going out on a limb - gut mains - what crosses?

S

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
OK. Going to try mixing the strings as that seems to be all the rage.

I have been playing with full bed Solinco Hyper G 19 ga. in my Yonex vcore 100 racket. strung between 55 and 57 usually
I am an older doubles player, hit pretty flat by today's standards, but I can slice pretty well and am trying to add more topspin to my game.
I am not a string breaker at all.

I have a full set of Babolat 17 ga. gut for the mains.
Here is what I have " in stock " for the crosses:

Prince Duraflex syngut 18
Gamma TNT and TNT2 18
Prince Premiere 16
Prince Durathin 18
Wilson Sensation 16
Wilson Hammertech 16
Forten Sweet 16
Gamma Zo Sweet 17
Wilson (Optimus) Comfort 16

Lets assume I am limited to these choices for the crosses. Which one do you recc. for the crosses?

Also, I understand that the tension on the mains and crosses should be different. Given my above "reference" tension, what do you recc. for the mains and crosses?

All advice deeply appreciated!
 
B

blai212

Professional
stapletonj said:
OK. Going to try mixing the strings as that seems to be all the rage.

I have been playing with full bed Solinco Hyper G 19 ga. in my Yonex vcore 100 racket. strung between 55 and 57 usually
I am an older doubles player, hit pretty flat by today's standards, but I can slice pretty well and am trying to add more topspin to my game.
I am not a string breaker at all.

I have a full set of Babolat 17 ga. gut for the mains.
Here is what I have " in stock " for the crosses:

Prince Duraflex syngut 18
Gamma TNT and TNT2 18
Prince Premiere 16
Prince Durathin 18
Wilson Sensation 16
Wilson Hammertech 16
Forten Sweet 16
Gamma Zo Sweet 17
Wilson (Optimus) Comfort 16

Lets assume I am limited to these choices for the crosses. Which one do you recc. for the crosses?

Also, I understand that the tension on the mains and crosses should be different. Given my above "reference" tension, what do you recc. for the mains and crosses?

All advice deeply appreciated!
Click to expand...
might jus be me but i strongly believe any nonpoly string as a cross totally sucks. Outer coating wears off quite fast and then string bed locks up, not to mention the strings start moving all over the place and need to be realigned between every rally....or maybe that’s jus because i’m a 4.5 aggressive baseliner that hits with spin.


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Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
blai212 said:
might jus be me but i strongly believe any nonpoly string as a cross totally sucks. Outer coating wears off quite fast and then string bed locks up, not to mention the strings start moving all over the place and need to be realigned between every rally....or maybe that’s jus because i’m a 4.5 aggressive baseliner that hits with spin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I agree with this 99%. Poly crosses or monogut zx crosses are the way to go. Anything that locks the string bed is a waste mostly. Unless you hit fllat or want a lower launch angle.
 
Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
stapletonj said:
OK. Going to try mixing the strings as that seems to be all the rage.

I have been playing with full bed Solinco Hyper G 19 ga. in my Yonex vcore 100 racket. strung between 55 and 57 usually
I am an older doubles player, hit pretty flat by today's standards, but I can slice pretty well and am trying to add more topspin to my game.
I am not a string breaker at all.

I have a full set of Babolat 17 ga. gut for the mains.
Here is what I have " in stock " for the crosses:

Prince Duraflex syngut 18
Gamma TNT and TNT2 18
Prince Premiere 16
Prince Durathin 18
Wilson Sensation 16
Wilson Hammertech 16
Forten Sweet 16
Gamma Zo Sweet 17
Wilson (Optimus) Comfort 16

Lets assume I am limited to these choices for the crosses. Which one do you recc. for the crosses?

Also, I understand that the tension on the mains and crosses should be different. Given my above "reference" tension, what do you recc. for the mains and crosses?

All advice deeply appreciated!
Click to expand...
Why not just keep one variable...the mains. If you use the same crosses at the same tension then you limit the variable to just gut vs. poly. If you add a different cross you now have 2 variables and more if you are changing gauges. If you like or dislike how do you know which string is the hero or culprit? Just do gut and Hyper g to see how you like that then think about radically changing crosses.
 
McLovin

McLovin

Legend
stapletonj said:
I have some hyper G but was afraid it would saw through the gut too fast?
Click to expand...
It *may*, but it really depends on your level and the way you swing the racquet.

And I agree w/ @Shroud: Only change 1 variable at a time. Traditionally, any smooth, round poly will do fine, but if you're simply trying to see if you like gut/poly, do a run w/ the Hyper G in the crosses and see what you think. Its what the Bryan brothers use.

As far as tension, again, limiting your variables is best. Since you already have a tension range, I'd say stick in that area and go w/ gut mains at 57, and Hyper G crosses at 55.
 
S

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
Hyper G it is! Now, should I stay with the tension at 55-56-57 in both mains and crosses, or string the crosses lower?

Also, it's been decades since I've had gut strings, any particular need to prestretch or tips on that?
 
1HBHfanatic

1HBHfanatic

Legend
gamma zo sweet is a hybrid pack!? it has a poly, I would use that poly as a cross
tension I would go:
nat.gut mains @57lbs,
poly crosses @53lbs

every other option on that list is a synthetic, and it will lock up the string bed as @Shroud suggested on post #3

one other thing,, the natural gut mains and a synthetic cross, would be very powerful, too powerful IMO/IME, as the strings lose tension
 
B

blai212

Professional
stapletonj said:
Hyper G it is! Now, should I stay with the tension at 55-56-57 in both mains and crosses, or string the crosses lower?

Also, it's been decades since I've had gut strings, any particular need to prestretch or tips on that?
Click to expand...
ud prob need to go 10-12% higher in tension on the gut mains since it is a softer string. If you normally do hyperG @55-57 then gut @62 sounds about right. Also need to take into account the brand and gauge of your gut to set tension accordingly. Babolat/wilson guts are usually the softest and since you’re using 17g then maybe 63-64 to compensate for softness of thinner gauge/brand and then tension the hyperG crosses as u normally would.


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S

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
Well, I finally tried it, but I put the gut at 57 and the hyperG crosses in at 54, love the results after 2 hitting sessions. feel, spin, power are back. much less arm pain.
 
M

mctennis

Legend
That was about the tensions I was going to recommend before I saw your impression with the 57 mains and 54 crosses. I was going to suggest 59m/54c. I use a similar Yonex and I found these tensions feel the best. I have tried + and - # tension differences somewhat but come back to this tension combo.
 
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