Your opponents tennis racquet has a modern racquetball light pop sound to it like they are hitting that type of ball over a Tennis ball. You sound like you are playing an old school Squash/Raquetball game with the loud pop these older 1980's and 1970's smaller racquets get.
funnily enought my racket was the Gamma 340X from 2012, and his was the Prince O3 Red from 2005 so my racket was actually 7 years newer.
One of many Prince SMU exercises, likely for a “big box” or chain retail or sporting goods store.Here's an honest to goodness Goodwill find at $4.67. It's a Prince Graphite Authority Oversize, a nameplate I've never seen before, and a quick search here on TTW brings up a fat goose egg of threads about it, so it must be a hidden gem right lol? The pics don't do the color justice, the dark red/burgundy is a lot brighter in natural light, and the gun metal fade make it look pretty stunning in person. It's in 9.5/10 condition as well, with a larger grip size that fits me quite well. Hopefully I'll have a Prince only day and give it a shot here soon. I think this dates somewhere between 1991-93, as by 94 they'd changed up the CTS style graphics and font. But since it says 'Oversize' instead of '110' it's after 1990, and it also lacks a copyright date with the racket info. No country of manufacture sticker remains, it either didn't have one or it was removed by previous owner.
My thoughts exactly for a Sheel's, Sports Authority, Dick's back when Dick's was not crap or Sears before they moved to being only tools, appliances, TVs in the mid 1990's and similar stores to what Sear's was Prior to the mid 1990's change.
Well if it is a SMU, its spec’d out similarly to some of their main line offerings and has a nicer paint job than most IMO. I’ll have to capture it outside some time.
Funny how expensive that vortex was back then, the tour spec rackets the pros used were like $100 cheaper. That thing is just a glorified tweener power stick spec wise anyways.
I can see why Prince may have done this so Average player who should not be using a racquet like even close to a pro model would think they are getting a high end Pro spec model when the pro is in fact using the Pro specs that are $100 cheaper.
Yes I saw at Sheel's bargain section of tennis Near the on sale Nike visors I was looking for as a runner needing to replace an older hat with the side mesh vents that was falling apart, in the late 2000's or early 2010's near the ProKennex Destany line in the old bronze possibly some left having trouble selling as it looked when just walking by not looking closely at looked like a Wilson model in a nearly the same color at the time that the Wilson model did not sell very well being an expensive Ultra Pro in a thin beam wide body oversized model that was more like what is the expensive version of the current Recreational model made back then. ProKennex Destany was the only ProKennex bargain line and sold at the time as the 5G/7G were still more mid-tier Bargen $150--$170 models depending on who was selling them.
It looks like a Graphite version of a Wilson T-3000/TX-3000 model.Was at Play it again sports... again. Someone dropped off a bunch of late 70's sticks in the $2.99 bin. Some barely interesting stuff, Wilson TX3000, Performer, World Class, and this, which I nabbed. I'd call it a 8.5/10 shape Trabert C-6. Made out of something called graphite, like what they shove in pencils, but I scrapped it on the floor and it didn't write too good. Maybe it works better for tennis.
Nice to find the original mass produced graphite frame. Definitely reminds me of a shrunken, more egg-like POG. I'll have to see if it can hang with the Kawasaki GR, that thing might be my new favorite standard size frame, its such a beast. Hopefully the old blue start strings are up for some prolonged use. Looking over the rest of the frame, the grip is still in decent shape, looking at the buttcap, I think that T logo could have used a little work, idk its ok I suppose. Did any notable pros use this in the late 70's, or the Middy that followed?
I love the subtle futuristic look the model has with the fonts and the silver in the middle.Hanging on the wall with the rest of the rackets PIAS wants to actually make some money on, was this, Volkl C-9 (no relation to the C-6, I think...). At $9.99. Always happy to find a Volkl out there, its been pretty barren for them, hell I've found more Kneissl's than Volkl's. I asked a somewhat knowledgeable individual about when this dates to, and he said he thinks it came out around 1993, but Volkl kept things in the catalog longer than most, so he thought this was made for a good 4 or 5 years. Coming in at 334g strung and 5pts head light, specs that are right up my alley, should do itself proud if I can ever find the time to swing it. Strings are 'AG-100', they look similar to Leoina 66. Hitting on Thursday and got USTA Sunday. Any info or comments - chime in! I hope those Big Grommets made stringing easier, weird knot on this thing though.
I think Kevin has read everything that was written on the subject in the archives at this point, so there is precious little I can add.
I think my only questions for you are: did the C-6 really retail for around $400 in the 1970’s? Two posters here mentioned that in some old threads. Wouldn’t that make it the most expensive racket ever mass produced, adjusted for inflation that’s over 2 grand!
