Taper Patents?

[Shaky Wadr]

Clearly, if any of the classic tapers were patented, any such patents have long since expired. Hundreds are published in books and on rod makers bulletin boards for anyone to use. Among current makers, it is considered a bit unethical to build and sell a rod that is a copy of one of the old masters without clearly stating the origin of the taper. As for the Asian products, many are touted as being copies of or based on some of the most popular tapers from the past. So, are these tapers "stolen"? I don't think so.

As in all things, there is quality and junk and a lot of area in between. Today it is possible to use CNC equipment to rapidly produce precisely beveled strips to any taper you desire. As others have pointed out, duplicating the taper does not mean you get a superior rod. There are just too many variables in materials and opportunities for shortcuts in the methods to judge a rod strictly by its taper. Personally I believe the current crop of American makers are turning out the best bamboo rods ever made and many are even worth the price they are charging for them. The availability of cheap Asian blanks won't change that. In fact it may give many an opportunity to try bamboo who would never otherwise do so and thereby in the long run produce more customers for the upper end rods. The risk is that many of them will try a cheap poorly constructed rod that does not perform and write off bamboo forever. That would be a tragedy in my opinion.

[Cold]

I'm not really sure a taper could be patented. The way I see it, it's kind of like the Colonel's secret recipe. If someone learns the 11 herbs and spices, and the amounts to combine, how can you make it illegal for them to make delicious chicken? I'd think that the patents would come into play with machines to make the rods and materials (more applicable with graphite than boo, though it comes into play there as well). Using the car example...it'd be like Ford patenting putting the gas pedal on the right and the brake on the left.

I might be way off, though, I dont have any experience with patents, but that's how I see it.

[hardhat]

China Syndrome
My quess is that the underling purpose of your question is to find a way to prevent the importation of China bamboo blanks and rods, I do not believe you will be successful. The taper has been used and described for the community to use and copy for years. So just like the graphite rods and blanks, I am sure we will be seeing an influx of Asian bamboo blanks and rods. Now that being said some people will always pay extra for hand made quality, customization, and having something unique. However you may find that those numbers go down.
Remember that Sage, T & T, Scott, Winston and others needed to adjust to the influx of Asian graphite rods and blanks. So I think that the makers of custom bamboo rods will need to do the same. The blanks are here and probably are not going away. So if I were you I would work on my business plan.

[Photojoe4]

I can't imagine that access to tapers will make any difference in the quality of rods being produced in asia. Even if they do use well established tapers, the people making the blanks have no idea what they're supposed to feel like when they're finished. Not to mention they probably won't be tempering the cane very well (if at all), they won't take care to avoid worm holes/grey nodes/weak cane, won't see a problem with glue lines/gaps, probably won't use any sort of node staggering, etc...

[hardhat]

I would agree with what you have stated. However from my experience they will learn and make adjustments. And, it will be our purchasing requirements and the demands from their US distributors who will teach them. They will see examples of what is expected from them. I also beleive that they will eventually make good commercial made rods and blanks. I would not expect them to turn out high end custom rods. I would not underestimate the China business person. They are learning to be capitalist.

[kbproctor]

I have to agree with hardhat. The quality in goods coming from China is on the upswing. I think a good many of us can remember when "Made in Japan" was just as bad or worse than "Made in China" is now.

[Photojoe4]

What is it that's stopping them right now from making the same quality of rod that any competent U.S./European/Australian maker is currently producing? They've got acess to the exact same materials, there are plenty of books on the subject (plus the internet sites), and there are a number of tool/equipment suppliers. So, what is it?

[Shaky Wadr]

My career as an engineer for a mining equipment manufacturer took me to all corners of the world including a couple of years working in China. I can only confirm what you are saying. The Chinese are not becoming capitalists. They have always been capitalists. Only now the political system allows them to utilize their innate characteristics. They will get better. They adapt quickly. They will strive to meet the customers requirements. But I also learned that you will get exactly what you demand and specify and no more. They are very good at leaving out everything you didn't specifically ask for and then calmly telling you "you should have included that in the spec if you wanted it. Oh of course we can do that but the price will be different." The chinese manufacturer doesn't know or care any more about fly rods than he does about running shoes, snow boards, or smurfs. They are just things to be made.

Now, all you have to do is write down the detailed specifications of what makes a quality fly rod and your are in business.

[Midwest Custom Fly Rods]

What is it that's stopping them right now from making the same quality of rod that any competent U.S./European/Australian maker is currently producing? They've got acess to the exact same materials, there are plenty of books on the subject (plus the internet sites), and there are a number of tool/equipment suppliers. So, what is it?

I've been reading this topic for a couple days but haven't replied to it mainly because I know this can be a "hot topic" lol. But I'd like to add some thoughts now to this.


Just to address the above quote as well as other reply's ....There is a bit of difference between the lower cost china cane blanks and most USA can builders. As a custom rod builder for a living I do "some" cane rods but I don't build the cane blanks myself, but my best friend&fishing buddy actually is a cane blank builder and he owns a comapy called splitcaneblanks.com so we've talked quite a bit about building cane blanks. And I don't claim to know everything about cane, but I do know some because of my friend that builds them and I own a good half doz cane rods built on his blanks so here goes.....

First off...as someone on Page 1 of this post mentioned. When it comes to cane there are different power fibers to different cane, just like there are different strands of graphite in graphite rod blanks. So Cane #1 may be different than cane #2 when talking about building cane blanks.

Also...when my friend Bob builds a cane blank a good amount of his time is not only spliting the cane and planing it, but he spends a good deal of time during binding to make sure there's no glue line, and afterwards he spends time rolling the blank to make sure it's straight as it can be. Thats one place where some fo the lower cost cane blanks from china fall short. Some of them have glue lines, aren't perfectly straight, and I've even seen a few that where "twecked" (the flats where 10-15 degrees off from one guide to the next).

So there in lies some of the difference in price. It doesnt mean the china $250 cane blank wont fish well because most times to your average angler it will fish just fine. But if someone is looking for the best quality cane blank that has a great hand rubbed finish, perfectly staright, good quality laped and perfect fitted ferrules, best quality cane...then to them it may be worth paying three times as much as the china blank.

just all boils down to what your willing to accept and call "good" is all...and how much your willing to spend.

Steve

[Colorado]

I'd suggest casting a number of bamboo rods prior to purchasing one. The differences, even in top quality rods, are significant. It'll be worth your time. Go to a fish-in. Toys come out during the early evening... I have personally seen 10 very high quality boo rods available for casting in a one hour time frame. That was memorable for me and clearly defined my choice of a rod and maker. It's an oddly personal choice due to use of biological material and the skill involved, as noted above. Take your time... Look for members/friends in your geography if you can't make a fish-in. Fish-ins are remarkable events. That's another subject...

Dana