Tricolore Strings Return
By Daniel Larson
One of the most famous violin strings made in the 20th century was the Tricolore brand and now, after many decades of being unavailable, we are pleased to offer these strings.
These sheep gut strings were developed by Ray Neiner at the Perfection Musical String Co., Brunswick, IN just south of Chicago. The machines we use at Gamut Music to wind strings were purchased from Perfection in 1989, and in addition to the machines we also received the formulations that Perfection used to make their strings — including the Tricolore brand. We have in our archives a copy of the Perfection workshop book that specifies the gauge of gut used for the cores, the size of the wires, length of the strings, and colors of the thread used for the stockings at the top and bottom of the strings. In addition to this practical information, we also received instruction for the special curing treatment that the gut cores went through before being wound. Tricolore pure gut strings are made with sheep gut, while Tricolore gut/metal-wound strings are made with beef gut.
It is our belief that we offer an exact copy of this historical brand of musical string. The Perfection strings were available only for the violin and viola and therefore these are the strings we offer.
Most notably, Tricolore strings were used by many 20th century violin masters, and players interested in reproducing this historical tone use a set consisting of:
-
Violin e-1: Goldbrokat - 0.26mm gauge
-
Violin a-2: Treble Sheep Gut - 0.78mm gauge
-
Violin D-3: Lyon Sheep Gut - 1.06mm gauge
-
Violin G-4: Beef Gut/Sterling Silver - 0.80mm gauge
We have numerous Tricolore examples in our archive of antique strings and all of the violin examples fall into these gauge ranges.
I have measured at least a dozen Tricolore strings from the early to mid 20th century and have found a range of string gauges on them. When the Tricolore strings were originally made, manufacturers were not quite so strict about gauges as we are today as it was only machinists and engineers that had micrometers that could determine accurate gauges. Therefore, there was some variability in the diameters of strings that were marketed as "Tricolore" strings. The original Tricolore strings were not available in specific gauges, but were marketed only as "a", "D", and "G" strings with no mention or reference to gauge, diameter, or weight.
The formulas for the strings in the Perfection Co. workshop notebook give a range of diameters, so there seems to have been no effort to make the strings to an exact specification. In the modern age of inexpensive micrometers and an expectation that strings will be available in a range of gauges, this traditional treatment of gauges is not satisfactory. Therefore, I have documented the gauges of strings that would have been available to 20th century virtuosos and those modern players who want to try to duplicate that historical sound, and at the same time expanded the range of gauges available for those players who require a different gauge for the best performance of their instrument.
Almost all of the original Tricolore violin gut/silver-wound G-4 strings I have measured were about 0.80mm in diameter, although one was about 0.78mm, so I have included this figure in the data, but I do not think it was representative of the average string gauge, which seems to be around 0.80mm. The specifications in the Perfection notebook note diameters of core and wire that result in a combined diameter of 0.78mm - 0.80mm, so there seems to be a preference for the 0.80mm gauge. When expanding the range of strings we make I decided to make strings heavier rather than lighter, because, in my experience, modern musicians prefer the heavier gauges to lighter gauges.
In addition to the plain sheep gut strings we also make gut/aluminum-wound strings as described in the Perfection workshop book. These are available for the violin a-2 and D-3. The violin G-4 and viola G-3 and C-4 are made with sterling silver wire according to the Perfection specifications.
One addition we have made to the original string design is the addition of a 3-D printed ball end. Modern tailpieces are made with wider string slots than those of the early 20th century and a gut knot is no longer big enough to hold the string in place. The ball end keeps the string from pulling through the tailpiece.
The Perfection Musical String Company
George Einsele founded and ran the Perfection Musical String Company from around the turn of the 20th century until his death in 1940, when his sister, Ella M. Einsele, continued operations until she passed away in 1958. The company was thereafter owned and operated by Raymond Neiner (a relative of the Einsele's) until the business closed in the 1988.
