The Guitar Strings that the Top 50 Guitarists use

Want to know what guitar strings your favorite guitarist uses? Look no further, we have the top 50 here.

Trying to get that tone?

Using the same strings as your fave guitarist won't make you play like them any more that buying one of their signature guitars. It is a lot cheaper though!

There are good reasons to consider your string strategy with reference to other players in your genre.

Jimi Hendrix famously had a thinner guage G string. Jimi's string gauges would run .010, .013, .015, .026, .032 and .038. The big difference there is using the .015 for the third, because if you use the .017 for the third, the actual sound of the guitar is very G-heavy. He didn't like that.

Guitar String Gauge Cheat Sheet — Top 50 Guitarists & Their Setups

Guitarist	Typical Gauge	Common Tuning	Modern Equivalent / Suggested Set
Adam Jones	10-52	Drop D	Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10-52
Al Di Meola	10-46	Standard E	D’Addario XL 10-46
Alex Lifeson	9-42	Standard E	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Angus Young	9-42	Standard E	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
B.B. King	10-45	Standard E	Gibson Vintage Reissue 10-45
Billy Corgan	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Billy Gibbons	8-38	Standard E	Ernie Ball Extra Slinky 8-38
Brian May	9-42 / 9-34	Standard E	Optima Gold 9-42
Brian Setzer	10-46	Standard E	Thomastik Jazz Swing 10-46
Carlos Santana	9.5-44	Eb	D’Addario NYXL 9.5-44
Chris Shiflett	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Dave Grohl	11-49	Drop D	Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11-48
David Gilmour	10-48	Standard E	GHS Signature 10-48
Eddie Van Halen	9-11-15-24-32-40	Eb	Ernie Ball EVH 9-40
Eric Clapton	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Eric Johnson	10-46	Standard E	D’Addario XL 10-46
Gary Clark Jr.	11-49	Eb	Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11-48
Gary Moore	9-42 / 10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
George Harrison	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Jimi Hendrix	.010 .013 .015 .026 .032 .038	Eb	Fender Pure Nickel 10-38
James Hetfield	11-48	Eb / D Standard	Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11-48
Jeff Beck	11-49	Standard E	D’Addario EXL115 11-49
Jeff Buckley	10-46	Standard E	D’Addario EXL110 10-46
Jerry Cantrell	10-52	Drop D / C#	Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10-52
Jimmy Page	8-38	Standard E	Ernie Ball Extra Slinky 8-38
Joe Bonamassa	11-52	Standard E	Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11-48
Joe Perry	9-42	Standard E	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Joe Satriani	9-42	Eb	D’Addario EXL120 9-42
John Frusciante	10-46	Eb	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
John Mayer	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
John Petrucci	10-46 / 10-52 (7-str 10-59)	E / Drop D	Ernie Ball Petrucci 10-52
Jonny Greenwood	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Keith Richards	Custom 5-string 11-52 (no low E)	Open G	Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11-48
Kirk Hammett	10-46 / 11-48	Eb / Drop D	Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky 10-46
Kurt Cobain	10-52	Standard / Drop D	Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10-52
Larry Carlton	10-52 (1/16″ action)	Standard E	D’Addario EXL140 10-52
Mark Knopfler	9-42	Standard E	D’Addario EXL120 9-42
Nile Rodgers	9-42	Standard E	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Paul Gilbert	9-42	Eb	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Pete Townshend	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Prince	9-42	Standard E	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Randy Rhoads	9-42	Eb	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Richie Sambora	10-46	Standard E	Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10-46
Ritchie Blackmore	9-42	Eb	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Slash	11-48	Eb	Ernie Ball Paradigm 11-48
Stevie Ray Vaughan	13-52	Eb	GHS Boomers 13-56
Steve Vai	9-42 / 10-46	Eb	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
The Edge	9-42	Standard E	Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42
Tom Morello	9-42	Drop D / Standard E	D’Addario EXL120 9-42
Tony Iommi	8-33 (D#) / 9-42 (C#)	Down ½ / 1 step	Ernie Ball Iommi 9-42
Yngwie Malmsteen	8-46	Eb	Ernie Ball YJM 8-46

🧠 Quick Takeaways

Heavy strings (11-52 and up) → fatter tone, better tuning stability for blues, rock, and lower tunings.
Light strings (8-38 to 9-42) → easier bends, brighter tone, perfect for fast leads or vintage feel.
Half-step down (Eb) tuning lets players use heavier strings while keeping bend feel comfortable.
Hybrid sets (10-52, 9-46) are modern favourites balancing rhythm and lead playability.

what do I use?

I use Ernie Balls, have done for 40 years. Maybe there are better options, I'm one of those customers who finds a brand and gives them loyalty! I started out on a really light set top E = 7 gauge! It was great for bending and fast for playing on low action guitar (Ovation Bread winner) but they kept breaking onstage! Any string that breaks can throw out the instruments whole tuning, other strings too on a Floyd Rose/tremolo arm due to the sudden release of tension and the common (variable) bridge where they are connected together - if one goes, it takes down the others! Bit embarrassing so want to avoid having to restring with the show stopped and the audience baying! We don't all have a guitar tech to come out with a second guitar, but a second guitar is a must for that and another whole number of reasons.

Now I usually buy super slinkys and swap out the 8 for a 10 and the 11 for a 12. I find this a good compromise as I am more interested in sustain, I also have a higher action.