Peter Infeld Cello Strings: Long-Term Review
I thought it would be useful for cellists interested in Peter Infeld strings to have a follow-up review. Strings are an investment in your instrument and your playing, and musicians will naturally want to know if they have the capabilities and lifespan to justify the cost. Additionally, my observations on the tonal and playing qualities of the PI strings are more detailed after using them for six months. I hope my perspective as a professional cellist will be helpful to those interested in these strings.
Technical Info
Before my own observations, I wanted to provide an overview of the string's technical details. These tension charts compare the Peter Infeld strings with several other popular brands. Notice that, with the exception of the D string, each PI string is fairly close to average in tension. Compared to the Rondo set, Peter Infeld strings are a noticeably lower tension overall.
The strings' construction is typical for Thomastik-Infeld: the upper strings have a carbon steel core with a multialloy winding and the lower strings have a steel rope core with a Tungsten and chrome winding. I wish manufacturers would provide more technical information about their strings to make objective comparisons easier. For example, the PI strings feel more flexible and pliant, both on and off the cello, compared to other strings I have used. This quality isn't conveyed by string tension, which really just tells you the mass of the string over its length.
Perhaps most importantly, Peter Infeld strings are wrapped in a lovely purple silk at the ball end, while the peg end have a vibrant orange. The only indicator for each string are the different ball ends, brass for the A and C strings, copper for the D string, and silver for the G string. I wish there was an additional indicator on the string silk to indicate which string is which as I have not internalized the metallic color indicators like I have for the silk color code used with Thomastik's other brands. The Peter Infeld purple is an eye-catching color that is distinctive from other brands, and it should also complement the varnish on most celli. Violinists and violists are no longer the only instruments that get purple!
Marketing
I've been thinking about the most helpful way to write a string review. A purchasing decision is dependent on the particular musician, their playing style, and their instrument, so I am sharing my knowledge and experience to make that decision easier. It is also important to evaluate the manufacturer's product marketing against my own experience.
String companies have the difficult task of describing how their product will work across a wide variety of instruments and players. They hope, of course, that you will be interested in buying their product after encountering their marketing. It is only fair to evaluate how these promises compare to the product.
Thomastik-Infeld gives the following bulletpoints for Peter Infeld cello strings:
- Centered tonal core
- Remarkable projection
- Exceptional sound colors that are easy to control
- Extremely reliable
I agree with most of these points. The Infeld's sound is centered and offers ample projection. The controllability of the sound color is also one of my favorite components of these strings. I wonder what exactly Thomastik means by "reliability," however, and if they are referring to the strings' construction or an aspect of their sound. The strings stay in tune and haven't broken, so they have been reliable in that sense. I would consider most strings on the market to be reliable in this way, so this bullet point raises more questions than it answers.
Thomastik offers more detail about their strings with this paragraph:
Our PETER INFELD strings for cello make you shine in many different ways. The strings are very reliable and help you sound great with minimal effort. The strings’ tremendous sound colors stay controllable at all times. They have a centered tonal core and sound especially powerful in the mids. We have developed these strings for remarkable balance and outstanding projection that lets your sound shine all the way to the farthest corner of the room.
While this mostly expands upon the bullet points, I like their emphasis on the word "shine." At their best, I think PI strings have a sparkling quality that aids projection without sounding metallic. These strings do indeed have a centered tone, but the phrase "powerful in the mids" raises questions for me. Since this phrase is related to the tonal core, I assume Thomastik is referring to the "midrange" of the cello's overtones. These "powerful mids" could be what contributes to the shining sound. On the other hand, their marketing may be referring to the middle register of the instrument.
I agree with the "minimal effort" promise as well as the controllable sound colors, and these are aspects of the strings that I'm coming to appreciate the most. Peter Infeld strings also deliver with projection. One reason I continue to use these strings is I find their sound improves in larger spaces. Many cellists have experienced playing a set of strings that sound amazing under your ear, but when you listen to your cello from a distance, the sound is lackluster. Hearing my cello with the PI strings in a more acoustic environment has always been gratifying as player, but I have also received positive feedback from listeners in larger spaces.
Peter Infeld strings are also being recommended by cellists in Thomastik's endorsed artists program. Bryan Cheng, as well as other cellists, have done short videos promoting PI strings for Thomastik. While these promotional videos are almost certainly planned or scripted, you get a sense for the musician's enthusiasm for the strings and how they unlock their creativity. I think these videos are more compelling than over-edited marketing copy.
Cheng, along with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony led by Erina Yashima, have a performance of the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 on YouTube. Thanks to the distinctive purple string silk, he appears to be using Peter Infeld strings for this concert. While I'm not sure what conclusions can be drawn from a recording, Cheng, and his cello, sound marvelous and he does not look to be overly exerting himself. The best conclusion to draw is simply that a talented musician is able to use these strings to achieve a great performance.
