Does natural gut prolong the life of poly in a hybrid?

[Syfo-Dias]

This is something I've kind of wondered about. When hybriding natural gut with poly, does the natural gut prolong the overall life of the string job? Obviously poly loses tension and playability faster than gut, but when they work together in the same stringbed I would think the gut would have some effect on keeping the poly more playable for a longer period. Is that about right, or do you have to replace everything once the poly dies?

 

[jrod]

This is something I've kind of wondered about. When hybriding natural gut with poly, does the natural gut prolong the overall life of the string job? Obviously poly loses tension and playability faster than gut, but when they work together in the same stringbed I would think the gut would have some effect on keeping the poly more playable for a longer period. Is that about right, or do you have to replace everything once the poly dies?

Gut retains its playability up until it breaks. Poly dies quickly in comparison. The reasons people hybrid are varied, but it should be apparent that the resulting playability is a combination of the properties of both string types. As a result, the shorter life of poly tends to drive the economics here.

 

[Syfo-Dias]

What I'm really wondering is the cumulative effect of both when one starts to die while the other doesn't. I hit with a friends racquet the other day which had a hybrid of pro hurricane tour mains and VS gut crosses. Even though it hadn't been restrung in a couple of months at least, it still felt pretty good. He mentioned the gut crosses were strung 5 lbs. tighter which may have enhanced their feel in the string bed. I just find it interesting. I'm going to try a black code and gut hybrid pretty soon.

 

[jrod]

^^ Understood. It all depends on what the relative properties contributed by each happen to be, and your ability to sense this. I know many a junior player that keeps Lux in their stringbed until it breaks, usually well after the initial playability has long since gone. In fact, from their perspective, the property that Lux brings them is "longevity" and nothing else.

I used to use PHT crosses with gut mains. This is a particularly soft combo that tends to play more like gut as the poly dies. However, I could still tell the difference between new PHT and old, and much preferred the crispness and feel of the newly strung frame. I suppose that if you hybrid with gut mains, the gut can mask the death of the poly crosses better than a hybrid with poly mains and gut crosses. Just a thought...

 

[gully]

^^ I suppose that if you hybrid with gut mains, the gut can mask the death of the poly crosses better than a hybrid with poly mains and gut crosses. Just a thought...

The poly cross I use -- WC Scorpion 17 -- is one I've never used in a full set, so I don't know how badly, or haow soon, it goes to mush in those conditions. But hybrid it with Tonic + in the mains, and it seems to me to last forever -- months, easily -- without losing any discernible playability.

 

[jrod]

The poly cross I use -- WC Scorpion 17 -- is one I've never used in a full set, so I don't know how badly, or haow soon, it goes to mush in those conditions. But hybrid it with Tonic + in the mains, and it seems to me to last forever -- months, easily -- without losing any discernible playability.

I don't use Scorpion, but do use Silverstring. Weiscannon makes a superb product. Silverstring retains it's tension and playability longer than any other poly I've used. I get over 16 hours per frame out of it before I'm even thinking about restringing. Usually it's tension loss that forces me to rip it out.

 

[Lefty78]

I think natural gut REDUCES the lifespan of polys. The gut has so much elasticity that the poly has to do most of the work, and thus wears out faster. Yes, the gut itself will last in a hybrid setup, but the poly will die faster than from a full setup.

 

[jrod]

I think natural gut REDUCES the lifespan of polys. The gut has so much elasticity that the poly has to do most of the work, and thus wears out faster. Yes, the gut itself will last in a hybrid setup, but the poly will die faster than from a full setup.

Interesting theory. My experience is not consistent with this observation however. Poly's die fast with or without the gut. Any acceleration in the poly's death caused by gut would be extremely hard to discern.

I'd be interested to hear if other posters share your viewpoint and if so, why?

 

[origmarm]

I tend to feel that the poly probably lasts about the same but I can play for longer with a stringbed with a gut hybrid than I can with a full poly bed. Just can't stand full poly when it's dead, it's bearable crossed with gut.

 

[Fedace]

So if you are someone that cuts out the poly as soon as it goes dead, is it worth it to hybrid them with Natural gut ??

 

[Lefty78]

So if you are someone that cuts out the poly as soon as it goes dead, is it worth it to hybrid them with Natural gut ??

F@%# NO!!!

Self-string full poly and cut it out before 5 hours.

 

[jrod]

F@%# NO!!!

Self-string full poly and cut it out before 5 hours.

The question asked by fedace is a legitimate one. However, the answer depends somewhat on which poly one uses. Some poly's die faster than others. In most cases it is the death of the poly that causes the strings to need replacing so the economics are not all that attractive. That said, it all depends on what your objectives are...

 

[dktracer]

Gut may prolong the life of the poly, but the poly will cut thru that gut. especially if its is textured and rough like ALU rough or blue gear

 

[SlapShot]

Gut may prolong the life of the poly, but the poly will cut thru that gut. especially if its is textured and rough like ALU rough or blue gear

Not really true at all in my experience.

I've been using a gut/poly hybrid in my sticks since I bought them, and I've found that gut resists getting cut into much better than a multi does. It also stays pretty playable for a lot longer than a straight poly setup, or even a poly/syn gut hybrid.

 

[Fedace]

The question asked by fedace is a legitimate one. However, the answer depends somewhat on which poly one uses. Some poly's die faster than others. In most cases it is the death of the poly that causes the strings to need replacing so the economics are not all that attractive. That said, it all depends on what your objectives are...

My objective is to get little more Power out of the hybrid while maintaining same control. I figure the natural gut will give me little more pop in the hybrid than the Multi. and the control should be fantastic since gut is known for great control. but i know that it will get pretty expensive pretty quick...

 

[jrod]

My objective is to get little more Power out of the hybrid while maintaining same control. I figure the natural gut will give me little more pop in the hybrid than the Multi. and the control should be fantastic since gut is known for great control. but i know that it will get pretty expensive pretty quick...

Poly provides much better control than gut does in my experience.

 

[Fedace]

^^I meant in a Hybrid. Hybrid with multi vs hybrid with Nat Gut. the poly stays the same..