New PI Infeld string
Has anyone had experience with the new Peter Infeld PI strings? Just curious. It is supposed to be a very low tension synthetic but I can't find out anything much about it.
Replies (85)
Thanks Al. Very interesting; so they don't appear to be so much lower tension after all.
I am currently using Larsen Tziganes and am happy although I love to experiment.
Look forward to hearing more.
Wait, so low tension means less pressure (like light strings) right? Because my violin can't really handle regular (medium) strings; i tried dominant-- A string broke in 2 months... Tonica--a week.. even the Flexocor (supposibily permanent) broke in ~ 3 months... I must have a weird violin.
I wonder if your strings are breaking because of a setup problem rather than an issue with the strings themselves?
Looking forward to trying these new strings!
No. The first time i brought it through a music stor which set it up for me... Second time i asked a luthier who said to try a steel string (flexocors are steel) and wanted to try super sensitive... and i said yes, and its holding... for now... and the surprising thing was that the super sensitive sounded no different then dominants.
I have been playing on a set of PI strings for about 2 1/2 weeks now. I bought the strings with the platinum-plated E. I must say, at first try with these, I thought they were absolutely incredible! A powerful, rich, resonant sound with the complexity of tone that I hadn't found with other strings that were also on the brighter side of the tonal spectrum. I have tried the Evahs, and I really hated those! These, I think, are a much better version of the Evah strings!
One thing I found, however, after playing on these for really a short while, they already seem to be deteriorating! I can hardly believe it, to tell you the truth, but the sound has already gotten scratchy and fuzzy, and they have already lost a lot of the clarity that they initially had that I liked so much!
These strings are not for the faint of heart. If you are a player that likes to hang in the background, these aren't the strings for you. You really have to be okay with being heard! I think that, however, they do lack a bit in the playing at softer volumes. I will have to update you as I play on these for a longer period of time.
I put a set of the new PI strings on five days before a chamber concert (which included, among other things, the Mendelssohn Octet). I usually have a set of Vision (Regular) on my violin, made in 2005 by Ran Dim, one of the fine luthiers who works at the shop of William Harris Lee in Chicago.
They sounded great right from the get go. There was some of that "edge" that I associate with all of Thomastik's products although it didn't have the harshness of new Dominants. It is a very powerful and rich sounding string, but feels very good under the fingers. In passages where I need to play softly, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they still sounded very good even with a point of contact almost over the fingerboard.
I probably put in about 10-12 hours of playing on these strings before the concert. A week later now, they are still stretching, and breaking in slightly, but I'm quite impressed with the product. It is is exceptionally pricey though! With the cost of Vision (regular) sets now around $30 from places like Concord Music, I'm not sure if I'm going to buy another set of this very premium string, which was almost ninety dollars. :)
>>>Amy T
Are you sure that the deterioration is not the result of rosin buildup ? How do you clean your strings ?<<<
That was my first thought also......
I saw some mystery strings on a violin recently and think they might have been Infeld PI's.
What are the colors at the tailpiece / peg ends?
The PI windings are essentially the reverse of Dominants - solid purple at the tailpiece end and blue (A), green (D), yellow (G) at the peg end. The E string colors are orange (platinum), green (tin), and purple (gold) at the peg end. I have a set, but I haven't tried them on my violin yet.
Thanks! The ones I saw were maybe orange-red at the tailpiece end and had Dominant tailpiece colors (yellow for G, green for D, blue for A) at the peg ends. Wonder what they were.
The one's with the orange winding at the tailpiece are the Thomastik "Ti" strings, funny enough. They give 'em to luthiers in the EU such as Greiner and Schleske and some shops carry them like Mucke Elscheck and I think Kogge and Gateau in Berlin. The only difference between them and regular Visions is the D string is slightly lower tension. I think 9.9 or so.
How interesting and strange, Boris. Are they available to the public?
I got the PI strings about a week and a half ago and I am very pleased with them. I have tried various strings over the last couple of years - including: Passione, Evah, Dominants, Tonica, Obligato etc...the list goes on.
