Mushy wrote:On a serious note do you think it's a Tudor Supreme ? The seller seemed a little vague, and the finish at the top of the handle is different to a 11 footer, I think Haydn has a 12 and its different to yours, not that it really matters as its a Precision but it would be good to button it down. Maybe your research is better than mine ?
Mushy, Sir ... As far as I'm aware the 'Supreme' was the only all split cane 3 piece rod which Precision Rods produced ... and the fact that the company apparently never produced a catalogue would seem to suggest we'll never truly know otherwise ... unless a 12 footer with a different name turns up !!!
As far as the handles being different it doesn't surprise me at all, especially as the one I've just bought has the 'sliding tube' reel fitting.
The variations when comparing the same models seem to me to highlight just how 'individually hand made' the Precision Rods are. Looking at the photographs, there are subtle variations in the shape of the handles on the 'Vanguard' rods which Gurn and I own.
However, I am fortunate enough to be able to compare a couple of rods of the same name (in original condition) and the variations can be quite striking. The two 'Brumas' rods I have have handles which are 1.5cm (9/32in) different in length ... not much, I know, but noticeable when side by side. Interestingly, the two butt guides are exactly the same distance up the rod ... so their position must have been measured from the top edge of the handle band, and not from the end of the ferrule.
The biggest difference, however, can be seen in two of the three "R. Sealey's Tudor Rose" which I own (apart from the fact that one is in the traditional 'Japan black' finish of the Precision Rods 'match' type rods, and the other is in natural cane). The handles on these two rods vary in length by an astonishing 7.5cm (3 inches) !!! Whether one is later than the other and is a development, we'll never know.
In short ... it all just exemplifies to me that these rods were truly 'hand built,' and that each can be seen as an individual rather than a machine made, identical, mass produced item. It's part of their charm ... and a huge part of why I love them so much.