The company received rough-furnished gut via the Chicago meatpacking district; sheep gut from the Armour & Company, and later beef gut from the Victor Surgical Gut Company. In addition to the Tricolore string brand, they also offered U.S.-branded Wonder Tone and Gold Label strings; but the primary recipient of the company's yearly output went to only a few distributors who packaged Perfection's strings under their own trademarks for retail sale.
The Perfection workshop had no wet room (gut room) on site for the processing of hanks of raw gut. Instead, the supplied gut was provided with the steps of splitting, scraping, soaking, whitening, twisting, and drying already completed — a tremendously considerable time savings and convenience, which explains newspaper accounts of Perfection being able to produce "1,000 strings a day," and "more than a quarter-million annually." This is no small point. The post-abattoir/dresser steps of making gut strings are by far the most meticulous and time consuming, with the polishing and wire winding steps at the end taking a fraction of total production time.
A few articles below mention hog gut. This is most likely inaccurate, as porcine serosa (pig gut) is not a suitable material from which to make strings, the intestines being too fatty and containing comparatively less (to sheep and beef) muscle fibers to bond together properly. Historically, porcine serosa has proven a difficult material to work with:
"Oxen and pig intestines are difficult to de-slime."
— [German] Anleitung zum Studium der Technologie, oder Kurze und Faßliche Beschreibung Verschiedener Künste und Handwerker (Instructions for the Study of Technology, or a Brief and Understandable Description of Various Arts and Crafts) - Johann Gottlieb Cunradi. Leipzig, 1785
Perfection's real innovation seems to have been George Einsele himself, a former locomotive engineer, who devised and built the machines to wind the wire onto gut strings with precision — an invention born out of irritation at being unable to purchase "good G strings." The cello string winding machine in the Gamut string workshop was made in about 1910 and has been making strings almost daily for nearly 120 years.
George had previously made violins, but at an unspecified point switched to exclusively making strings: "I decided to stick to the string business, and I have no regrets. It is better to do one thing well." John H. Erickson also made violins at Perfection for a period of time (newspaper accounts list 1,000 violins made between them in a five-year period) before becoming a local independent violin maker. Erickson also worked for William Lewis & Son Co. in Chicago, a fairly distinguished music store specializing in violins and bows. It is most likely that the majority of their violins were sold to/through William Lewis, with recent sale prices for their violins listing in the low thousands of dollars (Erickson's retail for more).
The Perfection Musical String Company was shuttered on March 14, 1988, with Ray Neiner attributing the confluence of the rise in popularity of synthetic strings and the difficulty in domestically obtaining high-quality catgut as the ultimate factors that lead to the company's closure.
While there is limited historical information on the Perfection Musical String Company, we have managed to dig up items ranging from newspaper articles and advertisements to historical association publications and museum artifacts. Below are a few selections we have found.
(A special thank you to Scott Bocock of Cedar Lake, IN, for providing additional historical resources on the Perfection Musical String Company.)
Perfection Violin Stringing Machine Exhibit at Cedar Lake
-
Violin Stringing Machine - George Einsele, Perfection Musical String Company 20th Century - Isabel Salvin. Object Histories of the Calumet - Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization Division of Social Sciences, The University of Chicago, 2025 / Exhibit hosted at The Museum at Lassen's Resort on Cedar Lake / Cedar Lake Historical Association
-
[Audio] The Perfection Musical String Company - Isabel Salvin. Object Histories of the Calumet - Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization Division of Social Sciences, The University of Chicago, 2025
Farmer-Musician Strikes a Bonanza
Lands Big Order from Armour & Co. That Will Reach $400,000 a Year
(Special to The Times)
Crown Point, Ind., Sept. 1 — Nicholas Einsile [Einsele] of Cedar Lake is the father of several sons who have been content to follow the plow and earn their livelihood as their father had. But not so with George Einsile, his mind ran in other lines than tilling the soil. He early developed a musical soul and when a small lad his parents noted his love for music. In the early spring day on the annual visit of the grind organ man, George would follow him until the strains of his music could be heard no longer. When growing into manhood he had made several violins and his work was so fine that his instruments attracted the attention of several musicians of note and he had orders from wealthy people to make violins for them.