Prior to changing to the new PI's I was using Evah's - they are a powerful string as many know. The PI's in comparison are a lot richer and not as brash as the Evah's. The colours are greater and wider. They are very clear and focussed. Bowing seems to be easier than Evah's
The Platinum E is a joy to play with and warm.
Would welcome other peoples thoughts on the PI's compared to Evah's.
Andrew, you can get the Ti's from Adrian Elscheck at http://www.violino.info/. In all honesty, they are no different in timbre and feel than the regular old Visions, with a slightly lighter D string.
Any primary users of Titanium Solos (meaning you use them regularly and favor them) that have tried the Peter Infeld?
If so, how do they compare?
Thanks,
Bill
I actually won a set from The Strad magazine as a result of my letter in the May, special 120th anniversary issue, being chosen as "letter of the month"! Haven't decided which of my fiddles to put them on or when. Too many fiddles, Herr Klayman!
Bump
I've had the PI strings on for 6-7 weeks now, and they're still going very strong. The G/D/A sound great and still have a lot of "ring" to them. They're not quite as edgy-sounding as they were the first few days, but there hasn't been the kind of marked deterioration in sound compared to the last set of Evah Pirazzi that I tried. On the expensive side of things, I really don't notice that much a difference between the fancy platinum E-string and the E I regularly use (the Pirastro Wondertone Solo Silvery Steel E).
Between teaching, practicing, and performances (mostly chamber music) I'm on my violin around 3-4 hours each day.
In my violin the P.Infeld sound a little bit richer and fuller than the Vision solo titanium, especially the G string. They add more colours to the sound and also feel softer under the fingers. I would say they are somenthing between Vision titanium and the new Passione Solo.
I was able to try a set of these strings. Prior to putting them on, I had a combo set of titaniums, and I was very impressed with them at the beginning to the point I thought the were the most incredible string; lots of richness, overtones, and warmer yet focused sound. What the manufacturer describes is true, but after having them on for about a week, I also felt that they lost a some of their dark/rich brilliant character. At that point, they were still very good quality sounding strings, but the lost projection was something that I couldn't deal with for the 2nd week as I had to work a lot harder to get the sound out. I switched back to titaniums and then later decided on putting them back on. The titaniums sound a bit brighter and thicker under the ear on my violin, and the PI's sound less thick but still present under the ear with more overtones and indeed are easier to bow. I haven't had someone hear a side by side comparison in a concert hall of which projects better, which I should do sometime. About the 3rd week using them, the sound has re-focused and they are again easier to play. The sound is pretty wonderful, if you like round and focused sound.
I submitted my survey and received an email that the PI Infeld strings are in the mail on their way here to me!
Where is that survey?
Thanks for the responses. I think I'll email them and try a set.
Just email them asking to try the set and they'll send you an email with the survey attached.
I had Eudoxas, which I really liked, and Passiones before that, really liked them also! Then I put on Visions and had a wider color spectrum and complexity with wonderful overtones than the Eudoxa's. Then a week later I get the free sample of Pasione-Solo and am trying them. Much more focussed, not as many overtones than the regular Passiones. I think I like the Visions better for my violin than the Passione-Solos.... we'll see. I cannot wait to try the Infeld PIs!
I got Tonica's in the mail a few days ago. I really wish I would have requested PI's but it was too late. NUTS!! But I had a different fiddle when I requested the Tonica's! Up here in Canada, strings are a fortune and I can't order them on line. My mouth has been watering reading all these PI posts, but I figured I'd just shut up about it rather than whine about it...up until now.
For the record, put me down as another Vision Solo fan.
Yes, I love these new "PI" strings!!
Indeed, these ∏ strings (pi = Peter Infeld) really sizzle at first (actually seemed like a good thing)! Mine just arrived in the mail 3 days ago. I'd been thinking about which violin to put them on and DID IT within an hour. They do seem to have stronger overtones (probably particularly in the fifths), so that they more strongly engage the instrument's resonances - especially in supporting vibrato effects (without being too wordy about it). They are very focused in intonation so that doublestops are very easy to hear clearly
Quinn offers a 10% discount for a while. Since I'm a cellist who has spent that much for a single G or C string I'm not too offput by the price. But problem is: can I live without stringing some of the other fiddles with the same kind of strings?
