Source Audio Joins the Ernie Ball / Music Man Family!

We’ve got some very big news for all of you. We’re talking HUGE NEWS! As of today, Source Audio is officially part of the Ernie Ball / Music Man family. Yes, it’s true. Source Audio has joined forces with Ernie Ball and Music Man, and we could not be more excited.

For decades, Ernie Ball strings and Music Man guitars and basses have pushed past traditional boundaries in pursuit of bold innovation. That spirit dates all the way back to the introduction of Ernie Ball Slinky guitar strings in the mid-’60s, continues through the groundbreaking Music Man StingRay Bass in the 1970s, and carries into today with instruments like the John Petrucci signature Majesty guitar and the retro-modern St. Vincent guitar.

It's that forward-thinking spirit that makes this partnership a perfect fit for Source Audio and our unwavering quest to push the guitar pedal world into new frontiers. Source Audio owner Roger Smith said of the union, “From the beginning, our goal has been to combine world-class sound design with powerful technology in a way that inspires players. Ernie Ball understands musicians, artists, and the culture of guitar in a way very few companies do, and that alignment is what makes this such an exciting next chapter.”

Ernie Ball CEO Brian Ball added, “What excites me isn’t just the technology; it’s the way their pedals inspire musicians to find sounds they didn’t know they were looking for. Ernie Ball has always existed to help artists create, and Source Audio gives us a powerful new way to do exactly that.”

Our mutual friend and soon-to-be collaborator Josh Scott of JHS Pedals (more on the collaboration later) was the first to publicly announce the new partnership. Check out the video.

It’s no secret that all of us at Source Audio are hopeless nerds when it comes to the contemporary music and music gear. So, it’s thrilling to suddenly be part of a music gear company with such a storied history. Ernie Ball and its line of Slinky guitar strings are so deeply intertwined with the history of guitar-driven music that it boggles the mind.

Believe it or not, there was a time when guitar string manufacturers didn’t really worry about how difficult it was to bend a string. Blues and early rock guitarists like Buddy Guy and Chuck Berry had no choice but to muscle their bends to reach the desired note. Ernie Ball changed all of that in the mid-’60s with the introduction of the Slinky line. Finally, guitarists could easily incorporate string bends into their playing, giving the guitar an unparalleled level of expression that helped make it the dominant instrument of the 20th and 21st centuries.

By the late '60s, Ernie Ball strings were ubiquitous. I mean, who out there hasn't used Ernie Ball Slinkys? The list of users is absurd: Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, John Mayer, Tony Levin, Johnny Marr, Annie Clark, John Petrucci, Tosin Abasi–I could go on all day. Here is a link to the Ernie Ball Artist Page. If you read through all the legendary names, prepare to scroll for a long, long time: we're not certain the page has an end.

We also recommend watching this fantastic video, which traces the history of Ernie Ball and his Slinky strings, from his days as a Fender endorsing musician to his string-bending revelation that helped unlock the true potential of the electric guitar.

Let’s talk for a minute about the Music Man StingRay Bass. Back in ’76, this behemoth changed the game with its monster tone. Originally designed by Leo Fender and former Fender employees Forrest White and Tom Walker, with critical feedback from Ernie Ball’s son Sterling Ball, this iconic bass was the first production bass to feature active electronics, thanks to its built-in two-band EQ preamp. Its massive humbucking pickup was placed close to the bridge, giving the bass both enormous low end and great high-end articulation. Its unmistakable tone has been put to use by tons of great bassists, including Tony Levin, Bernard Edwards, Flea, Joe Dart, Tim Commerford, Cliff Williams, Pino Palladino, and many, many more. Check out this tremendous video from Five Watt World about the history of the Music Man StingRay. It's a fascinating story.

And, of course, Music Man continues to innovate in the guitar realm with beautiful signature guitars from John Petrucci, Steve Lukather, Annie Clark, Steve Morse, Jason Richardson, and more.

This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Source Audio, but who we are and what we do are not changing. We will continue to create groundbreaking effects pedals, powered by the incredible flexibility and sonic scope of the Neuro app. The difference is that we will now have the added knowledge, resources, and muscle of the Ernie Ball team behind us.

We may seem bigger from the outside, but Source Audio is actually made up of a very small team of passionate pedal lovers. We are certain that the combined experience and resources of Ernie Ball and Source Audio will open new doors and give us even more opportunities to bring our ambitious ideas to life.

Without revealing too much, we can tell you that there are more than a couple amazing new products in the works, all emerging from the combined brain power of Source Audio and Ernie Ball/Music Man. The future is brighter than ever, and we can’t wait to show you what comes next.