Alpha Gut 2000 it is..

[Muppet]

I was making quite an effort trying to find the right cross string for my Black Force 1.14 mains in my MuscleWeave 95 racquet. I had used Multifeel in a full bed before they changed that string. I wanted something like Multifeel, but without the gummy coating. So I looked on the MF product page and found that they considered AG2000 to be similar. But AG2000 still has that pearlized coating on it, that would impede the mains' sliding.

So then I asked myself, "Why the Poly mains?" AG2000 and Black Force have a very similar feel. So why not just a full bed of AG2000 and stop chasing my tail with hybrids after all of these years. I'll have to do some string adjusting that isn't necessary with a good hybrid, but I'm not real OCD about that.

I'm not totally averse to hybriding. My Biomimetic 200 racquet has a Kirsch SG 1.25/Plus Power 1.23 @51/48 reverse hybrid in it that looks very promising. In another thread I called it The Creamsicle. I reduced the tension differential by 1 lb. and I'm hoping to get better accuracy out of it this year. I would just string AG2000 in this racquet as well, but this frame seems to have a bit of vibration that I think is by design. Anyway, it loosens up multi fibers before their time.

A note about me and my stroke: I mostly hit through the ball in a slightly low-to-high path. And my swing speed is less than I need it to be to use a firm fb poly setup. In that case the ball is off of the strings before I'm done with it. Nylon based strings allow more dwell time for a slower stroke like mine to add some spin.

 

[Doubles]

Alpha Gut is a weird string. I think it feels very comfortable but I’ve never felt like it grabs the ball well. I expect multis and syn gut to have less bite than poly, but AG is like rope for me.

 

[Ronaldo]

How long does AG 2000 last before breaking for you?

 

[Muppet]

How long does AG 2000 last before breaking for you?

You may find this laughable, but I started playing in 1986 and I've never broken a string. The four racquets I use the most are 18x20, 95". I started with a 16x19, 90". My footwork habits and sweet spot targeting are disciplined from the racquets I've used. My main problem with AG2000 has been having it stiffen up after maybe about 7 hours of play. I plan to go down 2 lbs. to fix this.

edit: I usually re-string a racquet when I sense somethings wrong, rather than go to string failure.

 

[Muppet]

Alpha Gut is a weird string. I think it feels very comfortable but I’ve never felt like it grabs the ball well. I expect multis and syn gut to have less bite than poly, but AG is like rope for me.

I agree that it's weird, but in a way that I like. It's soft like other multis, but it doesn't have much deflection. So it plays like polys in that it has less elasticity. And for me that's where the spin capability comes in. Also, the pearl coating helps grab the ball for a medium speed stroke like mine. I'm guessing that your swing speed is pretty fast, so you'd probably benefit more from a more slippery string like a poly.

 

[Ronaldo]

Used to use Wilson 18x20 95. Broke AG 2000 within a week. Nothing unusual, broke everything in less than 10 hrs.