Ernie Ball Power Slinky Cobalt (.011–.048) review: the Eb-standard Cobalt set

Cobalt voicing through a Les Paul or Strat-style guitar with passive humbuckers or single coils:

The Cobalt voicing change is exactly the same character regardless of gauge in the line, what changes between Regular, Power, and Beefy Slinky Cobalt is tension and tuning fit, not voicing. Detailed voicing comparison at Cobalt vs nickel Slinky: the voicing difference, measured.

Power Slinky Cobalt is the Eb-standard answer in the Cobalt range. The Cobalt 6-string lineup in tuning order:

• E standard: Regular Slinky Cobalt (.010–.046).
• Eb standard / occasional Drop D: This set, Power Slinky Cobalt (.011–.048).
• E with light top, drop-D rhythm: Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Cobalt (.010–.052).
• Drop C# / Drop C: Beefy Slinky Cobalt (.011–.054).
• Drop C / Drop B / C standard: Not Even Slinky Cobalt (.012–.056).

Full picking guide at Cobalt Slinky gauges explained.

Slash (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators) is the documented user this set is built around. Slash has been an Ernie Ball artist since the 1980s, and Ernie Ball featured him playing and discussing the Cobalt strings at the line's January 2012 launch, quoted as saying Cobalts "sound and feel better than anything I've ever played." His primary tuning across his catalog is Eb standard on Gibson Les Paul, the gauge fit this set was built for.

As of this writing, Slash's current Ernie Ball signature product is the Slash Signature Set (.011–.048), a Paradigm-core set, not Cobalt. Power Slinky Cobalt remains the closest CYS-reviewed match to the Cobalt voicing he helped popularize at launch. Full sourcing on both sets: Slash's rig, sourced.

Cobalt line roster: Who plays Cobalt Slinky strings.

• Eb standard (Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) on 24.75" Les Paul / 25.5" Strat. Sweet spot.
• Drop D from an Eb default without changing strings. The .048 low string handles Drop D firmly.
• E standard with firmer feel. If your bending vocabulary wants .011 stiffness in E.
• Hard rock, classic rock, blues-rock, modern rock. The cobalt push helps the lead voice cut through dense band mixes.

• Drop C and below. The .048 flaps in Drop C; step up to Beefy Slinky Cobalt (.011–.054) or Not Even Slinky Cobalt.
• Floyd Rose set up for .010s without a spring-tension recalibration.
• Players who prize light bending feel above all else. Stay on Regular Slinky Cobalt or Hybrid Slinky Cobalt.

Coming from .010s, the .011 plain top adds roughly 4 pounds of single-string tension; total set adds about 8–10 pounds. Most setups handle this without a truss-rod adjustment, but check relief after the first day of play. Nut slots usually accommodate the bumps without filing. Intonation should be reset.

Break-in: 30–45 minutes of play before the initial top-end brightness settles in.

Power Slinky Cobalt is the set Slash helped popularize when Ernie Ball launched the Cobalt line in 2012. It's a sensible default for any rock or blues-rock player whose home tuning is Eb on a Les Paul or 25.5-inch scale: the gauge brings the Eb feel back to the comfort zone of .010s in E, and the cobalt wrap makes the upper-mid push that helps the lead voice carry through a high-gain rig.

Pick it over nickel Power Slinky if you A/B them and prefer the cobalt voicing. Pick nickel if you prefer the slightly smoother top end. Match the wrap to your taste; match the gauge to your tuning.

Ernie Ball

Power Slinky Cobalt (.011–.048)

.011 – .048

Price tier: $

Why this one: The Eb standard Cobalt set Slash helped launch in 2012. The .011 top brings Eb feel back to the comfort of .010s in E.

Eb StandardDrop DHard rock

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