When professional drummer Christian Teele needed a hobby to help him escape his daily grind, he turned to guitar.
“Guitar has filled that need for me to be able to enjoy music purely for the fun and joy of it,” said Teele, who, in addition to recording specialized songs for people around the world, serves as the house drummer for Boulder’s eTown band for about 25 years.
Eager to find a used guitar, he recalled an eTown acquaintance of his, David Williams, who had opened a guitar shop in Broomfield called Monkton Guitars.
“I got in my car and headed over to Monkton, thankful for the existence of a good local shop,” said Teele, who lives in Lafayette. “I arrived and was immediately taken in with the relaxed, casual atmosphere at the shop.”
He’s since bought three guitars and a few pedals from Monkton stating, "I'm grateful to have Dave and other experts so close to home."
Teele’s experience at Monkton Guitars is exactly what Williams hopes for.
“I want it to be like the stores I used to go in in the 1970s,” said Williams, who grew up on Long Island, New York, and whose interest for collecting guitars began in high school.
Williams went to concerts nearly every weekend as a teenager and reveled in visiting the New York guitar store Sam Ash.
“At 15 years old I walked into the door and walked right into [Led Zeppelin’s] Jimmy Page and Robert Plant,” he said. “That got me addicted to the whole thing.”
Williams first started buying and selling used guitars with a friend as a side business in the late 1980s when he lived in Monkton, Maryland. He worked in engineering full-time.
When he moved to Boulder in 1997 to work at Ball Aerospace, he ran his guitar business out of his home. He started volunteering with eTown to get connected to the local music scene, a gig that’s lasted for 25 years.
In 2017, Williams and his wife lost their son to suicide. Williams decided it was time to take his life in a new direction. In 2019 he retired from his director position at CenturyLink, and opened his brick-and-mortar guitar store in the old post office, off of 1st Ave. and Marble Street in Broomfield.
He hoped people would feel comfortable and welcome in such a historical building while visiting Monkton.
“For me, a guitar is not a piece of hardware with specs that you view and purchase online,” he said. “It is an instrument that funnels a person’s creative energy and is a very personal buying experience.”
Williams’ shop sells more than 200 vintage, used and new guitars, along with amps, effects and accessories, as well as some bass guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and banjos.
Guitar lessons and repairs also occur in his shop, which has gained a strong following of customers eager for a local experience. He also helps refurbish and donate guitars and basses to donate to local schools and other nonprofit music groups.
Mostly, Williams is hoping to create a memorable experience for each person that walks into his shop.
“My goal is to find the customer the right instrument, so they are motivated to play and enjoy it,” he said.
Williams recalled a set of parents who brought their son in on Christmas Eve last year to pick out a guitar as a gift. The whole family listened to him play a variety of guitars as he narrowed down his perfect instrument. They laughed and had a wonderful time, he said.
Williams added: “He got the one he wanted.”
Monkton Guitars is located at 1505 W 1st Ave, STE A in Broomfield. The shop is a strong supporter of the nonprofit RISE Against Suicide, which helps young people financially and socially who at risk for suicide. Visit monktonguitars.com for more information.
Guitars Found at Monkton Guitars
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1962 Fender Jazzmaster, original
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1964 Martin D-18
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1962 Fender Stratocaster (refinished Dakota Red)
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New Furch OOM Parlor Artist Grade Spruce and Rosewood
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1990 PRS Custom 24 in vintage yellow "10" top