List of Ambidex Reel Models
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Mark
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
John use tinypic, instructions are in this link http://traditionalfisherman.com/viewtop ... 84&t=18161
Mark (Administrator)
The most precious places in the English landscape are those secretive corners,
where you find only elder trees, nettles and dreams. (BB - Denys Watkins-Pitchford).
The most precious places in the English landscape are those secretive corners,
where you find only elder trees, nettles and dreams. (BB - Denys Watkins-Pitchford).
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SaubleJohn
Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
Fred
The spool is not quick release! You must turn the spool cap to loosen and remove before the spool can be removed. It definitely has anti reverse. There is a small black lever marked on off click to control it. If you connect the link above the included picture, you will see the side with the anti reverse.
John
The spool is not quick release! You must turn the spool cap to loosen and remove before the spool can be removed. It definitely has anti reverse. There is a small black lever marked on off click to control it. If you connect the link above the included picture, you will see the side with the anti reverse.
John
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Nobby
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
Following the link to 'John's Ambidex' I find an image of the right-hand side of a 2FP. As is common, it's missing the chrome clip on the reel stem.
Youngs weren't giving them 'Mark' numbers at that time, but they were known as No.,... or 'number's in the catalogues. Half bail reels got No.1 or No.2 written on them,but the following full bails, or FP didn't!
Yours is the second version with the 'FP' or flexible pick-up, a two-piece bail arm designed to get around Hardy's patent on them. There is a No.1 FP listed, but I don't know how you tell that from a No.2FP???
The year of manufacture is a bit confusing........Mark says 1954 on the first post on this thread but the Youngs website says 1959. However, I believe Mark is correct NOT Youngs!
1954 also saw the first full bail Mitchell 300 reel, now generally known as the 'Fourth Version' and it was allowed because Mitchell reached an agreement with Hardy over the use of a full bail arm...the patent was coming to an end and others were going to be able to use it very soon anyway. The received thinking at the moment goes that Impecco and J W Youngs reached a similar understanding with Hardy at the same time.
There would be no reason to 'circumvent' the Hardy patent 5 years later in 1959 .....it had already expired!
J W Youngs continued with this two-piece bail arm for some years however and it wasn't until the Mark Five, which was actually called that by them, that they fitted a full bail made of a single piece of wire.
The J W Youngs site gives 1959 for the year of manufacture of both the 1, the 2, the 1FP and 2FP, the 3FP and the No. Four...that seems a bit unlikely..would they really have still offered all those earlier reels in 1959?:
http://www.jwyoungs.co.uk/ambidex.htm
Let's hope Ambidexman looks in on this thread as he has written a book on the makers.
Youngs weren't giving them 'Mark' numbers at that time, but they were known as No.,... or 'number's in the catalogues. Half bail reels got No.1 or No.2 written on them,but the following full bails, or FP didn't!
Yours is the second version with the 'FP' or flexible pick-up, a two-piece bail arm designed to get around Hardy's patent on them. There is a No.1 FP listed, but I don't know how you tell that from a No.2FP???
The year of manufacture is a bit confusing........Mark says 1954 on the first post on this thread but the Youngs website says 1959. However, I believe Mark is correct NOT Youngs!
1954 also saw the first full bail Mitchell 300 reel, now generally known as the 'Fourth Version' and it was allowed because Mitchell reached an agreement with Hardy over the use of a full bail arm...the patent was coming to an end and others were going to be able to use it very soon anyway. The received thinking at the moment goes that Impecco and J W Youngs reached a similar understanding with Hardy at the same time.
There would be no reason to 'circumvent' the Hardy patent 5 years later in 1959 .....it had already expired!
J W Youngs continued with this two-piece bail arm for some years however and it wasn't until the Mark Five, which was actually called that by them, that they fitted a full bail made of a single piece of wire.
The J W Youngs site gives 1959 for the year of manufacture of both the 1, the 2, the 1FP and 2FP, the 3FP and the No. Four...that seems a bit unlikely..would they really have still offered all those earlier reels in 1959?:
http://www.jwyoungs.co.uk/ambidex.htm
Let's hope Ambidexman looks in on this thread as he has written a book on the makers.
Last edited by Nobby on Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SaubleJohn
Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
Nobby
Thanks for all the information. What I understand from all this is that my humpback full bail Ambidex is not as old as the 1940's half bails but falls somewhere between 1954 which appears to be the first year of the full bails and 1959. Too bad there isn't a dating chart like that put out by Wallace Carney on the egg shaped MITCHELL reels -(primarily the Mitchell 300) to identify with reasonable certainty the exact year of production of a reel based upon serial number.
Thanks for all the information. What I understand from all this is that my humpback full bail Ambidex is not as old as the 1940's half bails but falls somewhere between 1954 which appears to be the first year of the full bails and 1959. Too bad there isn't a dating chart like that put out by Wallace Carney on the egg shaped MITCHELL reels -(primarily the Mitchell 300) to identify with reasonable certainty the exact year of production of a reel based upon serial number.
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Ambidexman
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
I remember reading the 'Angling' magazine back in 1980 when Mr Chris Yates captured his (then) record carp using an Ambidex reel. I read that article when I was having a 'flirtation' with catching carp, I decided I must find one to use. It took a while but I did find a little black Ambidex with a weird half bale arm - but it looked nothing like Mr Yates example......best try and find another one. So I did, this one was blue and grey with a sloping back - and couldn't have been more different to my first model , but still nothing like Mr Yates example.....best try and find another......and so began my full blown love affair with the Ambidex (and the company of JW Young & Sons).
