Why so much interest in what the pros use?

[SFrazeur]

Fanboyism.

[Zets147]

I just want to know and get a chance to see for myself what kind of racquet "works" at the pro lvl i guess.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by NoBadMojo

i think paintjobs exist all over the place and in different professions. maybe the guitar guy in this forum will confirm, but a musician friend of mine claims guitars are sometimes paintjobbed.

But Kartik has a point - in sports, who else uses PJs? I could not think of any after 2 minutes of trying. In racquet sports: table tennis racquets are too small for viewers to discern brands and there is no logo, badminton and squash/racquetball sticks - I have not heard of PJs there but it could happen.

[NoBadMojo]

Originally Posted by sureshs

But Kartik has a point - in sports, who else uses PJs? I could not think of any after 2 minutes of trying. In racquet sports: table tennis racquets are too small for viewers to discern brands and there is no logo, badminton and squash/racquetball sticks - I have not heard of PJs there but it could happen.

interesting point. i dont have inside information to other sports, but i bet it happens..i mean if they paintjob guitars? maybe hockey sticks? i bet players would want to use the same stick as their fav pro? and i bet there is a lot of variation in hockey sticks as in tennis racquets

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by NoBadMojo

interesting point. i dont have inside information to other sports, but i bet it happens..i mean if they paintjob guitars? maybe hockey sticks? i bet players would want to use the same stick as their fav pro? and i bet there is a lot of variation in hockey sticks as in tennis racquets

I went to ccmsports.com a very large Hockey company that makes sticks. I don't think they have pantjobs they even offer custom sticks. Here is the link:
http://en.ccmsports.com/catalog/view...p=2663&cat2=15

They offer graphite and wood blades for the sticks and a variety of blades with different degrees. Graphite shafts are also available so is wood.

[Richie Rich]

hockey skates. nhl players pretty much use 1 or 2 brands of skates. the nike/reebok stuff is just cosmetic or "pj" if you will.

[vsbabolat]

Richie Rich when did Nike buy Bauer?

[maverick1]

Originally Posted by vkartikv

I wonder if any other sport has paintjobs. Cricket just cannot, you just can't paint wood to look like another bat....

It sort of does happen in Cricket. Few Cricket bats have distinctive shapes. The only identification is a sticker the Manufacturer slaps on the bat. I am told most cricketers have a personal favorite batmaker who has always made their bats, and they use stickers of whoever pays them at that given moment.

The biggest bat sponsor(MRF) doesn't even make sports equipment. They essentially rent valuable advertising space on the bats of the best cricketers.

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by maverick1

It sort of does happen in Cricket. Few Cricket bats have distinctive shapes. The only identification is a sticker the Manufacturer slaps on the bat. I am told most cricketers have a personal favorite batmaker who has always made their bats, and they use stickers of whoever pays them at that given moment.

The biggest bat sponsor(MRF) doesn't even make sports equipment. They essentially rent valuable advertising space on the bats of the best cricketers.

Can the public still buy the bats if they know who the real batmaker is?

[Jesse K.]

I think paint jobs are so weanie. So deceptive and so wrong. I understand all the reasons why it is the way it is, I just can't believe it's acceptable. I mean come on...AA has a raquet with little flexpoints painted on it...

So lame. Obviously people like to use a racquet a pro is using, or they think is using, because it provides a psychological boost to them.

[maverick1]

Originally Posted by vsbabolat

Can the public still buy the bats if they know who the real batmaker is?

It is all but impossible for the public to get the best bats. All decent cricket bats need to be made from Willow grown in England. Apparently the precise climate in whi the trees grow matters. Of the English willow that is harvested, the best pieces are saved for the professionals.

I used to buy custom made bats from a New Zealand batmaker(http://www.laverwood.co.nz/) who sold three models of bats, the only difference being the type of wood and blemishes in the grain. If a bat is made from the top 5% of the stock (that he imports from England), he sells it for (US) $700; if it is made from the next 10%, it is about $350; and the rest were about $250. That was a few years ago. I don't know his pricing now.

I assume the pros get the top 1% of the stock.

Edit: I guess I should explain that there is such a thing a custom made bats in cricket. Good Off the shelf bats go for anywhere from $100 to $250, but if you are willing to pay abit more, you can have it made to any spec(weight, weight distribution, shape, lengths of handle/blade, location of sweet spot...) you like. The only hard part is the quality of the raw material. So I guess comparting the situation with cricket is apples and oranges. In Tennis, it si the exact opposite. The raw materials are synthetic and almost anyone can get what Federer uses. But we can't precisely customize the shape, weight distribution and size.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by maverick1

It sort of does happen in Cricket. Few Cricket bats have distinctive shapes. The only identification is a sticker the Manufacturer slaps on the bat. I am told most cricketers have a personal favorite batmaker who has always made their bats, and they use stickers of whoever pays them at that given moment.

