Where do pro's get their Prestige Classic's from?

Pushmaster

Hall of Fame
Yes, I was wondering from what source do ATP player's get replacement Prestige Classic's from since they are no longer in production? I know there are still alot of pro's that still play with the PC, and I'm sure they must run low on their stock at hand (especially Safin with all the racquet's he smashes, lol). I know it might sound like a dumb question, but does Head still do limited runs of the PC just for pro's, or do they just have an unlimited stock on hand for pro's already so they will not have to worry about running low on them?
 

Ryoma Kun

Semi-Pro
i bet head does still have them, they jstu make limited supplies for pros.
i would prob also say iuf you paid them enough they may send you some of them
 

ffrpg

Professional
Just because a racquet is no longer produced for the public, doesn't mean that Head is not able to continue producing the same racquet. If Head made a bunch right now, they'd have to paint it to look like the LM Prestige. Once the Flex prestige racquet comes out, they'd have to change the paintjobs. Because of this, I would assume that Head makes limited runs once in awhile, unless they made a bunch that were unpainted. This is what common sense would tell me though, I don't know if it's true at all...
 

AndrewD

Legend
True, but do you remember when Wilson said that they were absolutely NOT going to make any more T2000's and Connors was going to go ahead and buy them from anyone -store or the public- who had a stockpile. Of course I don't think any of the current Prestige users will be running around on the tour when they're 40 LOL.
 

hummer23

Hall of Fame
maybe they do like smapras does, the just stock up on a lot and buy them where they can. safin goes through a ton of frames per year, and most frames dont play the same for pros after a few handfuls of stringing, so they need a lot of racquets.
 

david aames

Professional
Not an issue for Head to provide players with old Classic, Pro Tour etc. I know a D1 player who gets his 600s w/LM PJ from head. No hassle whatsoever.

And you average pro won't need more than 20 frames each year.

hummer23 said:
maybe they do like smapras does, the just stock up on a lot and buy them where they can. safin goes through a ton of frames per year, and most frames dont play the same for pros after a few handfuls of stringing, so they need a lot of racquets.
 

Craig Sheppard

Hall of Fame
david aames said:
Not an issue for Head to provide players with old Classic, Pro Tour etc. I know a D1 player who gets his 600s w/LM PJ from head. No hassle whatsoever.

David, when you say D1 do you mean Division I college, or D1 as in first-tier Pro? Thanks.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Push, believe Head still sells new Prestige Tours in Europe. If so, just a change of the pallet makes it a PC.
 

ChiefAce

Semi-Pro
Rajeev Ram was using an I Prestige paint job a few years ago from head, it was of course the Prestige classic with plenty of lead under those cap grommets. The paint job was great, you couldn't really tell it wasn't an I Prestige mid.
 

BLiND

Hall of Fame
easy to tell if its not an i.Prestige... just look at the throat, cos its flat in all but the i's
 

Pushmaster

Hall of Fame
Ronaldo said:
Push, believe Head still sells new Prestige Tours in Europe. If so, just a change of the pallet makes it a PC.
Ronaldo, I found a place online based in the UK that has the Prestige Tour, but they are only available in a 660cm (midplus).
 

Aykhan Mammadov

Hall of Fame
Pushmaster said:
Yes, I was wondering from what source do ATP player's get replacement Prestige Classic's from since they are no longer in production? I know there are still alot of pro's that still play with the PC, and I'm sure they must run low on their stock at hand (especially Safin with all the racquet's he smashes, lol). I know it might sound like a dumb question, but does Head still do limited runs of the PC just for pro's, or do they just have an unlimited stock on hand for pro's already so they will not have to worry about running low on them?


I bought all stocks of PC from Head 10 years ago and now just me suppling them to PROs. They don't have regular prices. Richer players get them by higher prices from me.
 

TommyGun

Semi-Pro
Boz has some of them, and I wouldn't be surprised if 20 years from now they are here on the vintage link. Jay S. has some too. They are reserved for there pros who contract with them as techs, but you might be able to ask nice and get one from them.
 

Jonas

Semi-Pro
I remember it being said that Philippoussis was buying his 600's directly from Tennis Warehouse in the Summer of '03. As for the other, I would imagine that either Head just continues to crank them out, or the player's have purchased the mold for these frames.
 
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PrestigeClassic

Guest
Lots of top D1 players use custom lengths, paintjobs, etc., all from the manufacturer, in this case Head. Lots of them have played pro tournaments and have been ranked in the top few hundred. As for the rackets, they make them as they go along because lots of players like something a little different than other players do, or with time they change to something a little different from what they used to use. Sometimes there's leftover paintjobs or old-spec frames. I'd think if the manufacturer had such a frame, they may as well destroy it. If a player has an paintjob leftover, the manufacturer probably doesn't care what they do with it as long as they play their matches with the new ones. In a deal with a player, the manufacturer's cost of making the actual frames is just insignificant.
 

david aames

Professional
And sometimes the sky is blue, sometimes it's grey.

