Sounds of a older racket different when restrung with modern strings?

[unclejemima]

So I've been collecting a few neat mid 90's rackets lately. Most appear to have original strings or at least very old strings.

2 questions...

#1. - Is it normal for these old rackets to sounds very bouncy when you hit it? Yes, funny terminology...but hard to explain lol. Example, they make a good 'boing' noise when you give it a good whack with the ball. Where as a modern racket is very silent in comparison.

#2. Will restringing the rackets change the sound so it quieter and more modern sounding (assuming string technology has improved since 1995)...or is the sound just the sounds based on the old school design of the frames.

I'm just wondering if it's worth restringing them for the little bit of playing that I do (usually once a week an hour or two)

These 4 old rackets I'm playing with...
-Prince Ripstick 800 Monobeam
-Dunlop Max Predator Extra long
-Yamaha Secret 12
-Dunlop Concave 115

Thank you from a tennis noob!

For reference, my son uses a Head Radical 2023 that I've used and it's virtually silent. It's strung with Technifibre black 17 strings.

 

[thenewbig3]

So I've been collecting a few neat mid 90's rackets lately. Most appear to have original strings or at least very old strings.

2 questions...

#1. - Is it normal for these old rackets to sounds very bouncy when you hit it? Yes, funny terminology...but hard to explain lol. Example, they make a good 'boing' noise when you give it a good whack with the ball. Where as a modern racket is very silent in comparison.

#2. Will restringing the rackets change the sound so it quieter and more modern sounding (assuming string technology has improved since 1995)...or is the sound just the sounds based on the old school design of the frames.

I'm just wondering if it's worth restringing them for the little bit of playing that I do (usually once a week an hour or two)

These 4 old rackets I'm playing with...
-Prince Ripstick 800 Monobeam
-Dunlop Max Predator Extra long
-Yamaha Secret 12
-Dunlop Concave 115

Thank you from a tennis noob!

For reference, my son uses a Head Radical 2023 that I've used and it's virtually silent. It's strung with Technifibre black 17 strings.

Typically bouncy is just a loss of a lot of tension and being that old almost all elasticity. When you cut a string on the, them they might not separate much which is an indication of both. In addition I bet these rackets you speak of have old, hardened, notched, synthetic gut/multi filament , is some cases the grommets have also hardened BUT I don't have any extremely unusual rackets like yours (I have the regular Prince Mono and it sounds like a normal modern racket)

I have a lot of older graphite rackets (which I restring before use) and most don't sound appreciably different than modern ones (other than many of the most modern one which are extra muted, I don't think the Radical is too bad though).

Personally if I would keep those rackets I would string with thick synthetic gut at 3-5 lbs over your normal tension for that frame and just dink around with them once in a while like you seem to be... playability wont be effected much with that little bump up or the cheap string (infact I think many older rackets sing with syngut and fall flat with poly)

 

[Kevo]

Strings of different kinds and different tensions can make quite a large difference in the sound a frame makes whether modern or old. Some people are enamored with a certain kind of sound and will pick a string just for the sound it makes.

 

[Casey 1988]

Strings of different kinds and different tensions can make quite a large difference in the sound a frame makes whether modern or old. Some people are enamored with a certain kind of sound and will pick a string just for the sound it makes.

A good part of this is becuse they will use the sound to tell when a ball is off sweet spot either in addition to feel or the worse way, only using sound.

 

[onehandbh]

So I've been collecting a few neat mid 90's rackets lately. Most appear to have original strings or at least very old strings.

2 questions...

#1. - Is it normal for these old rackets to sounds very bouncy when you hit it? Yes, funny terminology...but hard to explain lol. Example, they make a good 'boing' noise when you give it a good whack with the ball. Where as a modern racket is very silent in comparison.

#2. Will restringing the rackets change the sound so it quieter and more modern sounding (assuming string technology has improved since 1995)...or is the sound just the sounds based on the old school design of the frames.

I'm just wondering if it's worth restringing them for the little bit of playing that I do (usually once a week an hour or two)

These 4 old rackets I'm playing with...
-Prince Ripstick 800 Monobeam
-Dunlop Max Predator Extra long
-Yamaha Secret 12
-Dunlop Concave 115

Thank you from a tennis noob!

For reference, my son uses a Head Radical 2023 that I've used and it's virtually silent. It's strung with Technifibre black 17 strings.

What do you mean by bouncy? Can you record the sound (or video of it) and post it? I cannot imagine what a bouncy sound sounds like.

Different strings also make different sounds. (synthetic gut vs poly).

How you hit the ball also makes a difference. Personally, I like racquets that make a thud/thumping sound

 

[thenewbig3]

What do you mean by bouncy? Can you record the sound (or video of it) and post it? I cannot imagine what a bouncy sound sounds like.

BOING BOING