Syn Gut Mains - Awesome!

keithfival

Professional
I gave synthetic mains a second go with Gosen OGSM 17 mains and Isospeed Baseline Speed crosses at 50/50lb on my Wilson PS 85. Like my previous try, this set-up was buttery and spin-friendly, but directional control was erratic when I swung out 100% in a match.

Yeah, I am experiencing this too. I'm really liking the feel/playabiliy of syn/poly in general but I'm definitely still holding back on the FH. Been playing well in singles because I can just play deep to the corners and work the point but played some doubles tonight and definitely couldn't hit through the net guys like I usually do. Going to try one more at higher tension.
 

maxpotapov

Hall of Fame
I gave synthetic mains a second go with Gosen OGSM 17 mains and Isospeed Baseline Speed crosses at 50/50lb on my Wilson PS 85. Like my previous try, this set-up was buttery and spin-friendly, but directional control was erratic when I swung out 100% in a match. It wasn't simply an issue with high power, as I'm used to powerful strings like Tornado that still retains good directional control.

I can definitely see its advantages. It's incredibly arm-friendly with lots of pop and spin. But I must sadly conclude that this set-up is not for everyone, including myself. I prefer a more crisp and firm feel. I also need something that can give me more confidence in control. Overall it was a fun test though.

It's because OGSM is too "weak" and smooth to provide sufficient bite. You should try Forten Sweet mains instead, not much different from most smooth poly mains in terms of control.

But then again, if I need even more bite from my dense 90" stringbed, I use sharp/shaped poly mains with smooth OGSM crosses. But it's only good for like 5 hours, before sweet zone is polished and initial elasticity completely gone.
 
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It's because OGSM is too "weak" and smooth to provide sufficient bite. You should try Forten Sweet mains instead, not much different from most smooth poly mains in terms of control.

But then again, if I need even more bite from my dense 90" stringbed, I use sharp/shaped poly mains with smooth OGSM crosses. But it's only good for like 5 hours, before sweet zone is polished and initial elasticity completely gone.

As you said, if I do give it a third go then I will definitely try Sweet 16 in the mains. Synthetics in the mains definitely make the string bed buttery, which is wonderful in a cold weather. I will come back often to check how others are finding these set-ups.
 

keithfival

Professional
Just strung up PSGD 17/ Polyon Ice 17 at 56/53. Just bouncing a ball on it I continue to be amazed how soft syn/poly feels, that it feels softer than full syn?? Will hit it later today.
 

maxpotapov

Hall of Fame
Just strung up PSGD 17/ Polyon Ice 17 at 56/53. Just bouncing a ball on it I continue to be amazed how soft syn/poly feels, that it feels softer than full syn?? Will hit it later today.

Remember, this sensation is defined not just by material stiffness, but also by string on string friction. If you have softer string sliding freely on firm and sleek "rails", you can indeed have softer impact than two softer strings that lock in place. This of course does not apply to flat hitters and you should wait till Polylon dies the next training session :)
 
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keithfival

Professional
Just hit the PSGD/Ice hybrid at 56/53, preferred it to my other two but probably just because it was fresh. I can see that even though I don't break the strings, the freshness of the syn/poly setup probably doesn't last as long as what I'm used to.

Oy, I see poly/syn in my future again.
 

Smasher08

Legend
20130401_214742_zps9318c69f.jpg


Gosen OGSM 1.23 x MSV Co-Focus 1.18 @ 44 x 40 lbs

I usually play with Pacific Classic 1.25 x CoF @ 48x44, and tried this setup about a year ago at 52x48 - hated it.

But after reading this thread and the one on ELT where syngut @ 35 has been getting rave reviews, I decided to give it another try albeit considerably looser strung. Now that outdoor season is beginning where I live, I need a reliable backup setup that can handle moisture and the occasional puddle.

I have to say that off the bat I was much more impressed than the last time. A year ago there was no feel, no power, and no spin. Eight pounds looser and the difference was considerable: it was much more comparable to my usual setup, probably 90% of the power, 85% of the spin, albeit 75% of the feel.

