Matt Eichen started a guitar company from his Cherry Hill home in 1996. Three decades later, Musicvox instruments have appeared in a Hollywood film, been played by rock and country stars and are sold directly to customers around the world.

Eichen, 64, is the founder, CEO and chief designer of Musicvox, a boutique guitar brand he built while working as an oral surgeon, SouthJersey.media reported in a profile published Wednesday, Sept. 9. The company was incorporated in September 1996 and plans to celebrate 30 years of selling guitars in 2027.

A New York City native and Rutgers University graduate, Eichen collected 1960s garage-rock guitars in college. When he tried to commission a single custom instrument in 1996, a builder told him the cost was so high he should start a company instead.

His first model, the Spaceranger, features an exaggerated horn on the body and a crescent-shaped headstock. Eichen debuted it at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show in Anaheim, California, in early 1997. A Guitar World representative called it "the coolest instrument at this entire show."

The line now includes 13 guitar and bass models.

Musicvox's biggest spotlight came in 2002, when Spaceranger instruments appeared in "Austin Powers in Goldmember." Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles played them on screen. The connection started with Cherry Hill native Jim McGorman, a session musician who had spread the word about Musicvox in industry circles.

Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO, Keith Urban and Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick have also played Musicvox instruments. Eichen custom-built a 12-string bass for Petersson in 1998, according to the 12-String Bass Encyclopedia.

Eichen closed his oral surgery practice in 2012 after a medical condition affected the use of his hands. Musicvox became his full-time focus.

The company has always sold online and remains family-owned. Eichen said two major American guitar manufacturers and wealthy private investors have tried to buy the business. He turned them all down after talking it over with his three children.

"The value of the company to me and my family was not monetary," Eichen told SouthJersey.media.

His daughter Hannah is actively involved in running Musicvox. The full SouthJersey.media profile, which includes details on how the Austin Powers deal came together, is available online.