While I wouldn't accuse Thomastik of making empty promises with the marketing of their strings, I do find some of their language to be slightly ambiguous and confusing. Musicians use a wide range of sometimes contradictory vocabulary to describe sound, so I don’t envy the people writing product descriptions for strings. For this reason, I think the artist testimonials are most helpful. Regardless of the specific words used by the musicians, you get a sense for their passion for the strings and how they enable them to express their artistry.
Playability
The Peter Infeld strings are remarkably responsive under the left hand. Across all strings, even fast notes speak with immediacy and a clear tone. I often notice this responsiveness at work when I am warming up. My hand can be cold and lethargic but notes speak with greater clarity than they should with PI strings. This has been great for orchestral excerpts and etudes, but it also enhances lyrical playing. Vibrato and trills sound more lively with PI strings on my cello. Narrow vibrato has more potency and a shimmering quality. The string's response also enable rapid color changes.
The feeling of the strings under the fingers has some of the suppleness I normally associate with gut strings. This gut-like quality is also heard in the sound with the lower strings' warmth and slightly "reedy" tone. PI's still sound and feel like steel strings, but I love that they are able to imitate these aspects of gut strings.
The upper register of the A string has been the most outstanding of the Peter Infeld set. It's brilliant, easy to play, and super responsive. I find many thumb position passages become effortless and more accurate with the PI A string. For example, the treble passages from Nadia Boulanger's Three Pieces for Cello and Piano speak with greater clarity on the PI A than the Rondo A I used for my last performance of this work. At the same time, I can still produce a thick, forte sound when appropriate. While I like the sound of the D,G, and C strings, it has been the crystalline sound of the A string that has convinced me of the PI set's special quality.
An important realization was that I can realize the same musical result with less physical effort with Peter Infeld strings. Cellists are always looking for projection, and there are occasionally passages where you want an intense sound that approaches the limits of the instrument. With previous string setups, I had to use a certain amount of physical strength and effort to achieve that sound and projection.
I brought these physical habits to the Peter Infeld strings, and this led to some early frustrations. For a while, I was frequently "crunching" the sound, or using too much bow pressure for a particular contact point and bow speed. Previous string set-ups required me to use more right-hand pressure in order to reach the core sound. This habit proved detrimental with the PIs and needed to be unlearned. I can produce as much projection and sound intensity as with previous sets, it just requires less physical effort on my part.
For my long-term playing health, I think I’m better off using the easier-playing strings, even if it requires an adjustment and learning period. It’s great that I can work less without compromising on sound. I still occasionally go "over the limit" with these strings, but I know how to address it. I've been experimenting with other strings in the last few months as part of more string reviews in the works, so my technique continues to settle into the requirements of the Peter Infeld strings.
To describe the sensation of adapting my bow to the PI strings, it almost feels like my bow needs to be a centimeter higher from the bridge to produce the same sound compared to other strings. The tone produced close to the fingerboard, however, is a more projecting and viable tone color than it was previously. On the other hand, getting close to the bridge will require an even slower bow speed and more concentrated pressure than with other sets. Overall, this represents a greater range of usable dynamics on my instrument, with many now available with less effort. Now that I understand these strings better, I am excited for the possibilities of an even wider dynamic range and color palette. It is also an important reminder that we must remain technically flexible as cellists and not allow fixed habits keep us from new discoveries.
Lifespan and Cost
There is one main downside to this set: the Peter Infeld strings are expensive. I was fortunate to receive these strings from Thomastik-Infeld at a string optimization event for free. With the current pricing, cellists should expect them to last a year, hopefully longer. Any less would make a purchase recommendation difficult. Thomastik has a strong record with the durability of their products, and I hope this trend continues.
The strings are holding up decently well on my cello after almost six months of use. The tone quality and pitch stability remain excellent. I plan to keep using them for several more months to get a better sense of their lifespan.
It's unfortunate that the strings cost as much as they do, but I understand why: they're a specialty product manufactured in the European Union. There are not a lot of sales of professional-level cello strings to amortize the investment needed for their production. Still, for financial and environmental reasons, I think it's important that PI strings have as long a lifespan as possible. With this pricing, Thomastik is positioning these strings towards advanced students and professional cellists. I think it will be difficult for many cellists to justify the price when they could almost buy multiple sets of very good strings—or even a Switch 2—for the same cost as a single set of Peter Infeld.
After several months of use, my admiration for the Peter Infeld Cello Strings has grown. While some of the marketing language used by Thomastik is unclear, I believe these strings live up to the company's promises overall. This set is helping me to unlock more tonal possibilities on my instrument while also prompting me to evaluate some ingrained technical habits. I look forward to continuing to use and learn from the Peter Infeld cello strings.