Produced in 2015, this 3rd Generation Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) version of the Abu Revo Premier was Abu Garcia’s top end low profile baitcasting reel modified with parts designed for tournaments. These factory upgrades include,
a. Full aluminum aurora coated body b. BF-XT extra tuned ball bearings c. Soft coated finesse knob keep grips at wet d. Clicking cast control cap e. Line alarm clicks when line is pulled f. Wide adjustable magtrax g. 14 full magnet brake system h. Drilled shallow spool i. 80mm long, 4mm thick carbon swept handle
Ambassadeur Sideplates: A distinctive feature of the Ambassadeur Reels and one that is able to withstand the test of time. Through its simplicity is also the classic look which reminisce her humble beginning.
Ambassdeur 2500C Sideplate produced during the Olympic era from 1989 to 1991.Ambassdeur 2500C De Luxe produced during the Olympic era in 1990.Ambassdeur 150 Plus Sideplate produced during the Olympic era in 1991.Ambassdeur 2500 CS rocket Sideplateproduced during the Olympic era in 1991 and 1993.Ambassdeur 1500C Sideplateproduced during the Olympic era from 1992 to 1993.Ambassdeur 1500C IAR Sideplateproduced during the Mamiya-OP and Pure Fishing era from 1994 to 2002.Ambassdeur 2500C IAR Sideplateproduced during the Mamiya-OP and Pure Fishing era from 1994 to 2002.Ambassdeur 2500CI Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in 1996.Ambassdeur 2500CI Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era from 1996 to 1997. This is a set of unique sideplate which was installed with a Silver Emblem instead of the Gold Emblem.
This Sideplate was fitted in ABU factory but was never installed on any assembled Ambassdeur 2500CI produced by Mamiya-OP and the only postulation I have is that these Green Ambassdeur 2500CI with Silver Emblems were fitted wrongly and were rejected.
A few of these Sideplates started to surface in the market as spare parts after about 2 decades later.Ambassdeur 2500CI Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era from 1996 to 1997.Ambassdeur 2500C IAR Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in 1997.Ambassdeur 1500C Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in 1997.Ambassdeur 2500C Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era from 1997 to 1999.Ambassdeur 2500C Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in 1997.Ambassdeur 1500C Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in 1997.Ambassdeur 1500C Nostalgia Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in from 1997 to 1999.Ambassdeur 2500C Nostalgia Sideplate produced during the Mamiya-OP era in from 1997 to 1998.A set of rare Ambassdeur 2500C Sideplate produced only for Abu 2500C Black Special 90-0 90-91.Ambassdeur 2500C Sideplate produced during the Pure Fishing era in in 2007.Ambassdeur 2500C Sideplate produced during the Pure Fishing era in in 2012; a collaboration between Simmons Sports Fishing and Simon Shimomura’s Fishy Business.
The Small Ambassadeur Frames have seen minimal change (other than the Reel Foot) over the decades since her birth. Being the ‘skeleton’ of the Ambassadeur Reel, she is also the part where all the other components come together. As simple as her design may be, she is a critical part in (1) putting together an assembled Ambassadeur and (2) the Identification of an Authentic All-Up Reel.
The most significant change in the Frames of a Small Ambassadeur is her Reel Foot. These changes includes the (1) Design, (2) Thickening of Reel Foot and (3) Foot Number. With Foot Numbering System started in the mid to late 1950s for the Record Ambassadeurs in a bid to prevent ‘Back Door Activity’, this system is still adopted today; with many variations.
The Foot Numbering System evolved over the years with the Rights to market Small Ambasasdeur changed. While it may seem logical to follow a certain system in authenticating the Small Ambassadeurs, some may not be so. Frames with Mysterious Foot Number, Wrong Colour Plates or Wrongly Stamped Foot Number often drive collector crazy.
Thin Foot which can only be found in Classic Ambassadeur Reel Frame.
While this is not a Post-1985 Small Ambassadeur Frame, it is still important to share difference between a Classic Frame and a Post-1985 Frame. A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in November 1984 with a set of Mysterious Foot Number. This is also the first few months when Half-Pimpled Reel Foot was adopted.
Interestingly, there is no literature of which Small Ambassadeur this frame was used.Like the previous example, this is a Classic Ambassadeur 2500C Frame (note the Thin Reel Foot) put together by her previous owner.
