does anyone have any tips/tricks for lining up the guides before they are wrapped?

Geoff
After you have found the spine and have guides in place. Use this with bait caster turn the rod up side down like you were fishing a spining rod. look down the rodand see if there is equil amount of guide showing on both sides of the blank . On a spining rod just hold it like you were fishing and see if the guides are equil on each side of the blank
Keep Smooth Wraps
Bob

Sight check for alignment from both ends of the rod.

I do basically the same thing but I don't tape all the guides on prior to wrapping. I figure out my spacing and test cast. The final guide locations are marked with a single wrap of 1/4" masking tape. Then all guides are removed. At that point I prep my guide feet. Next I install the tip and get it lined up with the reel seat. Next I install the first guide closest to the reel seat and line it up with the reel seat and tip. Now as I wrap the rest of the guides I turn the rod over and look at it from the back and compare the guide I just wrapped to the first guide looking for an equal amount of guide showing on each side of the blank. After the last guide is wrapped I remove the rod from the wrapper and check for alignment. With practice you will get to where the guides will be 90+% lined up on the first pass. Minor adjusments are made and you are ready for finish.

I quit trying to line everything up prior to wrapping when I finally figured out that you are going to move the guides a little inadvertantly when doing your wraps. I'd spend time getting them all lined up and when I finished wrapping there would be several out of line and I'd wonder what I did wrong.

I use a rod blank, run it through all the guides from the butt end of the rod, and into the tip-top.
Tom

Before and after wrapping, I install an small bait caster, run line thru the guides, attach a 4oz sinker to the line and sight the guides using the line as my point of reference.
Aloha,
J.AkuHed

My final test is to hang it from a hook on a peg board. With the board painted white you can easily see from the contrast if the guides are straight while the rod is plumb.

One thing to remember when you use two guides that are the same in size, when you sight down the rod, the furthest of the two guides will appear larger then the closer one, its not, its an optical illusion...