Grandt Custom Rods?

When production rods are not enough, it's time to go custom. Come share your experiences building and/or ordering a custom rod and tell us if you'll ever go back to off the shelf.
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mck1975
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by mck1975 » Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:51 am

I've fished one for a few years now and have no complaint what so ever. Light, strong and well built. Love the rod.

thedude
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by thedude » Tue Feb 25, 2014 5:15 am

i know the rods well. i wouldn't pay 50$ bucks for them. Pretty trim, wraps, feathers... they are heavy and have crappy components. The handles are all pre-fab and sloppily assembled - glue lines, rough edges etc. I don't think anyone put half a second of thought into the handle length, guide sizes, blank length, tapers, actions etc in regards to bass fishing techniques. I've had one of their 450$ rods in my shop to take 4 inches off the handle. It blew my mind that it cost so much. It was a 6'6" spinning rod with a 12" rear grip that someone won at a tournament. It had enormous amtak guides on it as well and the weight of it was obnoxious. I like to support american companies, but i wish grandt would try a little harder. I think you'd be better off using an ugly-stik.

dragon1
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by dragon1 » Tue Feb 25, 2014 3:17 pm

thedude wrote:i know the rods well. i wouldn't pay 50$ bucks for them. Pretty trim, wraps, feathers... they are heavy and have crappy components. The handles are all pre-fab and sloppily assembled - glue lines, rough edges etc. I don't think anyone put half a second of thought into the handle length, guide sizes, blank length, tapers, actions etc in regards to bass fishing techniques. I've had one of their 450$ rods in my shop to take 4 inches off the handle. It blew my mind that it cost so much. It was a 6'6" spinning rod with a 12" rear grip that someone won at a tournament. It had enormous amtak guides on it as well and the weight of it was obnoxious. I like to support american companies, but i wish grandt would try a little harder. I think you'd be better off using an ugly-stik.
Some of this sounds familiar now...especially the components and weight part. :-k

garza7585
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by garza7585 » Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:49 am

Agree with thedude.

hookset718
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by hookset718 » Sat Jan 10, 2015 1:37 pm

just went to the nj outdoor expo and saw these rods. was trying to look up a review on them based on customer experience etc. the build quality was good depending on the rod. they had high end and basic stuff. ranging from 500 and down just from what i looked at, the rod choices was over whelming. from fly rods to trout salmon offshore tuna and bass etc... the rods i looked at had stainless steel guides. no concern of braid cutting through which had happened to a few other rods i purchased and over heating the guides to where the glue and epoxy melted and inserts came free. wonder how? try albacore fishing. i put my rods and reels through hell and back. i am tired of spending money on rods that cant hold up. so grandt rods became an option a serious option. being told even if i slam the rod tip in a door and broke it they would replace it is a big deal to me. i questioned sensitivity he tied some fishing line to the end and flicked it. i felt it all the way through the blank and handle. seems sensitive to me. wraps and glue was good guides was aligned properly. no warped blanks. and compared to my st croix legend tbs71mf was way better balanced. i use good stuff. i refer to this site for alot of my choices. i own mostly dobyns rods. dx 702sf dx 764sf dx 745 dx 765flip 756cb 734c 736c . grandt rods seemed okay with me. and some of there rods was spectacular looking. having snake skin in them feathers custom wraps. stickers etc. plus it is American made and 100% covered. find a rod you like that will work and give it a shot. if it breaks you get a new one free you cant lose. if i spent 450 on megabass only covered for three years. i love dobyns but if it breaks you still have to send it back and hope the call goes in your favor. they haved replaced my dx702sf for me very quickly. and now i have to send back my dx 745 and it hurts because i loved that rod. not just the model but that rod as i won my first tournament with that rod. so we shall see. the rod broke setting the hook and tip snapped off. i am rough on gear but not to the point where that should happen. I do take care of my stuff. i am 37 been fishing since i am 3. used ugly sticks, star rods, fenwick, shimano, bass pro shops etc. when i spend over 300 on a rod i expect it to last forever. Anyway i usually dont say much but this time i had to just because some comments sounded like senseless bashing. keep it classy guys.

