Ernie Ball, Inc. produces guitar strings and custom-built guitars and basses, as well as numerous guitar accessories, such as picks, cables, and straps. Owned and operated by the Ball family, the company sells its products to more than 5,500 music shops in the United States. Ernie Ball's foreign business is maintained by 68 distributors who sell the company's products in more than 75 countries. The company pioneered the development of guitar strings for rock-and-roll guitarists.