Synyster Gates's guitar strings: the Avenged Sevenfold rig, sourced

Documented string gauges and tunings Synyster Gates uses with Avenged Sevenfold on his Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature instruments. Ernie Ball Slinky variants + Drop D and lower tunings. With citations.

Avenged Sevenfold / Pinkly Smooth · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-30

Synyster Gates plays Ernie Ball strings on his Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature electrics. The Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature has been in continuous production since 2005, with the distinctive Strat-shape body, Floyd Rose tremolo, and Sustainiac plus Seymour Duncan Invader pickup combination as the canonical signature spec. Avenged Sevenfold's tunings span Drop D through Drop C# and Drop C across their catalog from *Sounding the Seventh Trumpet* (2001) through *Life Is But a Dream* (2023). One of the most-recognized modern hard-rock-and-metalcore lead guitarists of the 2000s and 2010s.

At a glance

Role

Guitarist

Active

1999–present

Based

Huntington Beach, California

Genres

Affiliations

Avenged Sevenfold (lead guitarist + co-songwriter, 1999–present)
Pinkly Smooth (with M. Shadows, 2001–2002)
Schecter Guitar Research (Synyster Gates Custom signature line, 2005–present)
Ernie Ball (documented string user)

Notable credits

Avenged Sevenfold, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)
Waking the Fallen (2003)
City of Evil (2005)
Avenged Sevenfold (2007, self-titled)
Hail to the King (2013)
The Stage (2016)
Life Is But a Dream (2023)

Official media

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-04-30· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Synyster Gates is

Brian Elwin Haner Jr. (born July 7, 1981, Huntington Beach, California), known professionally as Synyster Gates, is the lead guitarist + co-songwriter of Avenged Sevenfold, the Huntington Beach-formed metalcore-into-hard-rock band whose catalog from Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001) through Life Is But a Dream (2023) has positioned him as one of the most-recognized modern hard-rock-and-metalcore lead guitarists. The Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature instrument has been in continuous production since 2005 and is one of Schecter's flagship artist signatures.

His father, Brian Haner Sr. (a working session guitarist and the longtime opening-set acoustic guitarist on A7X tours), provided his early musical education; the formal jazz and classical study underlies the eclectic stylistic range visible across the A7X catalog from straight-ahead metalcore through the formal-arrangement neoclassical territory of City of Evil (2005) and beyond.

What he plays

Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature electrics across the A7X catalog. The signature spec: mahogany Strat-shape body, Schecter Hellraiser binding (white piping wrapping the body), Sustainiac active sustaining pickup in the neck position, Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker in the bridge position, Floyd Rose 1500 double-locking tremolo, ebony fretboard with the death-bat inlays, set-thru neck construction.

For strings, Ernie Ball Slinky variants in gauge configurations that scale with tuning. Standard E to Drop D uses lighter Slinky configurations; Drop C# and Drop C scale up to medium gauges for tension stability on the down-tuned strings.

His signal chain has rotated through Bogner Ecstasy heads, custom amps, and various other tube heads across the catalog. The Sustainiac-into-tube-amp combination drives his canonical lead tone; the Sustainiac driver lets him hold sustained notes indefinitely without needing the high-volume feedback that traditional infinite-sustain technique requires.

Why this fits the rig

The Sustainiac in the neck position is the technical detail that defines his canonical lead voice. His vocal-quality, sustained-note lead phrasing on tracks like 'So Far Away' (the Nightmare memorial song to drummer The Rev) and 'Save Me' depends on infinite sustain at controlled volume, which Sustainiac provides without amp feedback. The Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge handles the high-gain rhythm work; the Invader is voiced with high output and ceramic-magnet aggression, which suits the down-tuned riff vocabulary across the A7X catalog.

The Floyd Rose 1500 tremolo keeps the strings in tune through aggressive trem use, which is essential for the divebomb passages and pitch-up vibrato moves that are part of his lead vocabulary. The combination of Sustainiac, Floyd, and Invader is the canonical Synyster Gates signature spec.

If you want this rig

The Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature is in continuous current production. Ernie Ball Slinky strings in a gauge configuration that suits your target tuning (Regular Slinky .010-.046 for E and Drop D; Beefy Slinky .011-.054 for Drop C# and Drop C) gets you in the territory.

Frequently asked questions

What strings does Synyster Gates use?

Ernie Ball Slinky variants documented across his rig coverage, with gauge configuration varying by tuning across Avenged Sevenfold's catalog. Drop D / Drop C# / Drop C tunings benefit from medium-to-heavier gauges for tension control on the down-tuned low strings.

What guitar does Synyster Gates play?

Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature, in continuous production since 2005. Distinctive features: Strat-shape mahogany body with Schecter Hellraiser binding, Sustainiac in the neck position + Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker in the bridge, Floyd Rose 1500 tremolo, ebony fretboard with the death-bat inlays, set-thru neck construction. The Hellraiser binding wraps the body in white piping that's part of the visual signature.

What's a Sustainiac pickup?

An active sustaining pickup system that uses a battery-powered driver to apply electromagnetic feedback to the strings, producing infinite sustain on a fretted note without needing the high-volume tube-amp feedback that traditional infinite-sustain technique requires. The Sustainiac in Synyster's neck position lets him hold notes indefinitely at any volume, which suits the slow, vocal-quality lead phrasing on tracks like 'So Far Away' and 'Save Me.' Steve Vai also uses Sustainiac on his JEM signature; the technology has become a high-end lead-guitarist standard.

What tunings does Avenged Sevenfold use?

Variable across the catalog. Drop D and standard E on early material; Drop C# and Drop C on selected later tracks. *The Stage* (2016) and *Life Is But a Dream* (2023) include material that moves between several tunings. The band frequently uses different tunings across the same record.

Is Synyster Gates endorsed by Schecter?

Yes. The Schecter Synyster Gates Custom signature has been in continuous production since 2005, one of Schecter's flagship artist signatures. The relationship is among the most-recognized signature partnerships in modern hard rock and metalcore. Per FTC framing, the relationship is endorsed.