Type Private Founder Mark Fuqua Area served Global | Industry Musical instruments Headquarters North Carolina, U.S | |
Founded May 24, 2002; 14 years ago (2002-05-24) | ||
MotorAve guitars are made by Mark Fuqua in Durham, North Carolina. MotorAve Guitars began in Los Angeles, California, in 2002 in a workshop on Venice Boulevard in West Los Angeles. Later he was located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. In 2007, he moved to his current location in North Carolina where he continues to make MotorAve Guitars. Besides their line of handbuilt guitars the company also repairs guitars on a limited basis as well as performing modifications such as changing pickups, electronics, hardware, frets and other components.
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Guitars
All MotorAve guitars are built by hand and can be fitted with several different options including different pick ups, fretboard, inlays and finishes.
BelAire
The BelAire originated as a solid-body guitar built as a one-off for a customer looking for a large guitar due to his own large stature. To avoid back routed control cavities, the guitar was designed with a large pickguard, similar to the one of a Fender Telecaster Thinline. After the guitar was delivered Fuqua decided to create a semihollow version of the guitar with a Bigsby vibrato. The guitar had a solid core in the body's center and a sharp soundhole similar to what is normally found on Rickenbackers. During its construction Alain Johannes, visited the shop to pick up a vintage Maton which had been repaired and took a liking to the unfinished guitar. A few weeks later the finished guitar was delivered to Johannes and a week later Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme ordered one for himself which was his main guitar during the recording of Era Vulgaris.
LeMans
The LeMans was specially designed to be extremely thin much like a Gibson SG. The guitar is fitted with a single bridge pickup to allow for an extra strong neck joint which allows extra transference between neck and body. Another feature to make the guitar simple and easy to maintain is the control plate with a single volume control and jack input, the short and simple circuit also reduces capacitance for a clear tone. One of the first LeMans models were built for American hard rock band Burning Brides guitarist and vocalist Dimitri Coats.