His musical genius was of an inventive sort and he recently has invented an attachment for wrapping G strings on a violin. There are quite a good many machines used in this work, but his attachment is pronounced so clever that it makes the G strings absolutely perfect. Last Saturday, Armour and Co., of Chicago who have heard of Einsile attachment send a representative down to Cedar Lake to interview him and before he left he had contracted with Einsele for $77,000 of the G strings to be furnished between this date and December 31st. He also entered into an agreement with Armour and Company to furnish them four hundred thousand dollars of the strings every year, the contract to last for four years. Armour and Company will furnish the material for the strings which are made of sheep gut. They are going into the musical instrument business on a large scale and it is said will rival Lyon and Healy of Chicago. Einsele will immediately instal 50 machines and begin the work at once. A movement is on foot to induce Einsele to move to Crown Point and start his G string factory here. Einsele is a young man about 27 years of age and owns a beautiful home in Cedar Lake.
— Unattributed newspaper - c. 1895
Letter From George Einsele to Cousin Albert - #1
[Letterhead: G. N. Einsele, Maker of High Grade Violins, Manufacturer of Silver and Copper Wound Strings, 3348 Dearborn Street, Chicago, Telephone Douglas 3787]
Feb. 7th. 1912.
Dear cousin Albert:-
Received your letter some time ago. Glad to hear you are getting along so well with the wood, but when it is so D----- cold dont stand out in the woods & freeze to death just to cut a few pieces of wood Life is too short to do anything like that stay near the house or in the house where it is warm see?
How would it be if you had Peters help you a day to saw them trees & then you can help him back at any time that is if he needs help. If the weather is nice I will be out to Brunswick Sunday & stay maybe until Wednesday as I want to work on 4 more fids.
I will try & have that violin ready so I can bring it with me Sunday & let your cotomer [customer] try it for a week or ten days I cant very well let anyone try them longer than that as I am so short on them.
Do you expect to be in Brunswick Sunday if you are then we can look the ground over.
Guess I will have to quit as I have several more letters to write.
Yours very truly.
Geo.
Letter From George Einsele to Cousin Albert - #2
[Letterhead: G. N. Einsele, Maker of High Grade Violins, Manufacturer of Silver and Copper Wound Strings, 3348 Dearborn Street, Chicago, Telephone Douglas 3787]
2/20/1912.
Dear Cousin Albert:-
Your of the 19 came to hand this morning & note what you have to say about sawing that lumber, I think that would be a wise plan as them big saws eat up most of the wood & I will get a shaft & 3 of 4 saws thin as possibe & put them on one shaft & build a buck & saw it our self & we will have a third more lumber, first time you get near that saw mill change the marking on the logs to 1 1/4" thick I think that is what we intended to saw, was't it? & the plank will have to be put in someplace where they will dry out a little, expect that they are full of water.
Havent looked for your tire yet but will bring it when I come sometime next week, I will look at several places & see where I can do the best.
Lewis [William Lewis & Son Co.] has hired another violin maker, has two now, & in the summer when work is slack he will come to B[runswick] & work for me, he is a dutchman to 15 years from Choimany [Cremona?] & a good fid maker. The only trouble with him is he likes his schnops once in a while.
Guest that is all I can thik of now so will choke off.
As ever,
Geo.
Factory With Only 4 Customers Produces Fine Toned Violin Strings for Musical Thrills
It has taken a lot of gut to string along with you music lovers!
You can believe George N. Einsele for this remark for he knows where of he speaks.
George is 71.
For 36 years he has been making violin strings.
His factory is an abandoned rural school house situated in the tiny residential community of Brunswick, south of Hammond and Dyer.