Ah, yep makes sense. I think a similar thing happens today where older players who could really benefit from a lighter and perhaps OS frame, are still trying to find out the tour customization specs of current young pros to try and emulate to resurrect their game.A number of older threads where the cost of these frames was discussed often took inflation into consideration, as it's more meaningful this way for a contemporary comparison. A $140 MSRP in 1975 was equivalent to over $600 ten years ago, now it's over $800. The mail order price for the C-6 came down to just over $100 in 1977, which was indeed equivalent to about $400 ten years ago.
If Tony Trabert qualified as a pro, then he was probably the best known pro user.
Joking aside, no self-respecting pros would touch these sticks in those days, as they were considered a) a fad, and b) a crutch for the unskilled. Only those who had a lot of money to burn and relatively little confidence in their own strokes would give these new Wunderwaffe a second look in the beginning, which typically meant middle-aged doctors, lawyers, finance guys, and their spouses. The highest profile (and very typical) user of the C-6 was probably Walter Mondale, who was documented to have wielded one of these during the 1977 celebrity-studded RFK tournament. Any pro who showed up with a C-6 in hand at that point would probably have elephant hide for skin.
I have been told by the people who went around the country selling these early graphites through club events that women tended to be more responsive to these pitches than their husbands, because some of the latter were too macho to admit that they could lean on technology for help. As a pro yourself, I am certain you have witnessed this type of dynamic.
This is one major reason being first to market is not always a winning formula for new tech - as it can take time for the market to realize that it "needed" the product.
By the time this tiny ripple became an overwhelming tsunami, as documented in Grafil's thread, the original leading edge had long been rolled over, buried and forgotten by most, if it had been noticed at all in the first place.
Precisely!
That’s probably true lol. But idk if it was as easy to find cheap/borderline free higher end tennis rackets at thrift stores back then! That would probably affect my collecting!Precisely!
And if you and YouTube had been born a few decades earlier, you'd be posting videos of yourself humiliating goobers holding brand new C-6s, Cannons, Phantoms, and Graphite Rulers using 30 year old Maxplys, Imperials, Challenges, and Kramers, and marveling at the sweetness of these organic ancients!
Only one more expensive is the 97/98 and 100 square inch head wooden racquets that are only made as ordered but on a spec sheet, kind of how most companies are at making Kings Tennis racquets outside of Gray's of Cambridge and why some .
Right like when Jimmy Connors was one of the first big name Pro players to use a metal racquet he got laughed at by the pros of the era like early John McEnroe or very end of career Pete Maravich but then once they saw him play well, it set the standard for brands to make Metal frames like aluminum in then often solid aluminum models in more a standard head size only slightly bigger and others to make steel models the current size as well for stiffer and/or more durable as well as brands like Adidas or Lacost or a few others to experiment with full fiberglass/full fiberglass encased wood models in the then standard or slightly bigger head size just to have a more durable frames that would not die after X number of restringing but lasted for several times out.A number of older threads where the cost of these frames was discussed often took inflation into consideration, as it's more meaningful this way for a contemporary comparison. A $140 MSRP in 1975 was equivalent to over $600 ten years ago, now it's over $800. The mail order price for the C-6 came down to just over $100 in 1977, which was indeed equivalent to about $400 ten years ago.
If Tony Trabert qualified as a pro, then he was probably the best known pro user.
Joking aside, no self-respecting pros would touch these sticks in those days, as they were considered a) a fad, and b) a crutch for the unskilled. Only those who had a lot of money to burn and relatively little confidence in their own strokes would give these new Wunderwaffe a second look in the beginning, which typically meant middle-aged doctors, lawyers, finance guys, and their spouses. The highest profile (and very typical) user of the C-6 was probably Walter Mondale, who was documented to have wielded one of these during the 1977 celebrity-studded RFK tournament. Any pro who showed up with a C-6 in hand at that point would probably have elephant hide for skin.
I have been told by the people who went around the country selling these early graphites through club events that women tended to be more responsive to these pitches than their husbands, because some of the latter were too macho to admit that they could lean on technology for help. As a pro yourself, I am certain you have witnessed this type of dynamic.
This is one major reason being first to market is not always a winning formula for new tech - as it can take time for the market to realize that it "needed" the product.
By the time this tiny ripple became an overwhelming tsunami, as documented in Grafil's thread, the original leading edge had long been rolled over, buried and forgotten by most, if it had been noticed at all in the first place.
If it is from 1990 that explains the Star Trek Nex Generation or Star Trek Enterprise type font on the Design.
Picard has a mean backhand.
Had a partner who discovered Wally World carried Prince racquets. He contacted Prince to discover which which racquets reached his specs. He needed that info since we all knew his racquets would end up in the trash after getting posted. Still have one thirty years later. Poppin' fresh grip
Meaning you still have a graphite authority, or just another big box store edition prince?
Thought so. Took wings and flew. Between my Prince Magnesium 90 & Cayman Pro Smash III
Well, the Actor who played him and is voice actor on American Dad as Deputy director Avery Bullock who the character is in his 60's, Sr. Patrick Stuart has a mean Backhand. He also writes a few of his own lines in the show until the main production company Fuzzy Door left, leaving much later then with Family guy.