Today, this wonderful example is owned by Mr Axce Tan.
Photo contributed by Mr Axce Tan.This interesting reel was sighted with a Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in February 1984 (Full Pimpled Reel Foot).
While the last Two Production of Classic Ambassadeur 2500C (Gray Ambassadeur 2500C with Bronze Tag) was produced in June and September 1984, these is no literature available for this particular frame.
Photo contributed by Mr Axce Tan.A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1992 during the Olympic era.
While this looks like an ordinary Black Ambassadeur Frame, it is not. What is interesting is that this frame was not used on any Small Ambassadeur because the colour of her plates were installed wrongly. An Ambassadeur bearing the Reel Foot Number of 990002 should belong to a Ambassadeur 2500C Select and this model only utilize a Gray Frame. A Foot Number that was supposed to be utilized for Gray Ambassadeur 2500C Select.A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1992 during the Olympic era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 1500C De Luxe (GC).This is one of the Small Ambassadeur Frame that is able to withstand the test of time. She was used throughout the history of Small Ambassadeur, from Classic-Ebisu to Olympic to Mamiya-OP to Pure Fishing era.This is another popular Black Small Ambassadeur Frame. She was also used throughout the history of Small Ambassadeur, from Classic-Ebisu to Olympic to Mamiya-OP to Pure Fishing era.A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1997 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 1500C (Gold) and Ambassadeur 1500CA.A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1997 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 1500C (Blue).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1997 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 2500C (Green) and Ambassadeur 2500C Nostalgia (Green).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1997 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 1500C (Red).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1997 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 2500C (Red).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 1997 and 1998 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 2500C (Blue).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced from 1997 to 1999 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 2500C (Gold).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced from 1997 to 1999 during the Mamiya-OP era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 2600C.A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced during the Mamiya-OP and Pure Fishing era(1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002) for the Ambassadeur 2500C IAR.A Rare Dealer’s SAMPLE Frame. This is the only Ambassadeur 2500C IAR Dealer’s SAMPLE frame I have seen, in addition to the Factory Assembled Dealer’s SAMPLE Ambassadeur 2500C IAR described in Ambassadeur 2500C IAR (A-A25-IAR-M-050-N-R).A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 2007 during the Pure Fishing era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 2500C (Black).The Wrongly Stamped Foot Number of 170018/07 which was NOT suppose to exist for a 2007 Black Ambassadeur 2500C.A Small Ambassadeur Frame produced in 2008 during the Pure Fishing era. This frame was used on an Ambassadeur 1500C (Sunset Orange).
Reel Tuning is one of the favorite topic discussed and I too have been asked by many. This article share some basics of Reel Tuning and I hope it is useful for your next project.
WHY should we Tune a Reel? Tuning a reel allows one to bring out the best potential of his/her fishing reel so that they can perform with minimum effort (friction), thus allowing the angler to cast at ease. It is not surprising that many renowned Fishing Tackle Companies knew the importance, however it is just not economical for them to do so; either that it takes too much time, or it is too expensive to do so. Some models did attempt to do so with the addition of bearings or increase the number of polished parts, but there are much more potential left for us to tap in the reel of ours. These mentioned Factory Tune reels are often market as ‘Sports’ or ‘Racing’ version.
WHAT is Reel Tuning? Reel Tuning involves the (1) polish of all friction points, (2) increase the number of bearings and/ or (3) decreasing the weight of the parts. Of course, this also depends on your fishing application.
In this article, you will see 3 x Ambassadeur 2500C tuned in 3 different ways. I will also show you some of the PROs and CONs so that you can decide what you want and how far you will want to push ahead for your project.
Reel A: A Classic Ambassadeur 2500C produced in November 1975 (Version 1) seen with many Battle Scars.
Reel A (751000). Well-used 100% Original Ambassadeur 2500C,
Reel B: A Classic Ambassadeur 2500C produced in February 1977 (Version 1).
Reel B (770200). An Original Ambassadeur 2500C Tune and Mod with 5 basic bearings (2 x Spools, 2 x Cogwheels and 1 x Levelwind), and
Reel C: An Ambassadeur 2500C Nostalgia produced in 1998.
Reel C (070008). Ambassadeur 2500C Nostalgia fully tune with all the bearings and parts I can get.
