This is a gorgeous Joss West in pristine condition. There is a TON of work in this cue, and we’ve sold other JW cues with less work for more, so if you’re in the mood for a good buy, this is definitely at the top of the list! With malachite accents and natural material, this is a big cue by one of the greatest!

Biography:

Bill Stroud learned to play pool while growing up on a farm in Missouri. At the age of fourteen, he moved to Dallas, Texas to live with his sister. It was there that he began to play pool more seriously. Bill spent his evenings in the pool room frequented by “Titanic Thompson,” who was soon teaching Bill about pool, and about life. By the age of seventeen, Bill went on to the road and began playing pool for a living. Starting in the late fifties, Bill covered the United States playing in virtually every part of the country. During this time, Bill traveled with and learned from Eddie Taylor and UJ Pucket.

Believing there was a market for quality custom cues, friend Dan Janes, and Stroud founded Joss Cues in 1968. The name Joss was chosen from an oriental word that loosely translates to “good luck”. Although the two knew very little about making cues, they knew a lot about how great cues played. Soon, they became very successful in the custom cue making business. In 1972, Janes bought out Bill’s share of Joss Cues and Bill began operating under the name of Josswest.

Bill feels playability is the most important factor in a custom cue, and he believes that his road experience gives him an advantage over many other cue makers in this area. He is willing to make virtually anything a customer desires and will change any of the standard specifications as requested.

See cue maker’s bio