Adam Jones's guitar strings: the Tool rig, sourced
Documented string gauges and tunings Adam Jones uses with Tool on his 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst. Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom + Drop D and lower tunings + the Tool rhythm-prog vocabulary. With citations.
Tool · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Adam Jones uses Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (.010–.052) on his 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst, the canonical Tool rig instrument, and his Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Silverburst signature (released 2020). Tool's tunings span Drop D (the bulk of the catalog), Drop D tuned a half step down (selected later material), and Drop C on heaviest tracks. His rhythm-prog vocabulary across Tool's six studio records (*Undertow* 1993 through *Fear Inoculum* 2019) is among the most-cited modern progressive-metal lead-guitar bodies of work.
Who Adam Jones is
Adam Thomas Jones (born January 15, 1965, Park Ridge, Illinois) is the founding lead guitarist of Tool, the Los Angeles-formed progressive-metal band whose six studio records across 1990-present (Undertow 1993, Ænima 1996, Lateralus 2001, 10,000 Days 2006, Fear Inoculum 2019) define modern progressive-metal as a genre. Tool's compositions are characterized by polyrhythmic meter, extended song structures, and the interlocking rhythm patterns between Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor, and drummer Danny Carey.
Jones is also a visual artist with an extensive credit list in stop-motion animation and special effects (he worked on Jurassic Park, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Edward Scissorhands before Tool's success), and he creates the band's distinctive music videos and album art. The Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Silverburst signature has been in continuous production since 2020.
What he plays
His 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst is the canonical Tool instrument across the catalog. The Norlin-era Gibson humbuckers, the rosewood fretboard, the multi-ply Custom-grade binding, and the silverburst finish (a metallic-grey-and-charcoal sunburst variant Gibson produced in the late 1970s) are the canonical Adam Jones spec. Gibson's 2020 signature reproduction faithfully replicates these details.
For strings, Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (.010-.052), the set he named himself in a 2014 Guitar World interview. Tool's tunings span Drop D, Drop D tuned a half step down further, and Drop C on heavier material; the heavy .052 low string keeps the down-tuned strings at workable tension while the light .010 top leaves his lead and bend feel unchanged.
His signal chain into Diezel VH4 and Marshall Super Bass tube heads at heavy saturation drives the Tool-era rhythm tone. The Diezel + Marshall combination produces the layered, harmonically-rich saturation that suits the band's polyrhythmic compositions; multiple amplifiers blended in parallel is part of the standard Tool stage and studio rig configuration.
Why this fits the rig
The Norlin-era Les Paul Custom humbuckers deliver high output with a slightly compressed, mid-saturated tonal profile that suits the heavy-rhythm vocabulary of Tool's catalog. The .010-.052 hybrid set sits at workable tension on the down-tuned low strings without changing his bend feel on top; a straight-gauge set light enough for his lead lines would go floppy on the low string in Drop D, while a straight-gauge set heavy enough for that low string would slow the right-hand articulation his polyrhythmic riffs need up top.
The Diezel VH4 + Marshall Super Bass parallel-amp configuration is the canonical Tool tone formula. The Diezel provides the high-gain saturation needed for the riff weight, while the Marshall Super Bass adds harmonic complexity and warmth. Multiple amps blended in parallel is unusual for a single guitarist; the configuration is part of why the Tool rhythm tone is hard to replicate with a single-amp rig.
If you want this rig
A Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst (Adam Jones signature in current production), Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom .010-.052 in Drop D, and a high-gain tube amp (Diezel-style or Marshall Super Bass variant) gets you in the territory.
Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (.010-.052)
Why this one: The gauge Adam Jones named himself in Guitar World. Light top for unchanged lead-and-bend feel, heavy bottom for tension control in Drop D and lower tunings; suits Tool's heavy-rhythm-and-lead vocabulary.