For John Wunsch, opportunity knocked at the perfect time.

The popular classical and jazz guitarist found himself at a career crossroads. A combination of health conditions, an entrepreneurial desire, and the availability of a business directly related to his art resulted in his turning from player to businessman.

With Strings By Mail, Wunsch is able to keep his hand in the music business, while finding an outlet for his business "jones" as well.

Wunsch was best known for recordings celebrating the area, for a long-standing gig at Bower’s Harbor Inn, and for teaching students at NMC and Interlochen, where he runs the Interlochen Guitar Festival.

But the diagnosis of two health concerns – spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column resulting in pinched nerves and muscle weakness, and myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatigue – led him to question whether he would be able to continue playing.

“My muscle strength was lower, and I lost the use of my right arm,” he said. “That only lasted a few months, then I lost the use of my left hand – that took six months” to recover from.

Wunsch did recover almost entirely, but found that it now took him more effort to remain in playing shape. That’s when fate intervened. Two of Wunsch’s former students were looking to divest themselves of their guitar string business, and Wunsch leapt at the opportunity.

“This gave me a new direction and new purpose,” Wunsch said. Strings By Mail soon found a new home, moving from Ann Arbor to the Traverse City area. It employs seven people full-time.

A key element in the company’s appeal is the ability for clients to purchase strings individually. Many classical players use a mix of strings on their guitars, as different materials and different coatings produce different timbres. Most stores only sell strings in a pack of six, so a guitarist that uses three different kinds of strings would be forced to buy three different complete sets.

While Wunsch says he hasn’t given up playing, right now the business consumes all his time and energy.

“What’s been shocking is that I don’t miss the playing,” he said. “I don’t miss the musician’s lifestyle. I’m enthralled with what I’m doing.”

Wunsch says his company provides strings for working professionals, as well as big names such as "The Boss."

“It's true. We work with Springsteen’s guitar tech,” Wunsch said.