TennisMaverick
Banned
Interchangeable. Confirmed!
BB Melbourne Club
- Thread starter TennisMaverick
- Start date
Interchangeable. Confirmed!
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Poly update
Have just strung my Melly with Pro's Pro Blackout, I strung it at 52lbs and it feels closer to 58lbs in this racket, which is close to were I liked TB in my Vantage bc20. This string however is softer and its feel off the stringbed is similar to TB after a several hrs of play. The relative softness of the string aids the cupping affect of the stringbed.
I would say that this German string actually is Black Code/B5E and I will deffo get a reel of it at the price (£30-200m reel)
Just a garden test so far but will get out on court and let you know how it plays, as for now the feel is really comfortable like Silverstring with more bite like BlackCode/b5e and the power seems similar to those and TB.
Court time will tell, the feel is better in the Melly than TB's metallic twang and the dwell time from the off, meaning I can string tighter is a bonus as the Melly is powerful.
No twang off the outer central strings too!
Just need to see if the ball drops in on the line like tour bite!
Gonna test a number of softer polys to try and find something with the bite of TB but has that softness that aids that cupping affect.
Looks nice too.....
Have just strung my Melly with Pro's Pro Blackout, I strung it at 52lbs and it feels closer to 58lbs in this racket, which is close to were I liked TB in my Vantage bc20. This string however is softer and its feel off the stringbed is similar to TB after a several hrs of play. The relative softness of the string aids the cupping affect of the stringbed.
I would say that this German string actually is Black Code/B5E and I will deffo get a reel of it at the price (£30-200m reel)
Just a garden test so far but will get out on court and let you know how it plays, as for now the feel is really comfortable like Silverstring with more bite like BlackCode/b5e and the power seems similar to those and TB.
Court time will tell, the feel is better in the Melly than TB's metallic twang and the dwell time from the off, meaning I can string tighter is a bonus as the Melly is powerful.
No twang off the outer central strings too!
Just need to see if the ball drops in on the line like tour bite!
Gonna test a number of softer polys to try and find something with the bite of TB but has that softness that aids that cupping affect.
Looks nice too.....
TennisMaverick
Banned
Looks great, but you need a matching dampener. The blue's gotta go!
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
TennisMaverick
Banned
Cosmetic advice? And you said they didn't matter...
Doesn't matter to me, but meaghan's a famous artist. That was my critique of his work!
Kot_Bigemot
Professional
Cosmetic advice? And you said they didn't matter...
Yeah REALLY! Whats up with that TM???
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Haha its kinda superstition, i keep coming back to the blue!
Tbh the black sampras doesnt quite have the same feel as the Bab O, the red bab O would go as the Melly has some red touches. Pacific white O is too big.
Now a nice orange O would be good......what do you recommend, humour me :lol:
**** Tennis has soft O dampeners that feel just like the Babolat ones. They're black with orange "**** Tennis" on them or orange with black "**** Tennis" on them. They're $3 each. I have a few of each and they're great.
Would go perfect with the Melbournes.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Thanks, they look rather clay coloured, BB orange is ORANGE
Is it just the foto or are they rather dull?
Thy're definitely not a bright orange, so I suppose they are a bit more dull.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
sadly not for me then
Just going to try my black Samp see if it feels better with these softer strings!
EDIT: SampDamp no good, the Bab O just has the right pitch and dampening.......blue it is then.
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TennisMaverick
Banned
sadly not for me then
Just going to try my black Samp see if it feels better with these softer strings!
EDIT: SampDamp no good, the Bab O just has the right pitch and dampening.......blue it is then.
Black Paint has to be easily found all over your domicile!
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
You won't be too surprised to find that I've tried but it don't work mav ha, let it go, I'm ok with it.....
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
I suspect that the bb damps are the same as the volkl ones and they may well change the sound frequency of the stringbed but its not to my liking, the babs dampen more.
The update on the pros pro blackout poly in this frame....the strung was stiffer than I thought and I should of strung it lower like my tb about 49lbs. although it felt a little stiff it played very well and after it had settled I could feel the dwell time increase and the touch improved. It was a tough day weather wise, cold with heavy balls but played 5 sets and got a good ideaabout the set up, enough to know I liked it a lot. Gonna try a few more, got a softer similar string on its way, it will be interesting at least for me to see how it goes.
