Spalding Pancho Gonzales
- Thread starter Superman1272
- Start date
Superman1272
Rookie
A good buddy of mine and I are putting on a little tournament in March with 6 other guys. We will play a round robin type of tourney (like the world finals last month in London) with two groups of 4 and the top two going on th play the semis... The only thing is, we all have to play with wooden racquets. This should prove to be entertaining.
As an attempt to get a little more spin and power out of the frame, It tried the diagonal string pattern above. Not only does it open up the bed, but now the crosses and the mains are closer to the same length which should add some power. Maybe it will lead to a bigger sweet spot... I hope so. The frame itself is around 75 square inches small. I am going to need al the help I can get!
As an attempt to get a little more spin and power out of the frame, It tried the diagonal string pattern above. Not only does it open up the bed, but now the crosses and the mains are closer to the same length which should add some power. Maybe it will lead to a bigger sweet spot... I hope so. The frame itself is around 75 square inches small. I am going to need al the help I can get!
joe sch
Legend
I personally dont like the diagonal stringing pattern since it provides a hit that is not what a player is expecting, ie the trajectory is not straight forward but more diagonal. Guess it could be nice once you get used to the different control and more open pattern, as you pointed out, for additional spin. Most standard woodies were approx 65" so 75 is almost a midsize for that era. Woodys are lots of fun, sounds like a nice competition you have planned. Enjoy !
Superman1272
Rookie
There was an actual change in flight direction with the diagonal string pattern? Weird.
I had no idea that the head sizes were that small. I was just taking a guess as to how large/small this one was...
streamwalker
New User
Clasic wood frame sizes
This appears to be a Belgium model from the paint job...see inside hoop bottom center for country stamp...Taiwan, Japan, Belgium , ect... further, almost all classic wood ovals are close to 65 sq inch, not 75...remember 85 is Midsize !....Also some diagonal frames were designed in a narrower top head shape, more diamond shaped than oval as diagonal strings put enormous stress at the more rounded stiffer corners of a true oval, sometimes causing cracks because of a lack of flexibility, the flatter corners of a diamond allow more flex...Diagonal stinging was really only done for 1 major reason...to but more bite on the ball for top spin and back spin, as all strings, both mains and crosses are making an angular bite into the ball, where as regular strings only give a solid bite to the vertical mains with the crosses just sliding off the ball.... there has never been any reports I am aware of that claim anything else....no greater power, nor control....regards,
This appears to be a Belgium model from the paint job...see inside hoop bottom center for country stamp...Taiwan, Japan, Belgium , ect... further, almost all classic wood ovals are close to 65 sq inch, not 75...remember 85 is Midsize !....Also some diagonal frames were designed in a narrower top head shape, more diamond shaped than oval as diagonal strings put enormous stress at the more rounded stiffer corners of a true oval, sometimes causing cracks because of a lack of flexibility, the flatter corners of a diamond allow more flex...Diagonal stinging was really only done for 1 major reason...to but more bite on the ball for top spin and back spin, as all strings, both mains and crosses are making an angular bite into the ball, where as regular strings only give a solid bite to the vertical mains with the crosses just sliding off the ball.... there has never been any reports I am aware of that claim anything else....no greater power, nor control....regards,
Superman1272
Rookie
I hit with this frame for about 45 minutes last night. I was SUPRISED at how deep my shots were going with the minimal amount of effort. Not a hard, fast ball, but very heavy and loopy. I got great depth on my shots when I found the sweet spot.
The sweet spot definitely feels larger with the diagonal string pattern. It is a more forgiving set-up than before. Could be the new strings...
As for the spin porducing capabilities... it was way more pronounced than I was anticipating. Again, I was by no means hitting barn burners... but the spin generated was very good for the relatively flat stroke that such a small face dictates. I am sure there are players that could time the stroke better and hit with a more closed face (a la Borg) but I was happy with the results. I think I might go with a small gauge poly next time out just to see what it might produce.
The sweet spot definitely feels larger with the diagonal string pattern. It is a more forgiving set-up than before. Could be the new strings...
As for the spin porducing capabilities... it was way more pronounced than I was anticipating. Again, I was by no means hitting barn burners... but the spin generated was very good for the relatively flat stroke that such a small face dictates. I am sure there are players that could time the stroke better and hit with a more closed face (a la Borg) but I was happy with the results. I think I might go with a small gauge poly next time out just to see what it might produce.
dataseviltwin
Rookie
Overgrips/Surgical tape a must for Wooden Racket tourneys...
Make sure and either bring overgrips, or tape for your hands. Leather grips are wonderfully efficient at chewing up our "used-to-cushy grip" hands.:twisted: Interesting post regarding diagonal strings though...
Make sure and either bring overgrips, or tape for your hands. Leather grips are wonderfully efficient at chewing up our "used-to-cushy grip" hands.:twisted: Interesting post regarding diagonal strings though...
