# Chapman guitars - any good, nowadays?



## Wolfhorsky (May 5, 2021)

Hi,
The title says it all. I am wondering about Your opinions and experience with this brand of the guitars. Beeing just curious what You think. I don’t plan to buy one. I just struggle to accept Rob Chapman persona in the positive way. There was some YT-soap opera drama some time ago. But IIRC it ended quite badly for the man himself. So, if You wish You could write down Your opinions about the instruments.
Thx


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## soliloquy (May 5, 2021)

I tried keeping up with the drama, but i got lost somewhere between he said, she said, they said, and i never really got an understanding over the whole thing.

for what its worth, his tele shaped arched top guitars look brilliant! if they had 24 frets bolt on neck, i would strongly consider them. stainless steel frets, roasted maple, great features and price.


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## mbardu (May 5, 2021)

I have no idea what any sort of drama is about, but I have played a bunch of Chapman _pros _over the last 2 years so I can at least comment on that (I have way less experience with the non-pro ones). Main takeaway from me is that there is a lot of variation in the quality of the guitars. Not in terms of fit and finish, but more so in general feel and sound. For example, there were a couple of Norseman I tried that looked great and were objectively well finished, but sounded dull, felt heavy, and were difficult to setup well.

It does vary though, and some pros can go into amazing territory as well. I talked about it in my NGD here, but the one-off Ghostfret I have is one of the best playing guitar I have. Top 3, and I paid _way _less $$ for it than the others it compares to. You just cannot put it down. Plays like a million bucks and even the stock OEM pickups in it are awesome.

So like a lot of imports these days...if you can try and/or return, definitely worth a try.
If you have to buy sight unseen, it's a bit of a dice roll.


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## feilong29 (May 5, 2021)

I believe it was a 2010 Chapman ML that I owned, and it was an ok guitar. It was super heavy but played well-enough. I didn't keep it long lol. I got better utility and fulfilment out of my Schecter Hellraiser to be honest. Haven't had a chance to try any of the Pro series or anything beyond 2010.


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## gunch (May 5, 2021)

Fuck that smarmbucket. Just let him and his guitars slough off into the trash heap of history.


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## mbardu (May 5, 2021)

gunch said:


> Fuck that smarmbucket. Just let him and his guitars slough off into the trash heap of history.



Sounds like there's _a lot _of YT drama I'm not up to date with


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## KnightBrolaire (May 5, 2021)

They're hit or miss ime. I wouldn't bother unless you can try them in person. I tried a bunch of more recent indo offerings and they weren't any better than the older korean made stuff tbh.


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## Wucan (May 5, 2021)

Only ever saw a handful at a Guitar Center a few years ago. Tried them out and they didn't keep up with similarly-priced stuff from other WMI brands.


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## Wuuthrad (May 5, 2021)

gunch said:


> Fuck that smarmbucket. Just let him and his guitars slough off into the trash heap of history.



Ahh the voice of experience- nothing quite like it! 

Haven't played one myself, but it’s probably fair to say they’re not going to be any better or worse than any other import based on the name.

That being said this looks really nice!

“Irithyll Burst” Baritone- Come On!

https://www.chapmanguitars.co.uk/guitars/ml3bp-bea/


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## josh1 (May 5, 2021)

He has some decent looking guitars but the guy is such an asshat that I can't support his brand.


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## Spicypickles (May 5, 2021)

I had the 7string archtop tele model - it was pretty damn awesome. Very round radius though, didn’t care for that but the fretwork was nice and the original pickups were great


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## FromTheMausoleum (May 6, 2021)

mbardu said:


> Sounds like there's _a lot _of YT drama I'm not up to date with


Sadly it was more than Youtube drama. Rob Chapman took advantage of my favorite guitar shop in my state(Riff City Guitar) and lied to them about the exclusivity of his product. He had them order mass quantities of his product, many of which were B-stock or C-stock at best. Once they had filled their inventory with what they thought would be the only Chapman Guitars available in america he moved his guitars into Guitar Center. This left Riff City with a bunch of first run borderline trash guitars(I tried out the entire first run personally in store, they were very shoddy in comparison to the Schecter and Jackson at the same location) and this forced Riff City to close and sell everything off as fast as possible to account for the losses. 

