My old faithful Ambassadeur 500R is dead. This past year I'd noticed it getting harder to crank and just thought that a good cleaning/re-grease would fix it.
It didn't. So, using a copy of the blow-apart diagram I found online, I took it apart.
Pitted bearing...le sigh. I wasn't going to go to all the trouble to find replacements for a reel that old - despite there being several good sites that I probably COULD find new bearings on. So I gathered what was left of my Christmas money (from my parents) - after placing a couple orders earlier in the day - and was able to scrape enough together for a Pfleuger President 6.3:1 (the 500R was a 5.3:1) and another Aird-X rod in M/F.
This was based on online reviews from multiple sources as the best under $60 reel out there.
Now they're on their way - should have them in 7-10 days.
I don't know whether to hang the 500R up as a tribute or what. It was a good reel and gave me almost 20 years of service.