I thought my Vision Soloists (not Ti, that I have been using for about the past year) were great strings (and they are), but these ∏s are greater! I've been stringing this particular violin since 1951 (with almost everything good there is or has been) and nothing ever beat these.
**Seemed even better the 2nd day. Strings detuned only slightly overnight. Can play a 2-octave scale on the G string without any accommodation for "altitude" and the tone is pure all the way up. Doublestops are easy to hear both sides of cleanly. I'm getting them for 2 other fiddles too - I owe myself that - eating only cheap cuts of meat for the rest of the year should cover the cost.
***My two additional sets arrived 2 days later, but the dealer made a mistake and sent me sets with the tin-plated E string ( let him know the error right away). Well I put them on anyway and while they were good they were not remarkable. Then just today another 2 days later, my replacement platinum E strings arrived and I replaced the tin-plated strings right away - WHAT A DIFFERENCE. It seems to me that the secret of these strings, including the G string, may be in the platinum E. I may buy some Pt E strings to try with some other sets to see what happens. It would be cheaper - and I've got 3 sets of Vision Solo I've just removedfrom these fiddles...
Andy
I have noticed that they sizzle but mellow out as time passes (1st. Week) By then they seem no different than Vision's but as I played them they balanced out more and really come alive, more focused! The "G" string is the best "G" I have ever come accross....
If you like vision you'll love these!!!! They are more forward, focused, and richer! Vision's on steroids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I put my set on a few days ago, and really LOVE these strings! They have a wonderful feel under the fingers. I agree...the G string is very rich and full.
I too have heard good things about the new Infeld strings, when will violists get a piece of the Pi??
I had to take the platinum E off my violin it sounded not very nice at all, way too harsh, the others are ok.
Only OK? That doesn't seem to fit the hype..
Is your violin naturally bright or languid...?
I would say my violin has a rich/deep tone on the lower notes and quite bright/projective on the higher notes, a friend of mine (violinist/teacher) said it's quite bright.
I only had this violin for a month now so I only tried Peter Infeld on it, I have tried other strings on other violins. On THIS violin I can't say I am too impressed with the Peter Infeld, I don't think I will keep these in future, I think this violin 'wants' other strings but I will wear these out before I try Obligato on it.
The platinum E string had to go as quickly as possible it was just totally wrong....
But I thought Obligatos are steel cored and also bright? My open A was a bit nasal so I tried the O's but they made it worse. What fixed it was a sound post adjustment by the luthier (and I mean THE luthier, the one that made it!).
no, Obligato have a reputation of having the characteristics of gut strings not bright, when I tried them this is what they seemed like to me anyway, I had them on a violin which had nice rich/deep tone on the lower notes and it really made it like chocolate with Obligatos, having said that you just don't know if they suit your violin until you actually try.
So far I don't think I need any adjustments on my violin as I don't have any 'issues' the e-string issue was resolved instantly by throwing away the Peter Infeld platinum E and replacing it with a passione solo E (which I used in the past and knew I didn't have problems with)
Pirastro Obligato strings are a synthetic core, on the warmer/darker end of their professional product lineup (Wondertone Solo is in the middle, and Evah Pirazzi is on the power/projection end). Of course, depending on your instrument, your experience may vary widely.
I finally switched back to regular Vision from the Peter Infeld strings...they sounded great on my violin and lasted a very long time, but with Vision selling for $30.99 for a couple months I just stocked up on those and I'm quite happy. :)
I was at a concert last night given by possibly the greatest string quartet of today, and discussing how his fiddle sounded the leader told me he was using new strings. Yes, you've guessed - PI's! He showed me the packets with large silver writing of PI on them, and said how great he found them. He said they were more epensive but lasted longer.
But I forget to ask which ones precisely they were on his Italian violin.
So after a reccommendation like that, and hearing his violin sounding so great, I will just have to try a set soon.
Greatest string quartet of today? To me, that would be the Emerson.
Close! I heard them on Monday. Very fine too.
It's a personal thing, but I prefer the Takacs who I heard live in a programme of Haydn, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn last night. Wonderful playing. Perhaps more refined than the Emerson, ( I heard them in a live broadcast)?