TLDR Rob Chapman is a lying turd that put all of his risk of starting a business on the shoulders of another small business whilst lying to them and killed them in the process.


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## Wolfhorsky (May 6, 2021)

Thx for the replies, mates.
Anyone more?


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## _MonSTeR_ (May 6, 2021)

Rob Chapman seems to be a competent pub band guitarist who had a rich friend that could bankroll his YouTube guitar hero fantasies. They both then leveraged their ‘Top Gear for guitars’ YouTube channel to make a label to stick on guitars from the same Far Eastern factories as everyone else.

As a result the guitars (which isn’t many) I’ve tried have been of comparable quality to the other stuff coming out in the same sort of price range. Just less inspiring and tainted with both the Chapman drama and the fact that you’re buying a guitar from a YouTuber rather than a ‘real’ guitar company 

Plus, I’m jealous of his success to talent ratio


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## Edika (May 6, 2021)

I haven't tried any Chapman guitars but I have been curious to try some. Not sure if there are any stores in N.Ireland that stocks them but I would not really want to buy blind.

I remember when this company started their kind of mission was to sell barebones, solid guitars that could be good mod platforms. Some of their offerings initially seemed to do just that. Current models though and specs are just similar to most guitar companies in that price range. Solar started the same but now they're also in the same ballpark as their competitors in terms of prices, maybe slightly cheaper. Then it's just a matter of aesthetics and feel rather than price and value for money.

I had seen the drama that ensued initially but didn't follow it further down so not sure what's the deal. I'd say the only thing I'd be jealous of Rob Chapman is that his success has made it possible to migrate to Malta, where I think his wife is from, and will be conducting his bussiness from a place with a great climate. I wish I had my current job in a better climate, I'm getting sick of the rain and greyness...


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## mbardu (May 6, 2021)

FromTheMausoleum said:


> Sadly it was more than Youtube drama. Rob Chapman took advantage of my favorite guitar shop in my state(Riff City Guitar) and lied to them about the exclusivity of his product. He had them order mass quantities of his product, many of which were B-stock or C-stock at best. Once they had filled their inventory with what they thought would be the only Chapman Guitars available in america he moved his guitars into Guitar Center. This left Riff City with a bunch of first run borderline trash guitars(I tried out the entire first run personally in store, they were very shoddy in comparison to the Schecter and Jackson at the same location) and this forced Riff City to close and sell everything off as fast as possible to account for the losses.
> 
> TLDR Rob Chapman is a lying turd that put all of his risk of starting a business on the shoulders of another small business whilst lying to them and killed them in the process.



Yikitey yikes


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## bigbusterstar (May 6, 2021)

Hung out with a guy with a ghost fret, having purchased it not even knowing who chapman was. He said he liked it quite alot even compared to his other 1000$ ibbys and other big brands. I could've tried it myself but i didn't care. Fuck chapman. I wouldn't be caught rocking one just like i wouldn't be caught rocking a bernie rico.


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## soliloquy (May 6, 2021)

I wonder if the hate that Chapman is getting is the same as the hate Cort guitars got a few years back. Lots of backlash and boycott. About ten years later, it's popping up on YouTube and forums where people are more appreciative of em. 

Maybe Chapman's reputation will bounce up eventually


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## Spicypickles (May 6, 2021)

Spicypickles said:


> I had the 7string archtop tele model - it was pretty damn awesome. Very round radius though, didn’t care for that but the fretwork was nice and the original pickups were great


Chapman ML7T was the model name, just came to me.


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## Señor Voorhees (May 6, 2021)

I always liked his music, the blue ghost fret was always cool looking (can't speak for quality, but I'd imagine not far off from other guitars from the same factory,) but I never liked his personality. The guy's a big ol' bucket of smarmite. 

I do like the looks of the ML3 Bea, though. A baritone, reverse headstock, modest looking tele is just appealing to me. Can't say I'd buy one however, just because of the name.


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## FromTheMausoleum (May 6, 2021)

soliloquy said:


> I wonder if the hate that Chapman is getting is the same as the hate Cort guitars got a few years back. Lots of backlash and boycott. About ten years later, it's popping up on YouTube and forums where people are more appreciative of em.
> 
> Maybe Chapman's reputation will bounce up eventually


Nah, the hate Chapman is getting is because he's a terrible person and it bled into his business, as stated in my previous post.


