A new film presented by Josh from JHS pedals takes a behind the scenes look at the Ernie Ball factory in California. The clip covers the origins of the company and includes a chat with the company’s president Brian Ball, grandson of the late Ernie Ball.

Watch a behind the scenes tour of the Ernie Ball factory, including an interview with the company president, Brian Ball.

In the new JHS video, Brian Ball retells the origins of the guitar world’s most beloved strings, which started with the entrepreneurship of his grandfather Ernie Ball. As Brian describes, Ernie was an adventurous man who loved to fly planes, surf, and above all play the guitar.

He started out setting up a guitar shop and came to realise a need for thinner strings for guitars. The rise of rock music brought the electric guitar to the centre stage as a lead instrument and more people wanted to be able to bend their strings while soloing, except at the time the thinnest high-E string was 13 gauge. Ouch.

Slinky’s got their name because they were thin and bendable, and Ernie began to package them in the common gauge formulas we know today such as 9-46 etc. The Ernie Ball company went on to produce their own guitars when they bought Musicman, one of which Josh gets to builds himself in the video.

“Ernie Ball is one of the companies that helped make the electric guitar (and strings) what it is today. I get to sit down with Brian Ball and hear him tell the story of Ernie Ball and it’s evolution. I also get to tour the factory and make a custom version of a Music Man St. Vincent guitar.

Big thanks to Brian Ball and all the Ernie Ball family for having me out to their factory! In the Comments tell me your favourite Ernie Ball gear and what Ernie Ball gear you want to get.” says Josh from JHS pedals.