I love the Takacs, so I will concede that they are "possibly the greatest." Another (relatively young) quartet I really like is the Pacifica. Don't miss a chance to see them.
Peter, by the leader do you mean Schranz or Dusinberre? Do you know what violins they play?
Back to PI strings, does anyone think the platinum E is essential for testing the set? At over US$26, It is probably the most expensive E string.
"Peter, by the leader do you mean Schranz or Dusinberre? Do you know what violins they play?"
Hi
It is Edward Dusinberre who leads, and he, Karoly Schranz and the viola player Gerry (Geraldine Walther) all play on G B Guadaninis, and they all sound really great. The viola is the Ex Watson Forbes Guadanini (I studied with him here in London).
Edward's Guadanini is wonderful ( I had a little play on it once) and he makes a great sound. He plays with incredible sensitivity, and I'm sure he would sound wonderful on any instrument.
I've just ordered a set of the PI strings with the expensive platinum E. Oh what the hell, its only money!! I'll let you know what they are like when I get them.
Peter, thanks for the information. Do you mean Guadagnini? Their instruments sound great, and blend really well.
Look forward to your review of the PI strings.
"Do you mean Guadagnini?"
Yes, I think I did.I can never spell these Italian names. Can't even spell Pagerneenee.
Here is an interim review of the strings.
My wife likes the sound very much, but she's a pianist!
I'm undecided as they are still being played in. They have a big sound.
I still have a wolf on open E.
I think they are harder to play quietly on. I'll give them a few more days.
Thanks Peter, we await with bated ears...
I could never get the E to settle completely (the platinum E) and I played on them for a month daily....it would go 'wolfy'/harsh on me at random, so had to change it, I agree it's difficult to play quietly on them.
the platinum E whistle like a mother on my violin. So hard to play quitely that is for sure, but all in all, its a great strings! I have to say that, has good lower register too. E string is always a breaker anyway, I'm sure the platinum E will go great with the other named strings, but for this PI set, the E have to go, at least on my violin.
several people have complained about how the "[...] platinum E (PI) whistles like the Manhattan Ferry." (*) At a cost of $30 that does not seem a good deal.
If you have tried them, how do the PI compare to the Vision titanium and the Passione?
Over the weekend I played Midsummer Night's Dream, Harry Potter Suite, Afternoon of a Faun, and Wm. Tell overture on the PI strings. I can push the E a little and certainly be heard above the rest of the section which is sometimes fun and also a little disconcerting. The new platinum E is brilliant but maybe a little over the top. I do find it difficult to play softly; the strings just want to be pushed a little. It was difficult to blend with the rest of the firsts.
Other than with E I found the strings not to be quickly responsive. During fast passages in the Harry Potter Suite with long bows and a million notes they were fine but during William Tell and sometimes in the Mend. with rapid very short bow strokes it was almost like the strings didn't quite have time to sound before the bow had to change. They are not really low tension but somehow feel a little softer like they have to roll a little bit before popping loose from the bow. I don't know exactly how to describe it.
I have enjoyed them but will almost certainly switch back to Larsen Tziganes which seem to be a better match for my Pierre Sylvestre.
I'm really not getting on well with these strings. I've had three days off sick but coming back today I find them unrewarding and hard to play. Maybe its the tension, or my fiddle, I really don't know.
I don't like the sound, and although my original opinion was that they were loud, I'm now finding they give out if I really belt them. Maybe they only work on Guadagnini's.
I think Michael Schallock's experience sounds about right to me, none of the fast off the string playing works that well for me either.
I don't know how long I will put up with them but as I'm taking time off from playing soon, to do better things, they might stay on until January.
As already mentioned I HAD to take the E off, I just could not keep it on any longer, the rest are 'ok' for me as I only play on my own in my house, I don't perform and I don't play in orchestras (apart from closed rehearsals not in public), but the passione solos I had before are better on my violin, I wil play these strings until they are due a change then will go either back to passione solo or obligatos but will not go back to peter infeld for my violin.
I think the PIs are a nice and clear "low tension" string. They are more modulable than visions, but have a similar sound character. I would consider them a more refined version of regular visions. They also take bow pressure well without cracking.
