I buy cheap rods Walmart cabelas etc.. and practice.

For example I did a danco surf rod. $20. Bass pro

For a while I hated it... i wanted to work clean new you know.

But for the cost and all the rods I had I just started to redo them
I've got good at taking these things apart. I don't mind the free handle and guides.. and if I do I replace them to and it's still allot cheaper.

Antonio,
Another source is the salvation army or good will. Often you can find a rod with a good blank for a few $$.

Cut off the guides and anything else you don't want on the rod - possibly removing the finish and rebuild it as you please.

Best wishes.

Ive rebuilt several production rods. It gives me practice where I dont really care how badly I mess up the build. I have also found some really nice rod blanks that where hiding under nasty paint.

I’ve changed guide trains over to the KR system on a few of my factory rods, makes them perform better.

Sweet!

Almost any rod can be up-graded with a new set of guides properly sized and placed. It can be an amazing transformation sometimes.

I always thought that the quality of the rod starts at the blank though.

That's a good idea good will s. I look around Facebook market place some also.

Factory rod blanks are good quality... just more work. I personally like the look of the blanks with a clear coat. Just zip strip itand clearcoat. But anything krylon color is good matte black is good..

This is a fun thing to do. I have rebuilt a few older st croix rods. The blanks were in great condition, but handles/guides were beat to crap. You can revamp them into a great perfoming rod. It will also build your confidence on doing rod repairs for customers. win-win to me.