Anyone else like their racquet setups boardy?

[Power Player]

Finally came to a realization after some solid racquet and string experimentation - I love a boardy racquet setup. It is almost used sometimes as a bad word, but to me it is sublime. When you hit through the ball, the feel on the sweetspot is absolute bliss, and the control gives me a ton of confidence in a pressure situation.

What I notice is with softer setups, I have to brush more and use more spin to control the ball. With a tighter, boardy setup I can hit through the ball more and not overspin the ball. I also am able to hybrid my poly mains with a syn gut and therefore have a tighter tension which helps me do this even more.

The final equation is the 18x20 pattern. The tight pattern definitely feels better to me. I firmly believe open patterns are more launchy and lose ball feel. More strings = more feel for me.

What about spin you say? This is a setup for players that can hit with spin already and want to be able to come through the ball more. An 18x20 pattern makes you work a little harder for spin, but the result is a very penetrating ball that does not sit up, and instead kicks forward - speeding the ball up off the bounce. A lot of players dont see this ball as much so that is a nice bonus. a little less weight on the racquet can help generate this.

Anyway, the point of this thread is to find the best boardy control setup out there. Here is mine so far: 4G 17 and OGSM 16 at 52/54. I really would like to find a cheaper replacement for the 4g, but so far nothing has come close. I have tried Cyberflash/OGSM (too soft..not enough feel - but a solid budget option) Cyclone/NVY (too springy - Nvy is an amazing cross but not for a boardy setup).

Cost advantage of 4g is it holds tension for a long time. You can play this setup for close to 2 weeks. The control level is off the charts as well.

My next setup to challenge : Tour bite 17 and Wilson Stamina - 52/54.

[McLovin]

I didn't play with Kevlar/Gut @ 60/64 for 10+ years for the amazing feel & touch...

Granted I've moved on to Gut/Poly combinations over the past few years, but that is mainly because Gamma stopped making the Kevlar I used, and nothing else felt right.

[anubis]

What do you mean by "boardy"? Do you mean "board-like"? As in a stiff stringbed?

[Power Player]

I triend pro blend recently but it was not optimal. Just kind of harsh really.

anubis..yes boardy usually means stiffer on these boards.

[anubis]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I triend pro blend recently but it was not optimal. Just kind of harsh really.

anubis..yes boardy usually means stiffer on these boards.

Hmmm. You want a stiff stringbed? IMO you'll never get that with a hybrid setup. You've got to go full poly. All syn guts will soften the stringbed.

I'm in a similar boat as you: I like 18x20 string patterns, and a stiff string bed. If i string syn gut, I go 62 lbs or higher. For full poly, I string 54 lbs or higher. but i've never had any good results with hybrids -- that is, hybrids for the sake of low cost.

If you hybrid two high performance strings, that's once thing. But hybriding OGSM in with some nice poly is only giving you 60% performance, since OGSM is cheap (in every sense of the word) string.

If you have a few racquets, I suggest taking your 4g and going full bed with it @ 52 lbs. I think you'll find much more accuracy and control that way.

I know, its more expensive. that blows, but that's the price you pay for laser-accuracy. If it gets you wins, it was worth it, right?

[Power Player]

I guess I should clarify that I find the 4g/ogsm to be ideal for what I am describing. I have the laser accuracy with it, and am simply looking for a less expensive setup if there is one. Full poly in the 18x20 was tried by me, and I lost feel.

I disagree that OGSM hampers the performance of the bed by 60%. It adds feel back and I can also keep the bed a little tighter and my arm is never bothered. 60% is a little extreme.

Do agree that full 4g at 52 could be a nice setup, but when I can tension syn gut close to 55 with a poly - it actually plays better for me believe it or not. Just how I hit. I really love syn gut crosses in a tight pattern, and I think it is the best of both worlds. But I generate a lot of spin without needing full poly.

Id string OGSM full at 62 also though. In fact if I get a 3rd racquet, that is happening.

