Jason Richardson's guitar strings: the 7-string prog rig, sourced
Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Jason Richardson uses for solo work and his ex-tenure in All That Remains and Born of Osiris. With citations.
Solo / ex-Born of Osiris · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Jason Richardson has said on Ernie Ball's own Striking A Chord podcast that he primarily plays Ernie Ball Cobalt strings, 10-56 for Drop A and 11-58 for Drop G on his 7-string. His Ernie Ball Music Man Cutlass HH 7 signature guitar ships factory-strung with a different set, nickel-wound RPS Regular Slinky (.010–.056), per Music Man's own spec sheet. Factory spec and personal preference aren't always the same string.
What's on the guitar
Jason Richardson's rig is built around his Ernie Ball Music Man Cutlass HH 7 signature:
- Guitars: Ernie Ball Music Man Cutlass HH 7 (primary). 25.5-inch scale, HH configuration (Music Man Custom 7-string humbuckers, ceramic magnets), fixed bridge.
- Strings: Nickel-wound 7-string RPS Regular Slinky (.010–.056), the factory set per Music Man's own spec sheet.
- Tuning: 7-string E standard (B-E-A-D-G-B-E). 6-string material in E standard and Drop D. Historical Born of Osiris work in 7-string Drop A.
- Pickups: Music Man Custom 7-string humbucking pickups, ceramic magnets, per Music Man's own spec sheet.
- Amps: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III in live use.
Richardson's signature spec runs a lighter .056 low string than the 7-string Slinky Cobalt's stock .062, a gauge choice suited to his fast, lead-forward rhythm playing rather than the heaviest drop-tuned djent rigs.
Endorsed vs. verified use
Richardson is a documented Ernie Ball Music Man signature artist, and a Guitar.com interview describes how his prior band's existing Ernie Ball string endorsement opened the door to the Music Man guitar relationship. Music Man's own spec sheet lists his signature guitar's factory strings as a nickel-wound RPS Regular Slinky set (.010–.056), not Cobalt or Paradigm.
Separately, in his own words, Richardson has confirmed which strings he actually plays:
Richardson answering a direct question about which strings and gauges he uses across his tunings.
I use Ernie Ball, primarily the Cobalts. Gauge wise, for a Drop A, which is just standard tuning with the low string dropped a whole step, I use 10 to 56 for that. And then a step down from that, Drop G, I use one gauge higher: 11 to 58.
Guitarist, solo / ex-Born of Osiris
That resolves the factory-spec-versus-personal-preference question with a direct quote: his signature guitar ships from the factory with nickel RPS, but the strings he says he personally reaches for are Cobalt, 10-56 (7-String Regular Slinky Cobalt) for Drop A and 11-58 (7-String Power Slinky Cobalt) for Drop G. He also mentioned using Paradigm on occasion depending on what he has on hand, so Cobalt is his named primary rather than an exclusive.
Why .010-.056 for 7-string prog
The 7-string low B on a 25.5-inch scale is the single most context-sensitive string in a prog rhythm rig. Too loose and it smears in high-gain rhythm. Too tight and bends and articulation suffer. Richardson's factory .056 low string (lighter than the 7-string Cobalt Slinky's stock .062) favors fast lead-forward rhythm playing over the heaviest drop-tuned djent rigs.
For lead work, the .010 plain high E bends like a conventional 6-string set in the same gauge family. The same-gauge pair between his 7-string and a typical 6-string set keeps muscle memory consistent across guitars.
Sources
- "Jason Richardson offers his tracks so you can finish the tune." Ernie Ball Blog. https://blog.ernieball.com/interesting/jason-richardson-offers-his-tracks-so-you-can-finish-the-tune-and-stay-in-and-play/
- "Jason Richardson on his new Cutlass signature and the joys of working with Ernie Ball Music Man." Guitar.com. https://guitar.com/features/interviews/jason-richardson-on-his-new-cutlass-signature-and-the-joys-of-working-with-ernie-ball-music-man/
- Ernie Ball Music Man Cutlass HH 7 official product spec page. https://www.music-man.com/instruments/guitars/jason-richardson
- Jason Richardson, Striking A Chord podcast episode. Ernie Ball. https://www.ernieball.com/strikingachord/jason-richardson (2019-09-20)
Re-verified 2026-07-08 against Music Man's own current Cutlass HH 7 spec sheet: HH configuration (Music Man Custom 7-string humbuckers, ceramic magnets), factory strings are nickel-wound RPS Regular Slinky 10p-13p-17p-26-36-46-56 (#2240 with an added .056), not Cobalt. Corrected the prior "Cutlass Richardson 7," "HSS," "DiMarzio Titan," and "Cobalt factory string" claims, none of which matched the manufacturer's own spec page. Re-dated whenever Music Man refreshes the spec.
Added 2026-07-15: fetched and read the full Striking A Chord podcast transcript. Richardson names Ernie Ball Cobalt as his primary string, 10-56 for Drop A and 11-58 for Drop G on 7-string, in his own words. This is a personal-preference claim, sourced separately from the factory-spec finding above; the two don't contradict each other, they answer different questions ("what ships on the signature model" versus "what does he say he actually plays").
If you want this rig
For Drop A, matching what Richardson has said he personally plays:
7-String Regular Slinky Cobalt (.010–.056)
Why this one: Richardson's own stated Drop A gauge per Ernie Ball's Striking A Chord podcast. Also the identical .010-.056 spec that ships from the factory on his Cutlass HH 7, just in Cobalt alloy rather than the factory nickel RPS.
For Drop G, one gauge heavier, also his own stated choice:
7-String Power Slinky Cobalt (.011–.058)
Why this one: Richardson's own words: 'a step down from that, Drop G, I use one gauge higher, 11 to 58.' Step up to this set if you're tuning a 7-string a whole step below Drop A.
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