Vintage Reissue Strings Test Tough for Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes

by Paul Van Name

The Black Crowes are back on the road, and guitarist Rich Robinson has no use for wimpy equipment, right down to his choice in strings. "I use a certain pick attack to get my tones, and my strings used to always break, right at the bridge. One day my guitar tech said, 'Try these.'" That was fifteen years ago when Vintage Reissue first came out. Now Robinson confirms that, "Gibson strings always get me through the set without breaking."

Yet the amount of heavy-handed guitar playing witnessed during a Black Crowes set is practically nil. In fact, Robinson is a master of finesse, coaxing sweeping melodies out of his guitar one minute, then assaulting it the next during fiery chord progressions or while executing dynamic change-ups. This typically occurs over two-hour performance. It's a lot to ask any string to keep up with, but Gibson strings prove that they can take it, night after night.

Ensuring peak product performance and meeting high demands is nothing new for Gibson strings. Using only the finest raw materials and preserving golden age manufacturing processes has been a way of life dating back to 1907. Since then, Gibson has continually raised the status bar, setting new standards along the way for all others to follow.

Today at the heart of every Gibson string is a core of pure Swedish Steel, a super-tough metal alloy that can take a lot of punishment, no matter what your style of playing. Gibson also winds at slower speeds over a hex-shaped core wire to hold each wrap firmly in place with no slipping. Vintage Reissue strings are then wrapped in pure nickel to deliver sweet, smooth tone whether played dirty or clean.

The diagram above illustrates 2 core-and-wrap combinations, each making up a .054" (fifty-four thousandths) string. Each of the combinations shown could produce an acceptable low E string for a guitar; but each will have different characteristics of sound and playing "feel."

All Gibson strings are carefully balanced using proprietary cover-to-core ratios to ensure even response while chording or laying down lead breaks. "The pure nickel gives Vintage Reissue a great sounding, robust tone," says Robinson, "which is perfect for slide and opening tunings. I can also tune way down and still control them, which you can't do with a lot of other strings."