Murray_fan1
Professional
Hey Meaghan,
Question in regards to stringing your Melbourne. I think you had mentioned previously that you string 7lbs higher to compensate for the constant pull machine you use
When you say stringing it at 49 are you setting the tension on you tension head at 56 to make it comparable to a cp reference tension or is your tension head set at 49 making it closer to 43lbs cp. I am trying to be the right tension combo with my Melbourne and find your posts about the stick and strings very helpful
Thanks
Question in regards to stringing your Melbourne. I think you had mentioned previously that you string 7lbs higher to compensate for the constant pull machine you use
When you say stringing it at 49 are you setting the tension on you tension head at 56 to make it comparable to a cp reference tension or is your tension head set at 49 making it closer to 43lbs cp. I am trying to be the right tension combo with my Melbourne and find your posts about the stick and strings very helpful
Thanks
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Hi, yes 56lbs on my crank is equivalent to 49lbs (-7lbs).
Mav recommended stringing lower and my 49lbs felt mid 50's+, if I was to string tb again I would go about 45 lbs and id be bang on it from the off (remember I used to string my bc20 @58lbs with tb so this its my melbourne equivalent).
I strung my blackout at 52lbs (59lbs on the crank) thinking it was more elastic, it wasn't it was softer yes but just as stiff. It actually felt about 60 which its too boardy for me and you lose any of the superb dwell time and cupping feel that these rackets create. A reason I'm testing softer polys to get the right balance.
Let us know what you decide and how you get on. There's not enough melbourne/poly info on this thread so it will be informative.
TennisMaverick
Banned
If you guys double-pull the crosses with a crank, you come much closer to a CP machine.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Any news....?? did you string the Melly with TB or the new 7sided Tourna??
Murray_fan1
Professional
Hey Meaghan,
Sadly I have not strung up the Melbourne with and new string combo just yet. We have had nothing but miserable weather here ( snow followed by freezing rain) and have not been able to get out. Going to play indoors tomorrow and I think the Melly could do with a restring. I will let you know how it turns out. Not sure what tension, thinking 49lbs????? From what I am hearing Black 7 is a fairly powerful string so maybe I should string slightly higher? On another note I bought another Melbourne today so I can start testing out different tensions , weights etc. Looks like this is edging out the 400 Tour ATM.
Sadly I have not strung up the Melbourne with and new string combo just yet. We have had nothing but miserable weather here ( snow followed by freezing rain) and have not been able to get out. Going to play indoors tomorrow and I think the Melly could do with a restring. I will let you know how it turns out. Not sure what tension, thinking 49lbs????? From what I am hearing Black 7 is a fairly powerful string so maybe I should string slightly higher? On another note I bought another Melbourne today so I can start testing out different tensions , weights etc. Looks like this is edging out the 400 Tour ATM.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
What have your experiences on court been like with the Melbourne to edge it over the bio 400T?
Im interested in the 7 myself and will pick up a set soon, if its anything like a couple of the black shaped polys Ive tried then it should work well in the melbourne, softer with a bit of pop. Id still go with about 49 as imo it would still be around mid 50's in stringbed stiffness, mid range that should work well, go from there. These polys seem to come alive when they are strung around this tension......
Murray_fan1
Professional
The Melbourne quite frankly fits my game better ATM. I really like the effortless power of the 400 Tour but find I need to play a little more one dimensional with that stick to be effective. The power, spin is very addictive but is a little lacking in the feel department. I find the Melbourne gives me more options if I want to flatten out my shots without the fear of hitting long, has better feel for touch shots but still has enough power and spin potential to make it more forgiving than your traditional players stick. I have not given up on the 400 Tour but I am leaning towards the Melbourne as it is such a versatile stick.
I think I will stick with 49 as it worked well with Black Magic.
How are you making out with the Melly? Still the best of the bunch so far? I see from the racquetaholics thread that you are looking into a Vcore 95D?
I think I will stick with 49 as it worked well with Black Magic.
How are you making out with the Melly? Still the best of the bunch so far? I see from the racquetaholics thread that you are looking into a Vcore 95D?