I have had them for less than 1 month, and I already broke the G and D strings at the nut. The core breaks. The platinum E-string is excellent. It produces a very exciting sound.
Back to looking for strings!
Well I am an orchestra teacher but my primary is trumpet. Because of my lack of intimate knowledge of everything strings when I started teaching orchestra, I took it upon myself to immerse myself in everything. I have tried out most major label of strings (evah pirazzi, obligato, larsen tzigane, dominants, tonica, d"addiarro, helicore, etc), experience with rosin, chinrest, shoulder rest, tailpieces, sound post placement. Having purchase my violin a year and a half back, I try again on the strings I enjoy before on the violin. When I saw these new strings on the market, I got curious again and order a set to tryout. Now the set I settle on for my violin before were evah g and d, a larsen tzigane A, and an Obligato gold E. The new PI are quality strings. They are powerful in volume and color. To me though, they lack a little core but have lots of color. Also I can not lay into them like I can my other strings. It requires a lighter faster bow to sizzle (which I do like for most playing). The deal breaker for me was the dang E string. I got the platinum E and the sound quality is good (a little too edgy for me, I prefer the sweetness of the obligato) and has good power but like others said, it whistle like no other. I never had any string whistle on to the extent that this string does. 8 out of 10 open Es whistle. I just switch back to my obligato and no more whistle (so I don't think it is my technique). Overall, they are decent strings but for about $110 for a set, I don't see any advantage over my combo brand set that is about $65. The only string I might mix into my combo is the G string. It just sings throughout the string in lower and upper positions.
My violin was a remake by a local luthier. It is canadian spruce top and maple back (if i remember correctly). It is a Guarneri copy with a bright sound and huge tone. A is the only problem area with being a little nasal (hence why I used a Larsen A to work on it). One last thing is when I change to the new PI, I found I had to move the sound post closer to the bridge to get a better sound and power (I have a setter and ample experience setting and adjusting placement of sound post..)
The PI's are the best strings I've ever tried. Evah's were way too harsh with no complexity; I liked Corelli Alliance Vivace but thought I could find better; Jargar's were so dead I could only tolerate them for two weeks; Obligato's are good but not much color; Vision Ti's were too loud and harsh; Vision Solo's not worth the money; Vision's well worth the money. My allegiance had settled on Infeld Red's when I tried PI with silver D and platinum E. They are loaded with color and complexity and not at all harsh. Playing everything from pianissimo to fortissimo is no problem. The stability is absolutely amazing and after two months the g,d,and a still ring. The e whistled annoyingly at first but is nearly non-existent now. The clarity and sweetness on all four strings is just awesome all the way up the fingerboard. Even so, it's hard to fork over that much money for strings. :(
Gurdip Chima said:
"Prior to changing to the new PI's I was using Evah's - they are a powerful string as many know. The PI's in comparison are a lot richer and not as brash as the Evah's. The colours are greater and wider. They are very clear and focussed. Bowing seems to be easier than Evah's
The Platinum E is a joy to play with and warm.
Would welcome other peoples thoughts on the PI's compared to Evah's. "
I've just changed to PI on the recommendation of our quartet leader, and I totally agree.
I was using Evahs, and I liked the sound they made on my violin, but got home from a wedding gig today and changed the set to PI - Wow!
They're not as "big" a sound, but as others have said, warm and complex - they seem to respond with more variety of sound. I find they are much softer under the fingers, and much easier to play, and seem to respond quicker.
Finally, a vote of thanks to The Stringzone here in the UK. I ordered them yesterday morning - two hours later I received an email saying they'd been despatched, and they arrived this morning. Exemplary service!
I talked with one luthier (a Pirazzi fan) who has begun substituting PIs for at least some of the strings-- again, the general idea is to get more complexity and relaxation, if a little less focus. On his instrument, the E and A sound super, the PI D might be OK for some tastes but is a little soft, and the G is completely unfocused relative to the Pirazzi. So the winner there is PI for E and A, Pirazzi D and G.
Obviously, it will depend on the instrument, but the platinum E in particular seems to be worth a look.
