I've always made a point to have a tip top with the same size ring as the smallest guide. I'm not sure if I picked this up reading something somewhere or not. Is it necessary? I'm having problems finding a black alconite top with the same size ring AND with a tube size that will fit the blank . The ring is size 6 and the tube needs to be 7 or 7.5......6.5 is the largest tube size I can find with a size 6 ring black alconite, and it is just a tad too small. But I notice I can get a 7.5 tube with a size 7 ring. Your thoughts?

Other Mfg's might make it. but FUJI thought that barrel size warranted a larger ring, they have to make a cut off point some where and it is usually cost related, which might indicate to you that what your doing might be on the rare side. A size 6 barrel and/or blank tip is a beefy prospect for a size 6 ring. go figure

Steve,

I've ran into the SAME thing. We're talking bass rods here? Freshwater....I don't believe there is a bass that could harm a sz6 ring or any well made tip top. Tip tops just don't take much of a beating, the ring does, but not the tip top itself. Most of the time a bent rod tip is pointing DOWN at the water, (with a fish on) not stuck out on a limb with all the pressure on the tip top itself.

I never understood why they don't make a sz 6 ring all the way up to about a 6-7 even 8 tube. After all a
6-7 tube is a pretty stout animal and a sz 6 ring will handle most anything in fresh water.

Anyway....Steve I agree, the Fuji's stop short when looking for a ring sz 6 and I've had to use 7 rings on many rods where I wanted a 6. You're not alone.

DR

Steven,
I would not use a tip with a smaller ring size than the smallest guide but you could use one with a size larger ring size. In fact, if you sight down the guides on most rods you can see that the hole in the tip, using the same size tip as the smallest guide, will actually sit a little lower than the previous guide. This means there is going to be some friction at this point and loss in casting distance. I have no idea why the guide manufacturers make them like this. If you use a size larger it will actually line up better. On the other hand a larger tip will be adding a little weight at exactly the worst spot to add weight but with a rod that is as large as you are making, with a 7 or 7.5 tube size, it should not be a problem.

Thanks guys. Yes, this is a freshwater bass rod, an amtak AMSP784-2 matrix blank. Actually, I got 2 of these blanks, and on one of them a 6.5 tube fits perfectly...the other is just a tad too big, creating my little dilema. Its advertised as having a size 6 tip.

Emory, I know exactly what you're talking about -- you'll build a rod whose smallest guide is a size 10, and you'll use a size 10 ring for the top, and when you look at them next to each other the ring in the tip is way, way closer to the blank than the tip-most guide ring is.

When discussing surf rods, someone here -- I can't remember who it was or where it was mentioned -- said that he always uses a top with a ring size one bigger than the ring size in the tip-most guide. That way the tip's ring sticks out from the blank farther, and in doing so aligns better with the last guide ring. I haven't tried it yet -- I'm still not sure that the fact that the tip ring sits closer to the blank actually makes any difference in casting distance -- but using a bigger ring size in the tip does make sense. And it should work for you, Steve. Good luck.

Using a tip-top ring one size up from the last few guides is the way a lot of folks do it. It makes fairly good sense, IMO, especially on the light-weight salt water rods I build..

Stan