Gut/Poly timeframe question

[JustTennis76]

Hi guys,
I am currently using Babolat VS Touch 15L and Prince Tour XC 15L on my Youtek Prestige Pro. I have about 20 hours on it spread across 2 months of hitting. The playability hasn’t dropped and I still get the nice crisp feedback. There is no significant wear on the gut either. Seems like it’s going to last me for a long time. Do you guys keep playing till it breaks or just cut it out after a set number of hours? I play 4.5 level and hit with decent spin and pace. Thank you.

 

[mpournaras]

Play that goodness until it breaks. Or once you feel it start to die cut it out (if it bothers you)

 

[J011yroger]

It plays best just before it breaks!

J

 

[Big Bagel]

With VS, you can play it till it breaks and have no issues, or at least most people will experience that with a quality gut like VS. If you notice a drop-off, cut it out, but otherwise, if you're using VS mains, I don't think you'll have to worry much about about playability; the poly will go dead, but just being in the crosses with VS mains, it probably won't change the playability all that much. I would just play till it breaks if I was you!

 

[USPTARF97]

Hi guys,
I am currently using Babolat VS Touch 15L and Prince Tour XC 15L on my Youtek Prestige Pro. I have about 20 hours on it spread across 2 months of hitting. The playability hasn’t dropped and I still get the nice crisp feedback. There is no significant wear on the gut either. Seems like it’s going to last me for a long time. Do you guys keep playing till it breaks or just cut it out after a set number of hours? I play 4.5 level and hit with decent spin and pace. Thank you.

That is awesome. Play til it breaks. I played last night with Klip Legend (uncoated// Max Power on clay after dark. It’s about half way done after an hour and a half. Good conditions 8-10hrs and with VS Touch/4g can get 12+ hours in good conditions.

 

[ONgame]

I'm on 15L tonic/16 max power, and it lasts me 3 -4 months, 4.0 level, 4-6 hours weekly.

 

[USPTARF97]

I'm on 15L tonic/16 max power, and it lasts me 3 -4 months, 4.0 level, 4-6 hours weekly.

That’s what up, hard to beat that set up.

 

[phanker]

Play until the gut breaks as gut's playability stays consistent until the end. One lasted me a good 60-70 hours, about 4X longer than full poly. My stringing machine is collecting dust now.
I have on occasion restring the poly crosses alternating the weaving pattern to avoid the old notches allowing the gut mains to slide easily again. Plays like a new string bed again, better actually.

 

[zettavaska]

Update at 32 hours. 17 hours of singles and 15 hours of doubles

Surprised the cream popped. Thought the NG would go first

My poly cross snapped first - post quoted above

 

[USPTARF97]

My poly cross snapped first - post quoted above

That’s awesome. Gut looks great. Would put it on a stringer and cut the crosses out and restring the crosses. Trim the gut with a razor blade and use a little clear finger nail polish while you have just the mains in the frame.

 

[zettavaska]

That’s awesome. Gut looks great. Would put it on a stringer and cut the crosses out and restring the crosses. Trim the gut with a razor blade and use a little clear finger nail polish while you have just the mains in the frame.

Is that safe to do? Friend told me I should finish cutting strings immediately to prevent warping of the frame so was unable to try your recommendation

 

[USPTARF97]

Is that safe to do? Friend told me I should finish cutting strings immediately to prevent warping of the frame so was unable to try your recommendation

Can only cut the crosses out while the frame is on the stringer otherwise it will warp. Same principle as stringing the mains and then starting the crosses. Just in rewind. You follow.

 

[JustTennis76]

Play until the gut breaks as gut's playability stays consistent until the end. One lasted me a good 60-70 hours, about 4X longer than full poly. My stringing machine is collecting dust now.
I have on occasion restring the poly crosses alternating the weaving pattern to avoid the old notches allowing the gut mains to slide easily again. Plays like a new string bed again, better actually.

This is turning about to be absolutely true in my case. The more I play with the racket, the feel is getting better and it's extremely durable with so much arm comfort. Wish I had tried this sooner in my early years but it's never too late. I may have to sell all my other strings I have accumulated over years.

 

[Big Bagel]

Is that safe to do? Friend told me I should finish cutting strings immediately to prevent warping of the frame so was unable to try your recommendation

Some people do it and it's fine. Personally, I would never do it. But others do and say it's fine. If you do it, you definitely have to make sure to get it snug on the machine before doing any cutting, and then don't adjust the machine at all, even if the frame moves slightly. Again, I wouldn't recommend it or do it, but you could probably get away with it.

 

[USPTARF97]

Some people do it and it's fine. Personally, I would never do it. But others do and say it's fine. If you do it, you definitely have to make sure to get it snug on the machine before doing any cutting, and then don't adjust the machine at all, even if the frame moves slightly. Again, I wouldn't recommend it or do it, but you could probably get away with it.

