South Bend 323

Question
I just bought at auction a South Bend 9 ft bamboo 323, with green silk looking wraps,all decals intact except the one on the cork which is about 10% intact, good decals on tube and sock, and overall in very good to excellent condition, except that one of the tips is missing a tiptop. Not broken, just missing. Also, the butt section and mid section are a little hard to fit together (tight). Can I just put a tiptop on and fish the rod, or should I have an expert look at it? Do you have any idea how old it might be? And what line weight is right for it? Thanks, Emily

Answer
You can fish it, put  a tip top on the missing tip but . . .
How long do you want it to last ?
It is at least 40 years old or older and one of the reason it has lasted that long is the finish on the rod.
I hear from people frequently , that  their rods are in very good to excellent but thread is coming off and most of the finish is gone. Getting the ba,mboo wet is a fast way to warm, break and otherwise ruin the rod.
Is the rod straight ?  It could be straightened , ferrules refit, ferrules checked for a solid glue  and thread where the tip top is missing.
Taking all that and the tight fit I do recommend you have someone at least look at it for finish and re fitting the ferrules.
I would do it for free . I am in Denver, you ?