Why Buy a Custom Rod: Many people ask me what the advantages of a custom rod are and why should they spend more money on something that doesn't have a $15 over the counter warranty.  The list of reasons as to why custom rods are better is staggering and I will outline some of the most important issues that factory rods have that the custom rod solves: The Spine: Essentially, the way a rod blank is manufactured is by sheets of graphite, fiberglass, or graphite and fiberglass are wound around a mandrel. This is then placed in an oven where it cures the glues used to hold everything together. After the curing process, the mandrel is removed and the blank is trimmed to length.  Because the material is rolled on the mandrel there is more layers on one side than the other (think about it like a paper towel roll) and this causes the blank to want to bend a certain direction.  When put under load, the blank will naturally rotate to the same orientation every time; this spot is called a rods "Spine".  I mark this location and then assemble the grips and guides in accordance to the spine.  Wrapping the rod on the spine helps to reduce twisting and torque on the rod while under load and is something many major rod manufactures ($200+ rods) do not take the time to do. Guide Placement: Every singe blank, even if they are the same model from the same manufacturer, made one right after the other will bend differently.  Rod companies average the bends and find the guide placement that will work for the range of flex's that come off of the assembly line.  Every rod that I am wrapping for someone has the guides placed in specific locations for that particular blank.  This will give you the optimum performance available from the rod. Grip Length: Since every person's body type is different the length of grip will be different for every person.  Also, the type of application will determine how long the grips are.  A rod made for fishing 100# line for tuna if being used in a harness is going to be a lot shorter than if I'm building the rod for someone who likes to fish the rail.  Same logic applies to bass fishing. A lot of people like rods with a bit of a longer butt if they happen to be a larger person, or if they want a little more casting distance or leverage for pulling fish out of cover.  This rod is made for YOU and I want it to fit you and to fit the applications in which you employ the rod. Components:  This encompasses the type of grip setup you want, what type of guides, what guide inserts (alconite, SiC, Silicone Nitride II, Zirconium, etc).  Most factory produced rods come with decent quality components but if you spend a lot of time on the water or you just want the best that is available, a custom rod is the only way to go. Making it yours: This is where your style can come out.  I can match your favorite sports team, your college colors, your boat colors, or just your favorite colors when wrapping the rod.  Since this is being made specifically for you, this is where you get to truly make it yours.  You get to pick the color of the grips, the reel seat and gimbal (if building a saltwater rod with aluminum components), the thread, and the guide colors (when available). Application Specific Rods: The rod I build you will be built for where you fish, how you fish, what you fish for, and what you fish with.  You will not find a better rod available from the factory for where you fish than what I can build you.