Javier Reyes's guitar strings: the Animals as Leaders 8-string rig, sourced
Animals as Leaders / Mestís · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Javier Reyes plays Abasi Concepts Larada 8 signature guitars with D'Addario string sets matched to Tosin Abasi's gauge (~.009–.074 NYXL 8-string). 28.625-inch scale. Primary tuning is 8-string F# standard for Animals as Leaders material; his solo project Mestís uses nylon-string acoustic guitar for Latin-fusion instrumental work, which is outside this strings-focused lane.
What's on the guitar
Javier Reyes's Animals as Leaders rig is built around the Abasi Concepts Larada 8:
- Guitars: Abasi Concepts Larada 8 (primary 8-string). 28.625-inch scale. Matched to Tosin Abasi's signature instrument.
- Strings: D'Addario NYXL 8-string, ~.009–.074 gauge, matched to Abasi.
- Tuning: 8-string F# standard; Drop E on some material.
- Pickups: Fishman Fluence Tosin Abasi signature.
- Amps: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III, matched to Abasi's live rig.
Reyes is Animals as Leaders' second guitarist and Abasi's compositional partner since the band's founding. His parallel solo project Mestís explores Latin-fusion instrumental material on nylon-string acoustic, a stylistic distance from AAL's 8-string electric prog-metal that showcases his range as a player.
Endorsed vs. verified use
Reyes is a documented D'Addario artist alongside Abasi. NYXL 8-string use is verified through D'Addario's artist marketing and Animals as Leaders press coverage. The matched-instrument, matched-string-gauge approach is a deliberate band design, AAL's locked-in rhythm texture depends on both guitarists operating with the same feel and tonal signature.
Why matched gauge matters in AAL
Animals as Leaders's compositional approach uses interlocking guitar parts, both guitarists play intricate rhythms and melodies simultaneously, with the parts designed to fit together like counterpoint. That requires both instruments to respond consistently to picking attack, bending force, and tapping technique. Differences in string gauge between the two guitars would introduce subtle feel differences that would accumulate across a performance, making the locked-in interplay harder to execute cleanly.
The matched-gauge approach also simplifies the mix engineer's job. Ermin Hamidovic's mixes for AAL benefit from two guitar signals that are harmonically similar and respond identically to dynamic processing, the alternative (mismatched gauges producing subtly different attack curves) would make parallel processing harder to dial in.
Sources
- D'Addario artist page, Javier Reyes listed alongside Tosin Abasi.
- Abasi Concepts Larada 8 product page.
- Animals as Leaders Premier Guitar Rig Rundown coverage.
- Mestís catalog and interview coverage (separate from AAL).
Re-dated on each Animals as Leaders album cycle or Abasi Concepts signature refresh.
If you want this rig
Slinky Cobalt 8-string (.010–.074)
Why this one: If D'Addario NYXL 8-string is out of stock, the Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt 8-string matches the gauge. Both guitarists in AAL use D'Addario; the Cobalt option is a substitute with slightly higher magnetic output.
Next steps
- Full 8-string lane: 8-string gauge guide, Top 10 8-string players.
- Animals as Leaders partner: Tosin Abasi.
- Adjacent 8-string rigs: Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), Fredrik Thordendal (Meshuggah), Wes Hauch.
- Tuning guides: F# standard, Drop E.
- Producer context: Ermin Hamidovic (AAL mixing lane).