It was in my head at the time to try and find every different Ambidex model, now, some thirty five years later I own around 150 Ambidex reels of which most are different - or should I say have many fascinating differences.
And I still keep finding (albeit now very occasionally) differing models.
I do not pretend to be an expert but I have spoken at length to many ex-employees of JW Young & Son, including Mr Edward Young (youngest son of JW himself), who designed the very first model of Ambidex. I was fortunate to have my research published (back in 2009) by Medlar Press. Although now all sold out, I like to think that this work does help to identify (and date) many of the Ambidex reels in circulation.
The complete chapter would be too lengthy to include here, but maybe there could be a suitable location for it on this Forum Mark?
The main thing to remember is that when these reels were produced, they were made to catch fish and not to make life easy for us collectors. Many Ambidex reel parts were interchanged between models making their identification (and date) extremely difficult. As a collector myself, I am guilty of putting them in categories of model, modification, date etc but it really is a non-specific science so don't be too surprised when you see (for example) a No.1 model with a MkIV handle.
It was in my head at the time to try and find every different Ambidex model, now, some thirty five years later I own around 150 Ambidex reels of which most are different - or should I say have many fascinating differences.
And I still keep finding (albeit now very occasionally) differing models.I do not pretend to be an expert but I have spoken at length to many ex-employees of JW Young & Son, including Mr Edward Young (youngest son of JW himself), who designed the very first model of Ambidex. I was fortunate to have my research published (back in 2009) by Medlar Press. Although now all sold out, I like to think that this work does help to identify (and date) many of the Ambidex reels in circulation.
The complete chapter would be too lengthy to include here, but maybe there could be a suitable location for it on this Forum Mark?
The main thing to remember is that when these reels were produced, they were made to catch fish and not to make life easy for us collectors. Many Ambidex reel parts were interchanged between models making their identification (and date) extremely difficult. As a collector myself, I am guilty of putting them in categories of model, modification, date etc but it really is a non-specific science so don't be too surprised when you see (for example) a No.1 model with a MkIV handle.
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Mark
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
Pop it in a new thread Rupe or email it to me and I will sort it out for you.Ambidexman wrote:The complete chapter would be too lengthy to include here, but maybe there could be a suitable location for it on this Forum Mark?
Mark (Administrator)
The most precious places in the English landscape are those secretive corners,
where you find only elder trees, nettles and dreams. (BB - Denys Watkins-Pitchford).
The most precious places in the English landscape are those secretive corners,
where you find only elder trees, nettles and dreams. (BB - Denys Watkins-Pitchford).
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Nobby
- Wild Carp
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
I did forget to add that taking Ambidex research seriously can damage your mind......Ambidexman is one of the few to emerge still sane. Moley was less lucky......
I'm not sure the Mitchell Museum dating system is as accurate as folk like to think. Certainly it can't be applied to UK reels imported by Milbro as the Museum's main point of reference for its 'sixth' version is the word Garcia being engraved onto the cover plate. Obviously the UK reels didn't get this initially. It happened much later in 1967 here in the UK when Milbro dropped the Mitchell in favour of far-Eastern reels and Barrie Welham persuaded Garcia to take up the mantle....with him in charge.... ;-)
I should mention that a lot of USA Garcia Mitchells ended up over here, probably bought by tourists...I have a half dozen myself.
Unless someone can show a dated purchase receipt it's all a bit of conjecture as Mitchell kept no modification records nor serial number records....indeed one wonders why they even bothered with serial numbers really?
I think we've already disproved the likelihood of wartime production, as the Museum asserts, as we've shown that the factory was the Nazi barracks and the local men all sent to labour camps!
Nevertheless, it's all we've got so it'll have to do for now.
I'm not sure the Mitchell Museum dating system is as accurate as folk like to think. Certainly it can't be applied to UK reels imported by Milbro as the Museum's main point of reference for its 'sixth' version is the word Garcia being engraved onto the cover plate. Obviously the UK reels didn't get this initially. It happened much later in 1967 here in the UK when Milbro dropped the Mitchell in favour of far-Eastern reels and Barrie Welham persuaded Garcia to take up the mantle....with him in charge.... ;-)
I should mention that a lot of USA Garcia Mitchells ended up over here, probably bought by tourists...I have a half dozen myself.
Unless someone can show a dated purchase receipt it's all a bit of conjecture as Mitchell kept no modification records nor serial number records....indeed one wonders why they even bothered with serial numbers really?
I think we've already disproved the likelihood of wartime production, as the Museum asserts, as we've shown that the factory was the Nazi barracks and the local men all sent to labour camps!
Nevertheless, it's all we've got so it'll have to do for now.
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Moley
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
WIBBLE!!!!Nobby wrote:I did forget to add that taking Ambidex research seriously can damage your mind......Ambidexman is one of the few to emerge still sane. Moley was less lucky......
As ever,...........
Mole Power!!!
Say aye tae'a pie!
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Harry H
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
Well I have just read through all 13 pages of this thead and quite honestly I'm of for a lay down in a darkened room before I end up resembling 
There are three things that improve with age: wine, friendship and water sense, and there's no short cut.
Anthony Shepherdson
Anthony Shepherdson
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ExeAngler
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Re: List of Ambidex Reel Models
I know this is an old thread but does anyone know much about the Ambidex Match. I brought on this month but can't find much info on them apart form they date from 1967, (Via this thread).