[quote=JeffG]Anybody what the story is on the dovetail positions being different?
Who knows, maybe the guys in the dovetail milling department had a little drinking problem. Just kidding, very nice pairo 99 thudy-thudys!
I still think they were drinking OTJ. I have a long running joke with a buddy who is a big fly fisherman and prefers rods of the bamboo persuasion. Back "in the day" South Bend made pretty decent bamboo fly rods for the money. They didn't cost an arm and a leg and you could have bought them at any of the hardware stores that sold Savage 99s. I have restored a few South Bend rods and they, as do most, have quirks that are specific to their makers. South Bend rods will do funky things at the ferrule stations and the wraps on the guides all seem to lack a certain consistency. Anyway, the joke has been that to get these results Wes Jordan and the guys in the wrapping department must have partook of the "sauce" on a fairly regular basis. Wes Jordan started out with the Cross Rod Company and moved to South Bend when they acquired Cross in the 1920s. Wes Jordan is also a bit of a legend in the history of bamboo fly rods and he ended up a Orvis before passing away in the mid-70s. So, based purely on this anecdote, I'm sticking to my story on the guys in Savage's dovetail cutting department.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch - those are some damn sexy 99s you have there Roy!
