Sometime in 1976, I had an Ambassadeur 5000 multiplier. 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.
The reel was a sweet caster. 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. At the same time, it can send an Abu Reflex flying to that lily pad without much effort. 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. With so much ‘give’, it’s a wonder that we were able to cast at all, but the Ambassadeur did cast beautifully and silently. The drag was sufficient for the line class it was meant to fish and was buttery smooth. 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.
Link t the complete Step-by-step illustrated guide to servicing this feel is here:
https://gaspinggurami.wordpress.com/201 ... deur-5000/
Hope it can help you,
LL
