Ernie Ball strings have been a top choice for players of all types since the early 1960s, when guitarists came into Ernie Ball's music store, customizing their string gauges to make their axes easier to play. After fruitless attempts to interest major guitar manufacturers in a lighter set of strings, Ernie Ball decided to start making his own. When you open a pack of his strings today, you know you're getting a quality set of strings designed to give you great tone, reliable performance, and long life. You can't go wrong when you string up with Ernie Ball strings! Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Round Wound Bass 5 Strings are heavily used by both amateurs and professional musicians. Made from nickel plated steel (NPS) windings wrapped around tin plated, hex shaped steel core wire, Slinkys produce a well balanced, all-around great sound, no matter what your playing style.