steveg

Jen, Thank YOU, for your business, and your kind words! It has been my pleasure to work with you! I'll look forward to your thoughts, once you receive it! Thanks! Steve

Hi all! This post is to consolidate all of the prior posts I've made, regarding the different products offered through Steve's Detector Rods (www.stevesdetectorrods.com). At Steve's, we offer hand-built carbon-fiber rods and shafts, with an "old-fashioned" focus on both product quality/attention to detail, and top-notch customer service. We offer our rods and shafts for an ever-increasing number of detectors, in traditional black carbon-fiber -- and also (for some models) an array of different colored carbon-fiber tubes. Along with "standard" shaft configurations, we also offer the ability to custom-build -- a service that allows us to design and produce shafts in many different configuration and length options, to meet whatever specific/particular needs you may have. We also offer our unique, optional counterweighting system, that balances out nose-heavy machines such as the Minelab Equinox, making them more comfortable to swing. At this time, we routinely offer rods, and/or shafts, for the following machines (with shafts for some other machines also available as custom offerings, by request)... Minelab Equinox -- lower rods, two-piece complete shafts, and three-piece travel shafts, in various lengths and colors, with and without the optional counterweight system Minelab CTX 3030 -- lower rods, in various lengths and colors Minelab GPX 4500 -- lower rods, in black Minelab GPX 6000 -- lower rods, in black Minelab Excalibur -- complete, three-piece "Florida-style" shafts (control box and battery pod mounted on a short shaft section to the rear of the arm cuff) Minelab Sovereign -- complete, two- or three-piece shafts, for "hip-mount" configuration Garrett AT-series/Ace/Apex -- two-piece lower shafts (and soon, three-piece complete shafts), in various colors Tarsacci MDT8000 -- two-piece lower shafts, in various lengths We also offer premium-quality, heavy-duty sand scoop handles for several scoop brands (and can custom-build for other brands of scoops as well). At this time, we routinely offer scoop handles for the following scoops... T-Rex Stealth Xtreme CooB Finally, we offer an assortment of other items, including Jeff Herke arm cuffs, "Steve's Detector Rods" ball caps and t-shirts, and of course rod/shaft parts (including our heavy-duty cam locks, which can also be used to retrofit other detector models including the Fisher AQ Impulse). If you would like more information, pictures, specs, and pricing information, or have other questions, feel free to visit our website, our Facebook business page, or send an email to steve@stevesdetectorrods.com. We are always happy to serve! Thanks, Steve steve@stevesdetectorrods.com

Thanks for the kind words, Steve, and the heads-up on the need for GPX6000 lower rods... Much appreciated! Steve

Thanks, guys; I hadn't seen this post. I now offer two-piece lower shafts, for the Tarsacci...the middle shaft connects directly to your Tarsacci upper, while the middle and lower two sections are connected by one of my own cam locks -- the same ones I use on my other shafts, and very similar to the Tarsacci cam lock. Advantages of my shaft include both sections being smaller in diameter than the stock shaft (and thus less hydrodynamic drag in the water), and also that I can build the shaft to custom lengths -- including extra length, if necessary. I am also in the very early stages of being a Tarsacci dealer, and so if you are interested in buying an MDT-8000, and would like to work with me on the sale, please contact me... THANKS! Steve email: steve@stevesdetectorrods.com www.stevesdetectorrods.com

Good report, F350, and hey -- nice-looking shaft! 😄 Steve

F350 — Got it! Thanks for the info, that makes more sense now! I was certain that the camo tubes aren’t appreciably different in weight compared to the others. I couldn’t figure out why the weight would be “off.” Now, it makes sense; I can rest easier now, LOL! Thanks! No worries! Joe D. — LOL! 😂 OK, I will try! I am in PA, back where I grew up, visiting family. I am getting in just a bit of detecting while I am here, and will be playing a round of golf with my dad on Monday — so it’s all good! 🙂 Thanks! Steve

LOL -- thanks, rvpopeye! F350, it's interesting that you say there was "no weight savings." Something seems off... I did NOT weigh the camo carbon-fiber tubes prior to building your shaft; I just got the very first shipment in, and didn't weigh them before building your shaft -- and I'm on vacation now, so can't weigh them. BUT -- I find it really strange that you are saying there was no weight savings. My "non-camo" carbon-fiber shafts weigh around 30% less than the stock shaft, and I can't imagine that the camo ones should be appreciably different, weight-wise, as compared to the others. Are you sure you are weighing the machine with your new shaft installed "apples to apples" with what your machine was beforehand, with the stock shaft attached? I know you said you added one of those "bumpers" to the control box, and I know you are using a Detect-ED arm cuff, which is heavier than the stock cuff. Did you have these same items included on your unit when you weighed in, prior to my shaft arriving? Are there perhaps any other items you may have added to the unit, along with installing my shaft, that would have added to the weight, as compared to the "stock" shaft configuration? I can't recall exact numbers, but if I remember correctly, the stock Minelab shaft runs about 10 oz., give or take, and mine are about 7 oz., give or take. I can confirm when I get home, and will also confirm that the camo tubes are of similar weight to my other tubes. But you should have experienced some weight savings switching to my carbon fiber. Something seems a bit "amiss" here... Steve

F350 -- thank you! The pleasure has been mine! 🙂 Steve

F350 -- THANKS for the very kind words, and for the great picture. I think it looks great (but, I'm probably biased, LOL)! THANKS for your business, and for being "the first one!" Thank you! Steve

Chase, I'll look forward to your impressions once you have a bit more experience with it in the square nails. It's interesting that you are experimenting with higher iron bias; I may have to do a bit of testing with that as well, in my square-nail-infested PA church yard, that I expect to be hunting this week. For sure, though, I'm going to try single frequency, 20 kHz and maybe 40 kHz, to see if I can make those square nails sound more like nails, and less like deep silver. Steve

Chase, Not a bad idea, LOL! I appreciate the info. You are the first to suggest the 5x10 for working in iron; I had been waiting to hear that from someone. You like it better in iron than the 6"? Steve

Next generation of Equinox. From what little I know, it seems that sort of like the Explorer/E-Trac were "FBS", and then the CTX was released and considered "FBS2" -- i.e. a more "fully matured" version of the FBS platform, I am pretty sure that the Equinox/Vanquish are rightly considered M-IQ1, and then that the next "flagship" from Minelab in this line, will be considered M-IQ2. Steve

Thanks, mn80403, and thanks, ColonelDan! Steve

Airtemisa -- sounds good, thanks! Just FYI, I could build you a dive shaft for your Excal, as well; particularly if you hip-mount the Excal, a custom dive shaft would be easily do-able, for an Excal. My guess is that you already have a dive shaft for it, but just thought I'd toss that out there... Thanks! Steve

Airtimesa -- For what it's worth, I've built one-piece carbon-fiber dive shafts for folks before, so if your idea proves to be a bit too long, I can hook you up with a one-piece carbon-fiber one, built to whatever length you prefer... (or, it could be a two-piece with a short upper and very short lower, just enough to allow a small amount -- a few inches or whatever -- of adjustability in terms of length...) I can do whatever you like -- as I'm always happy to do custom builds... Thanks! Steve