Murray_fan1
Professional
Forgot to mention the person I bought the Melbourne off included a set of
Blackout and Vendetta to try out so will do a direct comparison between Blackout, Tourbite and Tourna's Black 7
Blackout and Vendetta to try out so will do a direct comparison between Blackout, Tourbite and Tourna's Black 7
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
The blackout needs to be string low its rather stiff but soft at the same time.
Yeah as a founder racketaholic I like a looksy and tbh before my dnx10 mids it was a close call between them and a yonex mid. the melbourne is too good tbh but I'd still like a hit with the new 95. There was always something about yonex mids that enabled me to swing away.
TennisMaverick
Banned
Have you customized the frame at all?
Murray_fan1
Professional
Not as much as I would like as I just haven't had much court time of late. I want to try the athletic tape suggestion at 3 & 9 as it would be easy to do on court and adjust as necessary. That being said I do like how the stick plays stock. The reason I purchased another stick was to allow me to try different tensions and lead placement.
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Murray_fan1
Professional
Fresh set of Tourna Black 7 installed in the Melbourne - Went 48 lbs Mains/Crosses (crank machine). Lots of good feedback from other play testers regarding this string so I have very high hopes for this set up. I have also added some lead covering the bottom six mains ( 1/4 inch each side ) as TMav suggested and will let you know how it goes.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Cool I also want to try the 7 in this frame, sounds like a good combo.
Let us now how that mod works for you.
Murray_fan1
Professional
Meaghan,
Have you ever hit with the Volkl Organix 10 325? My recent foray with the Melbourne has me wondering about this stick again. Interested to see if you ever tried this stick?
Have you ever hit with the Volkl Organix 10 325? My recent foray with the Melbourne has me wondering about this stick again. Interested to see if you ever tried this stick?
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
No but it does look interesting. Mav did a comparison I think??
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Just strung the Melbourne up with b5e mains (1.24) and Discho Iontec crosses (1.20) @45lbs.
Only had a short hit but its the best set up so far, feel is real plush, its a very powerful set up but the spin from the pentagonally shaped b5e against the slippery copoly crosses is excellent. Real nice thud sound coming from the stringbed. As I said a short hit, will need to see how it performs in a match situation.
Very interested in these poly/poly hybrid combos, trying to find something with the bite I normally get from stiffer strings but with the softness that enhances this rackets feel, ball cupping and dwell time.
Getting better all the time!
Mav, just a question, whats the Volkl V-Engine Tour 10 MP play like?
Only had a short hit but its the best set up so far, feel is real plush, its a very powerful set up but the spin from the pentagonally shaped b5e against the slippery copoly crosses is excellent. Real nice thud sound coming from the stringbed. As I said a short hit, will need to see how it performs in a match situation.
Very interested in these poly/poly hybrid combos, trying to find something with the bite I normally get from stiffer strings but with the softness that enhances this rackets feel, ball cupping and dwell time.
Getting better all the time!
Mav, just a question, whats the Volkl V-Engine Tour 10 MP play like?
Mav is in exile. You might want to try his email.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Oh yeah I see thanks.....thought I hadnt heard from him in a while!
Agent Orynge
Professional
Excellent question.
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djNEiGht
Legend
in regards to another racquet, i clicked on his screen name and the option to send an email...don't know if he got it though.
PED
Legend
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
I had another Melbourne arrive the other day and 2hrs later a BB Legend also arrived, happy days, you can imagine how excited I was, the postman looked a bit concerned when he saw my 6ft3 frame wearing the wife's dressing down come hurtling down the stairs with a manic expression of glee upon ones face...........fortunately he didnt turn and run!!
Anyways been trying out some poly/poly hybrd set ups.
The b5e/Iontec worked very well, nice feel, prob bit too soft.
Next up was Tourna7 mains Timo 1.10 crosses in my second Melbourne strung at 47lbs. Gotta say this is lively, so much power and spin, control was also there, I hit a few long but in the main, good depth, from some very hard hitting rallies, the ball coming back as fast as it came off my strings. My serve and fh liked this set up a lot, angles were great, pounding flatties also. My bh and volleys didnt like it as much, personally I think its the thin crosses, the feel is spot on, crisp from the tourna7, grippy like tour-bite-lite, but the feel wasnt full enough, it was on and off the strings too quick. That said it could be remedied with the Timo 1.22 gauge. Will try that at a later date as this set up had so much going for it.
