Ernie Ball is an American instrument and guitar accessory company based in San Luis Obispo, California.

Roland Sherwood "Ernie" Ball was a professional musician in Los Angeles and played guitar in the United States Air Force Band during the Korean War.

He would also order separate strings in various sizes and displayed them in a makeshift case allowing musicians to experiment in creating their own sets.

Located not far from Hollywood, the store began to attract a large patronage of professional musicians, including The Beach Boys, Merle Travis, and The Ventures.

[1] Slinky strings traveled the country with the profession musicians who used them and before long, Ball was receiving mail orders from individuals and stores.

[5] The characteristic packaging of Ball's guitar strings was designed by Rolly Crump, a Disney Imagineer.

[7] In 1967, Ball decided to focus solely on strings and guitar accessories, and moved the business to Newport Beach.

Ball said that "...the closest thing to an acoustic bass was the Mexican guitarron...in mariachi bands, so I bought one down in Tijuana and tinkered with it.

The Earthwood acoustic bass guitar was quite large and deep in contrast to most instruments in current production, which gave it more volume, especially in the low register.

[13] In 2016, Audience premiered Ernie Ball: The Pursuit Of Tone, a documentary series profiling popular guitar players and how they established their unique sound.

[14] The show featured musicians such as Tom DeLonge, Billy Duffy, Buddy Guy, Hunter Hayes, and Mike Ness.