Ernie Ball Slinky String Guide: Comparison and Which to Choose

In this article I’ll be comparing the different Ernie Ball Slinky string sets and how to choose the right ones for your electric guitar.

Contents:

• Slinky Nickel Wound String Sizes
• Scale Length and Ideal String Gauge
• Super Slinky vs Regular Slinky Strings
• Hybrid Slinky Strings
• Other Types of Slinky Strings

Slinky Nickel Wound String Sizes

The Slinky Nickel Wound range is the most popular. There are 20 different electric guitar string sets available in the Ernie Ball Slinky range which all vary according to their thickness (gauge).

Most electric guitars have either 9-gauge or 10-gauge strings. This refers to the thickness of the high E string as a 1/1000th of an inch. Sometimes instead of using the thickness of the high E string as a reference, the string pack will refer to the thickness of both the high E and low E (e.g. 9-42).

Anything thicker or thinner than this is considered more extreme, however you can go as low as 7-gauge or 12-gauge on an electric guitar.

Here is a list of the string gauges available in the Slinky range.

Thinner guitar strings are under less tension compared to thicker guitar strings. This means several things:

• Thinner strings sound brighter whereas thicker strings sound fuller, warmer and louder
• Thinner strings feel easier to fret and bend
• Thicker strings have better tuning stability

Check out my article comparing 9 and 10-gauge strings for more information.

String Gauge and Scale Length

• Thicker strings are under more tension compared to thinner strings.
• Guitars with longer scale lengths put the strings under more tension compared to guitars with shorter scale lengths

Choosing the right string gauge is about getting the right amount of tension. You don’t want too much tension or it’ll be hard to play, or too little so that the strings go out of tune easily and are prone to fret buzz.

In order to get the right balance:

• Guitars with shorter scale lengths should have heavier strings
• Guitars with longer scale lengths should have lighter strings

If for example, you have a guitar with a 27″ scale and put 12-gauge strings on it, they would be under a lot of tension and make it difficult to play. On the opposite side, if you have a 24″ scale guitar and put 7-gauge strings on it, then they would be too loose.

So what string gauge should you choose based on your guitar’s scale length?

There is of course some wiggle room especially when considering guitars with a standard scale length, but here is a table to give you a rough guide.

Electric Guitar Scale Length	Recommended String Gauge
24” e.g. Fender Mustang	10-gauge (Regular Slinky)
24.75” e.g. Gibson Les Paul	10-gauge (Regular Slinky)
25.5” e.g. Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster	9-gauge (Super Slinky)
26.5” e.g. Jackson Rhoads RR24-7	9-gauge (Super Slinky)

As I mentioned earlier, 9-gauge and 10-gauge strings are the most popular. But you can go higher or lower than this if you want to change the feel of the instrument.

Super Slinky vs Regular Slinky

These are the two most popular Ernie Ball Slinky string sets.

Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings have a 9-42 gauge, whereas Regular Slinky strings have a 10-46 gauge. Regular Slinky strings are thicker so are under more tension meaning they are better for guitars with a scale of 25″ or less, whereas Super Slinky strings are better for guitars with longer scales.

For something like a Les Paul with a 24.75″ scale, the Regular Slinky strings are preferred as they have a higher tension to compensate for the shorter scale. However, for something like a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster with a 25.5″ scale, the Super Slinky strings are typically more popular.

Images link to Amazon

As well as considering scale length, here are some other considerations:

• Super Slinky strings are more likely to snap than Regular Slinky strings
• Super Slinky strings sound brighter whereas Regular Slinky strings sound warmer and fuller
• Super Slinky strings are easier to fret and bend than Regular Slinky strings so are often better for beginners
• Regular Slinky strings will have slightly better tuning stability than Super Slink Strings

Here are the thicknesses of each string in these sets. As you can see, Regular Slinky strings are approximately 11% thicker than Super Slinky strings when averaging all the thicknesses.

String	Super Slinky	Regular Slinky
High E	0.009”	0.010”
B	0.011”	0.013”
G	0.016”	0.017”
D	0.024”	0.026”
A	0.032”	0.036”
Low E	0.042”	0.046”

Here’s a link to these strings on Amazon:

• Ernie Ball Super Slinky Nickel Wound Strings
• Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Strings

What About Hybrid Slinky Strings?

Hybrid Slinky strings have the following gauges:

• High E = 0.009″
• B = 0.011″
• G = 0.016″
• D = 0.026″
• A = 0.036″
• Low E = 0.046″

Hybrid Slinky strings have the same gauges as Super Slinky strings on the 3 thinnest strings (high E, B, G) and the same gauges as the Regular Slinky strings on the 3 thickest strings (D, A, low E).

These gauges suitable for guitars with a scale of roughly 24.5″-25.5″, so can be used on Les Pauls, Strats and Teles if you find that you prefer thinner feeling high strings for bending and quick solos, and thicker feeling low strings for extra stability and that warmer, fuller tone.

You can also choose Primo Slinky strings if you want something in between Super Slinky and Hybrid Slinky, or Turbo Slink strings if you need something between Hybrid Slinky and Regular Slinky. Ernie Ball offers a huge range of choice when it comes to string gauges so feel free to experiment!

Other Types of Slinky Strings

Although the nickel wound Slinky strings are by far the most popular option, there are a few other types of Slinky strings that are still worth mentioning:

• Slinky Paradigm
• Slinky Cobalt
• Slinky M-Steel
• Slinky Stainless Steel
• Slinky Classic
• Slinky RPS Nickel Wound
• Slinky RPS Coated Titanium

Slinky Paradigm

Slinky Paradigm strings are stronger than Slinky Nickel Wound strings because they have reinforcement at the ball end twist to prevent them from breaking, and help them stay in tune better.

Slinky Cobalt

Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt strings have more dynamic range and are more durable than Slinky Nickel Wound strings.

Slinky M-Steel

Slinky M-Steel strings are made from a cobalt alloy wrapped around a steel core and have a richer low-end response compared to Nickel Wound Slinky strings.

Slinky Stainless Steel

Slinky Stainless Steel strings sound brighter than Slinky Nickel Wound strings and have a longer lifespan as they are anti-corrosive.

Check out my comparison between steel, nickel wound and pure nickel strings for more information.

Slinky Classic

Slinky Classic strings have a warmer and more mellow tone in comparison to Slinky Nickel Wound strings.

Slinky RPS Nickel Wound

Slinky RPS Nickel Wound strings are additionally wound with a bronze ball at the end so are designed to have better tuning stability and tear resistance compared to standard Slinky Nickel Wound strings.

Slinky RPS Coated Titanium

Slinky RPS Coated Titanium strings are designed to be stronger and more sweat-resistant in comparison to Slinky Nickel Wound strings.