Review: Thomastik-Infeld Bronze IBR112T Strings
Thomastik-Infeld Bronze IBR112T StringsThomastik-Infeld is new to me, but the Austria-based company has been making strings since 1919. While members of the violin family seem to be Thomastik-Infeld’s core focus, the maker also offers strings for acoustic and electric guitar, as well as a range of folk instruments, like the mandolin family, banjo, oud, pipa, erhu, cavaquinho, and contraguitar.
The company’s latest entry in the acoustic guitar category is the new Infeld Bronze No. IBR112T set, which, to my surprise, is the company’s first-ever phosphor bronze acoustic guitar string. As of this writing, only one gauge is available: .012, .016, .024, .032, .042, .053. The strings are formulated to be durable, with a balanced midrange that is especially good for fingerstyle. With a street price of $26 per set, they are clearly targeted at a premium market.
I tested the Infeld Bronze set on a Taylor 814-BCE. Pulling the low E string out of its unexpectedly sturdy pouch unveiled a more important surprise: the tuner-side end was wrapped in silk, similar to what is found on some violin strings. The other wound strings (5–3) are also finished in this manner. Once I got past the surprise, I found getting these strings on and tuned up easier than average. The silk bits seemed to prevent slipping and also made for less hazardous string ends.
In action, the Infeld Bronzes felt good under my fingers. I usually choose uncoated strings, so the texture of these worked well for me, and they weren’t overly squeaky on slides. The plain B and E strings felt especially slick. The tone was woody, warm, and balanced, without a lot of metallic clang. And while that worked well for fingerstyle, I also liked it for single-note leads—and especially for barre chords and jazz comping. The sustain was good, and the overtones were there. As a bonus, the Infeld Bronzes felt easy to bend, and they came back to pitch well. My only complaint is that it would be nice to see the strings in a range of different gauges.
The bottom line is that the Thomastik-Infeld Infeld Bronze set is a pricey but strong performer and a distinct-sounding alternative to your usual strings.
