The sound heard 'round the world: a self-professed "tinkerer" builds a globally successful musical instrument and sound equipment firm.

Like many a teenager growing up in the era of Elvis, Bo Didley, and rock 'n' roll, Hartley Peavey aspired to play the guitar. His father, "Mr. Mutt" Peavey, owner of Peavey's Melody Music Company in downtown Meridian. was dubious of guitarists in general and declined to fund the desired electronic ensemble. The utmost concession Hartley gained was permission to take guitar lessons; if he did well, the transaction would be considered later. Since the word "later" is anathema to teenagers, impatience inspired Hartley to rig a traditional guitar with steel strings, improvise a magnetic pickup, scrounge components from surplus sources, and voila! He had created an electric guitar complete with functioning amplifier.

Such creativity and thrift would prove prophetic, ultimately making Peavey Electronics an international leader in the manufacturing of musical instruments and sound devices.

Throughout high school and college, Hartley, who modestly characterizes himself as a "tinkerer," constructed guitar amps for groups with whom he played, utilizing ingenuity as well as information acquired at Meridian's Ross Collins Vocational School.

But Hartley, alas, was not a genius of the guitar. "In every group I joined," he recalls, "as soon as I built the equipment they needed, they kicked me out."

Realizing his talents lay in other directions, Hartley heeded the complaint of musicians who hadn't reached the top echelon. The high prices of sound apparatus in the 1960s reminded Hartley of his own adolescent dilemma.

In a workshop over Mr. Mutt's store, Hartley began constructing and selling guitar amplifiers to small retailers in 1965, the same year he received his business degree from Mississippi State University. Perceiving another need, he designed a P.A. system of better quality and lower price than the only two others available; the product was a phenomenal success.

Among his next big breakthroughs were the "Peavey Bandit," which outperformed the standard tube amplifier and became the best-selling guitar amp in the world, and the "Black Widow" and "Scorpion" loudspeakers, which were more heat-resistant than traditional types. Next came a venture into the production of guitars and basses. Borrowing from methods used to form rifle stocks, Hartley used copy lathes to precisely shape guitar necks and employed computer-controlled machinery to standardize guitar bodies. The procedures were initially decried by others in the industry but are now used universally.

Finally, Peavey provided "every link in the audio chain." Top musicians, including Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, were featuring Peavey instruments and equipment.

But the innovations didn't stop there. In 1993, Hartley unveiled another tour de force: MediaMatrix, the first software-controlled audio system. The system has since been installed in the U.S. Senate; the Sydney Opera House; Heathrow Airport in London; and more than 2,S00 facilities worldwide. It's even utilized by the Russian KGB.

Another major recent development is the "6S05" amplifier, so named to commemorate the 40 years (1965-2005) of Peavey's operation. The amp's raw tone has already made it a favorite with rock and heavy metal bands.

"We're more focused on the future than ever," says Hartley, who earned the honor of being one of the first inductees into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Hame. "We've pioneered a lot of firsts ... but there's still plenty of fertile ground ahead."

Even after ascending to worldwide preeminence, Peavey, now guided by owner and CEO Hartley and president Mary Peavey, still employs mostly local workers, produces most of its components, and holds firmly to its charge of bringing the highest quality instruments to all performers.

Said former President George H.W. Bush during his tour of Peavey Electronics in 1991, "I think best of all for me on this day ... is to see the people behind the power of Peavey ... This is the American dream in action."

All because Hartley didn't excel when he finally got the guitar his father wouldn't buy.