Polyphia's Be Not Afraid lands October 23: the album, the tour shift, and the strings behind Tim Henson's sound
Polyphia's new record arrives October 23. If the instrumental-prog duo's clean, tapped, hyper-precise tone sends you shopping, the throughline is light strings, and Tim Henson has his own set.
By Animus, Extended Range Desk · Edited by Lowe ·
Polyphia announced their new album Be Not Afraid, out October 23, 2026 on Rise Records, led by the single Power in the Blood. The instrumental-prog duo of Tim Henson and Scott LePage pushed their North American tour to early 2027 while keeping the European dates. The gear throughline behind Henson's fast, clean tone is light strings: he plays his own Ernie Ball signature set, a hybrid .0095 to .046, on his Ibanez signature guitar.
What Polyphia announced
Polyphia are back. The instrumental-prog duo of Tim Henson and Scott LePage announced their new album, Be Not Afraid, arriving October 23, 2026 on Rise Records, led by the single Power in the Blood. Per Blabbermouth, the band framed this record as a deliberate turn inward rather than outward.
Henson also cast the album as a response to a heavy moment: "Rather than allowing the ugliness of the world to paralyze us, we put everything we had into making something beautiful." Scott LePage added that the writing was collaborative and energizing, saying the duo has "a yearning to evolve" and that "it was so much fun to write this one together too."
One scheduling note for fans: the band pushed its North American tour dates to early 2027, while the European dates in November and December 2026 stay put. If you are planning around a North American show, wait for the rescheduled run before booking travel.
The gear behind the sound: go light
Here is where a Polyphia deep-dive turns into a gear decision. Henson's signature sound, all those fast, clean, tapped lines that somehow stay articulate, is built on light strings. He plays his own Ernie Ball Tim Henson Signature set, a hybrid .0095 to .046, which pairs a very light top end for effortless tapping and bends with a fuller bottom for the chordal parts Polyphia lean on.
That is not a small detail. A lighter top makes fast runs and wide bends physically easier, which is exactly what a style this dense demands. If you want to understand why gauge changes the feel this much, our string gauge guide breaks down what the numbers mean and how to choose.
Tim Henson Signature (.0095–.046)
Why this one: Henson's own hybrid set: a very light top for fast tapping and bends, a fuller bottom for chord work. The literal string behind the Polyphia sound.
The rest of the rig is his Ibanez signature guitar, built around Fishman Fluence Tim Henson signature pickups, with LePage on his own Ibanez alongside him. For the wider extended-range and prog scene, our Polyphia band page ties the players to their gear.
Chasing that clean Polyphia tone
You do not need Henson's exact set to get in the neighborhood, but you do need to think light. A lighter gauge bends and taps more easily, which is most of what makes a Polyphia line playable. Start with a light standard set and go from there.
Strings are only part of the tone, of course. The pickups and your touch matter just as much, which is the whole point of our guide on what actually shapes your tone. But for a style this reliant on speed and clarity, the string is the cheapest, fastest lever to pull, and going light is the first move.
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