he asked me to pick a blank.  holy rabbit hole!!!!   that was insane.  he wanted me to choose a NorthFork or something,  been awhile, I might be remembering it wrong.   I did manage to find a blank (on sale) and went with that one.  (gah..I cant remember if is went bottom contact or moving baits!!). I tried to choose some components as and to be honest, my brain vapor locked.  that is a lot of information out there.  I relented and just said, "omakase"...chef's choice.  hahah...

 

I admire the hobby, but it was a lot for me to see right away.  I suppose you all build to the same flavor?  or you vary wildly?

Custom rod building has 2 sides in my opinion. One is performance and the second is art. And those who try to combine both at same time.

 

For me it is build by science. I ignore the art. Simple is better and lighter. Performance only.

 

I agree with the Gary Loomis, Aleks Maslov rod blank choice of North Fork Composites. Best of the best right there. DOD level.

One aspect of rod building that is often overlooked is ergonomics.  On my first spinning rod build using "standard" components I ended up with the reel too far from the butt and the butt would catch on my elbow crook when going low to high and vice versa.  Cut off about an inch and it was fine.  Size 16 spin seats are too small for me for all day comfort.  My span from thumb to little finger is 9 inches, and I find size 17's fix that problem.  Some standard component butt knobs for split grips are poorly shaped for comfort, sharp angles and edges.  Not all of us find the same baitcasting seats comfortable due to differences in preferences and how we hold the reel.  Keep ergonomics in mind.