so THAT'S what all the hype is about! (nat gut)

played nat gut for the first time yesterday. Wow, now I understand. I strung up the 17g Babolat VS in the mains at 54 and my usual mains string, Tour Bite 17g poly, in the crosses at 48. I had done a fair amount of consulting others before hand to try to get a sense of what tensions I should go with relative to my usual set-up (TB mains @ 50, Gosen micro sheep crosses @ 55) But I guess I sort of lucked out that the tension would up feeling so ideal.

Every aspect about this set-up I loved. The feel of every shot is just so comfortable yet solid. The ball stays on the strings forever, but there is still a crisp pop. Any awkward defensive block which usually feels like a jarring thud instead felt like a buttery sweet spot hit. I'm a believer!

Now I guess the only question is how long I can get from this string-job.

Do you guys keep gut strung racqeuts in plastic bags when not in use? I've seen guys do this, does it really make a difference in preserving the freashness of the strings?

I get about 15-20 hours out of my set up. Probably could get longer but I like the initial feel during this time and am fortunate enough that I can afford it.
Between playing I just keep mine in a cool dry closet. Do take them out of the tennis bag and wipe them down just incase any grit got on there.
I know this is the best set up for me and it's nice not to be worrying about what kind of strings to try next. I get to think only about tactics and technique.

I do try different stings and sets up on my 3rd racquet, but that is only to help my customers make their own stringing decisions. Mine is a done deal!!

performance wise, gut mains + poly crosses do feel fantastic.

the only issue here is that the poly will die in a few hours, and the gut will still be good as new.

I am about to try some syngut crosses and will post in the forum what I find out.

Would love to try it, but the price is too high for me. Anything less expensive that comes close?

BMC9670 said:

Would love to try it, but the price is too high for me. Anything less expensive that comes close?

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in another thread I mentioned that Forten Sweet 16 mains + poly crosses feel almost as good as gut/poly combo, except the nylon only lasts 5 hours or so for me...

I am gonna cross the Forten with some synguts and see what happens.... but if you don't break strings that often, the nylon's lack of durability may not be an issue.

jk175d said:

Every aspect about this set-up I loved. The feel of every shot is just so comfortable yet solid. The ball stays on the strings forever, but there is still a crisp pop. Any awkward defensive block which usually feels like a jarring thud instead felt like a buttery sweet spot hit. I'm a believer!

Now I guess the only question is how long I can get from this string-job.

Click to expand...

Actually natural gut holds tension extremely well even though it frayed all the way to the last fiber. See the picture below. The racquet owner said he used this set of gut for long time. When we cut it, it feels like cutting fresh string.

I love the gut main/poly cross set up -- VS 17 @ 53 / Black Code 18 @ 47.

The only thing remotely close less expensive IMO is X-ONE Biphase but still nothing beats Nat gut.

suppawat said:

Actually natural gut holds tension extremely well even though it frayed all the way to the last fiber. See the picture below. The racquet owner said he used this set of gut for long time. When we cut it, it feels like cutting fresh string.

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wow this is an amazing picture - the guy certainly knows how to hit the sweet spot !

dozu said:

performance wise, gut mains + poly crosses do feel fantastic.

the only issue here is that the poly will die in a few hours, and the gut will still be good as new.

I am about to try some syngut crosses and will post in the forum what I find out.

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Though i love the gut/poly hybrid, i am going back to full bed of natural gut on my PS85's because of this issue.

rudester said:

Though i love the gut/poly hybrid, i am going back to full bed of natural gut on my PS85's because of this issue.

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oh that makes sense.... for an 85 size head, poly is not a good option.

dozu said:

performance wise, gut mains + poly crosses do feel fantastic.

the only issue here is that the poly will die in a few hours, and the gut will still be good as new.

I am about to try some syngut crosses and will post in the forum what I find out.

Click to expand...

I tend to get pretty good milage out of poly mains and syn gut crosses. Much longer than a lot of people here who say they go dead after a few hours. A full bed has a shorter lifespan imo. But in Hybrid I think the polys still play great for 3-4 weeks. (which means about 15hrs a week for me). Perhaps poly at higher tension goes dead feeling quicker, but I don't think poly plays well to begin with at much over 50lbs. I think the lower tension may also contribute to longer life.

Anyway, so I'm hopefull to get at least 20-30 hours.