There is one musical instrument that has no match in the world. It pours sound into huge spaces without the benefit of speakers and amplifiers. When the right person is playing it, this handcrafted masterpiece can make the heart and soul soar.

You have seen one, and probably heard one, but you might not realize that some of the finest in the world are built right here in Fort Mill--at W. Zimmer & Sons.

A pipe organ is one of the prime examples of old-world craftsmanship. Ben Zimmer and his son Bernard make certain this craft remains alive and well.

Wilhelm Zimmer, Ben's father, was apprenticed in Germany in the early 1900s. One day his father walked in and handed him a one-way ticket to Holland with instructions "To stand on his own two feet and keep the Zimmer name." With that ticket to Holland began the trip that eventually landed him in Fort Mill.

Wilhelm traveled to Holland and went to work for an organ builder called Pelse. In Holland Wilhelm learned more of the finer techniques of building organs, and the organ builder's daughter, Anna Pelse, became Wilhelm's wife.

After World War II, Europe was in tatters and pipe organs were not selling well. In 1951, Wilhelm had job offers in both Canada and South Africa. Anna was tired of Europe's cold weather, so she chose South Africa--where, at that time, pipe organs from around the world were built. This was a great place for their two sons, Ben and Franz, to learn the family business.

South Africa turned into a highly competitive market for organ builders, and many European masters moved there after the war. In 1964 Wilhelm sold the business and moved his family to the United States to start afresh.

Wilhelm immediately chose Charlotte because it had a good airport, pleasant weather, and was centrally located. He opened W. Zimmer & Sons in a small business park, just south of runway 36 at the old Charlotte airport. A few years later they moved to a shop near the intersection of Nations Ford Road and Westinghouse Boulevard in Charlotte.

But in 1975 they decided to leave Charlotte--and moved to Fort Mill. They bought 10 acres in Marvin, near Fort Mill, and built a shop and two houses. Ben concentrated on building organs while Franz headed the sales effort, and in 1980, the father retired as president of the company.

In 1995, Ben and Franz bought another 16 acres and started building the shop at their present location on Marvin Road. Franz decided to retire, leaving Ben and his son Bernard as the remaining Zimmers in the family business.

But the pipe organ business isn't as strong as it used to be. Smaller, electronic organs have grown more popular. So the Ben and Bernard decided to rent some of their space to local businesses and created Zimmer Business Park.

The Zimmer family business, though, is still alive. Over its long history, the Zimmers have built 520 organs--and number 521 is now in their shop. The Zimmers are rebuilding an older organ for a Lutheran church in Washington, D.C.

Each of their organs is custom-built, handcrafted projects that take an average of a year to complete.

Though the metal pipes are now ordered from Europe, Ben and Bernard build all of the cabinets and wooden components. The organ is assembled in the Zimmers' shop on Marvin Road, tuned and repeatedly tested, and then dismantled. It is trucked to its final location, reassembled and tested again to make certain that its unique voice is perfectly tuned. The typical cost for one of their organs: about $180,000.

The secret to a good pipe organ, the Zimmers say, is the craftsmanship of its pipes. And most of the pipes in a typical organ are unseen--you might see 20 or 30 pipes, when the actual number can approach several thousand. Pipes are like tin whistles without finger holes. Air enters the foot (the tapered end of the pipe), moves up through the windway (the opening in the pipe), and then crosses the upper lip. The length and diameter determines its voice, or sound. Pipe lengths range from about one inch to the height of a house and are made of wood or metal.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fort Mill has enjoyed its Zimmer pipe organ, Opus 514, since its installation this past spring.

And the Zimmers have built four other pipe organs in Charlotte, most notably, the awe-inspiring pipe organ at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dilworth. That one is the Zimmers' 261st organ, installed in 1981.

As Ben Zimmer says, "The first requirement of a pipe organ is to lead congregational singing." To those of us who don't build pipe organs, they are a source of beauty, inspiration and amazement.

Bill Henson is a technical writer and marketing copywriter who lives in Rock Hill. You can reach him by e-mail at writer@cetlink.net.