famous player woods rackets

joe sch

Legend
Sharing some pictures of 6 famous player woods rackets including rosewall, gonzales, vines, and budge. I personally really like the photo decal wood rackets. Take a look at a few:


 
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jimbo333

Hall of Fame
Sharing some pictures of 6 famous player woods rackets including rosewall, gonzales, vines, and budge. I personally really like the photo decal wood rackets. Take a look at a few:

http://s920.beta.photobucket.com/user/woodtennis/library/tennis/rackets/famous_player_woods

Joe, I think you would get more interest in your thread if you show the image as a photo, rather than a link. I've noticed you almost always just post the web link, why do you do that?

Many people cannot be bothered to click on a link, and showing the photo just looks better, and you can compare photos in the thread more easily. Even I have managed to work out how to show photos on here, so if I can do it anybody can!
 

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
Ok, will plan to save viewers clicks and embed pix in the future

Sorry Joe, thinking about it I shouldn't have really said anything, you've been showing photos the same way on here longer than me, and know what you're doing. I personally prefer to see the photos rather than links, but that might just be me, others might prefer what you've always done, anyway I apologise.
 

joe sch

Legend
Sorry Joe, thinking about it I shouldn't have really said anything, you've been showing photos the same way on here longer than me, and know what you're doing. I personally prefer to see the photos rather than links, but that might just be me, others might prefer what you've always done, anyway I apologise.

No problem Jimbo ... you are very correct that most viewers do not like to click links and as a result, many such posts get little attention. I will try to embed single pictures using the img tabs rather than provide url links for folders of pictures.
 
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yonexRx32

Professional
Sharing some pictures of 6 famous player woods rackets including rosewall, gonzales, vines, and budge. I personally really like the photo decal wood rackets. Take a look at a few:



Interesting because I have the opposite reaction to pictures on racket. I am tempted to assume that it's just a con scheme; slap a picture of a famous person on an otherwise irrelevant object and the unaware may be tricked into buying. Maybe things were different back then, but I would assume the knowledgeable players wouldn't need the picture/name of a celebrity to figure out which racket is which. Thus I am led to believe the rackets were not meant for the cognoscenti but rather for the impressionable.
 

joe sch

Legend
Interesting because I have the opposite reaction to pictures on racket. I am tempted to assume that it's just a con scheme; slap a picture of a famous person on an otherwise irrelevant object and the unaware may be tricked into buying. Maybe things were different back then, but I would assume the knowledgeable players wouldn't need the picture/name of a celebrity to figure out which racket is which. Thus I am led to believe the rackets were not meant for the cognoscenti but rather for the impressionable.

Many of the later photo decal rackets were not player models but the earlier woods like the Wilson Famous Players Series were quality rackets.
 

Hannah19

Professional
Many of the later photo decal rackets were not player models but the earlier woods like the Wilson Famous Players Series were quality rackets.

Players like Tom Okker, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver and a German player who's name just does'nt come to mind, used to have there photo's/signatures on one of the best rackets from the era: the Maxply Fort.
 

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
No problem Jimbo ... you are very correct that most viewers do not like to click links and as a result, many such posts get little attention. I will try to embed single pictures using the img tabs rather than provide url links for folders of pictures.

Cool Joe, ironically though your photo isn't showing for me!
 

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
Players like Tom Okker, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver and a German player who's name just does'nt come to mind, used to have there photo's/signatures on one of the best rackets from the era: the Maxply Fort.

Was it Hans Pohmann who had a signature bi-hander Maxply Fort? I think that was his name!
 
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jimbo333

Hall of Fame
Not just of an era - the Maxply Fort one of if not the greatest frames of all time......thing didn't change much in over 50yrs of production.

Didn't ever see any "head shots" of players on a Fort? Thought that was the beauty of Dunlop not doing that......everybody used it or at least at one time used it.........big reason Laver went to Chemold was of course for the $$$$$ and that Dunlop wouldn't give him an autograph version of the Fort.

There are many different versions of the Dunlop Maxply Fort made over the 50 odd years they were made, but yes they are all similar.

I have quite a collection of about 80 different ones (some variations quite small), but then I reckon about 300-500 variations were made worldwide:shock:

Actually there are Vinnie Richards, Rod Laver and 2 Lew Hoad photo signature versions, as well as Okker, Pohmann and Gunthardt signature versions amazingly!
 

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
Cool never saw those.......I first started playing in the late 60s in Jrs and always remembered how many Forts, Slazenger 1, Halliets and Kramers dominated.....my first Wimbledon in 1968 I remember seeing soooooo many Forts and Salzengers........I have 3 Forts in my stash.....favorite was the 1982 version with the large Red DUNLOP on the flake above the grip......best looking of them all.

Yes, I think that version looks great, the Bi-handers also look very cool, but my favourites are the Maxply Fort Wood/Graphites from around the same time. That was the first tennis racket I ever had back in the late 70's, so that is probably why i like it so much:)
 

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
My god a Heinz Gunthardt - autograph frame!!!!:shock: missed that one totally!

Yeah I was surprised to find that one, it is the last of the players autograph Maxply's as far as I'm aware. The Okker is the one I havn't got in my collection unfortunately. I will stick some photos on here of the others at some point, although it will take a while as rackets are currently mostly in storage.
 

joe sch

Legend
There are many different versions of the Dunlop Maxply Fort made over the 50 odd years they were made, but yes they are all similar.

I have quite a collection of about 80 different ones (some variations quite small), but then I reckon about 300-500 variations were made worldwide:shock:

Actually there are Vinnie Richards, Rod Laver and 2 Lew Hoad photo signature versions, as well as Okker, Pohmann and Gunthardt signature versions amazingly!

Think the last maxply fort head shot racket was Mac's ?
 

joe sch

Legend
Cool never saw those.......I first started playing in the late 60s in Jrs and always remembered how many Forts, Slazenger 1, Halliets and Kramers dominated.....my first Wimbledon in 1968 I remember seeing soooooo many Forts and Salzengers........I have 3 Forts in my stash.....favorite was the 1982 version with the large Red DUNLOP on the flake above the grip......best looking of them all.

Must have been wonderful to hit on the lawns of Wimbledon, especially with woods.
 
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Hannah19

Professional
There are many different versions of the Dunlop Maxply Fort made over the 50 odd years they were made, but yes they are all similar.

I have quite a collection of about 80 different ones (some variations quite small), but then I reckon about 300-500 variations were made worldwide:shock:

Actually there are Vinnie Richards, Rod Laver and 2 Lew Hoad photo signature versions, as well as Okker, Pohmann and Gunthardt signature versions amazingly!

The Heinz Gunthardt was actually a Maxply Tournament model.
Chocolate brown with gold striping and red Maxply logo...one of the best looking Maxply's ever.
 

joe sch

Legend
Makes sense - from the early 70s (maybe late 60s) the Fort was the Fort......even Lavers Forts were just plain old Forts. I know they did Junior models with players and that's how they would work out the endorsement deals.

It is interesting that the latest photo decal models were for juniors. The maxply tournament had graphite lamination for a little extra stiffness/power
 

jimbo333

Hall of Fame
Was it Hans Pohmann who had a signature bi-hander Maxply Fort? I think that was his name!

Yep, that's the one but it was on a regular sized Maxply Fort.

Regular sized racket but with the bi-hander(longer) grip!

There were 3 retail versions of the Maxply Fort Bi-hander. The Pohmann and 2 others. I will start a thread with some photos of them next month.
 
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