LINER NOTES

Mark Fuqua’s lifelong devotion to the electric guitar began when he was just a little guy and heard the Beatles for the very first time. “I want to do THAT” he told himself.  The obsession deepened at fourteen, when Mark marvelled at seeing a real electric guitar in person. But while others only dreamed of the spotlight and the stage, Mark was drawn to the instrument itself—its geometry, its elegance, its soul.

That fascination converged with a family trait. Mark’s father was a harsh  perfectionist, and woodworking was one of the few areas where father and son connected. In the quiet of the workshop, Mark learned to work with his hands and meticulously shape wood with discipline and reverence.

Mark’s foundational education in the guitar took place when, as a struggling musician in San Francisco, he worked as manager of the legendary Black Market Music. His knowledge and taste was refined after he established his own, successful guitar repair business on Motor Avenue in Venice, CA and later on Guitar Row in Hollywood. Mark has handled, played, and disassembled hundreds of the most valuable, rare, and desirable vintage guitars in history. MotorAve Guitars was born from Mark’s deep understanding of what a world-class instrument should feel like and how it should work.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2002, MotorAve Guitars has always been about making a modern classic that will hold its own alongside the guitars from the golden age. From the earliest BelAires made in the repair shop to his current workshop in Athens, Georgia, Mark's philosophy has never wavered. He builds every guitar by hand, utilizing conventional power tools and traditional hand tools. His goal is simple yet absolute: to create the perfect object—an instrument as beautiful as it is functional. For Mark, these guitars are his legacy. They are built with a single, quiet ambition: to be played, treasured, and passed down for generations.