u/redmeansdistortion

This reel is from 1946, all aluminum, ported spool, and weighs just 4 ounces. This is after a cleaning, polish, and lube. No bearings, all bushings.

With Svangsta closing up shop, Ambassadeur frames will be in short supply in the coming years. This led me to consult a customer of mine who is a machinist. I gave him a pair of frames, one from a 4500C and one from a 2500C to use as templates and he made me these in his spare time at work. The jig on top works for 4500-6500 sizes, and the one on the bottom for 1500-3500 sizes, with or without a thumb bar.

Ambassadeur frames can go out of alignment, which impacts performance more than anything other than grime or old lubrication. No amount of upgrades will patch it up, the frame either needs to be replaced or corrected.

This works simply; place the pillar in the fixture, slide the frame on to the fixture and if it doesn't fully drop, that means the frame is misaligned. From there, guide the frame pins into the holes to square it back up, and use a punch to recrimp the rivets. Afterwards, flip it over to the other side and repeat. Now the frame is straight and ready to build out.

With Svangsta closing up shop, Ambassadeur frames will be in short supply in the coming years. This led me to consult a customer of mine who is a machinist. I gave him a pair of frames, one from a 4500C and one from a 2500C to use as templates and he made me these in his spare time at work.

Ambassadeur frames can go out of alignment, which impacts performance more than anything other than grime or old lubrication. No amount of upgrades will patch it up, the frame either needs to be replaced or corrected.

This works simply; place the pillar in the fixture, slide the frame on to the fixture and if it doesn't fully drop, that means the frame is misaligned. From there, guide the frame pins into the holes to square it back up, and use a punch to recrimp the rivets. Afterwards, flip it over to the other side and repeat. Now the frame is straight and ready to build out.

Great tools to have considering the frame is the weakest link with the Ambassadeur. No matter how many fun parts you may have, a misaligned frame is the biggest performance robber there is. The top jig is for 4000-6000 sizes, and the bottom for 1500-3500 models. To identify a misaligned frame, check for scoring on the spool rim. These jigs re-center the frame, and a punch is used to recrimp the rivets.

Had her out yesterday for some river smallies on my Palms Egeria 53L+ and fell in love all over again. I've been fishing a Conquest BFS and my Millionaire CT SV the last couple of months, and fishing the 2500C feels like coming home. One brake block, zero spool tension, and it does what I want, every single time. She's currently apart and undergoing a service this morning and will get some new line once it's back together.

Very impressive for a near 50 year old reel. This will be great on a 3wt tied up with spinning guides and some 3lb Maxima Ultragreen.

Here we have a 1989 Shakespeare Sigma 2200 025 ultralight reel. Made in Japan, simple and high quality throughout. While very unassuming, this tiny thing weighs just 5.7 ounces and is near indestructible, perfect for some backwoods creek fishing or a backpacking trip. It's about the size of a modern 500 size, so it packs away easily and doesn't take up much space. On the body and the side cover, we have bronze bushings and a single ball bearing for the rotor. While that doesn't sound impressive, it means there is less to go wrong and it's exceptionally smooth for just having a single bearing. It comes from a time when durability took center stage while weight, bearing count, maximum drag, and speed weren't the marketing points they are today. Best of all, they are fairly common and come cheap outside of eBay. Pair it with an AliExpress pack rod, and you can have an IDGAF trunk combo for $50 or less that will provide many years of use.

While Shakespeare is a 100% bargain bin throwaway brand today, they actually used to make high quality stuff once upon a time. When I was a kid in the 1980s, Shakespeare was held in the same regard as Abu Garcia, Daiwa, and Shimano. Beginning in 1970, Shakespeare moved production of their spinning reels to Japan, with Omori producing all of their models made outside of the USA. Omori was also the manufacturer of the Abu Cardinal C3, which is just as quality as its Swedish made predecessor, the cream and green Cardinal 3. These Japan made spinning reels were fantastic and just as quality as anything competitors were putting out at the time.

Like the classic models from competitors, there are many survivors out there just waiting to be plucked for dirt from a garage sale and put back into action with a simple clean-up and lube. Once Shakespeare moved production to Korea, and shortly thereafter to China, their quality plummeted into the abyss and today they are associated with garbage. Rightfully so in my opinion, but their old stuff is great for its time, and they can be found cheap outside of eBay.

Such a smooth and simple reel; beefy anti reverse, great quality materials, and built to last. These dinosaurs are a lot of fun to fish with and refuse to give up. This one is 45 years old.

I put this post together for those who want to fish cheap, yet quality no-frills components that will make your experience charming, fun, and give many years of service. Enjoy!

Help! I've been bitten by the Cardinal bug. Now to get hold of some fun parts.

Enjoy!

All I'm waiting on now is the handle. It's from a small manufacturer in Japan and built to order, so it may be a few weeks. This is my new migratory trout combo for browns and rainbows from streams connecting directly to the Great Lakes.

1984 Abu Cardinal C3 that I serviced earlier today.

So overly built and lasts forever. This one is 42 years old, just serviced it. I have some parts coming for it soon. It's going on a Major Craft Finetail Glass 6'3" 2-14g. Trout just opened in my state and I can't wait to get it out there.

This is one of the most overlooked micro lites out there. Made in Japan, 2 beefy stainless ball bearings, and a relatively quiet (for its time) anti reverse setup. This was a competitor to the Daiwa Gold and Silver series of the same day. It weighs just 5.8 ounces, half an ounce less than a Mini Mite. It has the same line capacity and also a somewhat beefier drag system as the drag washer is larger in diameter. These are somewhat rare and command good money on eBay, fetching $100-$200 depending on condition.