Next up in the Legend was supposedly the best of the last two play tests, Tourna7 mains/Iontec crosses but unfortunately I didnt have enough Tourna7 so I went with what Im used to and a string that is close to the Tourna7. So Tour Bite took its place once more and I crossed it with Iontec @49lbs.
I felt originally that TB was a bit harsh in a full bed, hence the playtests but crossed with the Iontec, a plush, semi-powerful co-poly with a great shelf life, this set up was just bliss. Ball on a string type of tennis, powerful but not overly, spin was great but feel is what I was looking for and this produced the goods, more thudding than twanging, everything just worked real well.
It was also my first outing with the Legend, I modded it a bit, several grams at 12, some in the handle, og, damp, leather grip, just a super stable rock of a racket. Both the Melbourne and Legend modded to a similar spec play the same, they are the same racket imo just lay ups are different. Again like Volkl did with the pb10mid from the dnx10 mid, they have made the Melbourne an easier to use Legend, leaded up they play the same.
The two new sticks are super stable, unfortunately my original Melbourne has the slightest of vibration in the upper hoop, its not affecting my game but its an annoying flutter, anyone else have this, any remedies??
Anyways been trying out some poly/poly hybrd set ups.
The b5e/Iontec worked very well, nice feel, prob bit too soft.
Next up was Tourna7 mains Timo 1.10 crosses in my second Melbourne strung at 47lbs. Gotta say this is lively, so much power and spin, control was also there, I hit a few long but in the main, good depth, from some very hard hitting rallies, the ball coming back as fast as it came off my strings. My serve and fh liked this set up a lot, angles were great, pounding flatties also. My bh and volleys didnt like it as much, personally I think its the thin crosses, the feel is spot on, crisp from the tourna7, grippy like tour-bite-lite, but the feel wasnt full enough, it was on and off the strings too quick. That said it could be remedied with the Timo 1.22 gauge. Will try that at a later date as this set up had so much going for it.
Next up in the Legend was supposedly the best of the last two play tests, Tourna7 mains/Iontec crosses but unfortunately I didnt have enough Tourna7 so I went with what Im used to and a string that is close to the Tourna7. So Tour Bite took its place once more and I crossed it with Iontec @49lbs.
I felt originally that TB was a bit harsh in a full bed, hence the playtests but crossed with the Iontec, a plush, semi-powerful co-poly with a great shelf life, this set up was just bliss. Ball on a string type of tennis, powerful but not overly, spin was great but feel is what I was looking for and this produced the goods, more thudding than twanging, everything just worked real well.
It was also my first outing with the Legend, I modded it a bit, several grams at 12, some in the handle, og, damp, leather grip, just a super stable rock of a racket. Both the Melbourne and Legend modded to a similar spec play the same, they are the same racket imo just lay ups are different. Again like Volkl did with the pb10mid from the dnx10 mid, they have made the Melbourne an easier to use Legend, leaded up they play the same.
The two new sticks are super stable, unfortunately my original Melbourne has the slightest of vibration in the upper hoop, its not affecting my game but its an annoying flutter, anyone else have this, any remedies??
I had another Melbourne arrive the other day and 2hrs later a BB Legend also arrived, happy days, you can imagine how excited I was, the postman looked a bit concerned when he saw my 6ft3 frame wearing the wife's dressing down come hurtling down the stairs with a manic expression of glee upon ones face...........fortunately he didnt turn and run!!
Anyways been trying out some poly/poly hybrd set ups.
The b5e/Iontec worked very well, nice feel, prob bit too soft.
Next up was Tourna7 mains Timo 1.10 crosses in my second Melbourne strung at 47lbs. Gotta say this is lively, so much power and spin, control was also there, I hit a few long but in the main, good depth, from some very hard hitting rallies, the ball coming back as fast as it came off my strings. My serve and fh liked this set up a lot, angles were great, pounding flatties also. My bh and volleys didnt like it as much, personally I think its the thin crosses, the feel is spot on, crisp from the tourna7, grippy like tour-bite-lite, but the feel wasnt full enough, it was on and off the strings too quick. That said it could be remedied with the Timo 1.22 gauge. Will try that at a later date as this set up had so much going for it.
