I recently bought a mint condition Ambassadeur 6500 CL3....this is the first of this type I've
seen....a friend of mine said that this is the "dumbed down version" of
the 6500 C....is this true? If it is, are there any parts in the reel that I should
replace to bring it up to the standard of the 6500C?
The CL3 is simply a C3 that was made in a large batch to the specifications of a retailer. The L was for walmart CK3's were for kmart. They were offered at a lower price and had a few lesser bits to cut costs. None of them were internal no matter who flies the rumors that fill the interwebs. The only difference was in cosmetics such as handle color and using black enameled sideplate screws instead of stainless ones. 2 brake pucks instead of the newer 6 pucks. I used to by them up cheap at walmart when they had sat in the display cases for years with their boxes and papers long gone. I'd get 25% off by asking the store manager, pointing out the box and warranty card were gone. Keep an eye out for the walmarts CL Rocket model too with sunset orange sideplates. They are not the traditional Rockets, supertuned but guys who build their own Ambassadeurs with spare parts are always looking for the orange sideplates.