Some of your most beautiful music comes from stringed instruments, like the cello, the viola, the bass fiddle and, of course, the violin.
And you have George to thank for the tonal perfection of many of these because he has been doing such a swell job with the gut of animals.
Right here you should learn that the life of a cat plays no part whatever in the making of a violin string, some screeching examples of the musical art to the contrary notwithstanding.
Former Railroad Man
Sheep and hogs whose journeys through life are culminated with one-way trips into the Chicago stockyards provide the intestines from which the strings are manufactured for use by George, and possibly no more than a dozen other so-called string-winders throughout the United States.
George Einsele is taking life a little easier these days. After all, he deserves it, for, besides having made notable contributions to the field of musical art all these years, he has behind him a splendid record of 20 years of continuous service as a locomotive engineer on the [illegible] railroad.
He was born in Brunswick, which is located two miles east of Cook, south of Hammond on Route 41.
Brunswick, now about 50 years old, has not grown appreciably like some of its neighboring Lake county communities. There isn't much to be seen, in fact, aside from its little 77-year old Zion Evangelical church; Ernest Meyer's general store; Arnold and Walter Schreiner's garage and gas station; Ben Reicheart's tavern about 30 homes and, to be sure, the comfortable Einsele residence, and nearby, the violin string factory.
George has the only string-making establishment in this part of the country. There are several "winders" at Battle Creek, Mich. and a few others on the east and west coasts. Because the field of production is not overcrowded, George's little factory does a splendid annual business. He furnishes employment to eight persons throughout the year and in the busy call season augments his corps of workers. His production averages 1,000 strings a day, or more than a quarter-million annually, and yet the Perfection Musical String Company of Cedar Lake (Brunswick's post office address) is know to only four customers!
Sales Made to Jobbers
"Our immediate customers are big jobbers," Einsele explained. "We deal with three in Chicago and one in Cleveland, Ohio. Yet our strings go all over the United States and, possibly, to owners of stringed instruments in foreign countries. This method of distribution has proved very satisfactory. It has eliminated much detail work in our small factory, for we are concerned only with the production of first-class, high quality strings. We ship them in bulk lots to the jobbers, who in turn, package them under their own trade-marks for sales to music stores and, ultimately, use by musicians."
George likes good violin music but has never been much of a musician himself. Years ago, he revealed, he used to play the violin "a little." He was discriminating enough, however, to realize that he never could purchase what his regard as "good G strings." This incident set him to thinking. He asked himself why good G strings could not be made and eventually rigged up a machine for the satisfaction of his musical zeal.
"You know the rest," George said. "That little machine happened to work and I obtained a good G string. And that's how I happened to get into this business."
Big Variety of Strings
Today, in the old Brunswick school house, a two-story frame structure built in [illegible], approximately 100 kinds of strings in more than 60 different sizes are being produced on a dozen electrically-operated winding machines, all invented and built by Einsele himself in a work shop behind the factory.
It is related in Brunswick that its inhabitants used to depend on George for their electricity. He furnished the little village with this service from the small plant used at the factory for nearly 10 years. Now the Northern Indiana Public Service company through nearby Cook renders this public service.
The Einsele factory has unquestionably kept Brunswick on the map, the townsfolk admit. When attendance became too small to keep the school house open 30 ago, George purchased the building. Boys and girls of the community now attend the Schiller school three miles north of Brunswick.
One of Brunswick's former veteran merchants now lives in Hammond. He is John Beckman of Glendale park who, for about 40 years, owned and operated the general store there.
Employees All Loyal
George Einsele is surrounded by a group of employees whose loyalty to his little industry is best illustrated by the fact that all have been with him at least 14 years, including Mrs. Martin Saberniak, Mrs. Edmond Gettler, Mrs. Clifford "Bud" Gless, and the Misses Catherine Rhein, Marcella Mayer and Amala Russell. The shop superintendant, Mrs. James Polivka, boasts an 18-year employment record, and the only male worker, Michael Kulling, has been producing violin strings for 21 years.
