MotorAve Electric Guitars
MotorAve Guitars is committed to the proposition that the electric guitar should remain cool.
Mark Fuqua has been designing and building guitars under the name MotorAve since 2002. His inspiration to build guitars stems largely from his 10+ years in the Vintage Guitar Business. Mark has handled and played thousands of the best/coolest guitars ever made. His extensive and intimate knowledge of these instruments has set the bar very high and while he is not interested in making copies (or fakes for that matter); he is driven to synthesize the best aspects of those designs into something new.
While MotorAve standards are high and Mark’s skills as a craftsman are impeccable, the guitars are not cold and lifeless. You will not catch us expounding on the quality of our finishes or the perfection of the tone woods we use. We’re positive that you’ll be duly impressed with fit and finish of a MotorAve. We consider those aspects of high quality, boutique guitars a given. Apart from the design, what sets these guitars apart from all the rest is the emphasis we place on MUSIC.
Mark has been writing songs and playing in bands since he was eleven. It wasn’t until his late 30’s (despite having worked for several luthiers) that he decided to focus on building guitars. Even his friend James Trussart, who he worked for and lived with in Paris, still wants to talk about what a great singer/song writer he is- rather than about guitars. I only mention this because these instruments are designed and built to be used as conduits through which the player expresses themselves. And for Mark personally, building guitars is an extension of the sheer joy he derives from the process of expressing his own creativity.
Every MotorAve Guitar is a piece of art. Mark does not make guitars for the mass market; he makes guitars to last and to be treasured for generations. Currently, MotorAve guitars are available only through MotorAve. Keep in mind that we are not a factory and most guitars are not made until they are ordered. More information on the BelAire and LeMans models can be found by clicking on the links above.
Below: The Fastback was the first original guitar design Mark produced. Though we no longer offer this model, you can still see aspects of the design in our newest model: The LeMans.
Below: Mark Fuqua & James Trussart, Paris 1999
