A friend of mine fished with a G. Loomis Crankbait rod this passed weekend and liked it alot. He got on the internet to buy one and saw that it costs around $220. So, he asked how much I could build the rod for. He made note that he liked the 6'3" length so I figure it's a CB756. Now, searching the sponsors on the left, I find that AW carries a CB756BR with a lure weight range up to 1 3/8 oz. Meanwhile, Custom Tackle has a CB756 (no BR) with a lure weight range up to 1/2 oz. Other than that and a considerable price difference, the blanks appear to be the same. My questions, is there a difference between the Bronze Crankbait Series CB756BR and the GL3 Crankbait Series CB756? With specs that appear to be similar, why would the Bronze be capable of chunkin a much heavier lure?

The old Loomis catalog had the GL3 CB756GL3 listed as a 6 to 12 lb blank, 1/4 to 1/2, but also listed as a HVY power blank with big meaty dimensions. The rod catalog lists it as 12-25 lb and 1 3/8 oz lure weight.
The Bronze series according to Loomis are an improvement using a modulus blended construction.

After digging a little more, I'm really confused. Check out Mudhole's site for the same blank. The CB756 and the CB756 (Blend) are listed one right after the other. You can see that they both have the same specs. Their site says that they both have a 1/4 to 1/2 lure range. They list the blend at $108 dollars and the non blend at $87. G. Loomis' site says MSRP on Blend is $87! What is goin on? No wonder we got folks out there looking to get in on wholesale prices.
greg marshall

Bronze and Mahogany are NOT the same. Give Bob McKamey a call at Custom Tackle in the morning, he can set you straight.

In the past. Loomis has always dictated the prices that dealers have to sell their products for. I assume this is still the case.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Hey Greg-

I feel your pain. Loomis has driven me crazy with these blanks for several years now. I build a lot of topwater rods for use in the clear Ozark waters and there is a lot of demand for these blanks. A couple of things that I learned the hard way that you might want to keep in mind.

In my experience and based on my CC measurements, etc most of the finished Loomis factory rods that are out there were originally all the mahogany blanks regardless of what blanks were available at that same time. So if he wants exactly what he fished it is my opinion that you may need the Mahogany (if you can still find one). If he fished a very new rod, it might be the bronze but the percentages say it coudl be Mahogany. To complicate matters, Loomis has historically offered more finished crankbait rods than they offered crankbait blanks. For example, for a long time you could buy CB781s and CB841s as finished rods but you could not buy those blanks. CB843 was the longest and lightest blank available (awesome blank, though). So if the rods are listed with different powers and different dimensions they are in all likelihood different blanks made on different mandrels with different materials. I know that seems obvious but you never know with the published ratings these days. The bronze blanks are very impressive but they are a little different and I think that's what you are seeing.

If cost / money is a concern, the St. Croix SCIII crankbait blanks are also superb. Depending on what power you want, a 3C66MM or a 3C66MHM might fit the bill perfectly - or be very close if trimmed to length. These are very light blanks that don't seem to sacrifice any durability. Some people like the matte finish but that is a personal preference thing. To me, they are absolutely the equals of the Loomis blanks and typically cost less. Obviously, you may void the warranty if you alter the blank but I have never had a customer service problem with either one of these manufacturers. The St. Croixs do tend to be straighter on average especially in the light powers.

The other option to keep in mind is the Lamiglas blanks...especially the old school honey-colored fiberglass cranking rods. They are much larger diameter and much higher total weight but they really, really fish well. It is very rare that I can get someone fishing one of those all day without wanting one by sunset. And the durability is fantastic.

I agree with Jim above that Bob can straighten you out if you call Custom Tackle. I am happy to share any info I have if that would help. Good luck!