grainger champion 9 5 wt cane rod

Question
I am refinishing a Wright & McGill 9' rod I got at a yard sale . It is in nice shape save for a broken tip. I discovered that the tip had been broken and repaired in the past when I stripped the guides in order to refinish the rod. I think I know what to do about the tip but my question is: do you know anything about guide placement? I have a record of where they were (sort of) from marks on the rod and notes I took when stripping it. There were only seven guides on the rod when I took it apart but there are marks on the cane for nine guides. I know the obvious answer is to put them where they were but guide placement charts I have referenced call for something different. For instance, they all say ten guides and the first starts about 4 1/2 inches from the tip. my rod started at 10 inches.
Thanks a lot.
John

Answer
Hi John -- you really need to talk to someone who has more 'boo experience than I do. I own and have refinished only 2 bamboo rods. But I can take a shot at the question!

My GUESS is that when that tip was broken, the repairman had to shorten the rod, and that's why the guide placement doesn't make sense now. 10 inches from the tiptop for the first guide does NOT sound correct to me. Have you put the rod together to verify it's still the same length as when first built?

There's a big book of guide spacings that my local fly shop has on file....they restore bamboo. I can certainly inquire there for you, though it may take a while....I'm headed up to Canada for fishing here in a couple days. Do you have any local shops that restore bamboo?

DAN