A while back I saw a list of designations that Abu uses on their reels posted here. One of the was "CB" ,which according to the post means "Self centering disengaging levelwind"... Can someone explain what this means?
They made that for about 10 or 12 years.
Ocean City had the the 944 which had a disengage of the level Wind in the 50's . It was an actual mechanical disengagement when put in Free Spool and I think Abu's you had to move the line guide barrel where the pawl was down to disengage the pawl . Will have to dif on of mine out and refresh my post . The thought behind this was
When you cast it the Level wind actually disengages and does not move back and forth till you re engage the pinion out of Free Spool . This was suppose to increase the casting distance by taking the Friction of the level wind gears away Abu as I recall had a lot of problems with their version it seems like and did a few mods .THe least amount of dirt or corrosion would throw a wrench in der Sprigenwerks and a lot of plastic in it .
Shimano ,Daiwa .and a few others have reels with this feature on them as well.
Some say they are Rare .
Quote from: Wompus Cat on September 19, 2022, 01:03:38 PMThey made that for about 10 or 12 years.
Ocean City had the the 944 which had a disengage of the level Wind in the 50's . It was an actual mechanical disengagement when put in Free Spool and I think Abu's you had to move the line guide barrel where the pawl was down to disengage the pawl . Will have to dif on of mine out and refresh my post . The thought behind this was
When you cast it the Level wind actually disengages and does not move back and forth till you re engage the pinion out of Free Spool . This was suppose to increase the casting distance by taking the Friction of the level wind gears away Abu as I recall had a lot of problems with their version it seems like and did a few mods .THe least amount of dirt or corrosion would throw a wrench in der Sprigenwerks and a lot of plastic in it .
Shimano ,Daiwa .and a few others have reels with this feature on them as well.
Some say they are Rare .
Ok,the self centering part threw me off,,saw this last night so it got me poking around.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204080429917?hash=item2f84243b5d:g:mKQAAOSwVJVjDYsL&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4PmLa4dgYaxtbLsYKYJfrWNKQEj7gQrQ9EVEWqTwCYqjhhOzdFWIenSzs4kqTk0qxRzpOz2Sn9b7Oq%2BO%2FWZk2F0xz7iKv5tpiGzZgDlgqQgJg4BALMTXMsYoQXedt6fRID3VJZZpIGwAqzJ3y5HKNuuzQc6B7TCV4nlI7eOE8rCeFq28TTYqbABI8fBUAJ%2F22CtkUadnTVdzC97gcsVc8O1INICxxNpuCrC1cl48ygWDYAmn%2BfvekTpVpxXHhz5f8qsoKrZ4s%2B4SnjSQG0w%2Bd%2FqjiJgJt0amlVR%2BiaRW3uT6%7Ctkp%3ABFBM8uOxyupg
This reel has the standard syncronized levelwind of round Abu's. It's basically a C3 except for the gear ratio and thumb bar.
Quote from: nelz on September 19, 2022, 07:13:37 PMThis reel has the standard syncronized levelwind of round Abu's. It's basically a C3 except for the gear ratio and thumb bar.
Do you think the thumb bar has more issues than the standard release lever?
Quote from: Scattergun2570 on September 20, 2022, 07:21:20 PMQuote from: nelz on September 19, 2022, 07:13:37 PMThis reel has the standard syncronized levelwind of round Abu's. It's basically a C3 except for the gear ratio and thumb bar.
Do you think the thumb bar has more issues than the standard release lever?
IMO yes. I've had issues with 56XX and promax's popping into gear into a hard cast.
Quote from: Scattergun2570 on September 20, 2022, 07:21:20 PMQuote from: nelz on September 19, 2022, 07:13:37 PMThis reel has the standard syncronized levelwind of round Abu's. It's basically a C3 except for the gear ratio and thumb bar.
Do you think the thumb bar has more issues than the standard release lever?
I actually have never owned one, but looks like Mr. Thor has answered your quesrtion already.
I had a buddy who used two 4500CB's from the 80's. The non engaging levelwind feature was perported by Abu, to increase casting distance. I can say I agree with that as they seemed to be amazing casting machines. They never gave him any failures and caught some huge Snook. I've never had a problem with an Ambassadeurs thumb bar that wasn't caused by human error on reassembly.
ABU's are amazing....until you get them dirty. My thumb bar issues, when they happen, always happen when wade fishing deep surf. On dry land or shallow wading, flawless.
Quote from: 0119 on September 22, 2022, 03:28:29 PMI had a buddy who used two 4500CB's from the 80's. The non engaging levelwind feature was perported by Abu, to increase casting distance.