cbream
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by cbream » Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:37 pm

When you break the rod in a car door and try to use their warranty, come back here and report.

dragon1
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by dragon1 » Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:05 pm

hookset718 wrote:just went to the nj outdoor expo and saw these rods. was trying to look up a review on them based on customer experience etc. the build quality was good depending on the rod. they had high end and basic stuff. ranging from 500 and down just from what i looked at, the rod choices was over whelming. from fly rods to trout salmon offshore tuna and bass etc... the rods i looked at had stainless steel guides. no concern of braid cutting through which had happened to a few other rods i purchased and over heating the guides to where the glue and epoxy melted and inserts came free. wonder how? try albacore fishing. i put my rods and reels through hell and back. i am tired of spending money on rods that cant hold up. so grandt rods became an option a serious option. being told even if i slam the rod tip in a door and broke it they would replace it is a big deal to me. i questioned sensitivity he tied some fishing line to the end and flicked it. i felt it all the way through the blank and handle. seems sensitive to me. wraps and glue was good guides was aligned properly. no warped blanks. and compared to my st croix legend tbs71mf was way better balanced. i use good stuff. i refer to this site for alot of my choices. i own mostly dobyns rods. dx 702sf dx 764sf dx 745 dx 765flip 756cb 734c 736c . grandt rods seemed okay with me. and some of there rods was spectacular looking. having snake skin in them feathers custom wraps. stickers etc. plus it is American made and 100% covered. find a rod you like that will work and give it a shot. if it breaks you get a new one free you cant lose. if i spent 450 on megabass only covered for three years. i love dobyns but if it breaks you still have to send it back and hope the call goes in your favor. they haved replaced my dx702sf for me very quickly. and now i have to send back my dx 745 and it hurts because i loved that rod. not just the model but that rod as i won my first tournament with that rod. so we shall see. the rod broke setting the hook and tip snapped off. i am rough on gear but not to the point where that should happen. I do take care of my stuff. i am 37 been fishing since i am 3. used ugly sticks, star rods, fenwick, shimano, bass pro shops etc. when i spend over 300 on a rod i expect it to last forever. Anyway i usually dont say much but this time i had to just because some comments sounded like senseless bashing. keep it classy guys.
Just ten posts in and this, eh? :-k Hmmm...glue and epoxy melting, and the inserts popping out...yep, could happen. Plenty of quality rods out there from hundreds of different makes/custom builders/etc. that have no issue with albacore and these rods are equipped with ceramic guides...just sayin'. Yeah, with stainless steel, you won't need to worry about the inserts popping out, rather maybe just the mono/co-ploy or even worse, braid, slicing through it when a palegic runs hard and long on you.

Just a thought, how about a few paragraphs next time? ;)

Batson-Brands
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by Batson-Brands » Tue Jan 13, 2015 12:24 am

We know Grant custom rods as well as hundreds of other private label guys.. :)

4520MAN
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by 4520MAN » Thu May 05, 2016 2:29 am

