BobP Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 The Ambassadeur Pro Max 1600 and 3600. Hot Reels for Not Much Money (and just a little work) I'm a Shimano low profile reel junkie and when Jim Johns of Heartland Tackle Service highly recommended the Ambassadeur Pro Max reels to me a few years ago, I had my doubts. Round reels usually seem pretty clunky to me. But considering the authoritative professional advice and the reel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigmeister Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Bob , I could not agree more ! I bought a Pro max 5600 on Ebay for throwing braided line due to the XXX level wind and was surprised how smooth this reel was after getting all cleaned up . I puchased two Pro Max 1600 's shortly there after for drop shotting and shakey head worms w/ 8-10 lb. test and they are awesome casters with small baits . Its kind of funny because my neighbor had just returned from a yard sale with a bunch of old bass fishing equipment he had bought and I was explaining about some of the many rods/reels when I noticed an almost mint Pro max 1600 on one of the rods . I ask if I could buy it from him and he gave it to me for free . Apparently he was mainly wanting a Curado and some nice spinning reels on some of the outfits. The only fault with the Pro Max series is that they are painted instead of anodized like most ABU baitcasters. That aside they are a gem of a reel and I feel lucky to have found the ones I have . .........jigmeister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dampeoples Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 It's not a Pro-max, but they're re-releasing the Black Max this year, except I dont' think it's the same, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 Couldn't agree more. I have both a Pro Max and Black Max (along with a slew of tourney pros). True workhorses that perform flawless day in and day out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowMaker Posted October 23, 2007 Report Share Posted October 23, 2007 What years were the ProMax introduced and how long did they make them? Any more information available on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA StriperChaser Posted December 19, 2007 Report Share Posted December 19, 2007 BobP- Great review ! I thought I'd bump this thread because I'm looking for any info I can get on the Abu Ambassadeur series . I'd like to see the answer to WidowMaker's question as well. Thanks Guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooksLikeSinbad Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 Bob - Do you know if they made these in left hand retrieve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowMaker Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Here is the website for Simon Shimomura two books "The Ambassadeur And I" and "The Ambassadeur And I Final Chapter". The books are expensive but i have a buddy who has personally looked through them and he tells me they offer a complete breakdown on each reel model that was produced. The books are endorsed by the ex-owner of Abu-Garcia. http://www.mrambassadeur.com/eng/book.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davycrockett Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 :)Great thread!! I dont own any Pro Max's but have many Black Max's, (1) 1600, (2) 3600, (1) 5600, and (1)6600. The 1600 and 3600's are for cranking,spinnerbaits,etc. The 5600 is on my flippin rod as I often use the same rod/reel for launching frogs in the slop and the extra line capacity is a plus. The 6600 is on one of my muskie sticks. I picked this reel up at Wallyworld for $10 in the mid 90's!:nuhuh:It was a display model and they had no paperwork or box and didn't have a clue what it was worth. I figured it had been forgoten about after being discountinued and was just sitting in the case year after year. The fella told me to make an offer and I started with an absurd $10 offer. I couldn't get the cash out of my wallet quick enough! All of my Black Max's have performed flawlessly for their age. I was thinking about buying a newer Abu reel (Revo?) but wonder about the durability down the road. Maybe I should stick with my bullet proof Black Max's and C3's and C4's. I'm glad to see their are other Abu junkies out their that admire the older stuff in an age with so many new "cool" looking reels coming out every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Travelbee Posted January 28, 2020 Report Share Posted January 28, 2020 I bought a pair of Abu Garcia Pro Max 1600 reels recently. I also purchased bearing kits and different retrieve cogs. Is there anywhere online that shows the disassembly and repair of these reels? Thanks much Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigmeister Posted March 25, 2020 Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 I found diagrams for these reels online years ago but don't remember where but they should still be available . One word of caution if you're planning on upgrading to ceramic bearings . I put ceramic bearings in the 1600 series reels hoping to be able to cast even lighter baits and could not keep from backlashing when casting with the new bearings unless the brake was really clamped down (which kind of defeats the purpose) . Other reels I have upgraded with ceramic bearings all worked fine if equipped magnetic braking systems but the old Promax reels only have centrifical brake systems . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted March 25, 2020 Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 Try www.dadsoletackle.com .Pretty sure they have viewable schematics. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e8mylur Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 New to this forum. I had purchased a few of the Pro Max and the Black Max back in the early 90's. Used them for years, then went to Curados. 2 years ago I pulled them out and cleaned them up. Did some research and like the old ambassadors, they're bulletproof also. I have replaced with Carbontex drag washers, and a few with ceramic bearings. Love em again. Difference between Pro Max and Black Max is the number of bearings. I have over a dozen of these reels now, found some on eBay. Gotta look closely at what kind of condition they are in. I have stripped and painted a couple also. All in all, cool old reels. The newer Black Max's are not the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
