I'd like some input for this 9', 4wt, 4 piece progressive action fly rod I'm building.

1) The reel seat is 4 3/8 inches long. I can cut off 1/2 inch and still have enough room to fit most standard reel feet. Should I do this or not.

2) Whats the current opinion on the handle shape and length. Full well, half wells or cigar. Of the 3 fly rods I've built, 9 and 6 wt have been full wells, a 7'6", 4 wt was a cigar.

I've a preformed cigar shape available, but its only 6 inches long. I feel its to short to allow me to move my hand up and down the grip to balance the rod for casting. At 6 inches it just fits with no movement allowed. My previous grips I shaped were 8".

3) I'm planning on putting on 8 guides and one tip top. Is this the current norm?

Thanks in advance for your opinions

I have several real seats around here and the longest one is 4" not counting the fighting butt. The Struble U8's measure 3.5" and 0.40" of that will inlet into the end of the grip. That is an overall dimension, not just the area for the reel foot. I wonder if your reel seat might be made for a heavier rod. You might also have a blank with a butt diameter of 0.500" or more and that could be putting you into the larger reel seats. Are you allowing for the 0.4" or so of most reel seats that extend into the grip? Try it with the guides taped on and the reel you are going to use and see how it feels. If you decide to trim it, be sure you leave room to get the reel on and off.

I measured some preformed grips. The smallest one measures 6.5" and is not inletted. The others measure 7" if they are not inletted and 7.5 if inletted. The 6.5" grip is for a small rod or a person with a small hand.

It sounds like your hand is too large for a 6" grip. My personal preference on reel seats is the full wells because my thumb feels more comfortable and is always in the same place. With the reverse half wells and to a lesser extent with the cigar, my thumb tends to move around on the downward slope of the front end. This makes my casting less consistent. I have made small, 6", full wells grips for people with small hands and they liked them.