Placing the guides on a bamboo rod is a way a master rodbuilder can "tweak" the action of the rod. There is a rod builder section on The Classic Fly Rod Forum. [url=http://p205.ezboard.com/bclarksclassicflyrodforumwith:24e22]http://p205.ezboard.com/bclarksclassicflyrodforumwith[/url:24e22] a number of patterns for guide placement and the action you can expect.