GLX handle modification

[hwright38]

Has anyone tried sanding down the cork on their GLX spinning rods. I love the rod itself, but the handle is so much fatter than it needs to be. It looks like you can't take off much before you get to the plastic, but even just a little smaller would be nice. Anyone that's tried it, did it work? Or am I crazy to try and modify a $420 rod?

[Spy]

True crazy would have been modifying first and asking second...but it's not far off! I'd talk to a custom rod builder and see if it can be done or what options might be available such as total removal and another grip material added such as  Wynn grip. Resale value will be shot either way.

[hwright38]

3 hours ago, Spy said:

Resale value will be shot either way.

Honestly I don't think I've ever sold gear anyways, so I'm not as worried about that. 

I am worried about wrecking the rod in the first place though. I'll see if I can find a rod builder locally and see what they have to say.

[fishwizzard]

I have been toying with removing 1-2” from the handle of my 783c GLX but I have yet to summon up the chutzpah to do it.   I’m not worried about resale value as it is my favorite rod, but more about making the cut and realizing that I preferred it the stock length. 

[Spy]

I fish a IMX 783c out of a kayak and find it the perfect length for just about everything. I will say I've contemplated a shorter handle but I would go pistol grip in that case and pick up another stick rather than modify, and as they've lost popularity in recent years they're pretty reasonable on the secondary market.

[Deleted account]

Crazy is fishing with a handle you are unhappy with. 

[fishwizzard]

3 hours ago, Spy said:

I fish a IMX 783c out of a kayak and find it the perfect length for just about everything. I will say I've contemplated a shorter handle but I would go pistol grip in that case and pick up another stick rather than modify, and as they've lost popularity in recent years they're pretty reasonable on the secondary market.

I have an old model 782c and it has a perfect handle length.  My new model    783c has like 2-3” more.  

 

2 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Crazy is fishing with a handle you are unhappy with. 

The 783c is the “best” rod I have tried so far and the power/taper combo fits the fishing I do so well that it’s worth the occasional handle/shirt snag.  

[TNReb]

This isn't the same, but I have sanded the cork foregrip on my NRX casting rods. 

 

Like you said, the cork wasn't as thick as I expected, but removing even 3/16" made a difference. 

[waymont]

16 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I have been toying with removing 1-2” from the handle of my 783c GLX but I have yet to summon up the chutzpah to do it.   I’m not worried about resale value as it is my favorite rod, but more about making the cut and realizing that I preferred it the stock length. 

That is bad rod! My old IMX 783 is fantastic, I would love to try a GLX version of it someday.

I never found my rear grip too long. Does it get in your way somehow?

[fishwizzard]

7 hours ago, waymont said:

That is bad rod! My old IMX 783 is fantastic, I would love to try a GLX version of it someday.

I never found my rear grip too long. Does it get in your way somehow?

It is long enough that tip-down twitching is affected and when I am wearing my loose-fitting sunshirt the handle will snag it on occasion.  

 

The new GLX has a noticeably longer handle then the older IMX and GLX rods.  

 

My first “nice” rod was an IMX 721c and it’s all been down hill from there.

[thunderblack]

HW38, have you fished the rod a lot or not much? I have owned a few glx rods and just bought a 842S and I love these rods and the handle more than any other spinning rod. I know everyone is different but man I can't find a complaint with this handle.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

When you say getting to the plastic are you talking about where the cork meets the seat?

[hwright38]

On 6/10/2019 at 7:51 AM, thunderblack said:

HW38, have you fished the rod a lot or not much? I have owned a few glx rods and just bought a 842S and I love these rods and the handle more than any other spinning rod. I know everyone is different but man I can't find a complaint with this handle.

Just holding the rod with a reel attached is uncomfortable, bordering on irritating. I prefer a much thinner handled rod as I have small-med sized hands. It's a wee bit too much material on the handle for me to get a comfortable purchase on it.

On 6/10/2019 at 10:04 AM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

When you say getting to the plastic are you talking about where the cork meets the seat?

Yes. The reel seat itself is quite large for the diameter of the rod, and I know from building experience there isn't much actual cork before you get to the "tang" of the reel seat underneath (not to mention the sides of the reel seat protrude quite a bit anyways). 

 

On 6/9/2019 at 10:11 AM, BassWhole! said:

Crazy is fishing with a handle you are unhappy with. 

Even crazier is being unhappy with a handle, modifying it, and then being really unhappy with it. I'm not 100% sure it would even make a difference tbh, but there really isn't a spinning rod that has a comparable blank with a more comfortable handle so I may have to just bite the bullet.

[Spy]

At this point it sounds like you should sell the rod and then have a custom built on a GLX blank or a North Fork Composites (Gary Loomis design so it will be spot on) and spec the handle and seat of your choice. You'll end up breaking even cost wise but with the blank/seat/handle that suits your hand structure.

[hwright38]

1 hour ago, Spy said:

At this point it sounds like you should sell the rod and then have a custom built on a GLX blank or a North Fork Composites (Gary Loomis design so it will be spot on) and spec the handle and seat of your choice. You'll end up breaking even cost wise but with the blank/seat/handle that suits your hand structure.

Well I didn't even know you could get just a GLX blank... I'll look into that.

Luckily I kept all the tags so I should just be able to return it for full price.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

2 hours ago, hwright38 said:

Well I didn't even know you could get just a GLX blank... I'll look into that.

Luckily I kept all the tags so I should just be able to return it for full price.

You can’t. GLoomis hasn’t sold blanks in years. NFC makes good ones if you can get it. There service is beyond horrible. 

[fishwizzard]

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

You can’t. GLoomis hasn’t sold blanks in years. NFC makes good ones if you can get it. There service is beyond horrible. 

This is also why I could be willing to roll the dice and chop the handle on my 783c.  That power/taper combo is so perfect and it's annoying not to be able to get the blanks or ones exactly like it.  

[hwright38]

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

You can’t. GLoomis hasn’t sold blanks in years. NFC makes good ones if you can get it. There service is beyond horrible. 

yeah, I was confused to why I couldn't find any in the last few hours of searching. Chalked it up to an id10t error, glad to know it's because they don't exist. Are the NFCs actually worth it over something like the higher end MHX blanks? I have a sneaking suspicion that the hype over the NFCs is just because Loomis is attached to it.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

21 minutes ago, hwright38 said:

yeah, I was confused to why I couldn't find any in the last few hours of searching. Chalked it up to an id10t error, glad to know it's because they don't exist. Are the NFCs actually worth it over something like the higher end MHX blanks? I have a sneaking suspicion that the hype over the NFCs is just because Loomis is attached to it.

I agree completely. All the top end blanks are good nowadays. 

[Tim Kelly]

It's really not a huge task to strip the handle completely and re-build it as you like it. I've done it to many rods, most recently my medium and medium light St Croix Legends. Buying a built rod and stripping the handle worked out cheaper for me than buying the blank and components.