i know business priorty should go to members on this board, but for those that live in or near the l.a. area, New World Tackle on western ave. in l.a. wraps calstar graphite rods for pretty cheap. i never got one there myself but i heard the quality is decent. the base price for rod with basic components was $139.99 the last time i was there, which was a couple months ago. don't know the exact address off the top of my head but i think you could look them up by going to the calstar website.