SB Doublebuilt catalogs
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SB Doublebuilt catalogs
#1Trying to gather more information on South Bend Doublebuilt rods and would like to be able to read catalogs from 1928-29-30-31 and 33.
Re: SB Doublebuilt catalogs
#3Thanks, Jay. I have gone through all of those. The 1927 says "write for Cross catalogue; the 28-29-30 make no mention of any Cross rods although most of the catalogue pages are missing; 1931 and 32 show a Cross built (#30&31) but doesn't identify them as Doublebuilts which other catalogus do when mentioning Cross rods; no mention in 1933
Re: SB Doublebuilt catalogs
#4It's best to separate discussions of Cross and South Bend, even though the same company made the two brand names, and even though you notice the Cross name being attached to a couple of South Bend models. That was ill-advised and they realized it after a couple years. South Bends were mass-marketed and Cross was intended to compete in the higher end of the market with custom everything: reel seat, cane color, primary wrap color, secondary wrap color, and rod actions to some extent (bass, trout,tournament).
The years you're asking about were years of big changes in the rod lineups at South Bend, first because they were getting their feet under them as fly rod makers after years of buying trade rods from Winchester. Second, they had no comprehensive marketing plan. Third, the economy was still booming in the Twenties and tanked in October of '29, some industries and jobs not recovering for as much as ten years. So, SB's doublebuilt history is a bit uneven and nonlinear. It has to be looked at year-by-year because you won't find the same models and information continued through the Thirties. The 1940 catalog lists 18 different South Bend db models, each in a different action, and each action in three different lengths. No other maker had that many db fly rods. SB was aggressively marketing, signing up known writers (Courtney Riley Cooper for db fly rods and Zane Gray for the offshore market) to promote db 's.
Some South Bend db fly rod generalities
-The shortest were 8'
-All were 3/2 configurations
-The lightest line recommendations were for an HEH, and those usually for the 8' rods and 8' only
-Actions were not that varied, if at all, from model series to model series. Models were created by changing wrap color, varnish color, grip, and reel seat, but likely not the action.
-All had NS ferrules
-Once you decided what model # you wanted, your only option was length. Montague made many models in different actions (trout, bass, light, medium, heavy). Different solutions to the same problem.
Following Cross in the Thirties seems simpler, in part because (as far as I can tell) there's little difference in the orange-colored catalog from year to year. The Lynn catalogs are scarcer, and a bit simpler, though the marketing approach remained the same for years, seemingly the same models all the time. I have a sneaking suspicion that a majority of the Cross db rods we come across were not made to the end-user's custom preference, but the the dealer's preference. Joe Hardware Store Salesman tells the customer that a 264 in red with black tipping was the way to go - must be, because that's what most of the 164/264's I come across are like. Either that or retailers simply stocked standard colors and didn't encourage any variations. I notice that about the rods with aluminum Lite-Lock seats.
I will confess that the postwar period is a big question mark to me. I don't honestly know whether SB kept the Cross shop open after the war.
The years you're asking about were years of big changes in the rod lineups at South Bend, first because they were getting their feet under them as fly rod makers after years of buying trade rods from Winchester. Second, they had no comprehensive marketing plan. Third, the economy was still booming in the Twenties and tanked in October of '29, some industries and jobs not recovering for as much as ten years. So, SB's doublebuilt history is a bit uneven and nonlinear. It has to be looked at year-by-year because you won't find the same models and information continued through the Thirties. The 1940 catalog lists 18 different South Bend db models, each in a different action, and each action in three different lengths. No other maker had that many db fly rods. SB was aggressively marketing, signing up known writers (Courtney Riley Cooper for db fly rods and Zane Gray for the offshore market) to promote db 's.
Some South Bend db fly rod generalities
-The shortest were 8'
-All were 3/2 configurations
-The lightest line recommendations were for an HEH, and those usually for the 8' rods and 8' only
-Actions were not that varied, if at all, from model series to model series. Models were created by changing wrap color, varnish color, grip, and reel seat, but likely not the action.
-All had NS ferrules
-Once you decided what model # you wanted, your only option was length. Montague made many models in different actions (trout, bass, light, medium, heavy). Different solutions to the same problem.
Following Cross in the Thirties seems simpler, in part because (as far as I can tell) there's little difference in the orange-colored catalog from year to year. The Lynn catalogs are scarcer, and a bit simpler, though the marketing approach remained the same for years, seemingly the same models all the time. I have a sneaking suspicion that a majority of the Cross db rods we come across were not made to the end-user's custom preference, but the the dealer's preference. Joe Hardware Store Salesman tells the customer that a 264 in red with black tipping was the way to go - must be, because that's what most of the 164/264's I come across are like. Either that or retailers simply stocked standard colors and didn't encourage any variations. I notice that about the rods with aluminum Lite-Lock seats.
I will confess that the postwar period is a big question mark to me. I don't honestly know whether SB kept the Cross shop open after the war.