I also wanted to make something that was totally bullet-proof electronically.  In my repair business I’ve seen lot’s of guitars that suffered from on-the-spot emergency repairs, and they’re usually done in an attempt to fix something simple, like a jack for instance, or a switch. So I intentionally dumped everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary, and put the necessary parts in a VERY accessible place. (All hail Leo on this one folks, from a repair standpoint the metal control plate is simply unbeatable)  In addition, having so few electronic components so close to each other reduces cable length, which reduces capacitance, which makes the LeMans a VERY sensitive, responsive, and CLEAR sounding instrument from an electronic perspective, with plenty of high end at lower volumes, and much better shielded.

I was also ready to change my head stock from a 4x2 to a 6-in-line. Luckily I was able to use the same shape, tilted treble-side a bit, and I’m extremely happy with the result both aesthetically and functionally. The LeMans has AMAZING tuning stability, and I think the look is particularly vicious as well.

I had all of these ideas in my head before I met Dimitri Coats from the Burning Brides, but watching him play live inspired me to make the LeMans a reality. I had seen his Univox guitars in my shop, with the switch taped down in the treble position and the whole thing covered in dried sweat & blood splatter, and I was intrigued. When he burned me a copy of the record they’d just finished recording, Hang Love, I found myself REALLY liking it a lot, more and more as I kept listening. When I finally saw the Brides live I was absolutely floored. This was REAL rock & roll, not some bullshit fashion show.

From a guitar perspective, Dimitri Coats plays a lot like Pete Townshend. He attacks the guitar very aggressively, mostly rhythmic playing, and gets a HUGE sound out of a very thin, essentially single-pickup guitar. He just goes out there and plays, and plays hard, the whole time either screaming his fucking head off or flying across the stage... it’s really something to behold. So I decided I wanted to make him a guitar. A guitar that would basically do only one thing, but do it extremely well and be completely reliable night after night after night, & look just a BIT evil at the same time.

Mark Fuqua, April 2007