It’s only useful is you are interested in a Gut/ poly set up for the price of half a set of poly. That would be $4.50 for me and a great practice frame.
If the racquet has compressed and you have to adjust the stringer to put it back on, wouldn’t do it. I play small differentials and don’t have an issue. Also fortunate that my stringer is in my house and only stringing the RF97 for the most part.

 

[andyN]

I was able to test out a 1/2 set of NG and poly, it was the best setup Ive hit with. I've strung it at 54lb/48lb but it felt too soft, I need to go up from here.
Any suggestions? I hit with a Angell TC97 at 48lbs full poly.
What are you all tensions on the this setup, and what are the tension differential, and your racket head size?

 

[USPTARF97]

I was able to test out a 1/2 set of NG and poly, it was the best setup Ive hit with. I've strung it at 54lb/48lb but it felt too soft, I need to go up from here.
Any suggestions? I hit with a Angell TC97 at 48lbs full poly.
What are you all tensions on the this setup, and what are the tension differential, and your racket head size?

57/54-59/56

 

[phanker]

Keep the poly at 48lb and increase the gut tension until it suits you. My formula is exactly that in that I don't string the crosses tighter than what I would normally in a full bed. I find it'll feel too stiff if I do. You can string the cross higher if you use a softer poly instead.

 

[ONgame]

I was able to test out a 1/2 set of NG and poly, it was the best setup Ive hit with. I've strung it at 54lb/48lb but it felt too soft, I need to go up from here.
Any suggestions? I hit with a Angell TC97 at 48lbs full poly.
What are you all tensions on the this setup, and what are the tension differential, and your racket head size?

Well I think with gut in the mains it would soften the poly feel so having the poly staying on 48lb makes it feel too soft.
For your reference, I have my TC95 on 15L gut/16g poly at 59/54.
If I were to guess, I think I would go with 60/55 in a TC97.

 

[andyN]

Keep the poly at 48lb and increase the gut tension until it suits you. My formula is exactly that in that I don't string the crosses tighter than what I would normally in a full bed. I find it'll feel too stiff if I do. You can string the cross higher if you use a softer poly instead.

thx for all the responses, I was mainly interested in what the tension differential used in this setup
I'd thought thats what you're suppose to do.
I also tried a Multi/Poly setup at 56 (babolat addition)/50 (tour bite) just out of curiosity and hated it. String bed felt firm but dead, no power so I didn't like it one bit.
I don't know if its the Babolat Addition but it prob the worst multi I ever tried in full bed of multi

 

[ONgame]

Yeah I understand how it feels when the strings just feel too soft.
I was messing with a couple of K90s when I first tried Gut
On first try, I was thinking K90 is on the lower power side, so I went low(relative to me) with 52/50 lb with the Volkl gut/cyclone 16g pack, big mistake, could not play any worse.
My second try with full bed gut 15L in another K90 I went with 58lbs, it felt much better, but I think I could still go higher.

Multi/Poly doesn't really work if you have multi in the mains from durability or string characteristics point of view. You are better off with Poly/Multi.

 

[Muppet]

thx for all the responses, I was mainly interested in what the tension differential used in this setup
I'd thought thats what you're suppose to do.
I also tried a Multi/Poly setup at 56 (babolat addition)/50 (tour bite) just out of curiosity and hated it. String bed felt firm but dead, no power so I didn't like it one bit.
I don't know if its the Babolat Addition but it prob the worst multi I ever tried in full bed of multi

Tension differential is something that you'll have to find by trial and error. It depends on the chatacteriscs of the racquet, the stiffness and elasticity of the strings, the tensions on the strings, and your strokes and how the strings hit the ball. You can start with a 4 lb. differential as an average starting point for a reverse hybrid (gut/poly, multi/poly, synth/poly) ,then tweak it from there. Besides comfort, control, and power, you will want to find the launch angle that you like best for the ball coming off the strings. A lower relative tension on the crosses will give you a higher angle.

 

[SeeItHitIt]

Cut the poly out after you don’t like the feel or notice a performance drop. Restrung the crosses on the opposite side of the gut and play on!

 

[Muppet]

From what I've read on this message board, the people who wouldn't re-string only the crosses haven't tried it. The people who do it have no trouble with it. I think we can agree that starting from the begining is better, but if you can double the life of a half set of natural gut, I think it's worth it.

When I was testing 3 different nylon crosses with KB Evolution mains, I kept the same main string in for the 3 crosses. I only played for a couple of hours with each cross string. The KBE was not very elastic and was high quality enough that I was able to use it this way. It's a great string, but muted and a little heavy for my purposes.