Hi,
I tried the PI and it was a terrible for me the result;Very heavy tension hard to play,the E does not worth a single its price!
I was using before Infeld red and liking them;
Also I have had before tried the Titanium orch,solo,vision solo and all were well responsed on my violin,Eva Pirazzi as well,Zyex of Addario ,old tonica..
But With PI I regret of having bought them and in this.Price!!!I found Pirazzi cheaper than this..
Now I am with new tonica,2 days now I play with,they seem to be quite responsive,a deep sound,I wait the break down,for the moment they have the metallic sound but is not so metallic as when I was playing on new Titanium..
So apparently is a good choise of strings!
I am back,just for the Tonicas;they were seem to sound good,but after one week of playing now there is not much overtones;I tried a sound record and It is so..ungly sound!I don't recognise my violin!
Now I am waiting New Zyex;in fact I had bought before 2 weeks Golden Spiral solo but they were defective,bought them from stringmail.uk.I dod'nt know if is the fault of the shop..
The Addario will send me the new Zyex in replacing Spiral..
Who tried them?
I remember the old Zyex were sounding very good on my violin,but were also too loud for me
Popi, have you tried Larsen Tzigane yet?
As I read this discussion it seemes to me that the PI may be praised by the group that were using vision before. Does that make sense? To me Vision string were never a choice, also I dislike Dominants very much. So I assume, that tastes are different and that for people who really like wound gut, like passione, oliv and eudoxa there are other strings wich come closer to that than the PI. on the other hand there seems to be some quality in those strings, wich put them slightly ahead of evahs and visions. But I know from experience, that if evahs work on your violin they are hard to even match. But they lack in the variation of colour. But always when you gain some quality you HAVE to miss another. That is because one quality can exclude the other, wich makes strings some kind of a compromise product. If you loosen the tension you get more colour and lose some projection. Especially with the E-string: more tension, more sound, but also more wolfs and whisteling. Of course material choice and other factors matter aswell. I just want to make an example for you to understand my thought process. I think I will try the PI sometimes although I am more the wound gut string type. But Now I am playing on Evahs AD Larsen Tzigane G and infeld blue E. So I am far away from actually BEING a gut player. I just want to play not to tune so much ;)
I just put on a set of PI strings and agree with much of the above. The G is good on my violin which is prone to wolfs above the octave and is rich (though I would love to know of a low-tension and rich G - any suggestions?).
The D through E (platinum)are nice sounding but, as commented above, I have terrible whistling! It made me panic yesterday, I thought it was me and am rather relieved to read of the same problem above. However, someone said that the whistle goes away - have others found this? Or should I ditch the top three and go back to Tzigane (A, D) and perhaps Evah E?
You just need to have a different E string (Say - Goldebrkat?)
I use the PI A, D and G which on my new fiddle are the best so far, but always with the Goldebrokat E. It still whistles a bit. The only E that does not whistle is that D'arrio non whisting one, but the sound is so awful I abandoned it after a couple of hours.
thanks Peter... I'll give that a shot - I happen to have one in hand (though the PI E was the expensive one :-\ )...
I put on an obligato gold E - its not as powerful but it is sweet and a PLEASURE to play. Now I've found similar issues with the A and D string, in particular above third position. They are a bit dull and do not grip the bow well...
Elise
Of course it depends on the instrument how strings sound. The PI's are not quite so good on my German fiddle but excellent on my Italian one.
However, you should not be experiencing contact problems with the D and the A. I rather think this may be down to you (sorry!) rather than the strings. Or maybe you need more rosin and/or a bow rehair?
I like the Obligato Gold E also (it does not whistle on my violin.)
The Peter Infeld A and D are okay strings, not my favorite, but they work and are easy to play. I prefer the aluminum D over the silver D; I find the sound to be more open and easier to focus.
Of the Peter Infeld E strings, I like the tin-plated E the most. It's quite a good string.. apparently Glenn Dicterow switched to using it recently (along with the rest of the set of PIs). It also whistles, unfortunately, but I like it much more than the Platinum E (which I tried once and am most likely never trying again). The sound, at least on my violin, is midway between the Westminster and Jargar E strings, with the focus of Westminster and the colors of Jargar.