PrestigeClassic said:
Lots of top D1 players use custom lengths, paintjobs, etc., all from the manufacturer, in this case Head. Lots of them have played pro tournaments and have been ranked in the top few hundred. As for the rackets, they make them as they go along because lots of players like something a little different than other players do, or with time they change to something a little different from what they used to use. Sometimes there's leftover paintjobs or old-spec frames. I'd think if the manufacturer had such a frame, they may as well destroy it. If a player has an paintjob leftover, the manufacturer probably doesn't care what they do with it as long as they play their matches with the new ones. In a deal with a player, the manufacturer's cost of making the actual frames is just insignificant.
 
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PrestigeClassic

Guest
A more traditional approach is "Roses are red, violets are blue." But I like your creativity. Let me know when you're done with my poem.
 

spksz

Rookie
just wondering.is the weight of the prestige classic heavy for those of you who use it? is it heavier than the yonex super rd tours and the mp tour1?
 

TennisD

Professional
I use a PC600 which has an i.Prestige paintjob and is custom weighted to about 370 - 375 grams. I love it to death. It's easily the best feeling racquet I've ever tried. And even at that weight, I find it perfect, but then again, it's just me.

Also, to answer the question at hand, Head still produces the PC600. No, not in limited amounts. No, there is no stockpile. Simply put, they just make them for the players/coaches under contract. That's it. Why would anyone think any different. Just because a racquet is out of production for the general public does not mean they are no longer being made per se. Several of the players I train with have Head contracts, and none of the use the LM Prestige, opting to use either the I.Prestige or PC600. Although both are "out of production", the fellows I know still get their sticks whenever they want.
 
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PrestigeClassic

Guest
TennisD said:
I use a PC600 which has an i.Prestige paintjob and is custom weighted to about 370 - 375 grams. I love it to death. It's easily the best feeling racquet I've ever tried. And even at that weight, I find it perfect, but then again, it's just me.

Also, to answer the question at hand, Head still produces the PC600. No, not in limited amounts. No, there is no stockpile. Simply put, they just make them for the players/coaches under contract. That's it. Why would anyone think any different. Just because a racquet is out of production for the general public does not mean they are no longer being made per se. Several of the players I train with have Head contracts, and none of the use the LM Prestige, opting to use either the I.Prestige or PC600. Although both are "out of production", the fellows I know still get their sticks whenever they want.

I have had the same and I weighted it to be about that weight, too. Only about 4 points headlight. I agree it is sweet and seems to hit better than a retail PC weighted to the same specs. They start out lighter for sponsored people. But Head's customizing sure is crude. Mine came with a couple layers of lead ~13" long at the tip and some silicone under the grip. But the silicone is just injected through a hole in the butt cap and it's only on one side of the handle. The butt cap didn't even fit over the pallets, so Head made a slit down one side of it. I had to sand the portion of the pallets that was under the butt cap and literally stiched the slit in the butt cap with needle and thread, put on a couple drops of superglue so the thread wouldn't unravel. It's been great, but I ended up changing the pallet size anyway. Did someone give you one of their expired paintjob sticks?
 

TennisD

Professional
Yeah, I agree. Head's customization process may be a bit crude (I've seen work done by both Wilson and Volkl, several guys I train with have contracts), but my racquets were very well done, and I love them. Seriously.

As to how I got them? I got them from my coach, who is under contract with Head. Before, I played with an i.prestige MP. One day, I broke all my strings, tried his racquets and absolutely loved them. They felt comfortable right away! So he gave me 5! Hopefully, I will be able to sign a Head contract soon!
 

Pushmaster

Hall of Fame
Nadal_Rulz said:
well, you can get the at the www.thetennisspot.net, they have most grip sizes.
Unfortunately, they only have a 1/2 built up to 5/8 and I have really BIG hands so I would have to put on another heat shrink (2 total) and an overgrip to get it to a full 5. I just lose to much feel of the bevels when I do that. I think Head is really stupid for not doing another run of the PC because I know there is still a market for arguably the best all-around racquet ever made.
 

Rob_C

Hall of Fame
How realistic would it be to get a PT 280 made in a 600cm Prestige mold. I'm thinking since for them to even make a 280 it would have to be a custom run, that they could just put it in a Prestige mold. Also, on another board, Gaines posted a link to a US Open article about paint jobs. In the article it claimed that the cost of the PJs ran into the hundreds of dollars per racket. That seems way high. Dont they just paint the finished racket like they do the real models????

Rob
 

Mno

New User
TennisD and Prestige Classic,I use a Head Prestige Classic mid.My problem is that I got them from my country's federation 3 years ago and now they are starting to go "dead".The tennisspot Prestige feels different than my older version.How can I get some???I don't care if you paint them like Babolat Pure Drives.
 

Pushmaster

Hall of Fame
Mno said:
TennisD and Prestige Classic,I use a Head Prestige Classic mid.My problem is that I got them from my country's federation 3 years ago and now they are starting to go "dead".The tennisspot Prestige feels different than my older version.How can I get some???I don't care if you paint them like Babolat Pure Drives.
LOL! I wouldn't mind picking up a few in a 5/8 even if they were Wilson Torch paintjobs!
 

