Dad's Prince Woodies - How To String?

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Nar57981

Rookie
My dad has a couple of racquets in his old tennis bag (used to be pro, and went through like 5 racquets in one year ><) and I found a couple of Prince Woodies. I was wondering if I could string these or if they're too old, and might break if I try. Any advice on tension and if any string is better for stinging in an older racquet like this. I just want to make sure I can string'em or not.
TY!
 
I'm very interested as well! I finally got a wood racket not to long ago, and it's really fun playing with it.... but I'm positive if I keep it up the strings'll break. So right now, I'm really cautious about hitting with it (I'm determined to prove ppl wrong that the racket really matters -- although I have to admit it SERIOUSLY has some bad effects on the serve....)

Also, the UT (austin) tennis club is trying to set up a tournament this fall in which they are also trying to set up some kind of mini wood racket tourney. Problem is strings breaking, I think.... soo if I could learn how (if possible and not incredibly painstaking) to string a wooden racket that would be great!
 
Nar57981 said:
My dad has a couple of racquets in his old tennis bag (used to be pro, and went through like 5 racquets in one year ><) and I found a couple of Prince Woodies. I was wondering if I could string these or if they're too old, and might break if I try. Any advice on tension and if any string is better for stinging in an older racquet like this. I just want to make sure I can string'em or not.
TY!
Click to expand...

You're referring to the wood and compositive, OS racquets, right? If so, you'd probably want to use a more elastic string to cut down on the peak forces experienced by the frame, and string it fairly low, like in the lower 60's.

I don't know if the Woodie has a continuous "W" channel cut into the upper hoop or not, but on traditional wood racquets, you have to orient the short side with the "W" channel.

I'm currently using a wood racquet probably 60% of the time. It makes my game much more competitive with my son, but these old wood racquets just don't hold up well if you swing hard. I've broken one woodie and warped another in just one month, so if these are precious to you, you might think hard about using them for any type of serious play.
 
Yeah The racquet I'm talking about is the OS Prince.

By "W" channel do you meen the slanted groves for the strings to go in? Because if so the Woodie was is. If not, could you explain it a little more in-depth? I haven't strung a wooden racquet before ><

Also what elastic type of string would you suggest?
 
Woodie is the only racquet I ever used gut in -- plays great with it. It's a very flexible racquet so, considering resonant frequencies as a factor, I'd use a soft multi, if not gut.
________
Head Shop
 
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Alright a "soft multi", gut, or an "elastic string"
I don't really want to pay that much for gut (it doesn't last very long and I'm going to string it just for show, and fun playing with it now and then mostly)
So what string would you say (give my a certain string)
I have some Head Fiber Gel Power, which is pretty soft in my opinion, would that be good?
 
The Prince Woodie has a channel, so you don't have to worry about a short side. I don't string a frame of that age above 60 lbs. I'm using a ProKennex mid and Vilas Slazenger< midsize woods> on grass in a social match this week and the low 50's work just fine.
 
Nar57981 said:
Yeah The racquet I'm talking about is the OS Prince.

By "W" channel do you meen the slanted groves for the strings to go in? Because if so the Woodie was is. If not, could you explain it a little more in-depth? I haven't strung a wooden racquet before ><

Also what elastic type of string would you suggest?
Click to expand...

On wood racquets, at the top corners of the hoop, one side will have a channel that looks like a "W", and the other side will have grooves for strings that are big enough for two strings, but the channels aren't continuous. If you are stringing one piece, the short side must be on the side with the "W" channel. If you are stringing two piece, the tie off should be on the side opposite the "W" channel, so that the top cross string runs across to the "W" channel side.

It just seems "right" that a wood racquet would have gut in it, but short of that I'd use something like Wilson NXT or X1 Biphase. These seem to be good matches for the high degree of flexibility in a wood racquet.
 
The Prince Woodie does not have a W channel like traditional wood rackets. String it with 2 pieces. No shared holes. 16 mains. 19 crosses. Skip 8T and 8H on mains.

It had a recommended tension of 70 lbs. back in the 80s. The other Prince rackets (POG and Prince Pro) had rec. tension of 72 lbs.

I recently got 2 Prince Woodies on the auction site. Strung them at 48 lbs. with Babolat VS 17g. Feels great.
 
Over the last year, I've raised Woodie (100) string tension to 66 lbs, with no issues other than GREAT play for all court, volleys, serves. Gamma TNT2 React Pro 17 worked better than Live Wire XP 17, which would lose more tension. React Pro seemed to provide a firmer string bed, which is desirable since the Woodie's claimed RA 35 provides all the flex needed to absorb shock, with high tension giving more control to shots. Next stop ... 70 lbs in 2023. My new used Woodies are in great condition. I would not advise high tension for those in fair condition ... my initial $5 Goodwill racquet cracked on inner surface across 5 holes above the yoke, at 55# with Live Wire XP 17. My shop said the Woodie has been very easy to string, nothing unusual.
 
