Peter Infeld (PI) Violin SET with Platinum Plated E String and Silver Wound D String Medium Gauge

"These strings are well worth the price. They will last a LONG time and still sound good. I am a professional player and teacher and play a minimum of three hours on most days. I am just now replacing my set after having the old one on for about 10 months -- and none of the strings are false! (They are just getting a little worn and more difficult to tune.) I used to play on Dominants because I wanted to save money, but they cost me more in the long run because I was at the point where I was replacing them every three months. So if you look at it that way the PI strings are about half of what I was paying before!!! I will say that I took the plunge and tried the platinum E string last time around. I told myself that if it never whistled, it would be worth the extra investment. Well, that didn't happen, and although it did have a nice clear sound, it wasn't appreciably better than the other E string options for my purposes, so I went back to the tin-plated E for this time. But seriously, strings that last this long? Unheard of! I keep a set of Dominants in my case just in case I was to break one, but I am on my third set lasting 10 months or more and have NEVER broken one. That kind of reliability is well worth it to me! Not to mention, as the review above states, they sound awesome! Highly recommended. :)"

"Two quick points I would like to make before getting into the review of these strings: 1) I’m not the musician, my daughter is. In this review I’ll discuss the tonal qualities I heard as well as the playability that my daughter told me. In both cases I can only report what I heard. My daughter may have been so excited about the strings that she imagined the playability bonuses and simply played better than she did on her old strings (Vision Titanium Orchestra); 2) These strings won’t be for everyone (more on that later). The violin she uses is an intermediate student instrument with a fairly nice tone, but previously sounded fairly weak in the upper registers on the E string. She only restrung her violin yesterday so they haven’t completely settled yet. I’ll be back though if they seem to take an inordinate amount of time to settle in; however, they started to mostly keep tune after playing them in for only about half an hour, although the A string remained balky for longer. That said, they came out of the box sounding clear, beautiful, strong and brilliant. There was an undertone to the violin that I hadn’t heard before. The sound was clear and strong on all strings up to at least fifth position. The tone was very strong and clear and I’m sure would have been heard over most, if not all, of her orchestra had she been playing with them at the time. However, they weren’t brash or harsh in the least. Her dynamics were normal and she went to pp easily and I feel, if the piece she was playing called for it, would have gone to ppp. The violin did quiet noticeably when needed, but was still clear and clean. The tone previously sounded weak and thin in quieter dynamics, but not with these strings. One review I read on violinist.com concerned me a bit on this score as the reviewer reported that it was difficult to bring the volume down, but when I listened yesterday I thought maybe it’s more a question of how clear and strong they sounded even in pp. You will be heard, no matter the dynamics you are playing. The tone that was produced was with a very light bow, yet when I asked my daughter to dig in to the strings the tone was still very nice and the response was quick. One final note on the tone aspect is that my daughter’s vibrato came alive on these strings. That may be partly due to the playability of these strings. It may also be because she enjoyed them so much it gave her confidence to simply play a better vibrato on her own. Next I’ll report the playability aspect of these strings. From here, I am reporting what my daughter told me as I am not a string instrument player. She reported that the strings were soft and almost didn’t feel like she was even pressing the strings as she played. This increased her speed and her confidence in moving through her scales and the pieces she played. She reported that the bowing was also much easier on these strings then on her previous set (and she loved her previous set already, so much that she wanted to buy a set for her boyfriend’s birthday present). She loved them and immediately sounded better when she changed the strings. This is a mixed blessing for me as I wanted her to sound better, but was half hoping these strings wouldn’t sound any better because they do cost so much more than the Visions (especially since I couldn’t find anyone offer them for less than full price) and I can’t obtain them locally as yet so have to order them from the internet. I promised I would get to the point that these strings aren’t for everyone, so here goes. First they are very expensive. I feel they will improve the tone of many violins for much cheaper than buying a new instrument, but they probably won’t improve all instruments. If you’re on a budget, the strings you are currently using will likely be fine. If you are looking to upgrade your instrument, it can’t hurt to try them to see if these strings will give the tone you’re looking for without the outlay of funds necessary for a better instrument. If you are already using a Thomastik string to good results, these will probably improve those results. Also, if you are looking to hide amongst the orchestra, don’t get these strings. You will be heard, and you will stand out in the crowd. Finally, they are not magic. While I feel they can improve many people’s tone and help musicians to achieve better results, they won’t turn a beginner into a virtuoso overnight. Can’t report on the longevity yet, but for these prices I certainly hope they last at least as long as the Visions did (about 5-6 months on the last set, although the A string was replace twice and the D string once…so maybe only 3-4 months). If they don’t last I may have to hold them for major concerts, competitions, or auditions and have her use less expensive strings for normal practice and rehearsals. I can’t afford this price on a monthly basis, but biannually would make it worth it to me. As to Shar Music, their web-site is easy to navigate and find what I was looking for, and, if you have an account, the reorder button on the order history page makes it convenient to reorder strings when you need them. I was also pleasantly surprise at how quickly the order arrived…three days after placing the order using the free, “best way”, shipping method. However, at these prices I’ll price compare before reordering because a saving on the price point would be more important than the service received. A couple of days delay for a $20-$40 savings would be worth the wait. Prices remaining equal though, I’ll definitely return to Shar at least until these strings are locally available."

