Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5600/6600CB OPINIONS?

Does anyone have any knowledge they want to share about these particular models? I think the "CB" is just a designation for reels sold from Cabela's, but have you heard anything else about these - flaws or anything?

I've been hoarding a Cabela's gift cert for a couple months & I need a salt casting reel. Here's the link:  http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0002932114705a&navCount=17&podId=0002932&parentId=cat601987&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20170-cat601987-cat601987&catalogCode=8IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601987&hasJS=true 

Thanks
Aaron

I used to have a 6601 CB that is now posted in the "Donations to the sea" thread 

But, in the couple of years I used this reel I would say that it definitely was worth the $70 I paid for it. I also bought a power handle for it which I liked a lot. It easily handled decent stripers and halibut in the bay/delta and even a couple of 20-30lb bat rays occasionally from Berkeley Pier. The drag could be a little sticky if i really clamped down on it, but I never lost a fish due to the reel or had any malfunctions.

Sure, there are nicer reels out there, but for $70 I would definitely buy this reel again. I never had any failures and the bearings held up to regular saltwater use and a freshwater rinse after every 2 or 3 trips. Being an Abu it was easy to take apart and give an annual cleaning, and if you're really into modifying Abu's all of the standard 6500 C3 mods will fit the CB model.

Some guys will want to steer you toward reels with fewer bearings, but I think it's more of a personal choice. Depending on how much you use the reel, I guess fewer or no bearings would result in less maintenance, but I kind of enjoy tinkering with my fishing gear. 

There is nothing fancy about these, but they are great...a real workhorse.  Upgrade the drag and they are truly impressive.  I have a pile of them.

There is nothing fancy about these, but they are great...a real workhorse.  Upgrade the drag and they are truly impressive.  I have a pile of them.

I have a few also that I use for Bay and Salt fishing and have never had anything fail on them the drag upgrade makes it a much nicer reel but I have never had any problems with the stock drags as long as you keep them serviced. I have a Red 6000 with bushings that is 15 years old that I use for Dino's, Salmon,Buttes and Rockies and it has caught a lot of big fish with the stock drag I recently upgraded the drag but the old washers were fine and the Bushings look great. They have a tough finnish too and much easier to cast than the super reels. If you want to play with them there are a lot of after markets parts to play with. Everybody should have at least one.

True.  I have a few red ones with MANY hours over the last 10 years and they still look great.

I have a 6500 I used almost exclusively in alaska last year.  Very dependable so far...

this was just stock, no drag upgrade.

Allen

yeah, you can't go too wrong there.

The CB is the 'classic' look, with the stickers, but inside it's a C4 (4 bearings, 6.3:1 gears and thumbar) and probably has the upgraded carbon fiber drag washers already anyways.

the C3's have 3 bearings, two spool bearings and an instant anti-reverse roller bearing. they come with 5.3:1 gears, and only the 4000 size has a thumbar, the others have the pushbutton.

btw, you can swap the similar parts between 4000, 5000 and 6000 sized ambassadeurs.

the C4's have another bearing in the level wind system (I think). they come with 6.3:1 gears and a thumbar. the CB's are basically these, but with the classic look with the stickers, not the embossing.

the C5's have yet another bearing but I don't know where it is. plus a casting magnet I think.

the records have 6 bearings and some of them have that funky large arbor (low line capacity) spool.

the 2007 and later C3's come with upgraded drag materials (carbontex, or carbon fiber, the same material as the penn ht-100 drags that alan t likes so much), you just need to grease them for the full saltwater protection. the new C3's have no stickers, just embossed plates and I do think they look a little better than the CB's. Also the gears are a little bit harder than they were in previous years.

The 5.3:1 gearing on the C3's is a little more durable than the 6.3:1 gearing on the CB's or C4s.

you can buy 3.8:1 "winch" gears for either of them from http://www.mikesreelrepairs.com  slower and more durable.

so if that CB is a 2007 model or later it probably has the upgraded dragwashers just like the new C3's, C4's and C5's.

I bought a bunch of these used on ebay in various flavors over the past couple years and they seem great for kayak fishing. I would LOVE to meet the fish that can destroy one of them, cause it would be a big, fast fish, seldom seen up here.

Personally after fishing C4's and C3's with thumbars and with the pushbutton, I like to use a 5501 C3 with the levelwind removed. the thumbbar is nice, but it makes it harder to put the reel together again, and you have to take care not to hit it when pulling the rod out of the holder while trolling.

I do typically rinse my reel after fishing in the salt, then undo the 3 thumbscrews, separate the spool, sideplate and frame into those three assemblies, let it dry out overnight and put it back together in the morning. This seems to keep it pretty much perfect.  If you dunk it in the ocean, then put it away wet, it will probably lock up and fail on you.

the C3 is the same price as the CB at cabelas it appears.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat20331&id=0036081120596a&navCount=3&podId=0036081&parentId=cat20331&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20331&hasJS=true

One thing I saw recently was an 'INSHORE' C3, with steel gears, a backup dog for the anti-reverse roller bearing and stronger frame. Which is about as tricked out as it could be. But it was $130, which makes it the same price as a newell.

Appreciate all the feedback. Not sure exactly which model yet, but I'm gonna order one from Cabela's & I'll probably end up getting picking up a couple more from ebay or elsewhere down the road.

True.  I have a few red ones with MANY hours over the last 10 years and they still look great.

Yea, I used one at SW101 - me likey!

John, thanks for weighing in. I think I might get the 5500 C3. There's a $15 rebate at the moment, plus it's real purdy! 

Thanks again, everyone.
-Aaron

I have the 6600 on an 8' rod and it throws swim baits farther than uncle Rico can throw a pigskin (Napolean Dynomite). I'm not a reel expert but I love the reel and the price. I would recommend that you get the model with the release bar that goes across the spool and not the model with the release button. What is the proper name for the button or bar that disengages the spool for casting?

thumb bar

I definitely prefer the bar over the button.

I'm closing in on three dozen Ambassadeurs spanning about 50 years and sizes from 1750 to 7000. The round reels are still one of the best deals going, and upgrades are simple - one call to SmoothDrag, and some decent lubricants will take care of most needs. But before you plunk down that much for the CB, take a look in Cabela's Bargain Cave to see if they still have any of the C5 Mag-X's available - haven't checked today, but I've ordered four of them from them very recently. The price is pretty close, the features a bit better. The only real problem is that it's not red.

I have a couple of 2500s love to add a 1750 are they the same size as the 2500 just narrower?

  I don't have any 2500's other than a 2500C, very different bird, but I think you're correct on the size differences. A 1750 uses spool #9164, a 2650 uses #9166, and 2000, 2050, 2500, and 2600 all use #9165. The other difference, of course, is that the 1750's don't have a plastic spacer on the left side like the others do. My smallest ones are buried around here somewhere, but I still like to take a couple of 2650's and some 5-1/2 foot fiberglass rods and have some fun with the local Shimano punks. On really twisted days I'll take a 4-foot bamboo casting rod and a Pflueger Summit to the lake and really gross them out. [Disclaimer: I own four Shimano spinning reels, but have never considered their casting models. Fair enough? I'm not a prospect for proselytizing. There's a couple of Quantums in the mix (pretty mediocre for the price, in my opinion), but generally speaking for me it's either Ambassadeur or Avet unless I'm fly-fishing.

I ended up spending a little more & ordering a C5 Mag since I had some "free money" with the gift cert.

Regarding thumb bar vs push button, I got attached to the bar as soon as I used one.

Thanks for all the comments.