I tried a Red (Thomastic) D and G recently but I'm not very impressed.
I've also gone off Obligatos on this fiddle too.
I will go back to a full set of PI's soon - except for the E.
It's interesting. I read a lot of people who like the lower strings but not the E. I love the platinum E, but not the rest, especially the G.
Well, I disliked all of them... platinum E included - buzzes and whistles and the D and G were fine in first position but died higher on my violin. I went back to tziganes there, obligato on the G (to avoid the wolf) and the gold Olive on E...
The PI's are the best for my violin. I absolutely love them, even the platinum E. It whistled some at first, but finally got over it. I've had them on for 15 months now and they (all 4) still have plenty of life left. I average playing about 2 hours a day.
Two hours a day and 15 months!! You must tickle the fiddle. I can't get more than about 2 months out of any string.
Do you have a similar turnover with women Peter?
Depends on the woman ... most of them are useless after two months, but I've found one who lasts indefinitely ... But there again I'm much more gentle with women than with fiddles.
I've been told that I bear down more with the bow than anyone this person had seen, but then they hadn't seen everyone! :)
Maybe you have corrosive perspiration.
Randy - I should have explained - I don't have problems with the strings breaking or becoming faulty or unravelled - it's just that after about two months of 2-3 hours a day they don't sound so good, and I usually have something where I need the best sound - so I change them. I will be changing my strings in about two weeks or so, even though a couple of them have only been on for a couple of weeks (they are Reds which I don't like anyway) as I'm playing in public then and they need a week to break in well. So it will be all PI's except the E.
Good Luck, Peter on your upcoming engagement(playing, that is)! I'm sure you will wow them.
Even after 15 months I can hit a note on any string, immediately raise the bow, and the note will continue to ring for several seconds. I've noticed that rosin build-up on the E will tend to make it whistle.
INteresting Randy - maybe there is also an ideal rosin for these strings? I use Andrea most - but I also tried Bernadrel and still had the same issues (even without any buildup). What do you use?
I use Bernardel and Tartini but Bernardel mostly.
I'm not talking about a huge build-up,either. I wipe my strings after every session but sometimes after rosining my bow, I will wipe my E after playing for awhile, usually just with the bottom of my thumb.
I'm on the Baker Rosin waiting list and I can't wait!
You may have to learn to - I've been on 'the list' for over a year now. Still no sign. Thats why I switched to the Andrea... (nice and grippy..)
Randy - thanks. It's no big deal just a quartet masterclass.
Elise & Randy - you will wait for ever if you want rosin to do the work for you and make you sound good ...
(I only go to Baker's for bread. Violinists cannot live by rosin alone ...)
:):):):)
whot, Peter, there IS no magic rosin elixir???
Oh dear, then there is no hope....
Better to stick to alcohol, that always makes people (think they) sound better ...
has anyone had any experience with the infeld red strings? comments seem to indicate they're more mellow in tone than the PI 100 blue series. my german (sandner) violin has a bright sound and i would like to calm it down a bit. should i buy an individual platinum "e" to replace the gold-plated "e" that comes with the red set? advise? ... opinions?
thank you.
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Laurie's Books
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine
March 4, 2010 at 07:01 PM ·
I have not had a chance to try them out yet, but can provide you with some technical data.
The chrome steel E-string is available in tin, gold, and platinum plated versions, with an 18.3lb. string tension. This compares with 17.6lbs. for the Vision Titanium stainless E, and 17.2lbs. for the chrome steel Dominant mittels.
The aluminum-wound Peter Infeld A-string has a tension of 12.1lbs., which is the same as the Vision Titanium aluminum A, and the Dominant mittels.
The PI D-string, silver wound, has a tension of 10.5lbs(9.9lbs. for the aluminum wound version), and this compares with the silver-wound Vision Titaniums at 10.3lbs., and 9.9lbs. for the silver-wound Dominant mittels.
The PI silver-wound G has a tension of 10.3lbs., which is the same as the Vision Titanium G-string, with 9.9lbs. for the Dominant mittel G.
Will weigh in after playing them for a few days, but I have always liked, and continue to be happy with, Dominant mittels with silver D, and Gold-label E.
Al