Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE

Media Credit: Andrew McLemore Sky Guitars is one of Denton's oldest music stores and boasts basses, drums and guitars of all shapes, sizes and colors.

Erik Anderson sits behind a large brown desk, meddling with a shiny black bass guitar he's repairing for another musician.

Rows of guitars surround him, some resting in black coffins awaiting their resurrection, while others hang from the sky blue ceiling, overstock from his store across the street.

The air, drenched with the scent of wood and dust from surrounding guitars and boxes, serves as a reminder of the years of love and tender care that Anderson has poured into his stringed creations.

Anderson's hazel eyes scan the bass in front of him, poring into every curve and crevice of the instrument he gently holds. A perfectionist by nature, he wants the guitar to be perfect for its owner.

"I'm a perfectionist, so I really enjoy getting each guitar perfect for that player and the satisfaction I get from seeing their face after playing it," he said.

Born in Chicago, Anderson grew up listening to his mother play the accordion while he and his other siblings danced to polkas. At 15, Anderson involved himself in music and it was a relationship that would shape his life forever.

"I've been involved in music since I was 15 years old, he said. "I'm 47 now,"

Although Anderson had done repairs and custom work for himself and his friends, it wasn't until he started working for a local guitar maker in Denton that his passion for repairing and building instruments led him to make a permanent career out of it.

"I love repairing instruments and building instruments," he said. "That's why I went to school for woodworking, and I studied music right alongside woodworking. It's a perfect blend of my musical interests and wood-working abilities."

Sky Guitar, Anderson's shop at 110 W. Congress St., sells an assortment of instruments in varying shapes, sizes and colors, from acoustics, basses and electrics to drum sets and woodwind instruments. His repair shop, a white brick building across the street, is where Anderson does all the repairs.

His time balanced between both locations, Anderson is either taking care of customer orders and introducing new products or sitting behind his desk at his repair shop, doctoring wounded instruments.

Continued...

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