow what Philosophical insight you have today, did you take a smart pill.:D ;) Seriously this has to be one of your best posts ever-no BS. You hit the nail on the head they took seperate routes and ended up in the same spot, i guess we all do....

I perfer the way Joss East cues play, and for what they cost at full pop retail i think they are the best bang for the buck.

Jay's post is just about the dead nuts in this conversation, in fact the thread should have been locked and his post should be the only answer. lol

Many of the older Joss cues play great, i am not a fan of the newer stuff. i don't know what is different but there is definitely something
 
Joss cue N-3

Can anyone give me some kind of price range on this cue I'm thinking of having it reconditioned but not sure if it would be worth it.
 
Ive never spoke directly to Bill, I have talked to and have delt with Dan, he and his son stephen (SP?) are producing true custom cues, really nice, so it just isnt Joss the production cue, you can also get a custom cue as well...

Dan, is a nice guy, and he cares about his customers.. Anytime I buy a Joss cue I always buy Direct, mainly because I get to talk to Dan... I cant say you would, maybe Im just lucky, I dunno, but its a very good experiance, and he does know alot about cues..

The last Joss I purchased, I E-mailed Dan about an older Joss, that needed a refinish.. I ask if Joss could refinish it, and he said they could, but honestly why not buy a new one? He said his cues play better than ever.. I said well you know I thought the older Joss cues played well, he said yes, but my new Joss cues play even better.. He sold me, and when I recieved the Joss, it played great.. He understood that the performance is all I cared about and he delivered...

SPINDOKTOR
I have spoken to both Bill and Dan in the past. I asked Bill, but not Dan, about the split just out of curiousity and he said pretty much the same thing Jay Helfert is saying. Bill told me that Dan wanted to go the mass production route and Bill himself wanted to make fancier, more expensive,quality custom cues. Bill told me that he thought Dan was successful with what he chose to do and that he himself was successful in what he chose to do. I think Joss makes a quality cue though, they play great for the money. I have 2 of them and they're solid, well balanced, and well constructed. I'm still looking to buy a JossWest in the future if I'd stop buying South West instead.
 
Hi, this is pt109 from the NJA (National Joss Assc)
...you can pry my 68 Joss from my cold dead hands...

Dan Janes makes custom cues as well as affordable ones.
 
I prefer Joss West cues over just about any cue from a playability standpoint.
The newer Joss West cues from the late 90's with a radial pin seem to have the best shafts, which is noticeable as soon as you take one shot.
My only complaint is the finish, which is not very good on 3 of my newer JW cues.
The finish on my old JW is much better.
 
Can anyone give me some kind of price range on this cue I'm thinking of having it reconditioned but not sure if it would be worth it.

IF you happen to have a Joss sneaky pete and it's from the late 80's, early 90's....PM me.
 
I have spoken to both Bill and Dan in the past. I asked Bill, but not Dan, about the split just out of curiousity and he said pretty much the same thing Jay Helfert is saying. Bill told me that Dan wanted to go the mass production route and Bill himself wanted to make fancier, more expensive,quality custom cues. Bill told me that he thought Dan was successful with what he chose to do and that he himself was successful in what he chose to do. I think Joss makes a quality cue though, they play great for the money. I have 2 of them and they're solid, well balanced, and well constructed. I'm still looking to buy a JossWest in the future if I'd stop buying South West instead.


I was told a similar story by Dan about 23 years ago....without the "spin" word of quality thrown into the mix. At that time he did not react well to the term "Joss East". He just said there is no such thing, never has been.

Too often people seem to feel that the JOSS decision was one that tossed quality aside. In addition people seem to think it also tossed custom cues aside. I don't think so.

JOSS has always made custom cues, never stopped, still make them. Dan Janes himself still makes custom cues.

While we are citing differences. Dan Janes is a Hall of Fame cue maker. Mr Stroud has yet to enjoy that honor.

I don't think it is any accident that several great names in cue making are tied to the JOSS shop. They got their start there. Frey....Scruggs...Stroud...etc.... Coincidence? I don't think so. And there is only one man at the convergence of that illustrious pedigree...Dan Janes. None of them knew a single thing about making cues before they went to JOSS including the original partner Bill Stroud. Him and Janes just decided to make cues and hit the ground running...something cue makers in this very forum say can't be done.

As for the issue of CNC. JOSS went to CNC early and mastered it. They have been pioneers nearly since their beginning when they standardized their joint diameter.

Stroud went to CNC early as well. Why don't people criticize Stroud for his use of CNC? He was a master of CNC in cues. Do people think he cut his points with a hacksaw or gnawed them with his teeth or something? He used modern methods starting early compared to the rest of the industry...including CNC.

IMHO JOSS is in no way "less" than Joss West. In fact, JOSS has a longer history with a formally recognized Hall of Fame member and is the convergence of more great names in cue making. JOSS has supported the sport by sponsoring players, tournaments, leagues, and more. In fact, when you look at it that way, Stroud can't even come close. Stroud's custom output seems to have been Higher than Janes as well, so one can't even claim they are more rare or exclusive.


The way I see it, JOSS was everything Joss West was and more...and still is.



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Joss has been my playing cue since 1986 which is pretty easy to remember since mine says "Joss-1986" on the joint in white letters.

I recently purchased a newer, six point Joss here on AZ and it hits exceptionally well.

Best cue for the money? My answer is always Joss.
 
A Joss is a cue you buy if you can only afford to spend a couple hundred. It's a fine cue and well worth the money as far as playability. However when you sell it, you will probably get burned.

A Josswest is a high end cue (anywhere from 1k to 10k and beyond) that plays extremely well also. When you sell it, you'll come out OK. Perhaps even make a few bucks.

I don't think this is true Joss had a cue that sold for close to 10k from there website back in 08/09 time frame.

I don't know why one would lose money selling a Janes vs making money selling a stroud.
 
I don't think this is true Joss had a cue that sold for close to 10k from there website back in 08/09 time frame.

I don't know why one would lose money selling a Janes vs making money selling a stroud.

Jose,

I think what he means is that Joss West depreciate less over the years than Joss, thus you sort of making money that way.

I don't know how true is that thou.
 
I'm a fan of both Joss and Joss West cues. I play with a Joss. I've had my Joss since the '80s. My hero as a kid playing pool, Mike Sigel used a Joss to win more major tournaments than just about anybody back in the day. They are great cues. For the money they are very hard to beat.
 
Dan janes

You can call -email-stop in and play a cue at his shop...dan james and family are there for anything you can ask for in a cue.

Basic to unreal custom jobs they know and do it all...

How many other 40 year old cue companys open there doors to players...
 
Vintage Joss

So then a JOSS that has the engraved "JOSS" on the derlin looking butt, is one made by both individials? Or only by Dan?
 
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