Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (.010–.052): Adam Jones's Tool gauge, explained
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (.010–.052) pairs a standard-gauge treble side (.010, .013, .017) with a heavier wound side (.030, .042, .052) than Regular Slinky or Power Slinky. Adam Jones of Tool named this exact set, describing it as "Ernie Ball skinny top, heavy bottom strings," in a 2014 Guitar World interview. The heavier bottom holds tension in Drop D and lower tunings while the light top keeps bends and leads easy.
What this set is
Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom is a hybrid-gauge electric set: the top three plain strings (.010, .013, .017) match Regular Slinky exactly, while the bottom three wound strings (.030, .042, .052) run heavier than even Power Slinky's .028, .038, .048. Same tin-plated hex steel core and nickel-plated steel wrap as the rest of Ernie Ball's standard Slinky line, just redistributed across the set instead of scaled evenly.
Adam Jones of Tool is the set's most-cited player, having named it directly when Guitar World asked what strings and picks he uses.
Anatomy
- Model
- Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 2215
- Gauge
- .010 – .052 (hybrid)
- Gauge set
- .010, .013, .017, .030, .042, .052
- String count
- 6 strings
- Core wire
- Tin-plated hex high-carbon steel
- Wrap wire
- Nickel-plated steel
- Coating
- None, uncoated (Paradigm version is coated, same gauge)
- Winding
- Standard roundwound
- Intended scale
- Fits 25.5" Strat / Tele and 24.75" Les Paul / SG alike
- Intended tunings
- E standard, Eb standard, Drop D, D standard
- Made in
- United States (Ernie Ball, Coachella, CA)
- Pack sizes
- Single (B0002PBS68), 3-pack (P03215), 6-pack, 12-pack
The Adam Jones connection
A reader asked Jones directly about his strings and picks in Guitar World's long-running reader-question column.
For strings, I use the equivalent of the GHS Boomers; I think they're the Ernie Ball skinny top, heavy bottom strings.
Guitarist, Tool
Jones's main guitar is a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst, well documented across Tool's catalog, though his 2014 Guitar World answer names the string gauge without specifying which guitar it was strung on. Tool's catalog leans heavily on Drop D; specific half-step-down usage on later material isn't independently sourced here. Separately, Ernie Ball's own marketing has promoted Jones as a user of the coated Paradigm version of this identical .010–.052 gauge, a longer-life update on the same construction. Both are documented; the gauge itself is not in dispute, only which coating variant is currently his rotation set.
Compared to the alternatives
| Skinny Top Heavy Bottom | Regular Slinky 2221 | Power Slinky 2220 | D'Addario EXL140 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge | .010 – .052 | .010 – .046 | .011 – .048 | .010 – .052 |
| Plain strings | .010, .013, .017 | .010, .013, .017 | .011, .014, .018 | .010, .013, .017 |
| Wound strings | .030, .042, .052 | .026, .036, .046 | .028, .038, .048 | .030, .042, .052 |
| Best home tuning | Drop D, Eb standard | E standard | E std, Eb std, Drop D | Drop D, down-tuned |
| Lead-line feel | Same as .010 set | Light, easy bends | Heavier across the board | Same as .010 set |
| Documented users | Adam Jones (Tool) | Billie Joe Armstrong | Slash, K.W. Shepherd | Down-tuned rock/metal |
| Price tier | $ | $ | $ | $ |
Best for
Drop D, Eb standard, and half-step-down variants where you want the low strings to hold tension and articulation without giving up the light-top bend feel of a standard .010 set. Rhythm-and-lead players who don't want to relearn their bending technique just to get a tighter low end, which is exactly the tradeoff Jones's Tool parts ride on.
Worst for
Straight E standard with no down-tuning. The heavy .030 G string in particular feels stiff for standard-tuning rhythm work compared to Regular Slinky's .026, and there's no tonal reason to carry that extra tension if you're not using it for a dropped low string. Drop C and below also push past what this gauge is built for; step to a heavier dedicated Drop-tuning set instead.
Verdict
Skinny Top Heavy Bottom solves a specific problem: a low string that holds up in Drop D or lower without making the top strings feel like a different guitar. Adam Jones's own description of his strings in Guitar World matches this set's construction directly, and Ernie Ball's own marketing separately ties him to the coated Paradigm version of the same gauge. If your rig lives in Drop D and you don't want your lead technique to change when you tune down, this is the documented, working-canon answer.