I joined this thread for the sole purpose of relaying my recent, and LAST experience, with Grandt Custom Rods. My sixteen year old son who absolutely loves to fish, as do I, wanted a keepsake type high end rod he could be proud of and have for life; not his only rod but a flagship of sorts if you will. We were not familiar with Grandt, I have 50 plus rods of different brands and styles for different applications but probably am most fond of our Falcons and Pfluegers, good workin mans rods. While attending our local winter sport show we discovered the Grandt booth. The sales staff were nice as you would expect and showed us a few different rods. My son found the one he liked for his intended purpose but did not commit to buy as he wanted to look at other rods at the show. The staff tried to close the sale by focusing on the "unmatched lifetime warranty".
We browsed the rest of the show and found some nice rods but did return to the Grandt booth and purchase a 6' im6 med spinning rod and reel. This was purchased on March 20th 2016.
On April 16th 2016, our first time out with the rod vertical jigging, on the very first strike the rod ever had, I watched my son set the hook on a fish and rolled the butt cap on the grip off the end of the pole by rubbing against his hip! He did continue to use the pole for the duration of the trip as that did not render the pole useless. We were not to worried about it at the time as the pole has a lifetime warranty and being so new and the damage not being negligent or careless abuse it would surely be covered by such a GREAT company, right? WRONG!!!!!
A couple days after returning from our trip my son informed me that on Grandts website where they spell out the warranty policy, that you are required to send in with your rod a "$34.00 warranty processing fee". So now with only a couple hours of fishing on it my sons $200 rod is going to cost him another $50 ( we have to ship it in to Grandt also)! What really stinks is that at the show we had to sort thru a few of the rods to find one with straight eyes, the only one of 4 or 5 we looked at with straight eyes had an iffy cork handle on it. We brought it to the reps attention. To his credit he did offer us a different rod, yes one of the ones with crooked eyes! He assured us not to worry about it as the warranty would protect us should anything happen to the handle.
Very dissatisfied with the situation at this point I contacted Grandt Industries. Got an answering service stating "they" were out of the office on a fishing trip ( I wondered if any of their rods broke on them?) but she would take a message, I left one. I received a call within a couple of hours, quick I thought. The man introduced himself, it was Jim Grandt himself! I noticed his tone immediately, and it was not good. He was annoyed, put out, adversarial from the beginning. He did act like he was listening for a moment as I explained the situation. He tried to tell me to super glue the butt back on the rod handle. I explained the cork was compromised, it wasnt just the cap coming off. He reverted to the warranty and the $34 fee. After my attempting to resolve this amicably, I am now HOT! I own rods I've paid a third this much for that are 10 times the rod this thing is!
I should explain that I am in business myself and understand the need for policies and procedures and that customers, consumers, end users will put you out of business if you let them. I also understand limited warranties vs unlimited or unconditional warranties and I understand any manufacturer including rod manufacturers, offering a warranty cannot cover careless and negligent abuse and normal wear and tear, however my Craftsmen tools are! I only expect things I purchased to be honestly and accurately represented and reasonably durable for the intended purpose, GRANDT RODS ARE NOT! Grandt Industries warranty more closely resembles a flat rate repair charge than a warranty. He said the fee was to cover shipping. I explained that I have my own shipping account and I could send a return shipping label with my sons rod much cheaper than $34, he very reluctantly agreed, "one time"! Really Mr. Grandt? $34 for return shipping! I told him that under the circumstances I should not have to pay for return shipping. Again, Had we had the rod for a year of better, I could understand having to pay for shipping both ways. The rod is still brand new, and failed. Were I in his shoes, I would be so embarrassed I would pay for shipping BOTH ways and send a t shirt with the rod when I returned it!
My sons rod is an "All American Pro Series" which according to the website has an "UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME WARRANTY". Below is copied and pasted from the site:

"Try our All American Pro Series Custom Fishing Rods, or the upgraded XLH70 Series Custom Fishing Rods for the ultimate sensitivity in fishing. All American Pro Series and our XLH70 Fishing Rods have an Unconditional Lifetime Warranty, the absolute finest in the industry. WE DELIVER PROMPTLY!"

I think Mr. Grandt needs to brush up on definitions!

After being spoken to in a condescending and disrespectful manner by Mr. Grandt, He hung up on me! Way to earn a lifelong customer Mr Grandt!

Grandt Industries does produce some beautiful rods. I would rather have one that doesnt fall apart! I would HIGHLY advise avoiding this company like the plague!

drift123
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by drift123 » Sun Apr 02, 2017 4:55 pm

jimmyb wrote:big modulus numbers are marketing hype...
Talk with a Batson or Loomis and you'll get the honest truth and details on this topic.

drift123
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Re: Grandt Custom Rods?

Post by drift123 » Sun Apr 02, 2017 4:56 pm

And I would take that to the bank....

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