These reels are tuned and tested without their lines so that I know they are tuned to the best of their potential. Below are the verdicts,
Reel A: An Classic Ambassadeur 2500C (751000) produced in 1975.
Reel A. This is the most economical way of tuning a reel and I am impressed with the way they function; way better then how they were first bought. However, one also need to understand that tuned parts are more susceptible to oxidization, hence frequent maintenance is required should you want it to perform at its peak all the time.
Reel B: An Classic Ambassadeur 2500C (770200) produced in 1977.
Reel B. This is the best upgrade (with tuning of cause) in my opinion because the bearings aid in the free spool and they don’t oxidize, hence able to provide a longer duration of peak performance for the user. The upgrade is also not considered expensive for a super tuned reel of this caliber. The change of a light weight spool will allow you to convert this little reel to cast super light lures.
Reel C: An Ambassadeur Nostalgia 2500C (070008) produced in 1998.
Reel C. This is the ultimate tuning of an Ambassadeur 2500C. You can choose to do that if you have the extra cash or if you want to be different from others. The result is of cause the best in my opinion, however the additional performance does not justify for the extra extra dollar spent on the upgrade.
I hope this article benefits you in the consideration of your next project.
It is always fascinating how a Supertuned Ambassadeur can performs; often beyond what an angler can handle. While the process of tuning such reels to its fullest potential is one that is onerous, what this brings about is also the sense of achievement.
In addition to the multiple cleaning and polishing over the process of tuning, the most important step is the inspection and matching of all its interrelated moving components; this is the essential to success.
A CNC-Machined Jig used for the straightening of Ambassadeur Frames.An Ultra-Sonic CleanerA Shaker for Cleaning of Bearings
While cleaning and polishing, some of these damage parts are often pass-off without being detected.
An example of a scarred Wormshaft (#10205 and #10364)An example of a Marred Cogwheel (#5152), often being passed off without being noticed.
It is often seen that one will load lines on their spool during tuning so that it will spin longer; visually satisfying! So the question is, does a heavier spool spins longer?
The answer is yes, with higher initial force; but why is it so.
Using back Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion, Fnet= ⚠P/⚠T
where, Fnet= net force ⚠P= product of mass ⚠T= change in velocity
For simple explanation, you can also re-write it into ⚠P=F⚠T
This formula explains why.
However from a purist perspective, I will still prefer to tune reels without their lines loaded as it allows me to know that the reel has been tuned to its fullest potential.
I was often asked if it is worth spending big money on the change of spool? In this article, you will see some of the difference and decide for yourself.
I am going to use the basic fundamentals of Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion for this sharing. Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion states,
Force (F) = Mass (M) × Acceleration (a) (for simplistic, I will not include the vectors, static friction, sliding friction, angular into this application)
In our context, Fsummation = Fapplied – Ffriction = M x a
F applied = force applied during casting F friction = negative resultant force from the friction of all parts M = weight x gravity (9.8 m/s) a = acceleration of spool
For a Tuned Reel, ⬆F summation = F applied (constant) – ⬇F friction * We know this. Lesser friction will result in a faster spinning spool and this is more controllable.
For Heavy Spool,⬆F summation =⬆M x a (constant), conversely For Lighter Spool, ⬇F summation = ⬇M x a (constant)
So, going back to the question, why are we spending big money on a lighter spool and why is it that so much technologies were put into the design of a spool?
The answer to these questions is because a lighter spool allows the release of line at a lower initial force and this allows us to (a) better control the line release and (b) cast lighter lures. Additionally, a lighter spool also allow us to (c) cast a lure of the same weight further with the same amount of force applied as compared to one with a heavier spool.
Of course, this piece of info does not necessarily be representative on the usage of a lighter spool because there are many other parameters (line capacity, line poundage etc) that determine the casting distance for our different fishing application; hence with the correct match of our fishing equipment, we get to enjoy our fishing to its best.
A Standard Ambassadeur 2500C Spool (#10256)A Rare Blue Brimo Standard SpoolA Rare Blue Brimo Narrow SpoolA Rare Green Brimo Standard SpoolA hard to find B-Trap SpoolA common Gold Avail 6.0mm SpoolA common Gun-Metal Avail 4.0mm Spool