Metzler

Rookie
Since Connors and McEnroe are the only pros to make a mark on the tour who played college tennis (and they both quit after winning the NCAA's as freshmen) it speaks volumes for the stupidity of the racquet companies to make Connors get T-2000's from the public and screw around giving college nobodies painted racquets. There is not one person in the world who will buy a racquet because an NCAA player uses it. Head should just say, if you want a free racquet, take it or leave it- LM is what's available. Tennis no longer has an equipment show, golf's is a huge event that takes place in a former airplane hanger. Tennis no longer has magazine equipment issues like in the '70's, golf has a dozen such issues a year. When will the racquet companies get the message?
 

TennisD

Professional
Mno said:
TennisD and Prestige Classic,I use a Head Prestige Classic mid.My problem is that I got them from my country's federation 3 years ago and now they are starting to go "dead".The tennisspot Prestige feels different than my older version.How can I get some???I don't care if you paint them like Babolat Pure Drives.
Hmmmm, good question. Why not contact your federation, and ask where they got the racquets, and see whether or not they were modified? If that fails, try going to Head. I'm sure they will send you some if you pay the right price! Good luck!
 
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PrestigeClassic

Guest
AndrewD said:
True, but do you remember when Wilson said that they were absolutely NOT going to make any more T2000's and Connors was going to go ahead and buy them from anyone -store or the public- who had a stockpile. Of course I don't think any of the current Prestige users will be running around on the tour when they're 40 LOL.

Metzler said:
Since Connors and McEnroe are the only pros to make a mark on the tour who played college tennis (and they both quit after winning the NCAA's as freshmen) it speaks volumes for the stupidity of the racquet companies to make Connors get T-2000's from the public and screw around giving college nobodies painted racquets. There is not one person in the world who will buy a racquet because an NCAA player uses it. Head should just say, if you want a free racquet, take it or leave it- LM is what's available. Tennis no longer has an equipment show, golf's is a huge event that takes place in a former airplane hanger. Tennis no longer has magazine equipment issues like in the '70's, golf has a dozen such issues a year. When will the racquet companies get the message?

OK, this is the second time I've read this in this thread. Connors wanted certain serial numbers. It was like a St. Vincent/China thing. Wilson didn't make him do anything.

Again, those NCAA players also happen to be former and future professional players. Just because you've never heard of them doesn't mean that they won't sell rackets and other gear. Besides, if Head or another manufacturer is making a dozen rackets at a time, they may as well paint them with the current cosmetics. I'd think it will also save time and money that way when they don't have to mess around with hundreds of old paint colors/supplies/decals. Thankfully for them, the manufacturer doesn't have to care about this senseless topic. They just paint the rackets with current cosmetics and are done with it.
 

Pushmaster

Hall of Fame
Jonas said:
I remember it being said that Philippoussis was buying his 600's directly from Tennis Warehouse in the Summer of '03. As for the other, I would imagine that either Head just continues to crank them out, or the player's have purchased the mold for these frames.
Does anyone know what grip size Philippoussis plays? I would bet because he's such a big guy he probably uses a 5/8? He must have cornered the market on Prestige Classic's in a 5/8 because it's nearly impossible to find them these days.
 

TennisD

Professional
I use a nearly 5/8 grip. How I do it is, I start out with a 3/8 grip, put on a heat shrink sleeve, then remove the stock buttcap, placing a 5/8 buttcap on the racquet. Then I put on my leather grips (yes, I play leather!), and it's just right. I'm only 5'10 at most, and even the bigger guys I play with have a smaller grip than me. But I like it!
 
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PrestigeClassic

Guest
I believe I've read from Nate Ferguson that Poo uses a Prince L4 shape.. No pallets.
 

Pushmaster

Hall of Fame
Geez, a 1000 minimum? Oh well, I guess that's how many units it would take for Head to make it worthwhile. Too bad it's not more like 100, because we (Talk Tennis members) could possibly organize a group buy, but a 1000 Prestige Classic 600's would be quite a stretch. I would think it would be a good business for TW to order 1000 PC's, I'm sure they would have no problem selling them.
 
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PrestigeClassic

Guest
No doubt. Only thing is, TW, and therefore, Head, would sell less LM's as a result. Those must have much more margin than PC's at their lower prices.
 
Pushmaster said:
I would GLADLY pay the same price as a LM Prestige for a PC 600.

I wouldn't! $129 is the most I would spend on a classic racquet that doesn't need any advertising to make it sell.
In fact $129 is the most I would ever pay for a racquet which makes me want to start a poll....

And a batch of Classics, wouldn't take many sales away from the LM or Flexpoints anyway IMO, because most people that want the classic racquets aren't going to buy the new-fangled sticks anyway. (without demoing first and noticing that they actually play better and aren't just a marketing pitch)
There is definitely a market for Wilson 6.0 85, Wilson 6.1 classics, Head PC 600, and POGs that will always be there.
If the new sticks WERE BETTER like the hype of the technology suggests, then there wouldn't be a competition either.
I think it is silly that TW doesn't keep them in stock, but maybe HEAD won't let them.

Hey racquet companies... either make GREAT racquets, or keep the old ones on the market you dumbflukz!
 
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