In 1995, about the time I realized I wanted to collect these reels seriously, I met Simon Shimomura at the Houston, Texas NFLCC show. He was very kind to me as he explained what was wrong with a 5000 I found in the field. It was a mutt! It had the wrong style handle, wrong type pillar screws for that year’s model, and so on. That's the day I knew if I wanted to collect them, I had to learn about them. During all my years of collecting, Simon has been the biggest influence in my collecting life and I wish to thank him for that very much. We have become good friends through time and he will always be close to my heart.ĬLICK TO ENLARGE MOST PICTURES ON THIS WEB PAGE!īelow can be found information, but not limited to, dating reels, reel cases, model number and letter designations, warning signs of altered reels, version numbers and their meaning. It is my hope that this information can be used as a tool to avoid some of the pitfalls associated with collecting.

I have also included some cleaning tips that I've learned over the years which I believe are helpful to know. One may be surprised at just how good Grandpa's old reel will look when it has been properly cleaned. Email me with questions and I'll be glad to help you. Let me make one quick point for the new collectors reading this. One will often hear the terms 3-screw and 4-screw in reference to the Ambassadeur reels. As one looks at the endplate opposite the handle, the reel will either have 3 or 4 screws. There is one exception to this statement. The ABU 3000 and Ambassadeur 4000 have 4 screws on the left side but are not considered by collectors as a 4-screw model. Their construction is quite different than their counterparts and were never changed to a 3-screw model.

The conversion to 3-screw took place in January 1968.Ĭan you ever recall seeing a 5000 De Luxe stamped with serial number #11 through #231? Chances are, you have not. #ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 5000 SPOOL SERIAL NUMBER# This has been one of the great mysteries surrounding this model ever since its introduction in 1962. Simon Shimomura, author of three books on collectible Ambassadeur reels has sought for 20 years to find a single example of these missing serial numbers without success. #ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 5000 SPOOL SERIAL#

#ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 5000 SPOOL FREE#.

#ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 5000 SPOOL SERIAL#.

#ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR 5000 SPOOL SERIAL NUMBER#.

Abu garcia ambassadeur 5000 6000 handle