For an occasional backup stick when there's inclement weather, not bad at all. It seems to be solid and reliable, and I didn't mind at all playing long stretches with it. I'm now tempted to give Isospeed Energetic 1.20 x CoF another shot as well to compare.
 
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JT_2eighty

Hall of Fame
20130401_214742_zps9318c69f.jpg


Gosen OGSM 1.23 x MSV Co-Focus 1.18 @ 44 x 40 lbs

I usually play with Pacific Classic 1.25 x CoF @ 48x44, and tried this setup about a year ago at 52x48 - hated it.

But after reading this thread and the one on ELT where syngut @ 35 has been getting rave reviews, I decided to give it another try albeit considerably looser strung. Now that outdoor season is beginning where I live, I need a reliable backup setup that can handle moisture and the occasional puddle.

I have to say that off the bat I was much more impressed than the last time. A year ago there was no feel, no power, and no spin. Eight pounds looser and the difference was considerable: it was much more comparable to my usual setup, probably 90% of the power, 85% of the spin, albeit 75% of the feel.

For an occasional backup stick when there's inclement weather, not bad at all. It seems to be solid and reliable, and I didn't mind at all playing long stretches with it. I'm now tempted to give Isospeed Energetic 1.20 x CoF another shot as well to compare.

Keep us posted on the longevity.

I know you get great longevity with gut/poly, so I'm curious how quickly the syn gut/poly degrades, and if there is an intial period of greatness followed by diminishing returns, as opposed to gut/poly which almost seems to get better with age.

I know I've one setup of ToughGut/Mosquito Bite that is many months old and still plays amazingly in my dense PT280.
 

Smasher08

Legend
Keep us posted on the longevity.

I know you get great longevity with gut/poly, so I'm curious how quickly the syn gut/poly degrades, and if there is an intial period of greatness followed by diminishing returns, as opposed to gut/poly which almost seems to get better with age.

I know I've one setup of ToughGut/Mosquito Bite that is many months old and still plays amazingly in my dense PT280.

Lol I'll be honest with you: in all likelihood this will spend the next few months in my tennis bag and only be used once in a blue moon. But it's definitely good enough for that. I tried it again for a few minutes this morning and confirmed my earlier impressions.

Maybe if I'd never tried gut I'd try it out full time, but it will probably only get 10 hours of use between now and September. :)
 
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netguy

Semi-Pro
I just hit with my Dunlop 4D 100 for two hours....Sweet 16g Natural @52 pounds in the mains and Silverstring in the crosses @ 48 pounds. So far so good....I hope the durability holds...crispier, softer, more power and loving the sound when I hit the ball....woow @ $3 sweet it's a no brainer :)
 

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Just pulled the trigger on some 15L Prince Tournament nylon.

I'm fed-up with poly. At the right tension, a my kevlar/poly hybrid plays sublime... for an hour or two.

Poly just loses tension so fast, and I don't really enjoy stringing enough to want to string every few hours.

I already have a reel of OG sheep micro 18g - played terrifically in my diablo mid at 45 lbs until it snapped at 4h. I'm planning to experiment with 15L syn gut mains (paired with 18g syn gut cross to keep the weight down) to see i I can find something that can give me at least 15h of quality performance in one of my sticks.

If I can't get that to work, I might go back to kevlar mains, but with syn gut crosses instead of poly crosses.

I'd love to be at the head of the poly sucks chant!
 

maxpotapov

Hall of Fame
Just pulled the trigger on some 15L Prince Tournament nylon.

I'm fed-up with poly. At the right tension, a my kevlar/poly hybrid plays sublime... for an hour or two.

Poly just loses tension so fast, and I don't really enjoy stringing enough to want to string every few hours.