The recommended tension was 70 or 72 for those. Most of the people that used them back in the late 70s/early 80s used 15g nylon, like Leoina 66 or Prince Nylon or Victor Staytite. While multis and natural gut were great for most wood rackets, the oversized rackets required the high tensions, so most people used Nylon. I'd do the same thing if I were you. Get some Prince Nylon 15 or 15L, string it around 65-66. I think you'll be fine.
 
ext2hander said:
Over the last year, I've raised Woodie (100) string tension to 66 lbs, with no issues other than GREAT play for all court, volleys, serves. Gamma TNT2 React Pro 17 worked better than Live Wire XP 17, which would lose more tension. React Pro seemed to provide a firmer string bed, which is desirable since the Woodie's claimed RA 35 provides all the flex needed to absorb shock, with high tension giving more control to shots. Next stop ... 70 lbs in 2023. My new used Woodies are in great condition. I would not advise high tension for those in fair condition ... my initial $5 Goodwill racquet cracked on inner surface across 5 holes above the yoke, at 55# with Live Wire XP 17. My shop said the Woodie has been very easy to string, nothing unusual.
Click to expand...
Yep, best be careful lest you crack a woodie...:whistle:
 
I've got 4 good condition Woodies, which are 100"ish head size. I'm going to up the tension to above 60 on all of them.
 
I am more afraid for myself if I tried to string a Woodie at over 60lbs than the racquet. I strung mine at 50# with babo synth gut last year, and it's likely the last time it will ever be strung.
Also, in case some of you think it might be a 110, here it is next to a Textreme Tour 100:

173012941.wXHPGKIX.jpg
 
I restring my Prince Woodies to 65lbs with 15g or 16g (two-piece) and no problems yet, actually have one strung at 70 and not a problem. Restring my Kennex Golden Aces as well at some of these higher tensions with 15g or 16g (two-piece) and no problems there either. Just wish Toalson or someone would bring back Leoina 66...damn good string back in the late 70's/early 80's.
 
The only thing about Prince Woodies is they had a tendency to warp. That may have just been early on, but I do remember that as being an issue.
 
Bear in mind virtually all pro shops and retailers at the time were using lockouts. Depending on the string and the machine, the difference could be a lot.
 
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WYK said:
Bear in mind virtually all pro shops and retailers at the time were using lockouts. Depending on the string and the machine, the difference could be a lot.
Click to expand...
I hear that all the time but I don’t recall seeing a LO machine in a pro shop in the Atlanta area. With the exception of Academy Sports and they sold their new Alpha machine shortly after they opened because no one has their racket strung there. As far back as I can remember they started with Seranos and various eCP but never a crank Other than Academy.
 
Ah, where I was at the time(bay area of california) it was all NEOS or Ektalon or whatever they had. Even so, a dropweight is not an ECP.
 
Back in the day, every shop I went into had a Prince NEOS 1000. I never heard of a Serrano until @jim e . And, the NEOS was the #1 selling machine in the country. Coinkydink? I think not.
 
Rabbit said:
Back in the day, every shop I went into had a Prince NEOS 1000. I never heard of a Serrano until @jim e . And, the NEOS was the #1 selling machine in the country. Coinkydink? I think not.
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The Serrano came out before the Neos. I believe the Serrano came out in the 1930's. My machine was one of the early Serrano vintages, as it was very well used when I purchased it in 1968.
The old timer I got it from also has a similar machine called an Oliver, and also another one that just had a frame holding vise and no tension mechanism, as he used a large wooden dowel and hand pulled the strings and jammed in an awl in the opening to hold tension.He said he could hand pull any tension requested as he told me when he was a kid, that's all they had, and he learned to pull by hand the requested tension.
 
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@jim e yeah, I kinda figured the Serrano predated the NEOS just by the tensioning mechanism. I have also heard of the Oliver. I never seen either in person in all my travels. Then again, my travels usually don't involve stringing machine sampling at pro shops.
 
Bought a Woodie online. Came warped. Srung it up for practice with 16g syngut @ 50 lbs.

What an awesome frame to string up. It was a pleasure. The angled string channels made even stringing crosses easy. Loved it.
 
Oh, my, does this thread age me. The Prince Woodie was not a bad frame (and oh so much nicer than aluminum and steel frames)---tried it in college, as I tried to move on from my trusty JKPS--just too big and eventually settled on a Kennex Golden Ace before finally going the Max 200g. As far as stringing machines were concerned, by the 70s, most shops had Eketelons (preceding the Prince acquisition) and they were pretty much the state of the art until the mid-80s when Prince had the pneumatic machine and Babolat had an electric. That stated, in the 70s, there were still a number of Olivers and Serranos in shops (and I knew of a shop in the Atlanta area that still used a Serrano in the early 90s (other side of town from you, Irvin)--but that shop is long gone).

Here is a link to a short but interesting article from Bob Patterson on the history of machines: 2015 Guide to Stringing Machines: A Brief History of Stringing Machines - Tennis Industry (tennisindustrymag.com)
 
MAX PLY said:
Here is a link to a short but interesting article from Bob Patterson on the history of machines: 2015 Guide to Stringing Machines: A Brief History of Stringing Machines - Tennis Industry (tennisindustrymag.com)
Click to expand...
His article said the Serrano was patented in 1941, but it was invented in 1934 by Edmond Serrano. As it was one of the earlier machines.
The one I have is one of his first ones made, and the thing still pulls very accurate. Only thing is I never did get the updates for stringing the larger racquets of today. I use to use that beast when I got an occasional wooden racquet, but now I haven't used it in a while. ? as to what I will do with that thing, as I will prob never use it again.
 
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^^^I gather it could have been invented in 1934 but it likely took some time to get a protective patent (particularly in the 1930s). Jim, as I recall, even though you didn't get the upgrades, it is pretty good shape. Maybe contact the International Tennis Hall of Fame and see if they would be interested in a donation--it's been a while since I've been there but while there are tons of racquets and such, I don't recall any stringing machines. I suspect you can deduct the value of the machine and the transportation costs (but I am a tennis-playing stringer, not an accountant).
 
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