Sixty years ago, a man named ERNIE BALL forever revolutionized the guitar string industry — and the rest, as they say, is history…
BY CHRIS GILL
WHAT PRODUCT IS heard on more recordings than anything else over the last 60 years? Many guitarists, musicians or even casual music fans would probably answer something like the Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul, Martin dreadnought or even the Fender Precision Bass. Those aren’t bad guesses, but the answer is actually something that all of those choices have in common more often than not: Ernie Ball strings.
The success of Ernie Ball strings in and of itself is a remarkable, noteworthy achievement, but it’s only one facet of the company’s extraordinary history over the last 60 years, starting in 1962 when Ernie Ball first packaged his own branded custom light-gauge Rock N Roll string sets and sold them from his music retail stores in the greater Los Angeles area. Today, Ernie Ball strings and accessories, as well as the company’s Music Man guitars and basses, are sold in 135 countries; the brands are internationally recognized icons; and their products are embraced by everyone from the world’s best-selling artists to beginners just starting their musical journeys.
“I’m super proud of the company’s 60-year history,” says Ernie Ball/Music Man president Sterling Ball. “We’ve worked with a lot of great people, and a lot of great things happened. It all started with my father. My dad changed an industry. But I’m reluctant to lean on history, because it’s too easy to use the past as a crutch. We’re focused on the present, and we’re thinking about the future. With my son Brian now running the company, we’re making new history and continuing to change the industry. One of the main reasons for our success is that we figured out how to serve guitar players. We’ve consistently been determined to deliver what they want and need, and that is always changing and evolving. Everything is about the player.”
Ernie Ball’s dedication to guitarists was inspired by his own experiences as a player at first and later as a music retailer. After returning from service in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, he played pedal steel in various bands around Los Angeles before becoming a member of the house band on KTLA television’s “Western Varieties” program and doing session work. Around this time he met Leo Fender, and the two became good friends, with Ball becoming an early Fender endorsee and product beta tester in 1953. Seeking a mor
