I recently placed and order from Mamba for Black Mamba Gear to try it out. Somehow the order got mixed up and they sent me their Premium Nat Gut instead. Spoke with Susan (very friendly) and they're sending me the Black Mamba Gear. So question is: since I have the Nat Gut I was wondering if I just full bed these suckers now or wait for the Black Mamba Gear to hybrid it? I have two BLX 6.1 95 18x20 that I usually play with BHS (42-44 lbs) or ItB (46 lbs). I get about 10 hours of play before they snap. Also, what tension should I be stringing if I do a fullbed/hybrid?
First Time Natural Gut - Full or Hybrid?
- Thread starter Minhdingo
- Start date
If you're used to full bed poly then a gut/poly hybrid might be better than full gut. You'll get more spin potential than full gut and less power which will be an easier transition from full poly. I've tried full poly, full gut, and gut/poly and imo gut/poly is far superior to homogeneous stringbeds. Given the physics of how the mains and crosses function on contact I suppose it makes sense that gut/poly works so well.
For your frame I'd start with the the poly in the high 40s to very low 50s and the gut mains 2-4 pounds higher. It really depends on the poly stiffness and guage and your personal preference.
If you want a little less power, more control, and maybe a tiny bit less spin potential go thicker gauge poly, higher tension, and less difference between mains and cross (eg 54/52).
For more pop and spin at the expense of control use thinner poly, lower tension, and more difference between main and cross (but no more than 4-5 pounds max difference with mains aways higher than the poly cross).
Just wondering with your current string setup how long you're getting out this combo before having to restring? Thanks in advance.
mikeler
Moderator
If this is the first time using natural gut, you owe it to yourself to try it as a full bed. It is a unique and quite nice experience.
mixedmedia
Professional
I agree with mikeler. Full gut is always worth a go the first time.
I have two different setups at the moment in two matched frames. Both are at 56/54. One is VS Touch/Focus Hex 1.18 and the other is VS Touch/Black Ice 17.
I've lost track of the FH frame. Easily 20+ hours. The mains are showing clear wear but the FH remains comfortable and perfectly playable. At this point the FH has settled in to a point where it would remain playable until the mains break.
The Black Ice is at 9+ hours and it's already becoming too boardy for my tastes.
I've ordered some Focus Hex 1.23 and CoFocus 1.23 so I can do a head-to-head comparison in this particular frame. It's an expensive experiment but worth it to me since I feel the FH 1.18 is providing a bit too much power and the Gamma BI isn't aging as nicely as MSV products. Since both CoF and FH provide amazing spin as crosses with gut I'm really looking dorward to this next experiment.
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Say Chi Sin Lo
G.O.A.T.
drkplayer122
Rookie
I think you should try an hybrid it. Since mamba comes in 2 20' sets its perfect for hybrids whether gut/poly or poly/gut.
What a coincidence... I ordered some natty gut and received some black gear. :idea: This is just a hunch but I think I received your sets of Mamba gear and you have my sets of natural gut. :smile: (I also talked to Susan and straightened everything out.)
What a coincidence... I ordered some natty gut and received some black gear. :idea: This is just a hunch but I think I received your sets of Mamba gear and you have my sets of natural gut. :smile: (I also talked to Susan and straightened everything out.)
sansaephanh
Professional
Gasp he's gonna pop his Natural Gut Cherry! Can we get a video?
2handsbothsides
Semi-Pro
My recommendation is to use half the gut in the main and use your normal string in the cross. Based on that experience you can decide how to use the other half set. You can also start with the gut main and a synthetic gut cross to get pretty close to the feel of a full gut setup. If that does not work I have no problem mounting the racket correctly and cutting out the cross and replace it with a poly. Make sure you up the tension on the gut about 4 pounds.
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