MonkeyHouse Guitars
Mike Thompson runs MonkeyHouse Guitars out of Tecumseh, Kansas, where he builds custom, one-off electric instruments entirely by hand. He sources wood locally—walnut, maple, and catalpa—selecting each piece for its raw connection to the region. Because of this hands-on approach, no two MonkeyHouse guitars are the same. Mike develops every build directly with the customer, starting with the first conversation about tone and playability and ending only at final delivery. This process stays collaborative by design. Mike doesn’t work from a catalog; instead, he builds from a brief.
EVERCLEAR + CANDLEBOX
MonkeyHouse recently finished custom guitars for Art Alexakis and Davey French of Everclear, along with Peter Klett of Candlebox. This has shifted the shop’s profile from a respected regional secret to a builder with a history of high-profile commissions. The episode breaks down how those guitars came together, what the collaboration looked like, and what it feels like for an independent builder to hand an instrument to an artist at that level. The stories behind the Everclear and Candlebox builds are detailed, specific, and best heard directly from Mike.
Interview
Name: Mike Thompson Occupation: MonkeyHouse Guitars Location: Kansas, United States
These builds stand technically apart from anything rolling off a production line. Mike uses true oil finishes to create a non-sticky feel that changes how the instrument sits in your hands during a long set. On top of the feel, he integrates UV-reactive bindings and inlays that shift appearance under stage lights. Some builds even feature integrated LED lighting. Along the way, custom scale lengths allow players to dial in tension and feel in ways that standard guitars simply can’t match. Every decision remains specific to the player, never a default carried over from the last job.
The wood sourcing defines the identity of a MonkeyHouse instrument. Walnut, maple, and catalpa each offer different tonal properties, grain patterns, and responses to a finish. As a result, the choice of wood goes far beyond aesthetics—it dictates how the guitar sounds, sustains, and ages. By sourcing locally, Mike ensures the material carries a regional character that anchors the instrument to a specific place.
High-Quality
The complexity of Mike’s designs has surged since our first interview. You can see the jump in technical precision and visual detail immediately when you put an early build next to a recent one. Beyond the woodwork, the components he selects—high-end pickups, precision hardware, and quality electronics—reflect a builder who obsesses over the internal specs as much as the exterior finish. A MonkeyHouse guitar is built to perform exactly at the level it looks.
Mike operates on the philosophy that the perfect guitar is never truly finished. This mindset shapes his entire approach; he sees every build as something that can always be pushed further rather than a task to be checked off. Ultimately, this kind of thinking is what separates a craftsman from a manufacturer.
The full subscriber-exclusive episode is available HERE
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Made in the USA