Einsele formerly made violins here, too. During a five-year period, and with the assistance of an expert in that field, J. H. Ericson, now a Hammond violin maker. Einsele turned out exactly 1,000 hand-made violins; then quit.
"I decided to stick to the string business," George added, "and I have no regrets. It is better to do one thing well."
How violin strings are made is not easily explained, according to George. He obtains the sheep and hog gut from a Chicago packing concern. The gut is sent to him in the rough, after having been properly treated at the stockyards. The gut is dried, of course, and a dozen or more fine strings comprise the four and six-food strands (which look like dried macaroni) which move on their way to the Einsele-designed turning machines.
Strings 6 Feet Long
The average violin string is 24 inches in length. The gut is cut to this length on the machinery while at the same time being reduced from its natural thickness of [illegible] of an inch to 24/225 of an inch.
When the string has undergone this sizing, it is again dried before entering other machines for winding operations. The little factory imports silver, copper and aluminum wire from France and Germany, besides using domestic products. Special winding operations involve each of the D, G, E and A strings. When completed, the strings have their respective tonal qualities definitely associated with them, and talented musicians need only tune them to achieve the melodious effects so long identified with stringed instruments.
— The Hammond Times - Phil Lamar Anderson. Thursday, January 25, 1940
History of the Perfection Musical String Company
It has taken a lot of gut to string along with you music lovers.
You can credit George N. Einsele for this remark for he knew whereof he spoke.
George Einsele was a Manufacturer of musical strings such as violin, viola, cello, and bass.
The factory known as Perfection Musical String Company is an abandoned rural school house situated in a little residential community of Brunswick, a few miles west of Cedar Lake, Indiana.
Some of your most beautiful music comes from the string instruments, like the cello, viola, bass fiddle, and of course the violin.
You have Mr. Einsele to thank for the tone perfection of many of these instruments because of the tone quality of strings manufactured by this small factory.
Right here you should learn that the life of a cat plays no part whatsoever in the making of a violin string, some screeching examples of the musical art to the contrary notwithstanding.
Sheep and hogs whose journey through life are culminated with one-way trips into the Chicago stockyards provide the intestines from which the strings are manufactured for use by this musical string company, and possibly no more than a half dozen other so-called string-winders throughout the United States.
George Einsele was born in Brunswick and in his youth was a locomotive engineer for some twenty odd years, working for the C.&E. I Railroad, his run being from Danville to Chicago.
Brunswick, now 100 years old, has not grown appreciably like some of its neighboring Lake County communities. There isn't much to be seen. In fact, aside from the Musical String Company, there is only Ben Reichert's Tavern, Niemeyer Sales & Service, John Ericson Violin Maker, and about 30 homes.
Perfection Musical String Company is the only string manufacturing establishment in this part of the country; there are several "winders" on the east coast. Because the field of production is not overcrowded this little factory does a splendid annual business. It furnishes employment to 15 persons throughout the year. Production averages 3,000 strings a day, or more than a million annually; and yet, the Perfection Musical String Company of Brunswick is known to only two customers.
Our customers are big jobbers, one in Chicago and one in Cleveland, Ohio. Yet our strings go all over the United States and possibly, to owners of stringed instruments in foreign countries. This method of distribution has proved very satisfactory. It has eliminated much detail work in our small factory, for we are concerned only with the production of firstclass, high quality strings. We ship them in the bulk lots to jobbers, who in turn, package them under their own trade marks for sales to music stores and, ultimately, used by musicians.
Mr. Einsele died in 1940 and the factory was operated successfully by his sister Miss Ella M. Einsele until her death in March 1958. The Perfection Musical String Company is now owned and operated by Raymond J. Neiner who has been its manager for the past twelve years.
