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Ashaway Releases Stringing Tips Video Featuring MRT John Gugel

October 27, 2017

Ashaway, RI – A new stringing how-to video featuring Master Racquet Technician John Gugel has been released by Ashaway Racket Strings. The video details step-by-step stringing procedures to get the best performance from Ashaway MonoGut® ZX and MonoGut ZX Pro tennis strings. It is available on AshawayUSA.com and via this link on YouTube.

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John Gugel has been described as “one of the true pioneers in the racquet sports industry.” A professional stringer for over forty years, Gugel has a diverse background ranging from tour stringing to designing and marketing his own racquet. Named Stringer of the Year by Tennis Industry in 2012, he has also been awarded “Top Design” by Industrial Design Magazine for innovative racquet design, and been included on list of “New Top 100 Products” from Popular Mechanics Magazine.

“The MonoGut ZX material has unique properties that lend themselves very nicely to a tennis racquet string,” said Gugel. “It is extremely durable; very, very stable in tension; very easy on the body — the wrist, the shoulder and the elbow; and has very high elongation which generates tremendous energy on return and makes it very easy to generate spin.”

These properties are why Gugel recommends the string, especially for younger players, to avoid injuries they may receive from using stiffer string such as polyester. But because MonoGut ZX and ZX Pro are high performance strings, Gugel said, “stringers need to have a high performance preparation and installation procedure to make sure the performance is as it should be.”

MonoGut ZX and ZX Pro may be strung over a wide variety of tensions, Gugel said, up to around 60 lbs. This is a much wider range than polyesters due to their stiffness, and provides greater control without the issues of impact shock. “With MonoGut you can string for how you want to impact the ball, not what the string demands.”

Tips covered in the video include: grommet preparation; tension head speeds on constant pull machines; avoiding string damage; clamping procedures; allowing time for elongation, proper knot tying; and more. The video may be seen on the Ashaway website via a special link on the Home page, or on YouTube by searching for “Ashaway MonoGut ZX Stringing Video.”

Ashaway Racket Strings are made by Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co., the only U.S. manufacturer of string for squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton. Operated by the Crandall family since 1824, Ashaway has been making racquet strings since 1949, and is responsible for several important technical innovations. Ashaway has been the Official String of USA Racquetball for more than fifteen years. Ashaway Line & Twine Mfg. Co. also makes braided products for medical and industrial applications. For more information visit www.ashawayusa.com.