Ernie Ball Music Man began offering “roasted” maple necks as a Ball Family Reserve option in August 2010. The company says that, in addition to drawing out the character of figured maple, the roasting process makes necks stronger and more resonant by changing the wood’s microstructure.
Los Angeles, representing Ernie Ball on the road,
managing sales, and beta-testing Leo Fender’s
new StingRay bass for the Music Man company—which Ernie bought in 1984. A few months
later, a fellow named Dudley Gimpel would land
at Music Man after sending over a 6-stringed
resume—a Tele-style guitar that showcased his
abilities as a luthier. Sterling and Gimpel have
been working together ever since.
Just as you can’t discuss the strings made at
the Ernie Ball facility in Coachella, California,
without mentioning Ernie Ball himself, you
cannot discuss the Ernie Ball Music Man instru-
ments made in San Luis Obispo, California,
without noting Gimpel’s hands-on design role
in the company. Take a tour through the com-
pany’s vault of historic prototypes and produc-
tion models, and Gimpel can tell you about
every spec and nuance you could possibly ask
about—right down to exact dates and thou-
sandths of a millimeter—because he is the guy
who handmade, oversaw the production of, or
dissected everything in there at some point. He
can explain the pickup pole piece positioning
of “Old Smoothie”—the first StingRay that Leo
made in 1976—and why prototype #19 of Eddie
Van Halen’s signature guitar has a Schaller Floyd
Rose tremolo on it. If there is anything that can
be explained about Ernie Ball Music Man gear,
Gimpel can explain it.
While Ernie Ball Music Man’s connection to Leo
Fender is significant and continues to serve an
inspirational role in a number of ways, it doesn’t
define the company. In a fairly crowded industry
that often doesn’t seem to change much—the
basic guitar shapes, electronics, and sounds that
sell the most units haven’t changed that much in
50 years—EBMM has carved a niche somewhere
between the extremes of tradition and innovation.
For example, the company is proud to be known
for the StingRay, but enjoys pushing the envelope
