I am going to do the new concept guide system. I read the article but did not find what the size the choke guide should be.
The rod will be for spinning with 10lb line.
The distance from the reel face to the tip is 71 1/2 inches. The choke guide is calculated to be 48 inches from the reel face. There will be 8 guides plus tip. My choice is 25, 16, 12, choke?, 8,8,8,8. Please advise if this is reasonable.

The other question is that the article said to set the runner guides equally spaced from the tip to the choke guide. That makes me uncomfortable because I am used to spacing the guides at increasing distances from the tip. Any comments?

John

1) The choke guide should be the same size for your running guides. For you, this would be an 8.

2) The running guide placement, like all things in the NGC article, is a suggestion, a way to get you started. If you want to make your spacing progressive, then by all means do it. The NGC is not a straightjacket - you can vary from it if you want, if you think doing so will result in a better-performing rod.

John,
I use the concept guide as a starting point for guide spacing.
But, like you, I like to put a guide in places necessary to carry the line on a deflected rod. To me, this means that as the diameter of the blank decreases, the guide spacing will decrease accordingly. If the blank is not delfecting at that point, for a given amount of line force, it makes no sense to me to put a guide there.

So, as Chris pointed out, the concept system is certainly a good starting point. The increase or decrease spacing as you see fit.

Take care
Roger

"...the running guides, which include the choker guide."

I would suggest possibly trying some size 6 running (and choker) guides. Try both and go with the one you like best.

You can certainly space them progressively if you wish.

...................

John,
Normally when I set up guides on a rod, I will take a roll of 1/8th inch wide tape to use as a set of markers for guide location.

I will began bending the rod from the tip down. The tip section due to its smaller diameter will began to deflect first. I will mark the first area of blank deflection for a guide. On most rods, this will normally turn out to the the 2nd guide down from the tip. I then normally split the difference from that guide to the tip for the next guide.

Then, as the blank is deflected more and more I will mark the blank accordingly.

Following that, I will do an initial tape up of guides to get a feel for the overall shape, and blank loading of the guides. Then, I will tweak and either add or subtract guides as needed to insure a uniform blank loading by the line with the given guide placement.

I will always strive to minimize the number of guides (less weight) while maintaining the overall uniform blank loading of the rod.

p.s.
I have found in recent years, for some of the lighter action rods that I build, I actually have a different first tip guide spacing, compared to the tip and 2nd guide spacing. i.e. On some of these blanks the last 6 inches or so of the blank is sometimes a bit stiffer then the area just down from the extreme tip section. As a result, rather than having a diminished spacing between the 2nd and first tip guide; I will actually have in increased tip guide spacing between the 2nd and first tip guide.
This spacing looks a touch odd, and non symmetrical, but it does a better job of matching the guide spacing to properly load the blank.

Take care

Roger

Thanks all for the great advise and encouragement. It help a lot.

John