Argentinian-born Tomas Holgado spent many late nights at the Masquerade, one of Atlanta’s most iconic and scrappy venues, attending shows, performing and later backstage as an employee for a company that supplied equipment to touring bands. He became good friends with the staff and management of the venue and when it came time for the big move in 2017, he was on site, lending a hand.
He decided to give it a shot and took a truckload of salvageable lumber pulled from the walls, floors, and railings home. So far, Holgado’s designed and built six guitars made from the Masquerade wood, and will make at least three more. He says the wood is covered in stains, scrapes and nail marks, but the imperfections are what carries on the venue’s legacy most.
“Going into it I didn’t know if the pieces of wood were going to end up actually sounding awesome or just being more memorabilia of the Masquerade,” he says. “It turned out sounding incredible. The wood is super solid, dense and stable—all things it could have not been—it was the best case scenario.”
Lauren Leathers 