Currently, Kirk uses a mixed set of Ernie Ball RPS Slinky strings. He uses .010, .013, .017 strings from the Ernie Ball RPS-10 Slinky set on the bottom, and .028, .038, .048 from the heavier Ernie Ball RPS-11 Slinky set on the top. In the early days, however, he used the Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings, which is a standard 11-gauge set.
The reason for that is that I as a guitar player need to be able to bend the light strings, and if I have 11s, I notice that over the course of a tour my hand gets fatigued. If I go to 10s – it’s okay – and it only took me ten years to realize that! Obviously, the bass strings are on the heavier gauge so they sound heavier and fuller when I play.
Ernie Ball: String Theory featuring Kirk Hammett
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