These are very decent strings, and I can tell they might be worth the price... if they work for you. They don't work for me. I'm coming off of Pirastro 'Passione Solo' and the PI set is a much louder, more present sound. However, I find it far too metallic and scratchy. If I were to keep these on I feel I would need a thicker rosin to be able to handle the thick feeling of the string. They might be good for my viola, but not right for my violin.

I put these strings on my modern Italian instrument and the results were horrendous. Everything sounded shrill and cold. To make the matter worse, there was a horrible scratching noise. It was impossible to play. So I had to take them off and tried the pirastro olives on the sound was so much better. Since these were expensive strings and I did not want to be waste them, I put them on my Chinese violin and the results were much better. However, the sound is still in the colder side. I don't understand how some of these other reviews talk about the warmth of the sound they get from these strings. Maybe you guys have really good instruments that sound good no matter what.

The artist who mixed red and blue to make purple for the first time, and then continued to play with these proportions to yield many more shades of purple to choose from... That is the essence of PI strings. Of course you're scared of the price...I was too. If you or another player is seeking to expand their tonal palette as a soloist and/or chamber musician (and that means playing in orchestra too), then you bet I would recommend a set of PI with a tin plated E. You'll probably save more money in the long run than dishing out money every month on a set of Larsens or Evah PIrazzi. If you think PI are not for you, I strongly encourage you to stick with them. As I've noticed with most strings produced by Thomastik, there is, what I refer to, as an initial "blossoming" period - the set may seem somewhat unbalanced, bright, strident, etc. A fresh set of Dominants also has these initial qualities. In roughly 2 hours, whether you play the instrument or not (and you SHOULD if you just changed your strings), I'm confident you'll have a more satisfying sound. In a few days, they should settle into something quite magical... The PI character is rather "chameleon" like as little effort is required to modulate the tone. One moment you can be powerful and robust, the next you can be warm and intensely rich. The velvety, smooth feel under the bow and left hand also lends this freedom. There is a depth to PI that is unique and somewhat difficult to describe. It reminds me of the throatiness of an opera singer - round, clear, slightly grainy - which is something experienced even into the higher registers. Of course there is the ability to customize the sound based on what you're looking for and/or what your instrument may require. Here's what I've found: Gold = Round, rich, and warm; more overtones and sustain Tin = Focused, clear, and well-balanced; durable Platinum = Extremely clear and brilliant; "cuts" like a Katana and I would only recommend to soloists Use the aluminum D if you lack response with the silver D, or if you seek something a bit more grainy and pointed. It can bring more balance to the rest of the set in some instances. Overall, PI strings allow my students and I to be more expressive and to achieve the musical results we want with the greatest sensitivity and attention to detail. I'd even say it gives us more confidence on stage, along with the tonal flexibility that can suite a variety of performance situations, venues, and styles. An easy recommendation for any discerning violinist.

I had researched about these strings very carefully before I bought them, and all I heard were great things, so I decided to try them for myself. I have an advanced student model violin that has a dark-emty sort of sound with the Dominant strings I used previously, (which are great strings for students, because they're relatively affordable and durable, but the sound quality ins't the best). When I first put the strings on it took at most 10-15 minutes for them to set in without slipping out of tune like most new strings do. In this case they set in very very fast. When they were set it I tested them out and they completely changed the tone of my instrument! My violin went from having a dark and empty tone to having a round, warm, powerful, yet gentle tone! The sound was clear and warm even when I shifted into the higher positions on each string they didn't choke. Dynamics are astounding on these strings. Going from a PPP dynamic to a FFF is no problem. Chords come out balanced and even, one note does't overpower another. With harmonics usually I have to fight my violin to play natural harmonics and artificial harmonics were usually out of the question with my old strings, but when I played on these strings both the natural and artificial harmonics came out clear and powerful with very little bow pressure. Fast passages in my music came out clear and clean and slow legato-type of passages came out sweet and gentle. The only thing I'm unsure of is the time the strings will last. I practice an average 3-5 hours a day, which is very demanding on any brand of strings. Although in my research I've read they last a fair amount of time so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. One thing we must remember before jumping into the conclusion that these strings would be the best for your instrument, is that all instruments have a unique sound and are different, so the tone and features of these strings on your instrument may vary. Altogether these strings are a great investment for an advanced student or even professional, and I would highly recommend PI's to anyone in my orchestra or any violinist.

These strings were not for me. They made my violin sound harsh. Even a friend commented on how different my violin sounded. They might be great but not on every violin.

Ordered these strings for the second time because I love them but this time the E string came without a ball end. What is up with that?