whats the big deal with natural gut?
- Thread starter wyutani
- Start date
The power, feel , comfort, and control is like no other.Also if you are not a typical stringbreaker like myself,the string lasts a great while, as I hit a relatively flat ball, the string is very playable until it breaks, so for many(certainly not for all), it is very economical as well.Cost is only one variable. Even if not cost effective for the big string breakers, the characteristics of the string make it worth while for some.Everyone has their preferences, not only with string, but tensions as well.
As for the string,
Elongation, natural gut will stretch further allowing the string to absorb more energy.
Elasticity, what stretches must recover and the recovery rate of natural gut is unmatched by any synthetic. Natural gut is a product of nature, not man, and by design it will seek its origional state after its stretched and upon release. Polyester is the exact opposite as it does not recover to its origional state.
Tension maintenance, nat. gut's recovery rate is what sets it apart from all other strings. It will stretch and recover at a phenomenal rate and retain a higher % of the origional strung tension than any other string on the market.Basically its the strings elongation, elasticity, and tension maintenance that makes natural gut special.
Last edited:
As has been stated on this board before, it is simple math on whether gut is "more expensive". Cheaper is not always "less expensive".
For anyone's own cost analysis, figure cost of your own strings/stringing per year.
Example, if you pay $50.00 for a gut string job and it lasts you 6 months, you're looking @ $100.00 per year for string.
If you pay $30.00 for a synth string job and it lasts you only 3 months, you're looking @ $120.00 per year for string. (You would also have way more tension loss with the synth job in between string jobs, whereas the gut plays virtually the same until it breaks)
The biggest variable is how often you break strings. Other variables would be cost of string/stringing.
For anyone's own cost analysis, figure cost of your own strings/stringing per year.
Example, if you pay $50.00 for a gut string job and it lasts you 6 months, you're looking @ $100.00 per year for string.
If you pay $30.00 for a synth string job and it lasts you only 3 months, you're looking @ $120.00 per year for string. (You would also have way more tension loss with the synth job in between string jobs, whereas the gut plays virtually the same until it breaks)
The biggest variable is how often you break strings. Other variables would be cost of string/stringing.
Fed Kennedy
Legend
My serve is so explosive with natural gut comapred to anything
Which do you use for the mains?
The VERY BEST!!!
Jim e- Your analysis could not be more perfect!!! Gut is the "BEST"! I use it as a cross w/ALU Power, great power, feel & Spin! I have tried a variety of strings nothing compares to GUT! Currently trying Revenge in the mains & Gut in crosses, great combo. I have a few Pure Drives with combinations of gut & poly(BB/Power, Revenge) and a full bed of VS Gut, to try out. Absolutely love the gut(VS)....but the Poly usually goes dead before the gut! Haven't hit with a full bed of gut yet....but I am almost sure it will outlast a Hybird!
Jim e- Your analysis could not be more perfect!!! Gut is the "BEST"! I use it as a cross w/ALU Power, great power, feel & Spin! I have tried a variety of strings nothing compares to GUT! Currently trying Revenge in the mains & Gut in crosses, great combo. I have a few Pure Drives with combinations of gut & poly(BB/Power, Revenge) and a full bed of VS Gut, to try out. Absolutely love the gut(VS)....but the Poly usually goes dead before the gut! Haven't hit with a full bed of gut yet....but I am almost sure it will outlast a Hybird!
VS Gut & Alu-Power
Alu BB/Power in the mains & VS Gut in the crosses.....great combo. But everyone has there own feel. Incredible power, spin & feel!!!!
Alu BB/Power in the mains & VS Gut in the crosses.....great combo. But everyone has there own feel. Incredible power, spin & feel!!!!
ClubHoUno
Banned
Read Jim e's post.
He says it there. This is why Natty gut is expensive and the best performing string for none strings breakers and people, who don't hit with maximum topspin.
I do feel the power of a full bed of VS NATTY GUT is too pwerfull in my Pure Storm Tour GT, therefore I'm buying 3 low powered Pure Storm Limited GT, with low power and dense string pattern, just so that I can play with a full bed of VS Natty gut. VS NAT GUT helped me back in the game again after a loooooong break from tennis because of severe Tennis Elbow.
