Ernie Ball Regular Slinky RPS 2241 (.010–.046): the breakage-proof Regular Slinky
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky RPS 2241 is the .010 to .046 Slinky with Ernie Ball's patented brass-wrap reinforcement at the ball-end twist of the plain strings. Same nickel-plated steel wrap and tin-plated hex steel core as the standard 2221 Regular Slinky, just engineered so the .010, .013, and .017 plain strings break less often under heavy pick attack. Documented as the plain-string half of Kirk Hammett's hybrid set (RPS-10 plain plus RPS-11 wound) across the Metallica catalog.
What this set is
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky RPS 2241 is the breakage-proof version of the canonical .010 to .046 electric set. Same nickel-plated steel wrap on tin-plated hex steel core as the standard 2221 Regular Slinky, with one engineering change: Ernie Ball's patented Reinforced Plain Strings method wraps a thin strand of brass wire at the ball-end twist of each plain string (.010, .013, .017).
The reinforcement targets the failure mode that bothers heavy-attack players the most: plain strings snapping at the ball-end twist mid-set. Tone and feel are unchanged because the brass wrap sits behind the bridge saddle once the guitar is strung.
Anatomy
The Kirk Hammett hybrid
Kirk Hammett's documented working set across Metallica's catalog is not a single off-the-shelf pack. He mixes two RPS sets: the .010, .013, and .017 plain strings from this 2241 RPS-10 pack, with the .028, .038, and .048 wound strings from the heavier 2242 RPS-11 pack. The combined gauge is .010 to .048.
He explained the logic on Ernie Ball's String Theory series, recapped by Guitar World: "The three top strings are from a .010 set, and then the bottom three strings are from a .048 set. As a lead guitar player, I need to be able to bend the light strings, and if I have .011s on, I notice that over the course of a tour my hand gets fatigued. But if I go to .010s, it's okay over the course of a tour." Cross-referenced on Ground Guitar's Kirk Hammett RPS-10/11 archive.
The RPS reinforcement matters for the hybrid specifically: Kirk's pick attack and divebomb use put his plain strings through more stress than a fingerstyle player would, and the brass-wrap ball-end is what keeps the .010 high E from snapping mid-solo.
Compared to the standard 2221
Best for
Lead players with heavy pick attack who snap .010 plain strings mid-solo. Whammy-bar users whose dive-and-return cycles wear out the .010 high E faster than a fixed-bridge player would. Touring rock and metal rhythm-and-lead players who want one less variable to manage on the road. The Kirk Hammett hybrid pairing with Power Slinky RPS 2242 is the documented working-canon example.
Worst for
Players who don't break plain strings under normal playing. The RPS reinforcement adds a few dollars per pack over the standard 2221, and if you change strings on a schedule rather than because something snapped, the upgrade is wasted spend. Stick with standard Regular Slinky 2221 for the same tone at the lower price.
Verdict
The 2241 RPS is the answer to "I love Regular Slinky but I keep snapping the high E." Same tone, same feel, brass reinforcement at the ball-end twist that keeps the plain strings on the guitar through aggressive picking and whammy use. The Kirk Hammett hybrid pairing is the most-cited working-pro example, and the engineering justifies the small price premium for any player whose right hand is harder on strings than most.