The biggest bat sponsor(MRF) doesn't even make sports equipment. They essentially rent valuable advertising space on the bats of the best cricketers.

Slazenger makes many bats. I don't follow cricket any more, but from what you are saying, the bat has say a MRF sticker. Since no one can buy a bat from MRF, it is not really a PJ equivalent.

But I have seen bats in shops with the autograph of a player who endorse the bat. In a sense, that is closer to a PJ, as it makes it appear that the player uses the model.

[BlackJesus]

I think that focus only of what equipment a single pro is playing with is too misleading but if we know the mean specs of pro's racquet we can mod our racqet in that way in order to play better. It's sure that having the real Fed's racquet will never give his talent but appling a pro's set-up to a stock racquet can in some way improve your tennis.

[dman72]

This is a very common thing with guitar players. There are guys out there doing everything in their power to recreate Eddie Van Halens guitar...which he made himself..when the whole point of him producing his guitar was that he wanted something different and unique. Also, they think there is some magic mojo in his amplifier and everything else he used that produced such a rock icon. The truth is, 90% of his notierity is about how he played, not a striped homemade guitar.

Likewise, a tennis player should probably just try a bunch of racquets and use what feels and works best. But, you will always have people who want to use what Roger or Rafa or Pete use.

[maverick1]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Slazenger makes many bats. I don't follow cricket any more, but from what you are saying, the bat has say a MRF sticker. Since no one can buy a bat from MRF, it is not really a PJ equivalent.

But I have seen bats in shops with the autograph of a player who endorse the bat. In a sense, that is closer to a PJ, as it makes it appear that the player uses the model.

The Slazenger, Kookaburra and other bats are definitely the equivalent of paintjobs.

MRF is a bit different, because they are huge company and don't give a rat's a$s about Cricket equipment market.

You can even buy MRF bats, they sell them in stores simply because there is demand for them. The bats are made by different people than the guy who makes Sachin Tendulkar's bat. I've heard the top batmakers usually work alone or with a couple of apprentices somewhere in Punjab. There is no way they can meet public demand. Even if they do make bats for the public, you can bet those bats don't get the attention of the main guy.

[AJK1]

All paintjobs prove to me is that there are two technologies: 1) for the pros, who basically use no gimmicky technology, no BS frames, and paint them, and 2) BS technology frames for the consumer. Racquet technology is like fashion, if it's so good why do they keep changing it each year?

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by AJK1

Racquet technology is like fashion, if it's so good why do they keep changing it each year?

That is one of the smartest statements I have read on this board. Did you know during the wood era Dunlop made the Maxply Fort from 1933 to 1983. That is 50 years of the same racquet. Now it of course evolved and was refined but the same basic racquet. Wilson made the Jack Kramer Autograph from 1948 to 1983. That is 35 years of the same racquet. What is going on AJK1 is exactly as you describe.

[Lambsscroll]

I think its horrible and a crime that someone enjoys learning and trying out what the pro use. Why should that person have fun with the game of tennis in a different way than I? Its down right wrong.

[VGP]

Marketing and sales. Pure and simple. That's what drives paintjobs and new frames every 2-3 years.

People buy a frame based on what they see on TV or hear from the salemen at pro shops and racket sales reps.

There has been some guitar talk and I think it's a good parallel. That's why "signature" models are made and marketed. They are supposed to be close to the specs of what the particular player uses.

People want to know what string gauge/type, fret wire, tuners, trem blocks, picks, pickups, potentiometers, capacitors, cloth covered wiring, pickguard material, wood type, finish type, finish thickness, cable, effects pedals, amplifier, amplifier tubes, recifier tubes, speaker cones, etc. that someone is using....

I remember seeing this one Santana tribute band on public access TV. The guy had the Paul Reed Smith Santana Signature model, amplifier, even the big triangular Fender pick than Carlos Santana uses. Even a flashy shirt. He just came off as a poser and a mere cheap copy of the Santana sound.

People want to know what the pros use because they are fans and the people they are most interested in are making money playing tennis or have a style they want to emulate. If they are successful, perhaps they can be too.

[AJK1]

I love Sampras and Federer, and would like to use the racquets they use. But those frames do not suit me, and so i use racquets (Head Tours) that suit me and my game far better. It took me about 7-8 different frames (and a lot of money) to finally get what i love using. My game is more important to me than how i look or who i idolise.