I build rods for myself, friends and family. The number of guides is very important, it varies depending on how the rod is to be used. Guides control the line but also will slow the line down. Guides also effect the rod action depending upon how and where they are placed and wrapped. Most over the counter rods are "guided" by the average flex of the rod, even many custom built rods are. A set of guides usually comes with guide spacing chart. While accurate they are not perfect since every rod has it's own action. All fast actins are not the same as goes every other action. Stiff trolling rods are the least picky, ultra lights are the pickiest. When possible I mount the reel or a similar size in the reel seat and remove the spool, I then tape a piece of thread to the shaft and run it through the tip top. I try and place the stripper guide before attaching the weight so that the line passes through the center. I then clip a heavy weight to the tip top and place the guides to keep the line equal distance from the blank. If the rod is going to be used for long casting the fewer guides the better, for the ultra lights where a soft touch an feel are most important an extra guide sometimes will even out the line segments. This is just how I do it, I'm sure some will disagree.