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## Matt08642 (May 6, 2021)

Señor Voorhees said:


> I never liked his personality. The guy's a big ol' bucket of smarmite.



Comes off as a cartoon character to me, the kind of person who would give themselves a nickname like "Chappers". You can see it when people in the room are laughing casually and he comes in with this loud boisterous HA HA HA!!! again like a cartoon. It's annoying and offputting.


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## Zado (May 6, 2021)

Who care about the guitars, I want to know more about the drama! 

And btw those guitars look awkward.


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## gunch (May 6, 2021)

Didn't he pocket donation drive money or was that someone else


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## KnightBrolaire (May 6, 2021)

gunch said:


> Didn't he pocket donation drive money or was that someone else


he did supposedly use donation money to buy a PRS


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## soliloquy (May 7, 2021)

I wonder what Lee's opinion is on the Chapman. I mean, Rob became the more prominent one as his name is on the headstock, but wasn't it a collaborative work between Lee and Chapman?
Lee seems like a great dude.


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## rokket2005 (May 7, 2021)

Lee owns the majority of the company unless he offloaded it in the last year or so. He also had a solid stretch of time where he didn't have Rob on the Andertons channel after Joe from Riff City put out his video about Chapman. I live a block from one of the old Riff City locations and Joe was one of the nicest guys in the guitar business I've met, I kinda felt bad that even before the shit went down that I had no interest in Chapman guitars and a lot of his business was built on them.
The only real experience I had with Chapmans is the kid that I sold my tremoverb to had a ghostfret that he brought to demo the amp and it was the worst I've ever heard that amp sound. He also was running it through a Fortin 33 and whether or not the guitar could stay/play in tune was also an issue.


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## couchguitarplayer (May 7, 2021)

I had a Chapman MLV Pro which was awesome. To be honest, the fit and finish was great but the pickups we're really band (henchman or something if I'm right. I swapped them for a set of SD Nazgul and Sentient and the guitar become stellar. It has a true maple cap, hipshot tuner, floyd rose trem and stainless steel frets. The big downsize was the size and heavyness of the case. That's why I got rid of it.

Beside all the dramas, I think Chapman guitars are great (especially the pro series). I would love to try an ML3 Pro or BEA. Quality control can be an issue though from what I've read.


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## kisielk (May 7, 2021)

After the way he dealt with Riff City and his otherwise shitty personality I wouldn't even bother looking at any of his stuff. It's made in the same factories as a lot of other great brands that don't do that kind of shit, so why not just buy one of theirs instead.


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## Millul (May 7, 2021)

Why have I been dumb enough to watch the YT video posted above??


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 7, 2021)

kisielk said:


> It's made in the same factories as a lot of other great brands that don't do that kind of shit, so why not just buy one of theirs instead.



After he made the deal with GC, Chapman went from cool affordable mod platform guitars to just another LTD and Schecter competitor, so yeah I agree with this. Only reason I wanted a Champman was because they were the few people offering a 28'' baritone and at the time an Explorer (which everyone makes now ).


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## JazzS (May 7, 2021)

I personally love my old ML7S, but the entire brands changed quite a bit since then so it’s probably not representative of the brand as it is now. 

What I do find interesting is that Rob Scallon has left the brand not long after they launched an updated version of his signature model, which was apparently a best seller for Chapman. I’m kinda hoping there’s drama there, internet bullshit like that fuels my work week.


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## Hoss632 (May 7, 2021)

I've played a few different chapman models over the years. I've always found the quality to be great and some of the best bang for the buck out there. I could careless about the supposed "drama" surrounding Rob himself as it's just that "drama". The product is good and the majority of the staff behind chapman over all are good people.


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## Hoss632 (May 7, 2021)

FromTheMausoleum said:


> Sadly it was more than Youtube drama. Rob Chapman took advantage of my favorite guitar shop in my state(Riff City Guitar) and lied to them about the exclusivity of his product. He had them order mass quantities of his product, many of which were B-stock or C-stock at best. Once they had filled their inventory with what they thought would be the only Chapman Guitars available in america he moved his guitars into Guitar Center. This left Riff City with a bunch of first run borderline trash guitars(I tried out the entire first run personally in store, they were very shoddy in comparison to the Schecter and Jackson at the same location) and this forced Riff City to close and sell everything off as fast as possible to account for the losses.
> 
> TLDR Rob Chapman is a lying turd that put all of his risk of starting a business on the shoulders of another small business whilst lying to them and killed them in the process.


