Frank Gay

by Chris Bilton

There are only a couple of guitars that are recognizable at a glance: the Fender Stratocaster, with its classic curves and the Gibson Les Paul, with its single cutaway and squared-off headstock. But there are other guitars that cast an unforgettable silhouette, even if their names are less familiar. Saskatoon-bred, Edmonton-based guitar-maker Frank Gay’s creations fall into this category. Take the sparkly inlay, pear-shaped body and weapon-like head of the instrument on the cover of Webb Pierce’s 1965 album, Country Music Time. Crafted by Gay, Webb’s acoustic axe is indicative of its creator’s experimental streak. After apprenticing with piano-makers R.S. Williams and Sons, Gay set up his own shop in Edmonton in 1953. The flashy details of his instruments attracted country stars like Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton, and Hank Snow among others, all of whom owned Gay guitars. With custom fretboard inlays and western details, Gay’s designs paired well with the Nudie suits favoured by country musicians of the ’50s and ’60s. (Personalized models that Gay made for Pierce, Horton and Faron Young are on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. A model custom-made for Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Joyce Smith also resides in the National Music Centre’s collection.) Not limited to steel-string guitars, Gay went on to build nylon-string classical models, as well as lutes, mandolins and banjos. A performer himself, he made regular radio appearances and even founded the Edmonton Classical Guitar Society.