Why Don't More People Play With Gut???

[WilsonPlayer101]

I do realize that gut cost many times more in general that the synthetic strings. I do know that. I do respect that and I am not Mr. Money Bags. But the playability, control, feel, durability are all superior to synthetics. Okay a poly might be more durable than gut but for the most part gut has many more times better properties than a synthetic.

I do realize the cost factor that not everyone can and/or would pay for a set of gut strings. Some people go for a hybrid of gut and synthetic. That brings down cost and gives you the positive aspects of gut while making poly strings softer just say. I just go for a full bed of gut myself.

Besides the cost factor do you just think that because there are so many choices out there people will just go out and experiment with poly, multi, synth gut until they find something they like? Also, younger people who grew up on synth or poly or multi won't really think of having gut.

 

[goran_ace]

A large majority of recreational tennis players out there don't know and don't care what they play with. It's hard enough to convince them they should pay $20 to restring their 15L synth gut more than once a year much less asking them to pay $40-50 for nat gut.

 

[goran_ace]

Besides the cost factor do you just think that because there are so many choices out there people will just go out and experiment with poly, multi, synth gut until they find something they like? Also, younger people who grew up on synth or poly or multi won't really think of having gut.

this is also a good point. I don't even play gut myself despite stringing for myself (and even when I used to be able to get it at cost back in my teaching days) because (1) I have a modern game and play best with poly mains, and (2) for hybrid stringbeds I can get what I need out of going with a low end multi as a cross, and you don't feel bad about cutting it out when the poly breaks or goes dead.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

A large majority of recreational tennis players out there don't know and don't care what they play with. It's hard enough to convince them they should pay $20 to restring their 15L synth gut more than once a year much less asking them to pay $40-50 for nat gut.

That's true and a good point. I have a friend who will not pay more than $18 for a string job. He isn't to the point where he won't do this more than once a year, he'll get it down about every 3 months at least but no one is going to convince him that a $45 gut string job is way better.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

this is also a good point. I don't even play gut myself despite stringing for myself (and even when I used to be able to get it at cost back in my teaching days) because (1) I have a modern game and play best with poly mains, and (2) for hybrid stringbeds I can get what I need out of going with a low end multi as a cross, and you don't feel bad about cutting it out when the poly breaks or goes dead.

That makes sense to, because with all the string choices out there if one experiments enough with the right hybrid combination I'm sure one can get a killer match going and great playing. I never did a hybrid but I experimented with many different synths and poly as well as multi and I just go back to gut. With gut I feel a big improvement in my game and such. But like you say a good hybrid probably will work really well.

 

[Uvijek Argen]

Hey WP101!!, I will love to hit with gut,but yes, like you state is too expensive,specially in 2 or 3 racquets at once. And you are right about the experimenting thing in the 3rd paragraph.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

Even many pros use polys and multis rather than gut and they surely can either afford out of pocket gut or get free from endorsement deals. I don't think any pros are using a poly just because they are being paid to. What I mean is if they were much better with gut just say I don't think they'd sacrifice their game with poly. I just think a lot of the younger pros started with a synthetic and stuck to synth or poly or multi. The old school pros probably used gut though and maybe still do in the senior's tour. I think Sampras (barely old school but not really, I was thinking Connors, McEnroe, Courier ...) uses gut and many of the others.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

Hey WP101!!, I will love to hit with gut,but yes, like you state is too expensive,specially in 2 or 3 racquets at once. And you are right about the experimenting thing in the 3rd paragraph.

I hear you about 2 or 3 racquets with gut can add up. I usually just get one done with gut and the backup with a synth type of string though to save money.

 

[Satch]

because not so many people like this around their racket

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

I saw a video on YouTube of Matts Wilander talking to the host of the tennis show about how he uses a hybrid. He uses gut and synthetic in the crosses. He says that gut breaks to easily but a hybrid will last longer. The host said that just use all gut and if it breaks just get it restrung and he says "maybe". I don't break strings, I don't. Have not in 20 years. So I don't risk breaking $45 worth of strings. But for most people if they break gut easily then it's better to go hybrid. The host doesn't mind the idea of just paying for more gut if you break it but Wilander doesn't want to keep on spending money on gut. Sounds like he breaks gut easily. Maybe when he was a pro he got it for free as an endorser of the product but maybe he pays now and rather not spend all the time on that. He's older than me and I guarantee you he at his age can hit way more accurate and harder than I do so I can see him breaking strings. For me I don't break so it's okay.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

Satch, maybe so.

 

[kennydoe]

because not so many people like this around their racket

I'd like to the cute kittycats at the other end of that machine. :twisted:

 

[cork_screw]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Also, they break too soon.

 

[BreakPoint]

because not so many people like this around their racket

Yet people are willing to put that in their mouths and eat it? :shock:

 

[rich s]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Also, they break too soon.

