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I cast an 8' 5wt 1pc quad side by side with an 8'3" 4wt 2pc SJ quad. Though somewhat different tapers, the overall smoothness and transfer of power was identical and very special. SJ rods are more work to assemble than metal or FIBH rods, but less work to transport than a 1pc.

Hope this helps.

C

The first time you tape it up, it's a little slow going, but practice brings it down to about 2 minutes or less. The hollowing ends just before the splice begins. Splice tips are slightly shortened (~1/4") and rounded on the corners. I have found the tape can be left on the rod for days at a time and reused. The tapes I have found useful are colored or clear Vinyl Plastic tape from 3M, hockey shinguard tape, and plain old electrical tape. My favorite is the 3M vinyl. In addition to the stringed splice board method in Tom's pictures, you can also put together a pretty neat little clip. If I have time, I'll post a picture. Once you start fishing, the tape goes unnoticed. I fish the splice joint with 100% confidence in the integrity of the joint.

Chris

The tape is about 3/4" wide. I start on the tip section of the rod because it is thinner. If you took that to a logical extreme, imagine wrapping tape around an ice cream cone. If you started at the wide end where the ice cream goes, you'd likely have a mess of tape by the time you got to the tip of the cone. I have found it useful to put a little beeswax or tying wax on the facing sides of the splices. Now for the tape. I take a full turn on a diagonal around the tip. Next, wrap the tape toward the grip so it just catches the end of the butt section splice. At this point you are still holding the sections together with finger pressure. Keep going in this manner on a diagonal, overlapping the last wrap by about 1/4" or so. After a couple of inches (the splice is about 4" altogether), you could (but I usually don't) let go of the tip section to finish the wraps. You want to avoid at all costs the possibility that either section would separate before the wrap is complete. I haven't counted the total wraps around the joint, but I'm guessing it's about 15-20. Once you've wrapped it completely and both splice tips are totally covered and overwrapped about 1/2", you just make a clean cut (scissors, knife, etc....pulling it until the tape breaks works, but isn't neat and tidy and begs for something bad to happen), and you're ready to go. To separate, reverse the process, but you have to pay even closer attention to the tips not separating until all the tape is off. It can be difficult to be mindful at the end of the fishing day, but no more so than watching out for closing car doors, wet labs, etc. If, after the tip section is free and clear, you leave the tape hanging from the initial wrap, you can simply wrap the tape in a thin roll around the rod for re-use: move the car to a new spot, for use the next day, etc.

Chris