Steve Vai

"I'm usually a 9-42 guy, and I think the seven-string is a 52. Some of the guitars are tuned down for songs like John the Revelator and Gravity Storm, so for those I use like 10s. Those songs are tuned down a whole step. So even with heavy strings they're kind of floppy. I've used Ernie Ball for years and years. They're a solid company, they're great people, and they just came out with these new strings called Cobalt. It's always been my feeling that strings are strings, how different can they be. So I put these strings on and at first I didn't like them. I thought they were weird. They really feel different - really slinky and pulling. Then I started using them and they just started feeling more the way a guitar should feel. So I really liked them... These strings, maybe it's not feel like a guitar should feel like, maybe they're more like what my zone feels like. They move more with my emotional input," says Steve Vai about the Ernie Ball Cobalt Super Slinky Electric Guitar Strings.

On 4:00, Steve is talking about Ernie ball Strings

According to Ernie Balls video description: "String Theory is a web series from Ernie Ball that explores the sonic origins of some of music's most innovative players. In this episode, Ernie Ball artist Steve Vai discusses his influences, his history with playing guitar, and his Ernie Ball strings.

Steve Vai plays Ernie Ball Super Slinky electric guitar strings"

In this June 2022 rig rundown with Thomann's Guitar & Basses, at 5:45, Steve Vai's guitar tech Doug pulls down a Mirror finish Ibanez with L.E.D. fretboard inlays stating:

[Doug]: "...This guitar gets used on "Avalancha", it's tuned to Drop-C."

[Thomann]: "My favorite tune on the new record."

[Doug]: "Yeah, it's a cool record... Steve lightened up his gauge for Drop-C, he used to always use 10-52, it's 10-46 right now, it might change, Steve changes thing up y'know, he's constantly evolving. So that's what this guitar's set up with."

"Wishing a very happy big 6-0 to our good friend Steve Vai! 🎉" Ernie Ball

At the second column, you'll read "Steve uses: Ibanez Guitars, DiMarzio Evolution Pickups, Marshall, Bogner, Carvin and Fender Amps, Dean Markley Strings, Morley Pedals."

I also personally asked DM on their FB page:

Me: "Hi, one more question. Can you tell me what specific DM strings Steve Vai used back then? Because that's exactly what I want. ????" FEB 16TH, 8:11AM

DM: "Hi Dave, Steve played the Blue Steels 9-42s"

In this June 2022 rig rundown with Thomann's Guitar & Basses, at 5:45, Steve Vai's guitar tech Doug pulls down a Mirror finish Ibanez with L.E.D. fretboard inlays stating:

[Doug]: "...This guitar gets used on "Avalancha", it's tuned to Drop-C."

[Thomann]: "My favorite tune on the new record."

[Doug]: "Yeah, it's a cool record... Steve lightened up his gauge for Drop-C, he used to always use 10-52, it's 10-46 right now, it might change, Steve changes thing up y'know, he's constantly evolving. So that's what this guitar's set up with."

In this June 2022 rig rundown with Thomann's Guitar & Basses, at 2:24, Steve Vai's guitar tech Doug pulls down an Ibanez John Scofield Hollowbody guitar stating:

[Doug]: "This is a song-specific guitar, this is the John Scofield Ibanez model for "Little Pretty" and it's got a great sound, Steve really likes the way this guitar sounds, and for that song it's just perfect. But y'know normal, this one has a slightly heavier bottom string, it's 9-46, but then a conventional normal.

[Thomann]: Still tuned standard? E-Standard?

[Doug]: Still tuned standard... with a very puffy strap.

In this June 2022 rig rundown with Thomann's Guitar & Basses, at 7:35, Steve Vai's guitar tech Doug pulls down a Burnt finish Ibanez 7-String stating:

[Doug]: "This is another classic one: "Bruno" this is a-"

[Thomann]: [laughing] "-Bruno!"

[Doug]: "-Yeah, you'll recognise this from the "For the Love of God" music video. This is the 7-String guitar Steve is using on this tour for "Zeus in Chains" and it's setup with 9-52 gauge strings tuned to Drop-A and this is a really great sounding guitar pretty much stock..."

[Thomann]: "Yeah, no scallop here?"

[Doug]: "No scallop here yeah, the 7-Strings we don't scallop."

Later at 9:50, Doug sets down the Whitesnake-era 7-String and states:

[Doug]: "...And there you have it."

[Thomann]: "Which tuning do you have for- This is like a backup for- [Bruno]?"

[Doug]: "Exactly yeah, backup, 9-52 Drop-A."