Need Help Identifying Part Number Of Garcia Conolon Rod

[Walleye Guy]

I need help identifying this rod because the part number is worn off.  It looks to be ???5-D. 

I looked online for old Garcia Conolon rod pdf's and found a few but couldn't find this exact rod listed.

If you look at the attached pdf from a 1976 model year catalog, it's just like #2552 except mine is mustard yellow in color and has 6 guides instead of five (the 2552 has 5 guides plus the carbide tip top and mine has 6 guides plus the carbide tip top).

Does anyone out there have an old catalog to reference?

When I got it, the tip top was broken and the reel seat had a stress crack but the cork was like brand new and the chrome handle needed some polishing.  I traded some baked goods from my wife's kitchen to a welder at work in exchange for repairing the crack and I polished the chrome so it looks beautiful again.  I also replaced the tip-top with another tungsten carbide unit and polished the other guides so they're nice and shiny.

I know these rods are considered old school but I think they are so classy.

Thanks in advance for any help. 

[JasonGotaProblem]

You've probably noticed the length doesn't match anything on the table. You've probably also noticed the color is different from the ones shown. Probably a different generation of rods.

If i had to guess the missing numbers, it looks like 1145. But that's just me.

[Walleye Guy]

Jason, the length does match the 2552: 8-1/2' long

[oldmanjoe]

 The last two # are 45 d . I have tried  11, 21,24, for the first # and no hits

[JasonGotaProblem]

Apologies. When i click the image that's clear. On the grainy reduced version that 8 looked like a 9. But none of the other numbers match, so...

[jtwill98]

Looks like a 25xx Garcia Conolon rod "Four Gold star" series and fairly rare one due to the lack of any online matches. 

My guess is a 2545-D. 

Somewhere on one of my computers, I have many of the Conolon catalogs, I just don't know where. I think it's on the RHEL OS server in my shop which I shutdown in the summer when it's 100F+ outside.   

If I find the catalog, I will post it. 

[Walleye Guy]

Apologies. When i click the image that's clear. On the grainy reduced version that 8 looked like a 9. But none of the other numbers match, so...

Jason, my bad...the typo threw me too and I should have commented on it in the original post.

Looks like a 25xx Garcia Conolon rod "Four Gold star" series and fairly rare one due to the lack of any online matches. 

My guess is a 2545-D. 

Somewhere on one of my computers, I have many of the Conolon catalogs, I just don't know where. I think it's on the RHEL OS server in my shop which I shutdown in the summer when it's 100F+ outside. 

If I find the catalog, I will post it. 

If you don't mind, if you do post it then please reply to this thread so I get notified.

[Walleye Guy]

Looks like a 25xx Garcia Conolon rod "Four Gold star" series and fairly rare one due to the lack of any online matches. 

My guess is a 2545-D. 

Is there a method for the part number nomenclature & suffix (this one has a -D)?  What is it that leads you to guess the first two digits are 25?  For example, and I'm just making this up, but does the first digit indicate a spinning rod, the second digit the guide type, etc? I have a few Garcia Conolon rods and a couple have -A suffix and a couple have -D suffix.  Do you know what the suffix indicates?  Interestingly, the catalog page pdfs don't list any suffixes.  They were all purchased new by an older gentleman and I bought them from his son after he passed away.  The part numbers on the other rods are still legible but this one is a mystery.

[jtwill98]

I can't find any mention of how to decipher the model codes. 

All I could find was mention of the Gold star ratings which came to be after Garcia acquired Conolon (https://www.rodbuilding.org/read.php?2,458621) & scroll down on this page (https://www.realsreels.com/RodsGarcia.html) for a slew of information. 

Also https://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43865 has information, but I don't believe anyone has definitive information on decoding the model numbers and gold star rating system used by Conolon or Garcia Conolon as it appears to have changed over the years.   

One person stated this - The suffixes were indicative of the year of make -- earliest to latest: T, B, C, D, & A. There was some discussion about whether the T rods meant "trout" and the B ones meant "bass" because the T's were lighter actioned than the B's. Ricard says no, it was just a year designation ... "

I'm not sure what to make of it - A = year one of Garcia's take over, B = year 2 and so fourth? 

I thought I had semi-figure out the second digit was type of rod 22xx. 25xx, 26xx where 2 was bait casting, 5 was spin casting, and 6 was flyrods but that doesn't work across the yearly catalogs as some of them show 22xx as bait casting and spin casting rods. 

Some reading suggest the first digit was color: 2=blue, 5=brown, but I could not determine if that was true either.

Your theory is as good as any I suppose, since no one seems to have internal knowledge. 

[oldmanjoe]

Yer I read that too , and I could not see a pattern for coding .   I thing you should try the 800 number and see if they can help you .

[Walleye Guy]

Yer I read that too , and I could not see a pattern for coding .  I thing you should try the 800 number and see if they can help you .

I called it and there was a recording that said "check www.alantani.com" 

[oldmanjoe]

Post pictures of your pole , this way we can see what guides are used .  So far all I know is the seat .
        Saltwater  and possible surf caster / boat pole .   I do believe some one made a comment that
D may stand for surf rod .

[jtwill98]

I called it and there was a recording that said "check www.alantani.com"

Quite funny!

[Walleye Guy]

Post pictures of your pole , this way we can see what guides are used .  So far all I know is the seat .
        Saltwater  and possible surf caster / boat pole .  I do believe some one made a comment that
D may stand for surf rod .

Here are a few pics that I had when I was working on replacing the broken tip-top (documented in another Alan Tani post).  Let me know if you need more.

[oldmanjoe]

Ok  so it`s a boat pole .  Helps with the high speed scanning !!!