Thanks John, Sounds like I’m right there in the ballpark. I haven’t gone down the road of optimizing for weight yet. I’m pretty happy at 3.52oz with this MB733, but I’m sure I’ll get tired of building with VSS reel seats eventually. For now I’m loving them lol.

If you happened to get get the blank weight of the MB733, I'd love that info. Thanks!

I've never been one to try and build the lightest rod. I put zero effort into trying to make the rod I mentioned earlier, as light as it is. It just came out that way. As soon as I get the build I'm doing on an SB 724 blank finished, I'll be working on a build on an MB 725 C6O2 blank. I'll be using an XO skeleton casting grip on that rod. I've mocked it up, and without epoxy to hold everything together, and the guides, it currently weighs 3.15 oz.

I'm using a set of Torzite guides on it, and I weighed the guides and tip top, and they weigh 1.64 grams. By the time I get the epoxy, guides, wraps and finish done, I'm figuring it to come in right around 3.4 oz. But it's like what I was just saying above. I'm not purposefully trying to build it that light. It's just going to turn out that way.

And Brent, I know exactly what you mean about having to buy a new reel when you build a new rod. I bought a new Shimano Chronarch MGL to put on the rod I'm building with the MB 725 C6O2 blank. Almost went with a Metanium but decided I didn't really need it. But who knows .... I have another MB 725 C6O2 blank to build on as well. Maybe for that one.