I already have a reel of OG sheep micro 18g - played terrifically in my diablo mid at 45 lbs until it snapped at 4h. I'm planning to experiment with 15L syn gut mains (paired with 18g syn gut cross to keep the weight down) to see i I can find something that can give me at least 15h of quality performance in one of my sticks.

If I can't get that to work, I might go back to kevlar mains, but with syn gut crosses instead of poly crosses.

I'd love to be at the head of the poly sucks chant!

You are very welcome! :)
I played with Ashaway kevlar/syn gut hybrid for like 20 hours in LM Radical MP and got so tired of this soft-boardy response with no energy return. Firm stringbed is firm, it deflects the ball without any pocketing/slingshot effect and this causes fatigue and injury. Maybe it is somehow compensated with huge swing weight, but I would rather customize my technique to play with natural gut mains.
I think there is no way around using natural gut mains, eventually. Even synthetic gut/poly hybrid gets too hard on my arm as time goes by.
So, if you want to go back to kevlar mains, try Pacific Tough Gut mains instead. And like I said, it is worthwile to modify your game for arm friendly equipment.
 
I think there is no way around using natural gut mains, eventually. Even synthetic gut/poly hybrid gets too hard on my arm as time goes by.

I have come to the same conclusion. My arm and shoulder are far happier with gut mains and there is far more easy power with this setup vs. full poly.

I just strung up one frame with Forten Sweet 16 mains and poly crosses as a final attempt at a cheaper semisoft stringbed. I can say for sure that stringing with the Forten is "sweet" (it's a dream to string with) but I can also tell just by banging my hand on the stringbed that this is not going to be as nice of a stringbed as the gut mains with the same poly crosses. It's definitely far stiffer. Of course, this is no surprise, but ill see how it hits just for yucks. If its decent enough I can keep one frame string like this for use when gut might get too torn up (if its a bit wet outside, etc).
 

keithfival

Professional
Great for touch, hard to drive through

Still going with the PSGD/Polyon hybrid. Basically the same as the other syn/polys I've tried:

1- Crazy soft/comfortable. (Seems much softer than full syn?? Why on earth?)
2- Great touch. Hit more dropper winners in the past week than in the previous year.
3- Very forgiving on volleys, just a pleasure to volley.
4- Still hard to really drive the ball. I end up spinning everything. Just miss that solid feeling of the poly main for driving the ball.

I may try one more even higher, like 58/56, but I doubt that will change it much.
 
I have come to the same conclusion. My arm and shoulder are far happier with gut mains and there is far more easy power with this setup vs. full poly.

I just strung up one frame with Forten Sweet 16 mains and poly crosses as a final attempt at a cheaper semisoft stringbed. I can say for sure that stringing with the Forten is "sweet" (it's a dream to string with) but I can also tell just by banging my hand on the stringbed that this is not going to be as nice of a stringbed as the gut mains with the same poly crosses. It's definitely far stiffer. Of course, this is no surprise, but ill see how it hits just for yucks. If its decent enough I can keep one frame string like this for use when gut might get too torn up (if its a bit wet outside, etc).

Played with the Forten mains / poly corsses last night. Although its not a bad setup, ts definitely nowhere near as "sweet" to play with as the gut mains with the same poly crosses. Its far far less forgiving and resilient. Its definitely a passable and good combo, but I am going to stick with the Global gut mains and Golden Set Power Cord poly crosses. In the end, the cost differential is double (but its only ~$4.25 more) per frame to go with the gut mains over the Forten (Global mains ~$5.50 / Power Cord crosses ~$2.50 = $9 frame vs. Forten mains ~$1.25 / Power Cord crosses ~$2.50 = $3.75.

I can live with less than 10 bucks a frame to use natural gut.
 
Global gut, huh?

Yes.......It may not be in the same league as VS, etc....but I think it plays wonderfully and the cost is hard to ignore. String life so far has been very good (outside of my first string job where I mangled the strings badly!). I could be wrong, but looking at the stringbeds, it seems as though I might get 15-20 hrs out of each? Ill know more with time.......