Are you saying the line guide doesn't move when in free-spool? I looked at the schem for the Ambassadeur 5601 CB and it looks like it's synchronized. Perhaps the 4500CB is different?
Quote from: nelz on September 23, 2022, 04:49:56 AMQuote from: 0119 on September 22, 2022, 03:28:29 PMI had a buddy who used two 4500CB's from the 80's. The non engaging levelwind feature was perported by Abu, to increase casting distance.
Are you saying the line guide doesn't move when in free-spool? I looked at the schem for the Ambassadeur 5601 CB and it looks like it's synchronized. Perhaps the 4500CB is different?
Right it didn't move in free spool. Now, I'm talking about CB as it was originally configured/designated. If I recall it right, CB could have also been used decades later to signify a model made in a "lot" for a big box retailer like Kmart Walmart or Cabela's.
Quote from: 0119 on September 24, 2022, 01:49:00 PMRight it didn't move in free spool. Now, I'm talking about CB as it was originally configured/designated. If I recall it right, CB could have also been used decades later to signify a model made in a "lot" for a big box retailer like Kmart Walmart or Cabela's.
I think you're absolutely right. The schem I looked at was from a KMart reel.
The CBs were what Abu called their "Light Cast" model. The Royal Express also came with the same feature. There are two more idler gears in the palm side mounted on an L bracket. When you cast, the line guide moves to the center of the spool then stops while the spool is still rotating. I just did one of those Royal Express reels for a customer a couple of weeks ago. If you want the standard synchronized level wind, just remove the bracket and it behaves just as any other Ambassadeur.
Quote from: tincanary on October 03, 2022, 05:45:59 PMThe CBs were what Abu called their "Light Cast" model. The Royal Express also came with the same feature. There are two more idler gears in the palm side mounted on an L bracket. When you cast, the line guide moves to the center of the spool then stops while the spool is still rotating. I just did one of those Royal Express reels for a customer a couple of weeks ago. If you want the standard synchronized level wind, just remove the bracket and it behaves just as any other Ambassadeur.
Totally old thread, but I was looking for the 4500CB schematic as I have one from the 80's and I found this thread. It was my first "real" bass fishing reel. It does indeed center itself and then stop. This reel has seen some action, let me tell you, but it still free spools well even though I haven't used it in years. I'm going through all my gear and selling stuff I don't use and I just can't bear to part with this reel. I need to find an old pistol grip rod from the era to pair it with.
Quote from: MolBasser on March 31, 2026, 08:48:18 PMTotally old thread, but I was looking for the 4500CB schematic as I have one from the 80's and I found this thread. It was my first "real" bass fishing reel. It does indeed center itself and then stop. This reel has seen some action, let me tell you, but it still free spools well even though I haven't used it in years. I'm going through all my gear and selling stuff I don't use and I just can't bear to part with this reel. I need to find an old pistol grip rod from the era to pair it with.
The self centering level wind wasn't very effective. The mechanism adds quite a bit of friction during the cast. The good news is that it can be removed and it'll function just like any other Ambassadeur. I believe Abu did this as a workaround for not implementing a disengaging level wind like smaller low profile reels use.
Quote from: tincanary on April 08, 2026, 12:22:17 PMQuote from: MolBasser on March 31, 2026, 08:48:18 PMTotally old thread, but I was looking for the 4500CB schematic as I have one from the 80's and I found this thread. It was my first "real" bass fishing reel. It does indeed center itself and then stop. This reel has seen some action, let me tell you, but it still free spools well even though I haven't used it in years. I'm going through all my gear and selling stuff I don't use and I just can't bear to part with this reel. I need to find an old pistol grip rod from the era to pair it with.
The self centering level wind wasn't very effective. The mechanism adds quite a bit of friction during the cast. The good news is that it can be removed and it'll function just like any other Ambassadeur. I believe Abu did this as a workaround for not implementing a disengaging level wind like smaller low profile reels use.
I haven't fished with it in years, but I don't remember ever thinking that its casting length was adversely effected. I caught plenty of fish with that reel.
Maybe a relatively narrow spool would help reduce friction on one of the ones that stops the line guide in the middle. I have an 80's Ultra Mag where the line guide completely disengages on a cast and slides back and forth as the line goes out. But, the spool is so narrow, it probably doesn't make much difference. At least not until you get into the larger(wider) reels.
Check out an Arjon Commander reel some time. They took workmanship and design to the extreme. Typical Swiss approach; but sometimes too complicated.
Anyway, when put in freespool the level wind carriage opens up with one post going to each side. They had an innovative paddlewheel centrifugal brake too.
They bring the big money these days.