OF,
Yes, the bamboo build was indeed a blank. Elkhorn has a couple different sizes you can get, and finish off to your liking. You won't even need to second mortgage your house to afford one!! Another lovely thing about the Elkhorn blank is that you don't need a dip tank to finish the blank! It comes pre-finished, ferruled and ready to wrap. Then all you have to finish are the thread wraps! You can get the finishings (guides, reel seat, grip) from them also, and they're very nice. I didn't use them on this rod as it is "special", and I wanted a down-locking, fancy wood reel seat for it.

I highly recommend this blank!
HRH