Cherryville-area luthier hand builds playable works of art

elf-taught guitar builder is making a name for himself and his creations here and abroad by MICHAEL E. POWELL michael@cfmedia.info women in training, I felt led at a young age to become a police officer.

Cherryville-area luthier Eric Gale is a man on a mission. His mission? To make the best electric guitar he can and to have a great time doing so. Sounds like a piece of cake, right? Nope!

While Gale, a Christian, who truly loves what he does in so far as creating a piece of playable art is concerned, he is equally in love with the beauty and quality of taking a piece of gorgeous tone wood and finding – like a sculptor – the perfectly honed, tuned, and polished guitar from his chosen slab of wood.

“While in high school

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Gale, 52, has called the Cherryville area home for 30 years now. He and his family – wife, Lee; and sons, Eric, who is in the Marines, and Chris and George, who are at home, all have an artistic streak in them. Lee paints and draws, and the boys are artistically and musically inclined, with Chris playing bass guitar along with his dad on more than a few occasions.

Eric said he moved to the Old Tar Heel state 30-plus years ago, hailing originally from Massachusetts, where a family member was a wellknown and famous pen and ink artist and illustrator of sailing ships (George Gale) and another female relative was a noted woodcarver and sculptor.

“I guess it (making and creating art) does sort of run in our family,” said Gale. “I’m very blessed to be able to do what I love. It’s been hard getting to where I am now from where I once was. I thank God every day for that.”

In addition to their wonderful and talented kids, Eric and Lee smile and note they are also the proud parents of “…a whole bunch of furry children,” as they are surrounded by a host of tail-wagging, very friendly and happy dogs and more than a few friendly (and loving) cats.

Though Eric said he has been a woodworker “all his life”, the self-taught guitar maker has only been at his craft of electric guitar building for a total of three years.

However, in that time, he has learned his craft well and has, to date and by his own admission, has built “…between 15 to 18 guitars.”

One famous guitarist for whom he has built a custom piece is another Eric, Eric Gales, the Memphis, Tennessee-born, North Carolina-based bluesman who is currently on tour said Gale.

Gale builds his works or art mostly at night or when he has spare time, he said, as he is employed building custom furniture at Newton Cabinets, in Casar.

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