You are not telling the whole story here. You are leaving out the fact that Riff City was indeed the exclusive chapman dealer for several years BEFORE the deal with guitar center happened. Riff City closing is not chapman's fault and never will be. The drama between the 2 companies stems from the owners of Riff City not liking Rob saying the promotions and what not that Riff City did were "his favor" to them to help them out. That's really where it lies. There was much more involved in Riff City closing that just one small guitar company.


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## Wuuthrad (May 7, 2021)

Hoss632 said:


> You are not telling the whole story here. You are leaving out the fact that Riff City was indeed the exclusive chapman dealer for several years BEFORE the deal with guitar center happened. Riff City closing is not chapman's fault and never will be. The drama between the 2 companies stems from the owners of Riff City not liking Rob saying the promotions and what not that Riff City did were "his favor" to them to help them out. That's really where it lies. There was much more involved in Riff City closing that just one small guitar company.



TY! I wanted to hear something more about this. Been around more than a few blocks a couple times, and having heard a few stories, there’s always more than one! Not to mention the sides- there’s always an EDGE right?! lol


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## Hoss632 (May 7, 2021)

Wuuthrad said:


> TY! I wanted to hear something more about this. Been around more than a few blocks a couple times, and having heard a few stories, there’s always more than one! Not to mention the sides- there’s always an EDGE right?! lol


I don't doubt that something went foul between the 2 companies. It's just more trying to provide the full picture, IE offering what both sides have openly said. I don't doubt that the Chapman deal with GC hurt Riff City. It just wasn't the only cause. Main reason I don't mind supporting chapman still is because of the rest of the staff like Lee, Matt, Rabea etc. All of those people work hard and provide amazing products. I'd love to own both of Rabea's pro signature models myself.


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## Wuuthrad (May 7, 2021)

Hoss632 said:


> I don't doubt that something went foul between the 2 companies. It's just more trying to provide the full picture, IE offering what both sides have openly said. I don't doubt that the Chapman deal with GC hurt Riff City. It just wasn't the only cause. Main reason I don't mind supporting chapman still is because of the rest of the staff like Lee, Matt, Rabea etc. All of those people work hard and provide amazing products. I'd love to own both of Rabea's pro signature models myself.



Thanks again, I think it’s important to know both sides! I wonder why so many people make decisions based on hype and emotions...

Not speaking to the business side, which is part heresy as far as I can see, and none of my business really, but is seems somewhat ridiculous to make a big deal out of someone’s personality...

Anyway, I really like the Bea baritone, but I’m not at all fond of the narrow fingerboard. I’ve been looking for a long scale baritone, and the Ibanez baritone looks ideal with a 45mm nut.

I wonder if we all had the back story of every product ever made... oh what a wonderful world it would be! lol

I assume none of the other guys involved with the company have chosen to comment on YT because its mostly BS!


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## Hoss632 (May 8, 2021)

Wuuthrad said:


> Thanks again, I think it’s important to know both sides! I wonder why so many people make decisions based on hype and emotions...
> 
> Not speaking to the business side, which is part heresy as far as I can see, and none of my business really, but is seems somewhat ridiculous to make a big deal out of someone’s personality...
> 
> ...


I think there's truth in what has been publically said, albeit swayed to one side or another depending on which side is speaking. But Chapman Guitars as a whole produce good instruments, and I think have learned from the experience and are doing what they can to move forward in a manner better than they did before.


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## mbardu (May 8, 2021)

Three sides to every story after all...


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## AboutBlank (May 8, 2021)

Wuuthrad said:


> Not speaking to the business side, which is part heresy as far as I can see, and none of my business really, but is seems somewhat ridiculous to make a big deal out of someone’s personality...



If this person is also the name giver and a kind of public figure and acts as a spokesman, I find this absolutely legitimate.
Strongly polarising people just have a corresponding effect, be it negative or positive, it just depends.