[kaiser]

Yes and no, I guess. Back in the nineties I much preferred a kevlar hybrid over full multi or syngut primarily for the stiffer, more predictable and controlled stringbed as well as durability. That was despite the fact that I played mostly s&v on the grass courts Down-Under... When 1st gen poly became more readily available in the late nineties I switched to that, but at high tensions, 60# or more. Could get a nasty kick on the grass with that. In other words, I loved boardy! Coming back to tennis on the European clay, I had to remodel my game and learnt a full SW-WW forehand, and in recent years I found I much prefer poly at low tensions (high 30s). So l now prefer a less boardy set up that still gives me plenty control with added comfort and spin.

[mikeler]

I like soft setups. OGSM in a full bed was simply awful for my game.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I triend pro blend recently but it was not optimal. Just kind of harsh really.

Yeah, that is why I went away from Kevlar when Gamma stopped making Extreme Spin 19, which was a 19g Kevlar-blend. The other Kevlars (Prince, Ashaway) were too harsh.

Technically, Gamma still makes Extreme Spin 19, but it is packaged as a hybrid in TNT Fusion 19, and I wasn't willing to pay $12/pk to use only 1/2 the string.

[Power Player]

Yep. I have always hated multis at any tension. Should have been my first clue, but it takes a while to find a string setup.

The first eye opener was when I bought a Dunlop 200 with Lux Flouro and Wilson Stamina in the mid 50s. Really blew me away how well it felt and played.

My friend played pro blend as a junior and now prefers full poly over the ogsm hybrid by just a little. He goes back and forth since he has 1 stick strung with each.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Yep. I have always hated multis at any tension. Should have been my first clue, but it takes a while to find a string setup.

The first eye opener was when I bought a Dunlop 200 with Lux Flouro and Wilson Stamina in the mid 50s. Really blew me away how well it felt and played.

My friend played pro blend as a junior and now prefers full poly over the ogsm hybrid by just a little. He goes back and forth since he has 1 stick strung with each.

I think you can get used to any setup whether it is a new racket or new strings. It just takes time. Thankfully we have a lot of choices for both rackets and strings.

[Power Player]

I agree. It takes some time to learn your preferences in tennis unless you are playing in blissful unawareness (pre TT).

[Hi I'm Ray]

Yes, liking the way these "boardy" control oriented strings play in this powerful frame. I'm finding better control/placement and playing more aggressively not just on topspin groundstrokes but also on slices and volleys with better touch on dropshots. Not loving the comfort on some of these strings but some are alright. Also grew up playing syn gut and like the way it feels - can't get used to the feel of most multis but hoping it will work out in a poly hybrid. Currently playing a syn gut hybrid as well.

[Power Player]

Ray what strings do you use and what tension?

Main reason for this thread is to find the best boardy control setups out there. So far the 4g/OGSM reigns supreme for me.

[Hi I'm Ray]

Right now Pro Line X 1.25 mains / Forten Sweet 17 crosses @ 50/53lbs. PLX plays firm, low powered, and hits at a lower trajectory all as if it were strung at a higher tension. Borderline harsh IMO.

SPP Hextreme Pure 1.25 / FS17 @ 51/53lbs. Quite firm but with better comfort than PLX. Massive spin, good power on hard hit shots. Have only tried the Pure version, which got different ratings and descriptions than the standard Orange version on a certain string forum that I'm sure you know about.

I'm currently trying out different control oriented polys and haven't settled on any particular string yet.

[Hi I'm Ray]

Been changing up my forehand for the past 8-9 months and the slice in the last 3-4 months. Now I'm starting to like 18x20 patterns as well - found more spin and was hitting more aggressively. Seems to be in the same direction as favoring a firmer/more control oriented/"boardier" string set up.

[Power Player]

Ok this is really nice info. The PLX I have never used in my life and it sounds a lot like 4G.

[pvaudio]

If I can't smell the resin, the tension's not high enough.

[Power Player]

PV, anything out there that can compete with 4G for me?

[pvaudio]

Honestly, given that I don't like 4G and you love its tension stability, I may not be the one to ask. However, I would be remiss if I did not recommend anything from Signum Pro or Weisscannon. WC Silverstring, for instance, becomes TERRIBLY boardy when strung above 55lbs in my experience. It's not a soft string by any means, but it feels like wood to me at 60. The control, however, is off the charts. And I would put Silverstring against anything but SPPP as far as tension stability goes. I don't think anything from Lux is even in the same league. Even at your tension, it's not going to be a pillow. It will feel firm, but not boardy. The string just has too much feel for that.