A reflection on genius design...

[redsetta]

G'day lads,

Been a while since posting a rundown, but I had the considerable good fortune of picking up a one-owner Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 20 yesterday and thought it might be of some interest!

In more than 15 years of working on reels, I've never even heard of one of these in New Zealand, let alone seen one in person.

These are an absolute masterclass in design and it's been a real privilege to finally get one in my hands and take a look inside.

It actually all started with Doc's post way back in 2012 - still what I reckon is the best-ever post on Alan's site:
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=5123.msg40771#msg40771

I've been chasing one of these ever since and, nearly 10 years later, here it is.















It's never been touched, so I took a few pics of the externals then stripped and cleaned it, so it kicks off with the reassembly...

The spool and right side plate come away with just one hand-twist knob on the clicker side.

Then the rest of the reel comes apart with the removal of one finger-tight threaded gear and four screws.

It's simply genius.













Waaaay before it's time - a thrust bearing of such quality, it's still perfect nearly 40 years after manufacture...



I'll let the pics speak for themselves from here...













































The only fly in the ointment was a seized drag plate screw.

Despite the gentlest of coaxing, heating, penetrating oil etc, the brass screw still stripped on the first proper turn.

My heart broke in the process, but c'est la vie. I tried to cut a small notch in the head with a Dremel cutting wheel, but no joy.

So I ended up having to drill it out and use a tiny screw extractor to get the base thread out.

I have a flathead of identical dimensions, so was able to keep on with the reassembly, but I'll replace it with a Phillips when I can (we're still in COVID lock-down here in Auckland).





This is the hand-tight gear that holds the whole spool assembly against the right side plate - magic!















This is the threaded knob that holds everything together. It's all just so well thought-out.

There really is something transcendental about Scandinavian design.



The alloys are of such high quality that, despite 40-odd years of salt build up and patina, it all just buffed off to reveal shiny perfection...







Righto, hope it was of some interest.

Thanks again to Doc (Robert Janssen) for kicking off a near decade-long quest.

Hope you're all keeping well.

Cheers, Justin

[oc1]

That's a beautiful reel Justin.  Thank you for showing us.  Thank you too for bringing up Dr. Jenssen's masterpiece.  I agree; the best AT post ever.

[Swami805]

Thanks for the break down, that is a very unique reel. Yes, best post ever by a mile.

[mo65]

Very cool reel...great post!

[thorhammer]

Justin, outstanding redux, and great to hear from you!

[Donnyboat]

Nice tutorial Justin, they are a very solid reel, would you believe, I helped a kiwi, service his about 3 years ago, his grand father had it for many years, he was from the South island, when he past on his grand son, managed to inherit it, you really have to have one in your hand, to realize how solid & strong they are, thanks again Justin, nice to have you back on with us, cheers Don.

[mike1010]

Beautiful piece of machinery from a time when "Made in Sweden" carried weight.  Thanks for sharing.

[steelfish]

one pretty unique reel, thanks for posting it.

[redsetta]

Thanks all - it's a genuine privilege to share it with yas!
Found this ad online, which captures some of the mystique: http://www.realsreels.com/images/reels/IGFA/TL77p76IGFA30.jpg
There's also a manual for the 20 under the IGFA header, further down the page: http://www.realsreels.com/reels/IGFA/default.html
Cheers lads

[mhc]

Thanks for the detailed photos and run down Justin, that's a very tidy example of ABU's venture into game reels. I'll follow this thread when I get around to tackling a pretty rough 20 I picked up a few years ago when I thought I was a collector.
PS: I'm also a big fan of Doc's inspirational '3.0' creation - I think reading that post is when I first realised reels can be made by people.

Mike

[Robert Janssen]

Congratulations. I am glad you appreciate the elegant genius of this reel as much as I, as well as the little 3.0 reel.

I had some correspondence earlier this year with the designer of the reels, Kenth T. He had a very, very long career at ABU, over forty years, and remembered this project very well. I would very much have liked to give him the credit he deserves in my original post about the 3.0, but several sites don't permit edits after such a long time.

Some of the prototypes are displayed at the ABU museum in Svängsta. I took some pics when i visited.

Also there was a cast bronze spool blank on a workbench. I made an aluminum spool for my Ambassadeur 30 a few years ago. What a difference in weight!