Of course, it depends on one's personal attitude, but for the same reasons I would not consider supporting two other (guitar) companies that are very alike for me...


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## Flappydoodle (May 8, 2021)

"Chappers" is a tool. I never saw the appeal, even way back when the videos with Lee were on his own channel. Maybe Americans love this sort of British persona because it reminds them of Top Gear or something? I could just immediately see someone who was most likely a total twat acting like a man-child.


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## makesexnotwar (May 8, 2021)

Purchased ML1 Pro 2 years go and I can't say that I'm happy with it. Specs are great for the price, neck feels thin and comfortable but it still feels that you are fighting with guitar instead of playing and enjoying it. Stock Chapman branded pickups sounds ok but a bit dull to my taste. If you pull neck towards body just a little you'll feel how neck is moving and strings are detuning. So looks like wood is not dried well or it's just a lack of reinforcement. Also there was an issue with nut that was fixed but local guitar tech - any attempt to tune 6th string affects 5th string tuning...most weird issue that I ever saw. Also stock setup was fucking awful


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## anunnaki (May 11, 2021)

Tried out one of the black baritone chapmans in a guitarguitar in Camden. The guitar was dead sounding and uninspiring. It also had a weird timbre to the sound, maybe because it was a baritone, idk. The pickups were pretty crap. I wouldn’t recommend them based on that model I tried.


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## soliloquy (May 11, 2021)

anunnaki said:


> Tried out one of the black baritone chapmans in a guitarguitar in Camden. The guitar was dead sounding and uninspiring. It also had a weird timbre to the sound, maybe because it was a baritone, idk. The pickups were pretty crap. I wouldn’t recommend them based on that model I tried.



not related to Champman directly, but that 'dead' thing you felt in chapman, have you experienced that with other guitars too? That is how i pick my guitars. If it feels 'dead' and doesn't vibrate the way i want it to in my hands, i usually put it back. Doesn't matter what brand i try, i come across this more frequently than not. PRS, Gibson, Schecter, LTD etc...

maybe i'm just super picky, or what i'm looking for is super rare


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## v_BONES_v (May 12, 2021)

Owned two Chapmans - still have one - The original ML1 HotRod - its a solid guitar. Probably what might be described as "high end" for a Chapman with decent aftermarket fittings. Built in the original Korean factory - good finish, great neck, well intoned. The other guitar I had was the ML2 classic - also a higher spec with Seymour Duncans as standard. Best intoned guitar I ever had - just didn't like the shape in the end - was also a bit neck heavy. Never tried the cheaper ones. I think some of these original high spec ones are a good deal now - Norseman, original Bea ML1? Potentially rare one day as well if Chapman keep trading.

So that's my 2 cents for the guitars - as for the person? Well he has given the guitars a high profile through YouTube - which is a double edged sword. I think it is inevitable that you'll slip up eventually and then there will be a host of other YouTubers ready to put the boot in. He didn't want Riff City to fail - what would be the point in that? They weren't a competitor, he just wanted to sell in a wider market. Can't say he handled it well though, he lost a lot of followers after that.

I think the newer guitars are a bit "meh" - some slightly original ideas which makes a change from the host of strat and LP copies out there - but also probably a bit overpriced. There are some very good guitars out there for under 700.


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## Chokey Chicken (May 12, 2021)

soliloquy said:


> not related to Champman directly, but that 'dead' thing you felt in chapman, have you experienced that with other guitars too? That is how i pick my guitars. If it feels 'dead' and doesn't vibrate the way i want it to in my hands, i usually put it back. Doesn't matter what brand i try, i come across this more frequently than not. PRS, Gibson, Schecter, LTD etc...
> 
> maybe i'm just super picky, or what i'm looking for is super rare



You might be picky (not exactly a bad thing) but I've played dozens of Agiles, and there was this one 8 string that sounded super weird to me. The problem was almost exclusively on the 8th string, but it almost sounded like it had a chorus/flanger on it. That was by far the most strange sounding guitar I've ever played.

Other than that I had a Gibson explorer years ago that I wanted to love but couldn't. It sounded super dull, like it had year old strings on it even immediately after changing them.


