No more smashing to smithereens a Perfectly Good Guitar

Photo contributed by Jeff Merck Jeff Merck (l) with the help of his apprentice, Chris, puts a finish on the guitar he is making. Jeff Merck is one of those lucky people whose hobby is also his livelihood. He builds guitars for a living. You might think he's a pretty happy guy, easy going and content with his world, and you'd be right.

Merck grew up listening to his father pick guitar from time to time. His first exposure to music was like many, his dad's albums. Frank Sinatra and The Beatles' Rubber Soul were his favorites as a boy.

Merck got his first guitar at 10, a Fender electric. By high school he was playing in a folk band, performing Dan Fogleburg and The Eagles. He also was developing an interest in Bluegrass and got to play at Cousin's Store in Mountain Rest, which is Carnegie Hall for high school Bluegrass performers.

Merck earned a degree in epidemiology and started a job with the state of South Carolina. This paid the bills and allowed Merck to begin a family and continue a deep interest in music. His daughters were exposed to all kinds of music from an early age. Today, daughter Caitlin plays the cello and Rebekah plays the viola.

Merck left his state job for the ministry and spent 10 years in the service of the church. In 1998, he decided it was time for a change and left for a series of stops; none of them fulfilling or permanent. So what next? Jeff told his wife he had always wanted to build guitars.

Rhea, a psychologist, and a smart lady, asked her husband, "What are you waiting for?" Jeff spent three months living in a camper in Atlanta and taking classes at Luthiers International. In September 2003, he opened Strings Attached on the corner of Main Street and River Drive in a building the couple had purchased months earlier.

There is something special about having a unique instrument. While it's similar to the rest it's unlike any other on the planet. Merck can build a quality guitar from scratch in the design and wood preference of your choice.

He's found a larger need for repair and instrument set- up than he expected. He actually does more of this than building guitars. The quality of his work and his emphasis on service has established his small shop as a crossroads for local and regional musicians.

Legendary songwriter John Hiatt expressed his opinion toward a rock and roll cliché years ago with

Perfectly Good Guitar. The song lamented the practice of destroying guitars onstage for effect. Tired of seeing Pete Townsend and others smashing instruments to smithereens, Hiatt questioned the practice and defended all guitars.

Holding a guitar is special; making it sound cool is a thrill. A guitar is a quality tool at its worst and a work of art at its best. Jeff Merck has known this his entire life and gets to earn a living fashioning the instruments from piles of wood. He is a lucky man.

Strings Attached is located at 2533 Main Street in Columbia. Call 447-4643 or visit Strings Attachedonline. com