So I'm thankfull to Nat gut - and needs to celebrate its wonderful qualities in a low powered smallish frame, like the Pure Storm Limited GT frame
He says it there. This is why Natty gut is expensive and the best performing string for none strings breakers and people, who don't hit with maximum topspin.
I do feel the power of a full bed of VS NATTY GUT is too pwerfull in my Pure Storm Tour GT, therefore I'm buying 3 low powered Pure Storm Limited GT, with low power and dense string pattern, just so that I can play with a full bed of VS Natty gut. VS NAT GUT helped me back in the game again after a loooooong break from tennis because of severe Tennis Elbow.
So I'm thankfull to Nat gut - and needs to celebrate its wonderful qualities in a low powered smallish frame, like the Pure Storm Limited GT frame
parasailing
Legend
Aside from all the benefits of what others have said, the biggest benefit is that it allows people who suffer from arm, elbow, and shoulder injuries to play tennis.
"Natural gut used to be the most resilient string available, but synthetic gut has caught up to the point where testing indicates that advanced players who aren't told which they are using often can't tell the difference."
http://tennis.about.com/od/tennisstringsfaq/f/faqstrings38.htm
fwiw...not taking a position and don't know the specifics of "testing."
http://tennis.about.com/od/tennisstringsfaq/f/faqstrings38.htm
fwiw...not taking a position and don't know the specifics of "testing."
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
^^
I clicked the link and read the comment. I really couldn't disagree more. Natural gut does not break quickly, it has a great life and is playable from day one to day last.
With regard to expense, I think it is actually cheaper. You might as well cut poly out after 10 hours (less if you hit harder) and restring. Poly is about half the price of gut and it has to be restrung 3X as much.
I will concede that some synthetics feel about as good as natural gut on the first hit. But, that feeling doesn't last over the life of the string job.
For some folks, the single biggest reason to use gut is arm health. It is, by far and away, the best thing you can do for an ailing arm.
I also think control and spin potential are as good with gut as poly. There is a little different technique involved, but I find I can hit anything I need to. And, gut is far and away better with regard to touch which makes it friendlier around the net.
I clicked the link and read the comment. I really couldn't disagree more. Natural gut does not break quickly, it has a great life and is playable from day one to day last.
With regard to expense, I think it is actually cheaper. You might as well cut poly out after 10 hours (less if you hit harder) and restring. Poly is about half the price of gut and it has to be restrung 3X as much.
I will concede that some synthetics feel about as good as natural gut on the first hit. But, that feeling doesn't last over the life of the string job.
For some folks, the single biggest reason to use gut is arm health. It is, by far and away, the best thing you can do for an ailing arm.
I also think control and spin potential are as good with gut as poly. There is a little different technique involved, but I find I can hit anything I need to. And, gut is far and away better with regard to touch which makes it friendlier around the net.
It is a good combo, but an awfully expensive one. I found myself restringing every 4 hours with Lux crosses and gut mains. As a result, I searched long and hard for a string that played like Lux but lasted much longer. I ended up selecting Weisscannon SilverString after fairly extensive playtesting. It's not quite as crisp as Lux initially, but it retains it's playability at least 4x longer than Lux. Much more economical.
wyutani
Hall of Fame
Natural gut used to be the most resilient string available, but synthetic gut has caught up to the point where testing indicates that advanced players who aren't told which they are using often can't tell the difference. Natural gut breaks faster and reacts badly to moisture and humidity, but it still has loyal users who can afford the expensive and frequent restringing.
That article has no reference to the test. As far as it reacting badly to moisture and humidity, I question that as well, as it holds up fine, especially the newer guts of today compared to the guts of years ago.
I totally disagree with that article.I have used a lot of synthetics, and although some high end multi strings come close, none still matches nat. gut.
Even Richard Parnell at the 2008 stringers symposium stated that nat. gut is set apart from all other strings, and I agree with that over the article posted here.
kensan
Rookie
Til now I'm still trying to understand what it is, but I'll try to put into words.
I currently use a natural gut main - poly cross setup and am (trying to anyway) hitting through more than ripping huge topspin shots. Hitting this type of shot with natural gut, there's some kind of a catcher's mitt (some people call it a pocket) that allows me to feel the ball onto my strings and off of it resulting in power and control.
With an all-poly setup, I don't have that same catcher's mitt feel. In fact I have no feel at all on groundies with poly, so I have to compensate by hitting a lot of topspin.
Best I can describe it anyway.