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## v_BONES_v (May 12, 2021)

I have a Charvel USA JEL Bluburst like that - horrible guitar - ridiculously overpriced


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## Wolfhorsky (May 12, 2021)

Chokey Chicken said:


> Other than that I had a Gibson explorer years ago that I wanted to love but couldn't. It sounded super dull, like it had year old strings on it even immediately after changing them.


It is Gibson Explorer "feature" - if You like it ;-)
Cheers


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## NeglectedField (May 13, 2021)

My experience of the instruments, which only amounted to maybe a minute's quick noodling each time, was mixed. That Tele-shaped 7-string felt solid, the ML-1 pro and Ghost Fret pro (albeit not comfortable for me) were all good too. The Modern Baritone felt a bit cheap and the V-shaped one didn't feel satisfying to play either. All in all a mixed bag with the Korean models being more consistent in their quality in my very limited experience. I would not be averse to owning a good quality Korean specimen, as those are more or less on par with good LTDs, Schecters, PRS SEs etc made in that same Korean factory. 

As for the man himself, I feel kind of a dick prizing apart someone's personality publicly, seeing as I didn't even like people slagging off my performances in the comments of YT live vids from 12 years ago, but I guess I'm too sensitive. Then again there is maaaybe stuff that's worth saying in regards to his apparent conduct. But I don't know what to make of the Riff City controversy; I tried to read up on it but I'm too lazy to understand completely what happened so I can't comment there. 

In any case, I think a friend put it right that there's definitely a nice guy 'shtick' going on, which when over-egged can be cringe at best and manipulative at worst, but then again so many accounts of him (e.g. from people who've had one-on-one lessons with him back in the day) say he's a genuinely nice guy. He was nice when I met him and Rabea was too, both very approachable. Sometimes that's quite refreshing given the massive egos I've bumped into who are too cool and curt to give you the time of day. 

Dorje I've seen once or twice, not my bag personally and only really appealed to his followers and other guitar geeks like me. Something very 'pub band' about it but with a much bigger budget. But I guess that and the controversy are immaterial when it comes to the quality of the guitars, though that said, there are these associations that the brand has and I'm not sure how I'd feel using any of them on the road. Then again, many people didn't like the idea of Schecters in the 00's because of the whole nu-metal association, no matter how good quality they were, but that perception shifted, like these things can. For better or worse.

[Just as a little aside to you non-Brits: the 'Chappers' thing is a common affectionate nickname, like taking the first syllable (usually of the surname but sometimes the first name -typically for names 2+ syllables long that might not roll off the tongue to keep saying in full) and adding '-ers' to it e.g. Skidmore = Skidders, Pickwick = Pickers, Bradfield = Bradders. How cringe it is depends on if it was a nickname he was given by his mates that he subsequently owned or if he called himself that from the outset. Then again he could just be trying to make it easy for people as part of his 'brand'].


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## anunnaki (May 20, 2021)

soliloquy said:


> not related to Champman directly, but that 'dead' thing you felt in chapman, have you experienced that with other guitars too?



yeah some guitars are just missing out out on having a good resonance for whatever reason and end up just not feeling and sounding right. Not sure what it is. A cheap guitar could have it but an expensive guitar could be missing it. If you know, you know.


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## Crungy (Jun 30, 2021)

I have two Chapmans, a regular ML1 Modern and a baritone ML1.

I don't mind Rob Chapman and some of his music, but I get why some people don't like him. Its no different to me from disliking any other youtuber, there's other YT personalities I find much more annoying. I didn't get too deep into the YouTube drama, don't really care honestly. I bought my baritone at Riff City because I liked shopping there and I got a good deal it. Got the other ML1 used for a very good price. 

I do like the guitars for the most part. The pickups are alright, I've been thinking about swapping them on the baritone for something brighter. My biggest gripe is the locking tuners, the baritone is a bitch to keep in tune. The regular ML1 without locking tuners seems to stay in tune better.

I'd definitely try others and possibly buy, or do a little upgrading to mine.


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## Crungy (Jun 30, 2021)

I did play one of the Bea Pro models at Riff City that was frickin awesome. I don't like red guitars but could make an exception for one of those.


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## TheBloodstained (Jul 1, 2021)

I was super tempted to buy a Chapman guitar when they hit the market - mostly because of the general value for money aspect. I was not pulling home the same paychecks back then as I am today!

In the end I went for a Solar instead.


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