Ernie Ball Super Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings - 9-42 Gauge

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However, the company’s emphasis on maintaining its highest standards throughout the production process – from the selection of quality materials through the finest details of fit and finish – kept output somewhat limited, and as a result Van Halen eventually jumped ship in 1995 to Peavey, who was more willing to deliver the higher sales numbers the superstar guitarist started to demand.

Ernie Ball/Music Man remains one of the few long-lived, successful, true family businesses not only in the music industry but in the entire U.S. In addition to Brian, Sterling’s son Scott is the company’s vice president and oversees factory operations. Post Malone and Katy Perry are just a few of the better-known examples who played on our stages when they were starting out Sterling Ball Shortly after the Van Halen model made its debut, Steve Lukather collaborated with Music Man on his first of many Luke signature models, introduced in 1993, the same year the Albert Lee model finally made its debut (with the Axis name later resurrected for the continuation of the Edward Van Halen model after Van Halen left), and both are still designing Music Man models today. With players like Lee, Morse and Richards enthusiastically supporting the brand, interest in Music Man guitars began to grow. However, the next artist to join the Music Man guitar roster – Eddie Van Halen – instantly transformed the response to the company from interested raised eyebrows to dropped-jaw, eyes-wide-open amazement. Our guitar string sets are available for 6-string and 12-string guitars. We also offer 5-string sets for Mandolin and Banjos. Individual gauge strings are also available.The company responded to its growing competition by focusing on diversification and innovation, expanding its selection of custom gauge electric guitar string sets and making strings for a wider range of instruments, including bass and acoustic guitar. We don’t have contracts with our artists,” Sterling says. “I never wanted a piece of paper to determine whether someone played our guitars or not. I wanted to make sure we always earned that privilege. Most of our artists have been with us a very long time. It’s all about family.” Sterling Ball on stage. Ball would road test the StingRay prototypes and offer Leo Fender a player's perspective. (Image credit: Ernie Ball Music Man)

Their acoustic range is also comprehensive, from light bronze, to Aluminium bronze for clarity, or their Everlast coated series for a balanced tone and longer life. Soon the company outgrew the production capabilities of its facilities in Newport Beach. In 1979, Ernie Ball relocated to San Luis Obispo about 200 miles up the coast in central California, where its main headquarters are still located today.When Leo Fender sold Fender to CBS in 1965, he signed a non-compete clause refraining from any guitar design work for a period of 10 years. During this period the company enjoyed an impressive spike in sales, thanks to the efforts of Ernie Ball’s son Sterling, who was still a teenager. “I had worked for my dad on and off since I was 9, when I first ran the store’s cash register,” Sterling says. “I started working for the company as a road rep in 1973. My dad had this car in the factory parking lot that no one was using. 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.