Introduction to Works of Art

Formally known as “Custom Rods by Neuberger”, I’ve been building custom fishing rods since 1975. During the earlier years of the business my work was featured at The Philadelphia Boat show as well as the Philadelphia Sportsman Show. Word of mouth spread and I found that the majority of my orders were generated from Florida. Back in those days I often found myself in a 9-month backlog.

Hand Crafted VS Custom Made

Rods on display at current shows are “handcrafted” and reflect the best of my ability, but can only be called “Hand Crafted”. While these rods contain fancy wood inlays or thread wrapping this “bling” doesn’t add to the functionality or performance of the fishing rod. A “Custom Made” fishing rod is a better choice for the purist customer! The customer is required to complete a questionnaire thereby ensuring the rod is tailored specifically to the individual. Elements such as hand size, arm length, model of fishing reel along with the type of fishing line all combine to designing the ultimate in performance.

While the aesthetics may appeal to many customers, what is more important is the quality of the parts and how the parts are assembled. For this reason, Works of Art will never use inferior components when building a fishing rod. As a testament to this practice, ask to see some of my older rods dating back to 1975! Each rod that I make carries my signature.

Component Evolution

Customers often see my products at shows and ask why I display both fishing rods & writing instruments. Over the years I’ve experimented with different material when designing a fishing rod: cork rings / wood inlays / composite grips. These all can be used in fishing rods, but I wanted to introduce the use of acrylics. While researching working with acrylic, I found that making acrylic pens used many of the same tools and techniques for making fishing rods. After perfecting my pen making techniques, I introduced acrylic handles into my fishing rods. Upon seeing my products, several friends referred to them as works of art, and that is how the business became named:

Works of Art

 Coming Full Circle

So now that pen turning skills added to my fishing rods, how could I bring my fishing rod skills into making exotic writing instruments? Starting in 2020, I’ll be weaving thread onto my pens! These will surely become one-of-a-kind Works of Art! These limited edition thread-wrapped pens are so unique that I’ll make the following offer: Find an exact duplicated pen made by another craftsperson and I’ll give you my pen free of charge! Be sure to visit “Works of Art” on Facebook to observe the progress!