There is no way I am going to spend $47 for a set of VS (times 4 frames).....so this will be as close as I get to a "sweet" playing racquet. When my initials are R.F. Ill maybe try VS......LOL
 

maxpotapov

Hall of Fame
Yes.......It may not be in the same league as VS, etc....but I think it plays wonderfully and the cost is hard to ignore. String life so far has been very good (outside of my first string job where I mangled the strings badly!). I could be wrong, but looking at the stringbeds, it seems as though I might get 15-20 hrs out of each? Ill know more with time.......

There is no way I am going to spend $47 for a set of VS (times 4 frames).....so this will be as close as I get to a "sweet" playing racquet. When my initials are R.F. Ill maybe try VS......LOL

I googled Global Gut strings... holy cow! :shock:
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
I went through cheap gut as fast as syn gut..wasn't worth it to me.

Used Pacific Classic for a while..IMO, that is the way to go. Real gut that you can string at a higher tension and it has decent durability.

The notching on syn gut mains happened so fast for me that I could not get a stringbed to last, and they all broke without warning.

I really liked syn gut mains and poly crosses a lot. Awesome setup, just not durable enough for me.
 
I googled Global Gut strings... holy cow! :shock:

They are cheaper than advertised (here in the USA anyway) through some resellers.......I am getting it going forward from someone in Orlando, FL for $11 per set shipped. At this price, he does require purchase of at least 6 sets at a time, but no big deal.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
They are cheaper than advertised (here in the USA anyway) through some resellers.......I am getting it going forward from someone in Orlando, FL for $11 per set shipped. At this price, he does require purchase of at least 6 sets at a time, but no big deal.

Thats a great deal and in my town as well. Interesting.
 
I went through cheap gut as fast as syn gut..wasn't worth it to me.

Used Pacific Classic for a while..IMO, that is the way to go. Real gut that you can string at a higher tension and it has decent durability.

The notching on syn gut mains happened so fast for me that I could not get a stringbed to last, and they all broke without warning.

I really liked syn gut mains and poly crosses a lot. Awesome setup, just not durable enough for me.

Yes....I think if someone is playing hours and hours a week, that no matter what they do, they are going to pay one way or another.....:( I do heed the 55 lb warning on the Global (I dont want to go above 55 anyway), and will confess the first few times I strung it I turned my head from the stringbed with each pull just in case....LOL.

I probably average 5-6 hrs a week of playtime (some weeks double that, but some weeks where I am travelling for work will be 0 hours). So, I am not likel to chew up strings at the same rate as many others.

What saves me is that I string myself, so the only costs are the strings and I value my time at $0/hr!
 

wmilas

Rookie
I've been playing around with the new 16x15 Steam. Thought I'd post to this thread cause I found something interesting.

I hate full poly. My 16x19 sticks before the steam were always Natty gut (Pacific Classic 16) with a smooth poly cross. I'd get 8-12 hours depending on singles/doubles mix. With the Steam I get 30 to 60 minutes before I pop it at a knot or at the sweet spot. I string myself and I've tried different knots, ect. The frame just can't take natty gut in the mains. The sheer forces are too high.

I experimented with a bunch of multis and they were worse. Because of the sawing motion I'd break every one at the sweet spot in 30-40 minutes. I have a reel of OGSM 16 laying around for stringing peoples sticks that request something cheap so I figured, what the hell. I'll try it.

Strung it at 56 with TCS 17 poly at 52 in the cross. Amazingly it felt really good. A lot softer than I imagined. Felt almost as soft as a multi. Different feel from the gut but its still very playable.

Played an hour of singles and 2 hour of doubles and it hasn't popped yet. Its starting to not snap back and its very grooved so it'll go soon, but heh, its cheap as all get out. I'm fairly happy.
 
With the Steam I get 30 to 60 minutes before I pop it at a knot or at the sweet spot. I string myself and I've tried different knots, ect. The frame just can't take natty gut in the mains. The sheer forces are too high.

