I tend to fit up 1911's without guide rods, I'm on my third longslide, one in 45 and one in 9MM, and currently a 10MM, and the two I fit a standard type spring and plug seem to run very well, the 10 is still a ways away from test firing.
That being said I wondered why some people like guide rods when JMB's original idea works so well, and the few 1911's I have are varying degrees of more tedious to disassemble, some you have to have from a paper clip and the worst ones are a total PIB to disassemble because you have to slide the slide off to free the spring, the rod and the mussel bushing.
Often that seems best done by what I assume are incredibly rare shooters who were born with three hands.
So if you know someone whose 1911 style pistol has a guide rod to talk you through disassembling his, if he or she will let you, but FWIW it seems like complexity and difficulty without satisfying any important purpose for my own use.
There may be reasons for guide rods I know nothing about.
I know some like them that way and if they prefer them who am I to try to talk them out of it, it's their business.
I have found that flat wire springs seem to work better and longer for me.