If it has a suffix “C” that reel will have ball bearings for its spool shafts, which was something very special in those days. If the model number ends with a “500” it means the reel has a high speed retrieve. This is a standard model Ambassadeur 5000, without ball bearings. The model number of an Ambassadeur tells of its character. Now what were you doing when this reel was born? I was doing my PSLE and fishing with a handline!Īmbassadeurs carry the Swedish royal family’s coat of arms. It was the 4th revision from the original design by Åke Murvall. Reel foot Nr 750704 means this reel was made in July 1975. For those who are interested in the history and many details of the Ambassadeur reel, will be a great resource. The short, double handles with rounded mother-of-pearl grips harks back to the original Record Ambassadeur design. Discounting these, it looks to be in solid condition. There were scratches, some boat rash, and light pitting. The reel in classic Ambassadeur red, appears to be in good cosmetic condition, considering its 37 years of age. I was delighted to take this in and nurse this one back to her former running order. This reel here, was collected by one of our members and he asked if I would take a look at it for him as it was not running too well. Now I tell my students: In every negotiation, if you have more time than the other party, you will have the advantage.

The buyer knew my situation and used that to his best advantage. Till this very day, I regretted that sale. And its retrieve… ahhh… it was so smooth that IMO, it could not be duplicated by any other brand till Shimano’s Calcutta broke out on the scene in the 80s.īut I needed some cash to pay for my bicycle repair and reluctantly sold it away for a paltry $50. The drag was sufficient for the line class it was meant to fish and was buttery smooth. With so much ‘give’, it’s a wonder that we were able to cast at all, but the Ambassadeur did cast beautifully and silently. And mind you, rods of those days were whippy, flaccid fiberglass poles and lines were made of nylon monofilament with names like Abulon, Golden Stren or Damyl Imperial Steelpower which could stretch and stretch and stretch some more, like a bungee. At the same time, it can send an Abu Reflex flying to that lily pad without much effort.

It can toss a 2 oz piece of lead a long way away, easily out distancing the nearest competitor of that era which was a Daiwa Millionaire by (my hazy estimates) a furlong. It had glossy black paint, a spare spool with plastic arbour adaptor to enable low torque casting of light lures, toolkit with spares, a black velvet bag to carry the reel out, and a leather box to hold the whole set together. Sometime in 1976, I had an Ambassadeur 5000 multiplier.

SERVICING – July 1975 ABU Ambassadeur 5000

Abu ambassadeur 5000 reel