Abu Garcia round reels

[Nelson Delaney]

Does anyone know if there’s a new generation of Swedish made abu’s on the horizon?  C3 C4 or a record?  

[redmeansdistortion]

Ambassadeurs change very little compared to other reels out there.  As it stands now, the reels on the market are almost the same as those that were available nearly 30 years ago.  The only things that have really changed are the drags (Teflon graphite to carbon fiber), brake (2-pin to 6-pin), and the spools which get lighter over time.  There are a few "new" models out now, like the catfish, striper, and carp models, but they aren't far removed from their C3 and C4 counterparts aside from color scheme.  Internally, there is no difference. 

 

The last real innovative reel was the Record, which is sort of a mix between the classic Ambassadeurs predating the 80s models and the newer Ultracast design.  The main difference between the Ambassadeur and the Record, the Ambassadeur uses a fixed spool axle whereas the Record uses a moving spool shaft.  The Record also has its spool bearings located in the side plates while the Ambassadeur has them located in the spool.  The Record does have an anti-reverse bearing located inside the spool plus the anti-reverse needle bearing in the crank side plate.  I'd wager that Abu will release another Record in the future, they seem to put them out every 10 to 15 years in limited runs.

[Nelson Delaney]

21 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

These can be had used in great condition at great prices all day 

I have one,  got it for a lot less Than msrp.  Frankly for a$500 price tag I wasn’t impressed.  This year i put it on the bench in favor of a tuned royal express I. 

[redmeansdistortion]

Try and find one of these, very hard to come by at a reasonable price but man is it a sweet reel.  This is a 4500CS, hasn't been made for the US market in 25 years, but they do put them out on the Japanese and European markets every so often.  They typically pop up on eBay for $150+, or if you want an unusual color like Sunset Orange, Red, Green, Gold, or Black, you'll be spending at least double.  

 

[Nelson Delaney]

1 hour ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Try and find one of these, very hard to come by at a reasonable price but man is it a sweet reel.  This is a 4500CS, hasn't been made for the US market in 25 years, but they do put them out on the Japanese and European markets every so often.  They typically pop up on eBay for $150+, or if you want an unusual color like Sunset Orange, Red, Green, Gold, or Black, you'll be spending at least double.  

 

Do they happen to make left hand models?  It seems that most of the really interesting reels they make don’t have a lefty version. 

[PourMyOwn]

1 hour ago, Nelson Delaney said:

I have one,  got it for a lot less Than msrp.  Frankly for a$500 price tag I wasn’t impressed.  This year i put it on the bench in favor of a tuned royal express I. 

Who tuned your Royal Express? I have one that I bought new that needs help.

[redmeansdistortion]

23 minutes ago, Nelson Delaney said:

Do they happen to make left hand models?  It seems that most of the really interesting reels they make don’t have a lefty version. 

A 4501CS is a very, very rare reel.  They don't come up often, and when they do they go for substantially more than the same model in right hand.

[Nelson Delaney]

1 hour ago, PourMyOwn said:

Who tuned your Royal Express? I have one that I bought new that needs help.

I did it myself.  Ordered parts from mikesreel repair & dadsoletackle.   The reels are very simple to take apart 

[crypt]

look on hookless.com also for some other tuned round reels. also I have 6 1600 pro max and black max's  little round reels that are as bullet proof as they get.

[Mbirdsley]

I always thought those round abu’s would make a good deep crank reel 

[Nelson Delaney]

8 hours ago, Mbirdsley said:

I always thought those round abu’s would make a good deep crank reel 

They do.  I have a C4 4601 winch on a St Croix legend glass 7’11” heavy.  It’s great for big deep cranks, some topwaters........

[Big-Bass]

I have a 4500CS and a 5500CS as well as a rare Champagne Gold 4500CS Pro Rocket.  They are great reels.  I love my high end tackle (Daiwa, Shimano, Megabass) but I do love classic Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reels too.

[Fishingmickey]

Right there with you Big Bass!

 

FM

[Nelson Delaney]

51 minutes ago, Big-Bass said:

I have a 4500CS and a 5500CS as well as a rare Champagne Gold 4500CS Pro Rocket.  They are great reels.  I love my high end tackle (Daiwa, Shimano, Megabass) but I do love classic Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reels too.

Do you use the Abu’s much or are they more collectors items?  

[Big-Bass]

The two CS I do...the Gold CS Pro Rocket I have not used.  

[redmeansdistortion]

13 hours ago, Big-Bass said:

I have a 4500CS and a 5500CS as well as a rare Champagne Gold 4500CS Pro Rocket.  They are great reels.  I love my high end tackle (Daiwa, Shimano, Megabass) but I do love classic Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reels too.

I have a Sunset Orange 4500CS that I will probably never fish.  My fishing buddies give me a ribbing about it, but those side plates are impossible to find since Abu only made 125 of them in that color.  My silver 4500CS goes with me just about everywhere.

 

[Nelson Delaney]

3 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

I have a Sunset Orange 4500CS that I will probably never fish.  My fishing buddies give me a ribbing about it, but those side plates are impossible to find since Abu only made 125 of them in that color.  My silver 4500CS goes with me just about everywhere.

 

Good looking reel!!

[bowhunter63]

Still use my Abu for jig fishing and Carolina rigs.  Bought a new one this year. Still have a lot of peer in em .

[Big-Bass]

9 hours ago, Nelson Delaney said:

Good looking reel!!

 

12 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

I have a Sunset Orange 4500CS that I will probably never fish.  My fishing buddies give me a ribbing about it, but those side plates are impossible to find since Abu only made 125 of them in that color.  My silver 4500CS goes with me just about everywhere.

 

How many did they make of the 4500CS Pro Rocket Champagne Gold?  Mine has the flat knobs not the round ones (I think the gold came with flat ones originally) but I have a few beautiful Simon handles I could add too!  I did luck out and get a 5500 Champagne Gold on the bay for under $200 shipped.  It has some wear but it is a REALLY RARE reel.  Foot number 770200.

[redmeansdistortion]

2 hours ago, Big-Bass said:

How many did they make of the 4500CS Pro Rocket Champagne Gold?

I have no idea but I think that's a JDM reel seeing as the 5500CS and 6500CS in the same color are for the Japanese market.  I personally have never seen a 4500CS in your color, so it's probably a rare piece.  You might want to shoot off an email to Svangsta, they will know for sure.  My orange reel was made in 2015 for the Swedish market only.  They also made one in hot pink in similar numbers.