The Legacy of Joss

JAM

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
I was looking on Google for a picture of a pool player yesterday, and when I searched the Images feature, I came across the Joss Cues website.

Joss Cues was born in 1968 in a two-car garage in Baltimore, the brainchild of Dan Janes and his partner. Working with one ancient manual lathe, a butcher-shop band saw, one drill press, and a single work bench, the two former road players took some of contemporary cue making's first steps away from the traditional four-prong design, innovating the "floating points" concept and many others. Their unique ideas coupled with Dan's personal relationships with the best players of the times including: Eddie Taylor, Ed Kelly, Larry Lisciotti, Luther Lassiter, Jimmy Fusco, Richie Florence and Joe Balsis, just to name a few, helped make Joss virtually an instant success. Joss has remained at the forefront of cue making in the more than three decades that have passed.

Dan bought his partners interest in Joss Cues in 1972 and continued to make cues in Baltimore. He eventually moved to a larger location and his son Stephen joined him in cue making. Dan and Stephen still work side by side in the shop while Debbie and Amanda Janes oversee the office and sales. Joss Cues is a real family effort which results in a company that cares about its product and clients.

I did meet the man behind Joss Cues only one time that I can remember at a -- you guessed it -- Joss tournament. :D

In my area alone, we have quite a few cuemakers that are top shelf, Joss, Scruggs, Black Boar, Capone, and I'm sure there's a few more that I am forgetting. There ain't nothing better than an American-made cue. They can't produce them fast enough for the overseas market. ;)

Check out the Joss Cue website: http://www.josscues.com

Most importantly, check out this INCREDIBLE vintage picture page of the American legends of our sport: COOL PICTURES OF AMERICAN POOL PLAYER LEGENDS

All in all, a very cool website, one I had never perused before, and so I thought I'd share it with y'all for a little reading pleasure! :smile:

I would have NEVER recognized this Hall of Famer on the Joss Cues website if his name had not been underneath the picture. Do you know who this is?

One thing for sure, Joss gives back to the pool community and sponsors not only players, but the longest regional pool tour in the States: Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour.

Thanks, Joss! :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

JAM
 

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Joss Showroom

You should stop by Danny's shop in Towson. He has two walls completely covered with black and white photographs. Many of them are of older players. Danny Janes and I first met in 1971 and lately we have been in touch quite a bit. He is one of the nicest people I've met in the pool world. I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone that will say an unkind word about Danny or Joss cues.

Wedge
 
I was wondering where he came up with that name. Dont most cue names have something to do with the makers name or something personal to them?
 
From the Joss website:

Q: What does the name Joss mean?

A: Joss very loosely translated means: Fortune, Luck, Happiness, etc. But it means good or Bad Fortune, Good or Bad Luck, Happy or Unhappy. You are in control of your Joss.
 
The website is very interesting and full of cool pool stuff!

Check out this famous player from Pittsburgh, I think. Man, talk about killer instinct! :)

JAM
 

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Jimmy Marino runs a pool room in Bridgeville, PA if anyone is interested.

Wedge
 
Wedge said:
Jimmy Marino runs a pool room in Bridgeville, PA if anyone is interested.

Wedge
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I've actually been there, MANY MOONS AGO, when I used to go on the road. When we were there, Marino was out of town or unavailable.

I remember there was a player named "The Jeweler" who we were tracking down to play some in that part of Pennsylvania. He was known to enjoy games of high stake, exactly who we wanted to play. :grin:

I will never forget this diner we stopped at en route to Marino's pool room. On the diner menu, there was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for 25 cents. :wink:

Marino's pool room had theater seats in it, if memory serves me right, that folded out. They were unique and quite comfortable. :smile:

JAM
 
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Great article, I like how they kept saying "his partner" and not using a certain person's name.
 
I'm a cue nut and this information is very interesting. Thanks for the Post JAM.....

James
 
Many moons ago, I wrote to Dan Janes to order my very first custom cue. This was long before the production line thing got off the ground. Dan called me on the phone and spent some time asking me to consider a design he had already incorporated, rather than the design I had written to him about. I went with his suggestion and was never sorry. That cue is one of a very few, another being my first Southwest, that I wish frequently that I had back. Never should have sold it.
I've also spoken to Dan in person a few times since. He's one of the good ones, alright.
 
Pushout said:
Many moons ago, I wrote to Dan Janes to order my very first custom cue. This was long before the production line thing got off the ground. Dan called me on the phone and spent some time asking me to consider a design he had already incorporated, rather than the design I had written to him about. I went with his suggestion and was never sorry. That cue is one of a very few, another being my first Southwest, that I wish frequently that I had back. Never should have sold it.
I've also spoken to Dan in person a few times since. He's one of the good ones, alright.
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Just curious, but what was unique about the Joss cue that made it special for you? Was it the design or the way it was constructed?

I miss Larry Lisciotti. Here is a picture from the Joss Cue website of Larry in his prime! :)

JAM
 

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I was at the World 14.1 Tournament in Asbury Park, NJ in 1976 when Larry won the World Straight Pool title beating Steve Mizerak. There was a hurricane during the tournament that blew the doors of the convention center during earlier matches. The wind blew the balls around on the table Mizerak was playing on (I forget who he was playing). If I recall he ran 150and out when they repositioned the balls. Does anyone else remember that tourament?

Wedge
 
PROG8R said:
I was wondering where he came up with that name. Dont most cue names have something to do with the makers name or something personal to them?
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They picked it out from reading a book (Taipei?) where the word "joss" kept popping up. To this day, players and customers mispronounce it as "josh."

I think the word "joss" is a made up/evolved word that is anglicized from "deus" which means "god."

Fred
 
That was very interesting article and website Jam. I have been playing with a 1985 Joss cue that was made for Earl Strickland. Well the shafts are definitely his taper...the only problem i have is i miss more with them than he does=( You think it's the arrow or the indian? LOL ;))
 
Cornerman said:
They picked it out from reading a book (Taipei?) where the word "joss" kept popping up. To this day, players and customers mispronounce it as "josh."

I think the word "joss" is a made up/evolved word that is anglicized from "deus" which means "god."

Fred
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"Taipan", about the late 1880s opium trade. Good book, I wondered if that was where they got the name. I don't know where my copy is at the moment, but there were at least a couple of sentences in the book about "joss". It was a combination of things, god, the devil, luck, etc., IIRC.
 
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Check out Bugs, dressed in style for this era. I want that hat! :thumbup:

JAM
 

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JAM, a lot of these photo's came from Bill Porter. I bought the DVD from him last November. If you read the below link you will see that he mentions giving the pic's to Danny and in return Danny made him a cue. Check out the thread if you are interested. Perhaps Bill will start making the DVD's for sale prior to the DCC.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=79836

Wedge
 
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