I have a question on GUIDES ????  as I have only been  building rods for about 9 years [ part time for my self &
friends  [ no sales] ] why is it when I get a rod in for repair [ replace guides with  cracked frames ] , the bad frame's are normally in the bottom of the guide string , closes to the reel ?? any idea's out there 
Thank for the replay 's

William Sidney
AK

Cheap guides and rough handling/transport.

...........

I think the lower guides are in position to get more rough treatment than the upper ones. Maybe the easy deflection of the tips save some guides, too.

On my personal salmon rods, I spiral wrap using only one double foot guide, on my customers rods I've not had such luck, I repeatedly had to replace all the first 3, or 4 guides with double foot guides due to damage in use and transport.

That is why we recommend and use 2 foot guides for the first 4 up from the reel.
Transport and handling are the usual culprits in damage.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381

The higher the guide, the higher the ding probability.

Most one-piece rod blanks won't fit in a car or a pick-up. They travel hanging out a window or hanging over a tail gate. Bumpy roads and fast stops are tough on rod guides.

As mentioned above the guides closest to the handle tend to be the tallest, protruding further from the rod, thus are more likely to get damaged in lockers, tubes or just careless handling. Being taller there is more frame todamage or break.