Steven, eventually you will use the guides you buy. Given that ordering one guide ends up costing at least double (due to shipping cots) it pays to have stock on hand.
At the very least you want a complete set (on hand at all times) just for testing reasons. My advice is to pick a decent quality mid-priced guide. Fuji alconite is a reasonable choice. They make a "new guide concept" set for spinning rods up to nine feet (BYAG-309). To that set add the missing size guides so you have one of every size (BYAG-25, 20, and 12 IIRC). Also add several of the small running guides (BLAG-6).
The general rule of thumb is rod length plus one, plus the tip. So eight guides and a tip for your friend's rod. If it wass 7'6" you would round up and use 9 guides. The article referenced will decide size of butt guide and location of stripper. All guides from stripper (running guides) to tip will be the same size as the stripper. Unless you are using old school large spool reels with mono and/or short rods you will have two, maybe three guides (at most) between the choker and butt guide. Say you have the butt guide with two more guides between your choker then all your running guides. In that case you would need five of the BLAG-6 guides.
Assume spool diameter is two inches. 2 times 25.4 (to convert to millimeters) times 0.5 = 25.4 (butt guide is a BYAG-25). 27 times 2 = 54 so the choker guide is located 54 inches from the reel spool's face (lip). Place your first BLAG-6 there, and for ease, space the rest of them at 4 inch intervals out to the tip (they will get moved later). Now take a thin string and run it through the choker, running guides, and tip and put a small split shot on (but too small to bend the rod). Remove the spool off the reel and tape the other end of the thread to the spool shaft. Now take your butt guide, and starting near the spool, slowly slide it forward along the blank until the outside edge of its frame just contacts the thread. The guide should end up in the 18" to 24" range (from spool lip). That was a size 25 so I might try a 16 next (but later you might decide a 12 is best). Again slide it along the blank until its outside frame just touches. Now you had 54 inches from spool lip to choker and assume 22" from lip to butt guide. So 32 inches to go. I'd say it is going to take two guides. So lets put another guide on and slide it forward. You want more distance between the 25 and 16/12 than the 16/12 and next guide. You are probably looking at an 10/8 (and maybe a low frame 8 BYAG-8lj).
It actually takes more time to type this than to do it. Static testing is required to fine tune locations but remember that the butt and choker guide locations are fixed. I'm going to try and paste a link to another post I made on static testing. All of this may sound like a lot of work. I'm going to tell you it is required if you want a rod to perform at its best. Besides, afterwards you will have the confidence to know you have done the best that can be done and you will never have need for a guide spacing chart.
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rodbuilding.org]
IMHO, given the time and labor to rebuild your friends rod, you aren't doing either of you a favor. Better to spend fifty bucks on an MHX blank and end up with two rods.
Russ in Hollywood, FL.
