First up I would run a line through the guides of the rod and see how the line angles look when its bent and whether the line is touching the blank.

If the line is getting bent to acute angles through the the guides or touching the blank you could get a few more guides added or use that as an excuse to get a new rod.

The Penns are a good choice but another to look at would be the Akios 555 or 656 they offer a choice of chrome plated brass frames or cnc machined ally frames .Also come with a choice of handles and are very very smooth.