Dan craft FT

[Loomis1]

would say $50 - $150 for an average rod depending upon who you use to source the parts. A builder who is selling you a Winston/Sage blank at retail and supplying average parts should do it for $50 - 75 because they are making $100 - $150 on retail pricing sale of the blank, seat, guides, etc. If you buy the blank, parts, etc and ask a builder I would expect him to charge more as he is not profiting from the sale of the blank/parts. Customization, high end parts, difficult builds and "builder name" can significantly increase the price."


50-150 dollars while other rod builders are charging true custom prices (and delivering) truly custom rods. There are some people out there that do some astounding work on rods. To the un scrutinized eye, there are many flaws in factory rods its ridiculous....the same goes for the spectrum of rod building. Football epoxied wraps, lack of attention to detail, and markups beyond wildest dreams are common things.


The old addage goes, you get what you pay for....but, to some, knowing what you are paying for is half the battle....

Just my .02

 

[Loomis1]

Jay

The pic that you have attached of the wraps is Gudebrod Classic Twist Size A Green and Black thread. It is certainly got that "retro" look on some of the older rods and something that is in my repertoire as well. I made it a point to buy a remaining stock of spools as the Gudebrod facility in PA has laid off it workers...no telling if its coming back or not.


Also, I must say, some of those wraps look a little bit longer than most I have seen on fly rod, esp for SF guides....chances are this will not sacrafice action, but in this case (and very rare indeed) those length of wraps will add weight to the rod.

Here are some pix of a Rainshadow 7ft 3 wt w/ some classic twist thread, I really like how this one came out.

 

[CPR]

Jay

That rod looks great.

Congrats, I hope it brings you many fish to hand.

Matt

 

[PennKev]

What reel is that?

Kev

 

[jayL]

Thanks guys. Looking forward to using it.

Kev,

TFO MKII

 

[gfen]

jayL wrote:
TFO MKII

No kidding? I don't remember it looking that nice, to be honest. Fills out nicely with the line inside of it.

What do yout hink of it?

 

[jayL]

Big fan so far, but I haven't used it yet. It sure is pretty.

 

[moon1284]

Unless the blank was bought a long time ago, the price for the blank alone is around $200. Not saying you didn't get it cheaper, but if you did its a hell of a deal. One thing to note is that is a very powerful rod, It could probably cast 7 or even 8 wt line well at moderate distances. To cast a 5 wt wf line short distances you will have to learn to cast using the tip of the rod. If you are already used to fast rods than this is a moot point - the rod will cast 5 wt line well, however you may have to adjust your stroke. I have the FT 863-4 and its a hell of a rod. I usually fish it with WF or DT 4wt line.

 

[jayL]

I started negotiations with Dan on the price point for the complete FT kit ($215, which is $50 or so cheaper than the sum of the components. now sold out). I did not need a grip, or a few other components, so we took them out. We then substituted cheaper components in other areas to hit my price point of $150 shipped.

Dan was a pleasure to work with, and he spent a few days with me customizing the order to fit both my needs and my price.

He will be getting my business again, and I'd recommend him to anyone.

 

[moon1284]

Got ya - I have dealt with Dan a few times building rods and he is great to work with. The price for your blank alone on his website is $208, but its sold out. He always had good deals on kits (I didn't think about that). I'd pay $150 shipped for just the blank let alone with some components thrown in. I think you'll be very happy with your purchase.

 

[jdaddy]

He will be getting my business again,

He may not want it if it took days make a $150 sell! LOL!

 

[jayL]

Probably took about a half hour total of his time. It was just spread out.

 

[jayL]

I tested it today. Wow.

 

[abbrod]

Just to answer the how much question. We would likely end up with a price point of 425-450 for that build. Ours would include a powder coated aluminum rod tube with bag, custom turned grip, custom wraps including accents, custom decal and of course quality workmanship. Hope this helps everyone with what to expect for a quality custom rod with components similar to what was used on this fine rod shown here. Of course if you know a hobby builder or friend that builds they may be willing to do it for less. That is how I got started.
Paul

 

[jdaddy]

I will second the wow on this rod. It made me look like I knew what I was doing. And it was in front of a bunch of fly fisherman which was cool.