My thoughts exactly....

Costs too much, pain in the butt to string up a racquet with it and even more annoying when you take your racket out of the bag and the string broke while stored in your bag....

I'll take NRG 2 or Bi-Phase......

 

[jim e]

That's true and a good point. I have a friend who will not pay more than $18 for a string job. He isn't to the point where he won't do this more than once a year, he'll get it down about every 3 months at least but no one is going to convince him that a $45 gut string job is way better.

I would like to know who would be willing to string a quality gut for $45.00!
A set of VS gut internet price is now $43.00, and since that seems to be a mimimun advertized price it is very difficult to get it cheaper.
Therefore your $45.00 gut string job is only $2.00 labor. Who would do that??
If anything the labor for gut should be more than any other string.

Unless you want to go ahead and get Global, or Gaucho gut and have your client get home to find out the string snapped before he looked at it a second time.Then it would be back in your shop for a redo, maybe thats what you had in mind??

Yet people are willing to put that in their mouths and eat it? :shock:

That takes guts!
Have you ever eatened hot dogs?? Look up what natural casings are.

 

[chaddles]

Yet people are willing to put that in their mouths and eat it? :shock:

Who eats cow intestines

I have tried cows buttock, leg, shoulder & ribs but never the intestines...

 

[pepka]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Also, they break too soon.

Right on. Set of VS is 50$ where I live. All strings are insanely expensive here though

 

[Winky]

The vast, vast majority of players aren't good enough to see any difference between string types.

Besides the cost factor do you just think that because there are so many choices out there people will just go out and experiment with poly, multi, synth gut until they find something they like?

Nobody I know "experiments" with racquet strings. Well maybe over a lifetime. But to me to "experiment" you'd have to play with and cut out a half dozen strings over the course of a few months. No way I'm paying an average of $30 * 6 = 180 to "experiment" with different strings.

One of my racquets was strung in 1990 with Prince synthetic gut. I have yet to find a reason to replace it.

 

[struggle]

very likely, as the demand goes down on gut, the cost will go up.

it's a weird one for sure, but i can see that happening.

 

[Jeffy005]

here is my though about your question...

I've been playing tennis for almost 5 years and so far i haven't really restring my racquets with a natural gut...

I usually restring my racquets with a cheap synthetic gut and a kinda expensive string ($8-20 dollars)...... I like my set up right now and it feels great..... Feels just like a natural gut...

Natural Gut? around 35-45 dollars + Restring? $10-$20 = $65 dollars.... wahahah.... EXPENSIVE!!!!

 

[Ambivalent]

To be honest, in addition to the cost, I don't even like the feel of gut. Too soft/mushy for me.

 

[2Hare]

Well, Global Gut, Volley Gut (sheep gut on bay) and a few others right now are all cost around $10 or less. They fray quite a bit easier than say, VS gut and not as elastic and should be strung below 60 pounds, but they get the job done. They are definitely worth a try just don't string them too high if you don't want them snapping.

 

[Kaz00]

Expensive and I am scared to string it what happens if it snaps omg I will be extremely mad.

 

[pyrokid]

Spin is more important than power these days.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure the cost is it for the people who would otherwise consider it.

 

[Steve Huff]

For the average Joe that plays at a club or drops his racket off at a sporting goods store to be strung, gut is too expensive (in their mind). They've probably never heard of hybrid stringing (with the possible exception of hybrids sold as a set by Wilson). Since gut has been around forever, they perceive gut as an "old school" string that doesn't hold up well and breaks whenever it gets wet. Plus, a lot of clubs only carry VS, which cost around $60+ retail, which a lot of players just aren't willing to shell out for strings that last a month or 2. Our club's pro doesn't even carry natural gut, and probably wouldn't order it for someone who asked for it. Many pro's don't want to risk the liability of breaking a set and having to eat the cost. Break syn. gut, you're out $3.50. Break VS and you're out $42. So, 1--people hear the bad things from their pro about gut, and 2--the pro has no incentive to push people to it. They make more off their synthetics.

 

[BreakPoint]

Who eats cow intestines

I have tried cows buttock, leg, shoulder & ribs but never the intestines...

Haven't you ever eaten sausages or hot dogs? What do you think they're made of?

 

[decades]

because there is no money left after the weekend 12 pack of Bud. it's expensive.

 

[kevoT]

I'd like to the cute kittycats at the other end of that machine. :twisted:

Haha, I don't know if you're just joking around about it being cat, but just to be sure; it's cow my friend

 

[tball]

For me it is not the cost, it's the hassle. In most cases, I put gut in my best racquet. And guess what? Every 2 weeks or so, my best racquet is out of commission. Gut snaps unpredictably. Then I am forced to play with with a second-rate racquet for a week or so... To enjoy gut, you need 2 of every racquets, each strung with gut, and an overnight stringing service at your disposal. Which is not the world we live in.