That is one expensive hour of tennis.

The string life was a big reason I stopped using my 99S. Plus, Im getting too old to swing like h@$$ all the time!

Glad to see the OGSM is working out. I think we all definitely see the syn guts getting more and more kudos on the board lately.......
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
How come it seems everyone is only using a poly in the crosses with their syn gut mains? How come no one is using a multi or natural gut in the crosses?

I often use a syn gut in the mains with a multi in the crosses and it feels fantastic! Talk about arm friendly. Very comfortable set up and very good playability with good spin, control, and power. To me, nothing beats comfort and injury prevention. :)
 

wmilas

Rookie
Broke the OGSM 30 minutes into doubles yesterday. So got 3.5 hours with 1 hour singles and 2.5 hours of doubles. With the OGSM and the TCS combined costing me $4 bux ish for a string job I'm happy :)

As far as why I use poly in the crosses, we've been over that in another thread Breakpoint. The smooth hard crosses crate a rail for the softer mains to notch then slide in those notches for a massive snap back. That's why the steam 99s works the way it does. Its also why its measured as having the highest top spin potential (Read teh stringing comparison on TW University for teh physics and the actual test data).

I can get the ball to do stupid things with this setup. Forehand topspin baseline shots I can obviously get to dip down, but because of the slide, if I come up over the outside or inside of the ball depending if I'm hitting cross court or an inside forehand, I can get the ball to move, literally, 3 feet or more side to side also.

I know touring pros can do it cause I've seen it but I've never been able to generate enough head speed to do it with another stick. I can with this one.
 

niktub

Professional
SG/poly

Hi, would M Forten sweet 17 X Silverstring 1.20(17L) be worth trying?
 
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maxpotapov

Hall of Fame
Hi, would M Forten sweet 17 X Silverstring 1.20(17L) be worth trying?

Yeah why not? Thin and smooth poly should work really well with thinner gauge Forten Sweet. Hopefully you will break it before Silverstring goes completely dead :)
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Broke the OGSM 30 minutes into doubles yesterday. So got 3.5 hours with 1 hour singles and 2.5 hours of doubles. With the OGSM and the TCS combined costing me $4 bux ish for a string job I'm happy :)

As far as why I use poly in the crosses, we've been over that in another thread Breakpoint. The smooth hard crosses crate a rail for the softer mains to notch then slide in those notches for a massive snap back. That's why the steam 99s works the way it does. Its also why its measured as having the highest top spin potential (Read teh stringing comparison on TW University for teh physics and the actual test data).

I can get the ball to do stupid things with this setup. Forehand topspin baseline shots I can obviously get to dip down, but because of the slide, if I come up over the outside or inside of the ball depending if I'm hitting cross court or an inside forehand, I can get the ball to move, literally, 3 feet or more side to side also.

I know touring pros can do it cause I've seen it but I've never been able to generate enough head speed to do it with another stick. I can with this one.
Well, that's also why your OGSM mains broke so quickly. The stiff poly crosses saws right through the softer main strings.

With a multi in the crosses, my syn gut mains can last for months! :)
 

niktub

Professional
Mains: SG or multi?

With a soft poly on crosses, which mains plays better: SG or poly?

M:SG X:multi seems a great idea but it won't be as stable(string movement) as poly crosses i assume, much softer though.
 

niktub

Professional
string gurus?

With a soft poly on crosses, which mains plays better: SG or poly?

M:SG X:multi seems a great idea but it won't be as stable(string movement) as poly crosses i assume, much softer though.

anyone about this question?
 

keithfival

Professional
12 hours so far on PSGD 17/Ice 17 at 56/53. There is a lot to like about this syn/poly. The touch and feel on half volleys, volleys, droppers and lobs is pretty crazy and the comfort is A+++. I still haven't quite dialed in ripping the ball flat but that may also be the frame which I haven't totally dialed in either.