Mr. Neiner is surrounded by a group of employees whose loyalty to this little industry is best illustrated by the fact that all have been employees for ten years or more. The oldest employee, Michael Kulling, with forty five years service is still active in producing violin strings. Some employees with twenty to thirty years of service are Alma Russell, Bernice Batterman,. Catherine Rhein, Erna Schreiber, and Eleanore Tobias. Other employees are Alice Piopho, Margaret Borger, LaVerne Schulte, Margaret Tolan, Edna Surchik, Luella Kettler, Richard Fetsch, and Marie Russell.
The Perfection Musical String Company formerly made violins and turned out exactly 1,000 hand-made violins, then decided to quit and go into the string business exclusively.
How violin strings are made is not easily explained. The sheep and hog gut is obtained from a Chicago packing concern. The gut is furnished in the rough after having been properly treated at the stockyards. The gut is dried and treated at our factory before it is trued and reduced from its natural thickness that will produce a good tone quality string. Special winding operations are then involved on each of the D, G, E, and A strings. Silver or aluminum wire is wound around this gut depending on type of string being manufactured.
When complete, the strings have their respective tone qualities definitely associated with them to achieve the melodious effects so long identified with stringed instruments.
Ninety-five per cent of all stringed instruments in Symphony Orchestras throughout the United States use strings manufactured by this small industry.
— Historical Association of Lake County, Indiana Reports and Papers, Vol. XII - Miss Catherinie Rhein. Mitchell-Flemming Printing, Inc./Greenfield, IN, 1970
Fax From Glenn Bjorkman - Perfection Musical String Co.
Sent By: The Victor Companies [Victor Surgical Gut Manufacturing Company, Inc.]
Date: July 22, 1980
Subject: Perfection Musical String Co., 14222 W. 135th Avenue, Cedar Lake, IN 46303
Perfection Musical String Company was created in the early 20's by George Einsele, an Engineer on the C. & E.I. Railroad. I believe he then lived in Hammond, Indiana. He carved violins as a hobby which led him to winding violin strings, etc. His wife helped him. They had no children. He bought the present 15 acres at Brunswick near Cedar Lake, Indiana. The original home became the factory and they built a new large house alongside to live in. I believe their biggest customer was Armour & Company's musical string department which ended in 1950. George bought enough land to build a golf course and club house near Cedar Lake. He sold this to a religious organization in the mid 30's for $50,000.00. Then a real estate developer took over and today a $500,000.00 price would be conservative. Thyra and I and the Gahle's played golf there several times before I left Armour in 1929.
Mrs. Ensele died of cancer. She knew that the Bjorkmans had a baby coming and left some money with her sister to buy a present for the baby, Carol, who was born after Mrs. Einsele died.
George died (in the early 40's? [1940]), he willed the business to his sister.
I believe that Ray Neiner now 70 years old was a nephew to Einsele. She kept after Neiner to take over the business and promised he would have the business eventually. Ray was also a railroad man.
The aunt willed all the property and the business to Ray, a bachelor. In return Ray felt he had an obligation to the family and he has paid for the education of 14 nieces and nephews through various universities.
What will happen when he dies? The business is in a trust and the beneficiaries will be his three sisters and two brothers, none ow whom are now involved in the business.(?)
Pioneer History - The Village of Brunswick
The Perfection Musical String Co., housed in the converted two-story school house, was established by George Einsele. After his death in 1940, it was managed by his sister, Ella M. Einsele, until she passed away in 1958. Then Raymond Neiner became the owner and operator until the plant was closed. For a time the company also made violins, making 1,000 fine, hand-made instruments. The products were sent all over the world, and 95 percent of all stringed instruments in symphony orchestras in the United States use Perfection Strings.
In 1970 Perfection employee Catherine Rhein wrote about the company and also included the following about the village: "Brunswick has not grown appreciably like some of its neighboring Lake County communities. There isn't much to be seen. In fact, aside from the string factory, there is only Ben Reichert's Tavern, Niemeyer's Sales and Service, John Ericson, violin maker, and about thirty homes."
— Lowell Tribune - Richard C. Schmal. June 28, 1995