Wes Hauch's guitar strings: the Alluvial / Thy Art Is Murder rig, sourced

Wes Hauch's rig covers the widest string-count range of anyone on this page:

• Guitars: Multiple 6-, 7-, and 8-string guitars across various builders. Primary 8-string is an Aristides with Fishman Fluence pickups.
• Strings: Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky. 6-string: .010–.046. 7-string: .009–.062 (.046 high E in drop tunings). 8-string: custom sets up to .072 or .074 on the low F#.
• Tunings: Drop C / Drop B (6-string), Drop A (7-string), Drop E (8-string).
• Pickups: Fishman Fluence Modern (active) on most extended-range guitars.
• Amps: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III and Kemper profiles.

Hauch is one of the clearest case studies for how the Cobalt line scales across string counts. Most extended-range metal players run dedicated string sets from different brands depending on the instrument; Hauch stays on Cobalts across all three counts and builds his custom 7- and 8-string sets from the Cobalt singles catalog.

Hauch is a documented Ernie Ball Cobalt user with a direct on-the-record endorsement: the "best strings ever" quote is attributed to him via the Wired Guitarist "Geared: Keith Merrow and Wes Hauch of Alluvial" coverage. Equipboard lists Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky 10-46 as his documented 6-string set.

Hauch's material requires rhythm consistency across 6-, 7-, and 8-string arrangements in the same song at times. Sticking with a single string line's voicing, the Cobalt upper-midrange bump and tighter palm-mute attack, keeps his tone cohesive across instruments. Swapping to a different string brand on the 8-string would introduce an audible voicing shift that would have to be compensated for in the mix.

The 8-string .072 or .074 low F# is the bottom end of what the Cobalt wrap was engineered for. Beyond that you're in baritone-scale territory where string-makers often recommend specialized sets. Hauch's Aristides keeps his 8-string on a conventional 27-inch scale, and the Cobalt .072–.074 custom holds up in that context.

• Equipboard: Wes Hauch gear database. https://equipboard.com/pros/wes-hauch
• "Geared: Keith Merrow and Wes Hauch of Alluvial." Wired Guitarist. http://www.wiredguitarist.com/2017/01/28/geared-keith-merrow-and-wes-hauch-of-alluvial/
• Fishman Fluence artist pages.

Re-verified on each Alluvial or Thy Art Is Murder album cycle.

Ernie Ball

Regular Slinky Cobalt (.010–.046)

Price tier: $$

Why this one: Hauch's 6-string set. The .010–.046 Cobalt in Drop C or Drop B is a common anchor across his extended-range rig.

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For 7-string material, pair with the Ernie Ball 2730 Cobalt Slinky 7-string (.010–.062); for 8-string, build a custom set from the Ernie Ball Cobalt singles catalog.