Ernie Ball 2020 New Slinky Strings Range

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Ernie Ball 2020 New Slinky Strings Range

Vid Count: 1 Native

Guitar Interactive star rating: 5

PROS

Well-chosen gauges that fill the gaps in the Slinky range. 

The same great Slinky tone and feel we're used to.

CONS

I'd like an 8.5-42 set, please?…

Ernie Ball 2020 New Slinky Strings Range

MSRP (UK) £6.99 - £7.79

SPECS

See review gauge specifications.

For more information, please visit:

ernieball.co.uk

Ernie Ball welcomes even more gauge combinations to its world-famous Slinky line in the form of the Mighty Slinky, Turbo Slinky, Mondo Slinky and Skinny Top Beefy Bottom of electric guitar strings. Here's Nick Jennison to tell us more.

There's probably no piece of gear as personal as your choice of strings. For one thing, it's the part of the instrument that you actually play, and the thing that actually produces sound. Secondly, nobody can tell what strings you're using by looking or listening. Along with your pick, strings are the only item in your inventory where yours is the only opinion that matters. Bring your 8-string Strandberg to a punk gig, and you'll get some funny looks. Turn up with a Marshall stack to a wedding gig, and that's the only "turning up" that you'll be doing that night. But play 8s on a Texas blues gig and nobody will know until you tell them (which you shouldn't - trust me!).

That being the case, the more options you have for finding the perfect string gauge, the better! Enter Ernie Ball - again. On the back of last year's new Slinky gauges (including my personal favourites, the 9.5-44 Primo Slinkys), the legendary Californian string brand has come out with four more sets - Mighty, Turbo, Mondo and Skinny Top Beefy Bottom.

Mighty Slinky (8.5-11-15-22w-30-40):

Squarely between 8s and 9s in terms of tension, Mighty Slinkys are ideal for players who like a loose feel or are looking for that bright wiry tone that only light strings can provide, but feel like 8s are a bridge too far. Likewise, players with smaller hands (including younger players), a lighter touch or hand injuries will love these. They're also perfect for players who use 9s on their Les Paul and want the same feel from their Strat or Tele, or for use as the top 6 strings on a 26.5"/27" scale 7 or 8 string.

Turbo Slinky (9.5-12-16-26-36-46):

Combining the wound strings from a 10s set with a slightly lighter top three, Turbo Slinkys are right between a traditional 10-46 set and a 9-46 set. If the idea of easier bends and vibrato with the tight low end of a set of 10s sounds good to you, but the jump in tension on a 9-46 set is too distracting, Turbos might be right up your street. Likewise, if 10s are just a little too heavy, the slightly lighter top strings on the Turbos should make the whole set feel a little easier to play.

Mondo Slinky (10.5-13.5-17.5-30-42-52):

Like the 10-48 Ultra Slinkys released last year, Mondo Slinkys address the problems with the traditional 10-52 set - specifically the huge jump in tension between the plain and sound strings. While the Ultras achieve this by lightening up the bass string, Mondo's beef up the treble strings slightly to even out the feel, without sacrificing too much of what we like about 10-52 sets: easy bends with huge low strings. If you're a 10-52 player, but the jump in tension is a little irritating, try the Mondos.

Skinny Top Beefy Bottom: (10-13-17-32-44-54):

By contrast, the Skinny Top Beefy Bottom set takes the idea of balance and throws it out of the window! Combining the treble strings from a 10s set with the low strings from a set of 13s (!), the Skinny Top Beefy Bottom will let you wail on the low strings as hard as you like, while still allowing easy bends on the treble strings. For heavy-handed riffers who still want to take shredding solos, these strings are ideal.

With 19 different gauges of Slinky available ranging from 8-38 all the way up to 12-62, it's never been easier to find the perfect gauge for you!