Next up in the Legend was supposedly the best of the last two play tests, Tourna7 mains/Iontec crosses but unfortunately I didnt have enough Tourna7 so I went with what Im used to and a string that is close to the Tourna7. So Tour Bite took its place once more and I crossed it with Iontec @49lbs.
I felt originally that TB was a bit harsh in a full bed, hence the playtests but crossed with the Iontec, a plush, semi-powerful co-poly with a great shelf life, this set up was just bliss. Ball on a string type of tennis, powerful but not overly, spin was great but feel is what I was looking for and this produced the goods, more thudding than twanging, everything just worked real well.
It was also my first outing with the Legend, I modded it a bit, several grams at 12, some in the handle, og, damp, leather grip, just a super stable rock of a racket. Both the Melbourne and Legend modded to a similar spec play the same, they are the same racket imo just lay ups are different. Again like Volkl did with the pb10mid from the dnx10 mid, they have made the Melbourne an easier to use Legend, leaded up they play the same.
The two new sticks are super stable, unfortunately my original Melbourne has the slightest of vibration in the upper hoop, its not affecting my game but its an annoying flutter, anyone else have this, any remedies??
You know what? I've never actually hybrided TB with anything else before... very interesting.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
No nor me Rossy, never even thought about it until I came across that link on the Diary thread. After hearing the reports about the Iontec I knew it would make an interesting cross. I also think the TB slides beautifully against its slippery round surface creating just as much spin but with so much more feel from the plush cross.
ragingbull1980
Semi-Pro
Hey Melbourne users, I wanted you know your thoughts on the feel of racket in terms of weight versus the BB 11 MP. I love my BB 11 MP and from reading some the reviews this seems like an easy transition to a new frame. Anyhow please share your comparisons.
Kot_Bigemot
Professional
Great racquet. I had to lead it up to about 12.8 oz but, it plays great now. 8 pts HL, 12.8-12.9 oz, strung with Wilson Gut @ 63 Lbs, very stable frame. LOVE IT.
sphinx780
Hall of Fame
RB80-Definitely feels quicker through the air than the BB11 but overall I didn't notice it feeling much different in terms of weight. If anything, just a bit lighter.
Either way it's a spectacular frame for the right user. Mod the grip to your liking, mod the weight to your usual specs and you've got a great weapon on court.
That being said, the BB11MP is more forgiving imo especially if you tend to hit in the upper hoop more often than not. Give yourself some time to learn the nuances, get a feel for it and then sit back and enjoy the ride. I came directly from the BB11 and after one set with the Melbourne, I went back to the BB11MP...played two shots and was back to the Melbourne for good. Yeah, it's that good.
Either way it's a spectacular frame for the right user. Mod the grip to your liking, mod the weight to your usual specs and you've got a great weapon on court.
That being said, the BB11MP is more forgiving imo especially if you tend to hit in the upper hoop more often than not. Give yourself some time to learn the nuances, get a feel for it and then sit back and enjoy the ride. I came directly from the BB11 and after one set with the Melbourne, I went back to the BB11MP...played two shots and was back to the Melbourne for good. Yeah, it's that good.
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ragingbull1980
Semi-Pro
I was hoping you would see my post and answer because I know you came from the BB 11 MP. Good to hear that it is a little lighter as the SW does suggest it to be a little less than the BB 11. Problem is no shop around me has it for demo and I hate to demo it for $20 then turn around and buy it. Anyhow I think I better just demo first. So tempted to purchase it though. It also seems people enjoy this frame with low tensions as is the case for me with the BB 11. I love fully cyclone 17 at 50/47. I shall try the same in the Melbourne.
Kot_Bigemot
Professional
Hey man.
I could not find your email address so, you email me then. shtiblet@gmail.com
I can share some experience with Melbourne and perhaps give you some useful tips on purchasing it. That is if you decide to purchase of course.
