Making racquets too flexible by adding weight to the poles

[Muppet]

I have two MuscleWeave 200G 95 racquets. One of them is from the regular production run just before the turn of the century. The other is from the re-issue they had a few years ago. The re-issue is slightly lighter and my guess is about 2 RA units softer than my original. But they are very close.

In order to increase the weight of the new one a little and not affect the balance, I added a gram to the tip and three grams in the butt cap. It just occurred to me yesterday that the added weight may be mildly softening the flex through the middle of the racquet, even a little softer than it already was.

Is there a better lead placement that won't soften my racquet, or even firm it up slightly? I'd rather not further de-polarize it, as this frame already has a de-polarized weighting, but I'd be willing to try people's suggestions. Would using a more dead or stiffer main string be an easier fix for this situation? In the end, I'd like the two racquets to play the same.

note: The original has a handle one size smaller and it's built up with two layers of gauze tape. The re-issue has 4g of lead wrapped around the pallet and approx. 3g of poster putty in the butt cap. I would say the re-issue has a mildly more polarized setup. They swing indescernably to me, but the re-issue has more flex at contact.

Much appreciated

 

[moon shot]

Placing weight on a vibration node (3&9, upper handle) has very little affect on vibration. If you add weight to the tip as you did or upper throat it will reduce the vibration frequency and in turn feel softer. I've heard adding putty or silicone in the butt cap has a similar softening effect but never done it myself.

A string might bring back the feel with your current setup in the soft racquet but then both frames would have different strings. I would try adding weight at 3 & 9 instead of 12 if you want to maintain how contact feels before you added weight.

 

[Muppet]

Then I would be increasing the re-issue's twist weight and therefore sweet spot. Is this what I will have to accept as a trade-off? I think I'm leaning toward a marginally lighter racquet or stiffer and deader strings. I really hate too big of a sweet spot.

 

[Irvin]

Then I would be increasing the re-issue's twist weight and therefore sweet spot. Is this what I will have to accept as a trade-off? I think I'm leaning toward a marginally lighter racquet or stiffer and deader strings. I really hate too big of a sweet spot.

You could try to calculate the polar ratio of the racket before adding weight by dividing weight in grams by recoil weight. Then add some weight at 12, 6', and the butt to result in the same polar ratio and balance you started with and also matching the other racket as best you can.

 

[moon shot]

Then I would be increasing the re-issue's twist weight and therefore sweet spot. Is this what I will have to accept as a trade-off?

If I may start again, when I read that you feel the weight is softening the flex I don't think that can be a literal result. Instead I think the core issue may be the added weight at those locations is decreasing vibration as I described above and making the impact feel less crisp and direct. Otherwise I'm not your guy.

Did the reissue feel right on contact before the weight was added? If the feel is soft to start weight will not remedy that. Other posibilities:

1. Change the gauze tape out for a firmer material. I haven't used it but I could see gauze adding a bit of sponginess to your handle.

2. Swap the poster putty and move lead around up to 6 inches from the butt cap to at highest where your grip stops. This would allow the handle to 'talk' a bit more.

I think 1 & 2 will, in a smaller way, affect the feel of the racquet in the same as my first suggestion. You may prefer them to messing with the twistweight.

 

[Muppet]

If I may start again, when I read that you feel the weight is softening the flex I don't think that can be a literal result. Instead I think the core issue may be the added weight at those locations is decreasing vibration as I described above and making the impact feel less crisp and direct. Otherwise I'm not your guy.

Did the reissue feel right on contact before the weight was added? If the feel is soft to start weight will not remedy that. Other posibilities:

1. Change the gauze tape out for a firmer material. I haven't used it but I could see gauze adding a bit of sponginess to your handle.

2. Swap the poster putty and move lead around up to 6 inches from the butt cap to at highest where your grip stops. This would allow the handle to 'talk' a bit more.

I think 1 & 2 will, in a smaller way, affect the feel of the racquet in the same as my first suggestion. You may prefer them to messing with the twistweight.

First of all, thanks for all the advice.

I had an improvement in the re-issue by replacing Red Devil 1.24/Gutex Ultra 1.30 @50/55 with BHS 1.21/Gutex Ultra 1.30 @49/54. It's much firmer now. I really like the gauze tape alot. It has wax resin in it and it wraps on thin, so it lays up pretty firm and it's light weight. I'm thinking now about removing the 3g of putty and adding some lead at the top of the handle. I know this will help the racquet swing more efficiently, which before I didn't want to over-do. But if this will help stiffen the racquet, I'll try it again. I already have 2g at 7" up the handle.

I did understand what you were saying about removing weight having the effect of lessening that dampening, and allowing the racquet's vibrations to allow it to feel more lively and crisp (quasi-stiff.) What if I try lead at locations along the hoop between 1:00 to 2:30 and 9:30 to 11:00 and find where the lead should go to stiffen it up? Is that something that actually works?

 

[Muppet]

You could try to calculate the polar ratio of the racket before adding weight by dividing weight in grams by recoil weight. Then add some weight at 12, 6', and the butt to result in the same polar ratio and balance you started with and also matching the other racket as best you can.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[moon shot]

First of all, thanks for all the advice.

I had an improvement in the re-issue by replacing Red Devil 1.24/Gutex Ultra 1.30 @50/55 with BHS 1.21/Gutex Ultra 1.30 @49/54. It's much firmer now. I really like the gauze tape alot. It has wax resin in it and it wraps on thin, so it lays up pretty firm and it's light weight. I'm thinking now about removing the 3g of putty and adding some lead at the top of the handle. I know this will help the racquet swing more efficiently, which before I didn't want to over-do. But if this will help stiffen the racquet, I'll try it again. I already have 2g at 7" up the handle.

I did understand what you were saying about removing weight having the effect of lessening that dampening, and allowing the racquet's vibrations to allow it to feel more lively and crisp (quasi-stiff.) What if I try lead at locations along the hoop between 1:00 to 2:30 and 9:30 to 11:00 and find where the lead should go to stiffen it up? Is that something that actually works?

This is a crude diagram, but in it you see the node (of vibration). When your racquet vibrates from impact above or below the sweetspot the node of vibration remains still while parts of the racquet above and below it flutter in opposite directions. A rough diagram of that fluttering vibration is in light blue on top of the wilson racquet.

In short weight placed at at 12 and around the throat will reduce vibration, while the neighborhood of 6 & 12 will have the smallest effect. Any other location will fall somewhere between it is affect on vibration.

Think of playing a single guitar string, it is clamped at both ends and produces a repeatable sound. If you touch the string lightly (not depressing it to the fret) near one of the ends you reduce its ability to move, but it will create mostly the same sound since most of the string is still in movement. However if you lightly touch the string in the center of its length and pluck the sound is vastly different. The ends of the string are nodes of vibration, the center would be 12 or the throat.

 

[Muppet]

Thank you moon shot. My racquet is just right now. In the end, I moved 1g from the butt cap and 1g from the top to 7" up the handle. It feels very solid and stable. I'll have to see how it hits. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[moon shot]

Thank you moon shot. My racquet is just right now. In the end, I moved 1g from the butt cap and 1g from the top to 7" up the handle. It feels very solid and stable. I'll have to see how it hits. Thanks so much for your help.

Glad to hear it. There are so many different ways to describe and interpret the differences between racquets it can be hard to figure out which approach will be the adequate solution. Experiment and iterate is the way.