If you're an all-court type, syn/poly is really a sweet setup.
 

niktub

Professional
don't agree, we assume it's cheaper

Considering the price difference, it makes more sense to ask what are advantages of multi/poly over syn gut/poly?

Some seem to prefer synthetic gut vs multi on mains.
Multi/poly is a nonsense for some others

In term of playability what are the advantages of SG on mains?
 

allenkau

Rookie
They are cheaper than advertised (here in the USA anyway) through some resellers.......I am getting it going forward from someone in Orlando, FL for $11 per set shipped. At this price, he does require purchase of at least 6 sets at a time, but no big deal.

Buford,

Are you using the 17 guage Global? Is it possible for you to let me know your contact / seller in Orlando?
 
Buford,

Are you using the 17 guage Global? Is it possible for you to let me know your contact / seller in Orlando?

16 gauge and great luck with it so far! It plays awesome.

We are not allowed to post competitive info here but I can send you his email address.

Edit - looks like you've blocked emails from other users.
 

keithfival

Professional
My syn/poly conclusions

PSGD 17/Ice 17 broke after 13 hours, then OGSM 17/ BHBR 17 broke on the very next rally. Good thing I still had one poly main in the bag! Would be dangerous to only have syn/poly in the bag.

17g cross quite a bit less durable than 16g with the same mains.

I got probably a week and a half out of each of these, usually get about 2 months with full syn or poly/syn.

After popping these two I pulled out the poly/syn which had been in the #3 spot in the bag and played 2 sublime sets of doubles. I just have to think less and fear less with poly/syn. Despite the absolutely lovely feel of syn/poly I was always holding back a little for fear of hitting long.

In conclusion, I may keep one syn/poly (16g cross) in the bag just for the great comfort/feel during friendly hits but back to poly/syn for match play.
 

Joonas

Semi-Pro
Let me share my experience. I normally string my Prestige MP's with Pacific tough gut mains and smooth poly (Scorpion, SPPP, Yonex Poly Tour...) on crosses. Normally initial string bed stiffness is tad under 37 N/mm (iPhone RacketTune). I relly like that soft but controllable and somewhat powerful feel.

Now I put wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 16 on mains and Yonex PolyTour on crosses with tension 22/21 kg. Initial string bed stiffness was 36,6 N/mm. I am stringing with Stringway ML100 hence high stiffness even with lower nominal tension.

Hitting felt good. There is difference to Gut/Poly but not too big. I would say that ball pocketing feels bit deeper with nat gut and also touch in volleys is slightly better. But in comparison with full poly there is certainly softer feel. Definitely no shoulder pain after serving. Usually full poly is making my shoulder at least a little sore. Tension loss after 1h hitting was 7,2%. Which is more than nat gut / poly but acceptable.

So next time I will surely go again with syn gut on mains but i will try perhaps 21/20 kg. And I will also go with JET method. My experiences with JET especially in regards of sweetspot have been fairly good.
 

netguy

Semi-Pro
Certainly using Sweet in the mains and Silverstring in the crosses has made me believe for first time that strings selection can make an important difference.... Smooth and controllable easy power....12 hours so far of great hitting @ $7 a set :) and on top of that very little string movement....
 
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swfh

Semi-Pro
My next string setup will be gosen 16 in the mains with lux 4g in the crosses. The only problem is that I don't know what tension to string it at. Any suggestions?
 

tennytive

Hall of Fame
Forten Sweet 17 mains at 52 with Polyon 17 crosses at 48.

Hit with it yesterday and it feels pretty good. No movement whatsoever even after some hard slices, and no arm pain either.

So far, so good. Thanks for the tip.
 

USArmyTennis

New User
This is the setup I use for the juniors I coach as they begin to transition to poly strings. Too bad I can't get two hours out of it.
 

moonballs

Hall of Fame
Hi all the Syn Gut mains guys, have you tried to replace syn gut with the Ashaway monogut ZX? I am doing syn gut main poly cross next. Still waiting to accumulate 75 dollars worth of stuff to order the ZX.
 
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