Baitwaister - I look forward to seeing that grip you are talking about. I love the look of bubinga.....tough as nails wood though and a pain to turn....at least in my experience. I turned a bowl out of bubinga once....key word being ONCE. I did harvest the bark for my grip. Came from a tree from my childhood home that my dad has slated for cutting down. I have since though purchased some pre-cut pieces for the next rod....