Not the straightest blank

[Goose]

Lets say you have a blank where 1' 6" to 2' of the top of the blank is not as straight as it should be. In other words say 2' to the tip it curved 1/2 off at the tip. Would you still wrap that blank?
I've heard builders say that if you have a blank and it has no spline then its not as good as a blank that does, stay away from it...now what if it has to much, when is it not good. In what I tryed to describe above I'm not sure if its an exaggerated spline or...because its only noticed at the top its a factory defect. whatcha think?

[Back Beach]

Go through your spine finding procedure first. If the blank rolls onto an obvious spine, I would build on it. The person who taught me how to build would avoid blanks like what you describe if they were being built for customers. The main reason was aesthetics, not performance.

[Goose]

After looking up the word aesthetics, yeah that makes alot of sense.

[SMT123]

How long is the rod and what will it be used for? Naturally, longer rods are more apt to show the bend as you describe. You won't know if that bend relates to the spline until you test it. I have read quite a bit about splines and guide alignment and have found it doesn't have the affect on performance as many think. I still try and build with the spline in mind, but if there is an axis that is straighter, which will be the case with the blank you describe, then I will build on that axis assuming I am happy with it's performance. I will tape the guides on and do a deflection test and then cast the rod. As Back Beach mentioned, I avoid building on blanks like the one you have when building for someone, but I don't hesitate to build them for myself assuming it doesn't affect the rods performance. The only way to know if it's right or wrong is to tape guides on and test it out!