I currently use a natural gut main - poly cross setup and am (trying to anyway) hitting through more than ripping huge topspin shots. Hitting this type of shot with natural gut, there's some kind of a catcher's mitt (some people call it a pocket) that allows me to feel the ball onto my strings and off of it resulting in power and control.
With an all-poly setup, I don't have that same catcher's mitt feel. In fact I have no feel at all on groundies with poly, so I have to compensate by hitting a lot of topspin.
Best I can describe it anyway.
ac3111
Professional
For me strategy/technique is chinese to me...
If you do not want to spend some much on gut, get Babolat Tonic 16g gut...
It is still gut better than multis and cheaper actually. X-1 B-phase has a cost of 21-22 euros and Tonic 25... It is so close that I think it does not worth it buying X-One...
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
It really depends how you hit. Many people wear through poly in much less than 10 hours... Imagine what they do with Gut. The rest of your points are very valid though. The new Synths don't play horrible, they're just not the best out there
To the OP, aside from all the obviously helpful posts you can find above (being sincere here, not sarcastic), Gut is only as good as what you do with it. First time ever playing gut I hit with a very solid 14yo and wasn't impressed at all. Then I stepped it up and hit with his dad with the same frame and WOW what a difference. There has to be something on the ball for the "gut" effect to take place. Same as poly. If you simply hit flat or keep the pace level low enough that you're not impacting the string bed, gut's simply an expensive, arm-friendly synthetic. As you step it up though, you'll find some really nice results. It's a unique experience
goosala
Hall of Fame
If you are not a string breaker than natural gut is not a bad option to try. I break strings about every three outings with a string job so for me syn gut is still the best option and cheapest. Multifilament strings are the next best option like Tecnifibre NRG, X-One Biphase, etc.
You're crazy. Do you work for the Wilson Corporation by any chance?
There is no comparison between Natural Gut and any Synthetic, that's why Natural Gut is on a resurgence.
Look at the technical data on this website:
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/issues/200809/200809allstrings.html
If you sort by stiffness you can tell that Natural Gut is pretty much all in it's own ballpark as far as stiffness and tension loss.
Most of the Multi's that claim to be "just like gut" are not even close.
There are some rarely used weird strings like Ashway Dynamite or Isospeed Pro Classic, or Head IntelliTour in the middle somewhere that are closer but even those are not in the same area as gut.
And Natural Gut does not necessarily break any faster then a cheap multi. It actually has a lower tension loss rate, and if you dont break strings it usually does not break any sooner as well.
And the Moisture and Humidity problem isnt such a big deal anymore, it has coating on it.
You've never used it so I dont know why you're crying about it, yet another silly person commenting on a product that you've never used.
How old are you? Are you jealous because all your friends are using a better string that you dont want to pay for? If you like the strings that you are using then just do your own thing then and be happy about it.
If you want real knowledge though (and not just an avenue for making some stubborn silly rant) then ask away.
How old are you? You must be in high school or something, you probably have no clue what rich is....
xHBvi3tbOix
Rookie
holy crap! I would never pay $30 to string a syn gut. and why, when natural gut goes for $30 would you pay only $50 for string and a string job when syn gut goes for $30 when it costs only $4 for the string. Where do you string your racquets?
Typically syn gut loses playability or snaps by the end of a week. I have never played w/ natural gut before so I cant judge. But if I was paying to get my racquets restrung at your prices I would be broke.
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
Yeah, if you read my post, I said "10 hours (less if you hit harder)..."
mawashi
Hall of Fame
What I don't get is how a guy who focuses on strategy/technique can play with 2 sticks, one for serving n another for receiving games?
wyutani, natural gut is an amazing string but is more suited for those who hit through rather than spin.
Poly used to be the bottom of the food chain, few pros would touch the stuff. It's only when baseline bashing became the norm did poly started to dominate as it was pretty much the only thing out there other than kevlar that could take the beating.
You must have only started playing cus gut was the string of choice till bout 5 to 8 yrs ago.
mawashi
mawashi
Hall of Fame
Yeah fedace, sure sure :roll:
I live in singapore where the humidity is like 80-90 all year round n still gut when taken care of do last a pretty long time n it NEVER goes dead.
Gut will fray n break but it never goes dead.
My dad's dunlop maxply Lew Hoad (now mine) still has it's gut strings from god know how long ago.
