Keeping a rod for a week for a repair that takes about three minutes....
that seems a little long to me. I've taken my rod into a tackle shop and
watched while the clerk found the correct size and quality replacement
guide, removed the old one, heated up and positioned it, and then charged me
just the cost of the replacement guide. (One advantage of being a regular
customer at an independent tackle shop as opposed to a Wal-mart shopper, I
guess.)

Guys like The Rodmaker and Steve Huber probably take more pains to ensure it
is the correct material and that it lines up perfectly, but even they don't
spend too much time on such a simple operation.

If you're concerned about damaging the fiberglass rod, then just apply the
heat to the eye itself while putting gentle outward pressure on the guide
tube with needlenose pliers. The heat will conduct through the metal and
will melt the glue.

I recommend a sliver of hot glue shaved off and tucked into the guide
shaft.... melted and then slid over the rod tip. Thinking ahead, my guess is
that tip will be easier to remove the next time than if it were epoxied on.
--
Joe Haubenreich
www.secretweaponlures.com
First real spinnerbait change in 50 years!
_______________________
"Marty" wrote in message
...
Wouldn't know if you'd call it high quality or not..it's a BPS extreme.
Think it's best if I let my local tackle shop take care of it?

Only you can answer that. But if I can replace a tip-top, anyone can. Like
others said, heat the tube, then pull it off with pliers. Remove old dried
glue from the rod tip, then apply hot melt glue (some guys recommend
5-minute epoxy and other adhesives) and slip the new tip-top over the rod
tip. On the other hand, if the tackle shop's price is reasonable and they
don't have to keep the rod too long, I'd consider that. Here, I'd have to
leave the rod for a minimum of one week, and probably longer, because they
contract it out, they don't do it in-house.

I'd rather
not deal with shipping it back to BPS and such as I'm sure this will take
much longer than necessary.

I wouldn't even consider that except as a very last resort.