 

[Ambivalent]

Haha, I don't know if you're just joking around about it being cat, but just to be sure; it's cow my friend

Catgut is also common.

 

[Larrysümmers]

my nylon strings are just fine. and plus in order to control the gut i used once i had to string it fairly tight(65) and it broke too soon. granted it pocketed a little better and lasted a little longer. id rather just buy a reel of my cheap stuff.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Also, they break too soon.

For me even though I'm not wealthy I will shell out the money for gut. As far as them breaking too soon, for me not being a chronic string breaker I don't have that problem. So if I pay out for gut then it's okay because they last a long time. This more than makes up for using a synthetic or multi and having to change them out every month.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

I would like to know who would be willing to string a quality gut for $45.00!
A set of VS gut internet price is now $43.00, and since that seems to be a mimimun advertized price it is very difficult to get it cheaper.
Therefore your $45.00 gut string job is only $2.00 labor. Who would do that??
If anything the labor for gut should be more than any other string.

Unless you want to go ahead and get Global, or Gaucho gut and have your client get home to find out the string snapped before he looked at it a second time.Then it would be back in your shop for a redo, maybe thats what you had in mind??


That takes guts!
Have you ever eatened hot dogs?? Look up what natural casings are.

Well, you can buy Becker Hero for $35 plus shipping and tax if you live in California or no tax if you live outside of CA. Say you spend $40 to get the Hero and you pay a stringer for $10 so yeah it's more than $45 but it's around there. A local pro shop for $48 including labor and string plus tax Becker Hero. Also you can get some Klip Legend from TW for $26 then add shipping and tax (inside CA) and $10 for labor from a stringer and you have about $40. Sure Klip is not as "good" as Babolat but I've tried the Legend by Klip and even this lower priced natural gut is very good. So yes you can get a natural gut string job for $40 and I'm not talking Gaucho brand or Global.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

Who eats cow intestines

I have tried cows buttock, leg, shoulder & ribs but never the intestines...

If you eat menudo you eat cow intestines. I stay away from menudo. Never tried it. Love Mexican food but won't go there.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

The vast, vast majority of players aren't good enough to see any difference between string types.



Nobody I know "experiments" with racquet strings. Well maybe over a lifetime. But to me to "experiment" you'd have to play with and cut out a half dozen strings over the course of a few months. No way I'm paying an average of $30 * 6 = 180 to "experiment" with different strings.

One of my racquets was strung in 1990 with Prince synthetic gut. I have yet to find a reason to replace it.

I'm not the greatest player on the court but I can feel and tell the difference between gut and synthetic/multi/poly. I really can. I was making shots and serves that were amazing. My opponent whom I play against every week did not know I changed to natural gut, did not say a word, was amazed by my shots. He accused me of going out on the court during the week before we played and practicing and hitting against others. Even Becker Hero which are not as good as the Babolat VS strings really helped me with my game.

When I say experiment I should rephrase that. Yes you are right to experiment with strings will cost a lot. What I meant was I tried one set of strings and didn't like them. I tried some poly to see what the fuss was over them. I disliked them a lot so I cut them out. I didn't have them installed with the thought I'd cut them out in a week but I disliked them so much I had to do so. I tried Babolat Excel. That's a mulit and I thought I'd like it and I did not. Felt lifeless and dead to me. Not saying all multis are like that but Excel did not do it for me. I kept them in a month and cut them out. I tried Gosen OG Sheep Micro at the suggestion of Keifers who is a member here and I liked them so I kept them in. On another racquet I tried Head Fibergel Spin. Did not like them. Have them in still but either will cut them out or just leave them since I don't use that racquet much. The problem with Fibergel is they are soft like a gut but I seriously feel that the ball slips off the string once I hit. The ball goes anywhere but where I want it to.

So I say experiment and mean just try different strings until I find the right one. After spending all that moolah I could have had a good set of gut installed and saved the problem and money. But then how would I know unless I tried those other strings?

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

very likely, as the demand goes down on gut, the cost will go up.

it's a weird one for sure, but i can see that happening.

Well if it goes up way too much I will be forced to find a multi that I like or a synth gut. If I could only find my stash of Babolat Fine Play Rough I'd be happy. The Gosen are good but gut is still a cut above.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

here is my though about your question...

I've been playing tennis for almost 5 years and so far i haven't really restring my racquets with a natural gut...

I usually restring my racquets with a cheap synthetic gut and a kinda expensive string ($8-20 dollars)...... I like my set up right now and it feels great..... Feels just like a natural gut...

Natural Gut? around 35-45 dollars + Restring? $10-$20 = $65 dollars.... wahahah.... EXPENSIVE!!!!