Fed, you've been on the boards like forever n you don't know what's the cheapest gut around?
mawashi
Nothing plays like gut--nothing. Don't let anyone tell you some synthetic or multi plays just like gut--it doesn't. Gut is made from intestines, muscle tissue, therefore it is resilient, holds tension well, and gives you feedback you can't get from any other string. Unfortunately the power racquets of today have made gut less popular as people use the less powerful polys to try an tame that power--but unless you hit like Gonzalez or Soderling you can still benefit from using gut. Besides, due to the better manufacturing processes of today's gut they don't break all that fast--most polys will have gone dead long before you break a gut string.
Fedace
Banned
Yea whatever..... i guess you don't hit the ball as hard as i do. gut does go dead in humid conditions. it turns off white color and loses control
Tofuspeedstar
Banned
It's the Rolls Royce of tennis strings.
mawashi
Hall of Fame
U sure what you've got is gut, I've never heard nor experienced gut going dead. Never go the chance to see gut go white cus they usually fray n break before that stage.
Yeah, I don't hit that hard I just go through a string job every 2 weeks, my friends go theirs in less than a week.
But some pp prefer yugos LOL!
mawashi
wyutani
Hall of Fame
still confuse to why natural gut is expensive. i mean , its made from cow intestines, yes, but cows arent endangered or anything. there are a whole bundle of em....
millions and millions of cows and still the gut is expensive. how many cows do we need b4, it is as cheap as poly strings?
millions and millions of cows and still the gut is expensive. how many cows do we need b4, it is as cheap as poly strings?
wyutani
Hall of Fame
you do know both racquets are similar right? those similar, they both have different tension. tigher for receiving, looser strings for serve.
now stop bugging me about using 2 sticks.
mawashi
Hall of Fame
LOL! Pardon me oh I now see you've changed from the KPS88 to the Dunlop Maxply Mcenroe for serves LOL!
Less than a month ago you were raving bout how good the 88 was.
Ok I'll stop bugging you bout using 2 sticks... I wonder how many sticks you'll use when you're old enough to play doubles LOL!
mawashi
chalkflewup
Hall of Fame
Crazy but fun question. How many cows does it take to string a stick with gut? I thought I read something like 6. Does anyone know?
three cows
jim_e is correct with the answer of 3 cows according to this: http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/Naturalgut.html
wyutani
Hall of Fame
wot u blabbering about? i broke my kps88 and i cant afford to buy another one. wot u making fun of poor ppl now?
do you feel big now? dude, ur pathetic. seriously.
Apparently besides not being an economic's major you are not very versed in production techniques.
Someone has to make the string. (can you do it?, since there are millions and millions of cows...?)
It's not some sort of cheap plastic like synthetic material that can be mass produced in a factory, it's a lot more difficult to produce.
However you can get it for dirt cheap if you're willing to deal with a lesser quality gut (like Global Gut or Gaucho Gut which are made in India, rather then in France).
mawashi
Hall of Fame
I feel fine actually n get real dude I rather be spending my time playing tennis than arguing with the likes of you :roll:
Not too often do I see a poor guy with a KPS88 :lol: to top it off you've replace it with a Dunlop Maxply Mcenroe?
I'm calling your bluff but as far as this threads concerned, nuff said.
mawashi
dozu
Banned
because you are not good enough to feel the difference yet.
mawashi
Hall of Fame
I doubt he's even old enough to study economics. Either that or he didn't study very hard.
mawashi
wyutani
Hall of Fame
damn dude, u are surely bored. u said u rather spend time on tennis rather than arguing here but yet here you are.
ur posts are senseless.
mawashi
Hall of Fame
You claim you live in HK, if so then you know what time it is now.
It's pass your bed time isn't it LOL!
Little one you're not even a good liar so let me put it into context for you, nearly five thousand posts yet you have:
1. 2 different sticks one for serving one for receiving.
2. 2 different sticks with different tensions no less.
3. Zero knowledge of strings.
4. Claim that you only buy tennis gear that makes you look good.
5. Claim that you focus on strategy/technique yet you post these gems:
On Transferring to Semi-western Grip
Regarding Ball In The Middle Who's Ball Is It
Need I go on n my posts are senseless LOL?
Did you give your former coach a coronary?
mawashi
Yeah I'm bored as I can't play at this time of night!