Jeffy, you mean you do a hybrid? What strings do you use in your crosses and mains for your hybrid and what tension?

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

To be honest, in addition to the cost, I don't even like the feel of gut. Too soft/mushy for me.

Try Becker Hero, not soft or mushy. Also if gut are not pre-stretched before installed they can get mushy.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

because there is no money left after the weekend 12 pack of Bud. it's expensive.

Good thing I don't drink beer, I can put the money towards my natural gut!

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

For me it is not the cost, it's the hassle. In most cases, I put gut in my best racquet. And guess what? Every 2 weeks or so, my best racquet is out of commission. Gut snaps unpredictably. Then I am forced to play with with a second-rate racquet for a week or so... To enjoy gut, you need 2 of every racquets, each strung with gut, and an overnight stringing service at your disposal. Which is not the world we live in.

Now I'm wondering why I don't snap my gut strings. I normally have one with gut and one a synth as a back up but honestly mine doesn't snap so I use the gut racquet until it needs to be restrung.

Honestly, I really feel the difference and see the difference when I use a racquet with gut. When I feel the difference and play better I really have a fun time. When I use other strings that aren't as good for my game, the tennis is not all that fun so I rather pay extra for fun.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

I did demo some racquets from TW and I liked the play and feel of the racquets and the strings had to do with that as well as the racquet. Problem is TW does not keep track of which strings they install on the racquets other than they put the same brand of strings as the racquets are, other than that they don't know. So I demoed a Volkl Power Bridge and a Head Microgel Rad MP (which I ended up buying one) and they didn't know the exact strings. I doubt the strings were gut but I liked the strings and racquet a lot. Wish I knew which strings but still not as good as gut.

 

[Satch]

Catgut is also common.

Is there some animal that is spared from cutting for gut

Dunno, too much animal abuse for all the other purposes, don't wanna pay someone 50$ for that.

 

[Jeffy005]

Jeffy, you mean you do a hybrid? What strings do you use in your crosses and mains for your hybrid and what tension?

hybrid? kinda.... just read my signature and it should be there....

 

[Fugazi]

It's not so much the cost as the poor durability. I'm guessing that I would break natural gut in about 20-30 minutes (I usually break synthetic gut 16 in about 45 minutes).

 

[Don't Let It Bounce]

Is there some animal that is spared from cutting for gut

Dunno, too much animal abuse for all the other purposes, don't wanna pay someone 50$ for that.

Cat gut is not common anyplace other than the insides of cats. It has never been used for tennis racquets. The term "catgut" is used for other animal-derived fibers and may even be short for "cattle gut".

 

[TennezSport]

Well........

Cat gut is not common anyplace other than the insides of cats. It has never been used for tennis racquets. The term "catgut" is used for other animal-derived fibers and may even be short for "cattle gut".

NG string is also used in making string for musical instruments. There used to be a small violin called a "KIT" violin and the string was called "KIT GUT", which was jokingly called "CAT GUT", it was never made from cats gut. Sheep gut was used originally for wood racquets, but when the racquets became larger, sheep gut was too short, so they moved to Cows gut. No cows are killed to make NG, it's the serosa of the intestines of cows that are killed for food that is used, so nothing is wasted.

Cheers; TennezSport

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

NG string is also used in making string for musical instruments. There used to be a small violin called a "KIT" violin and the string was called "KIT GUT", which was jokingly called "CAT GUT", it was never made from cats gut. Sheep gut was used originally for wood racquets, but when the racquets became larger, sheep gut was too short, so they moved to Cows gut. No cows are killed to make NG, it's the serosa of the intestines of cows that are killed for food that is used, so nothing is wasted.

Cheers; TennezSport

Thanks for the history of gut strings, very interesting. I play guitar and started off on classical but later moved to electric and steel string acoustic. With the classical they would refer to the strings as gut strings but honestly I don't know if my strings were really gut or just nylon. I have not played classical guitars in years so I don't know if they use "gut" strings now or it's nylon. I don't know if when I started if they were gut or nylon either. But generically they were referred to as gut but I think they were nylon by the time I started to play. Also the three high pitched strings were the nylon or gut and the lower pitched three were wrapped strings in metal.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

hybrid? kinda.... just read my signature and it should be there....

Jeffy, duh I should have noticed in your signature that you had the specs of your racquet and your strings. I want to stick to gut but I'm willing to try a hybrid set in my other racquet and if I can find a hybrid that gives me the properties of the gut strings for less then I'll stick to the hybrid. I'll have to do more research into this before I spend on a hybrid set because if I do a hybrid and it's not right then I have to do a different hybrid and all this cost money too.

 

[WilsonPlayer101]

By the way yes I remember to gut strings for guitars being referred to cat gut and I always wondered if that was true but later learned it was cow not cat gut as you mention about the "Kit Gut".