Can A Rob Scallon Guitar Be Improved? Sharpen My Axe #1

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Thank you to everyone who entered the Sharpen My Axe contest and a special thank you to Gregor for sending this cool Chapman guitar for me to check out and mod.

[@stephengent9974]

Yes this was designed by Rob. Tok several iterations to get the production model. Check out the videos on Rob's site showing development. I believe it should have Hipshot tuners and bridge.

[@MrGroot-nh2ny]

Dude u never responded

[@MrGroot-nh2ny]

Great job!!

[@raviolitrail]

Hey Phillip all you gotta do is choke up on your palm mutes and let off on the up strokes everyonce and a while and you too can djent lol

[@steveblaine4691]

Would it be crude of me to ask what was the cost of the upgraded parts? To me that is always the struggle, do I update or do I just buy a better guitar? I have a MIM Strat that I love to play, and I know I can improve the sound some if I replace the coils, but is it worth it. At the end of the day, it will still be a MIM Strat (or a Chapman). Would it just make more sense to trade it towards a MIA Strat. Those coils have to be in the $200-$250 range, the jack is probably around $10-15, just my best guess. Great video, love the way you shot your stuff and clearly explain the process. Learned so much from watching you.

[@jps_musics]

"I can't mimic what he does" *continues to slap masterfully*

[@HabibiSpice]

Jackson Schott Well Rob does a lot of tapping and when he slaps it's not usually to be funky, so that's what he means by not being able to mimic what Rob does.

[@crumb5756]

I wrote pretty much the same comment without even having read yours 😂

[@jps_musics]

Cole Waverek that's always my fear when I try to write these 😂

[@francescocagnacci]

He's a bass player so he knows a thing or two about slapping

[@philgallagher1]

Jackson Schott ditto. It can also be a bit weird when (as is the case here) you get a reply to a message you sent 4 months ago & have forgotten about!

[@_segori]

I was waiting for a comment by rob saying "no".

[@jakeangelastro6584]

So in this video, we have: a solid guitar look-over and critique, a set-up with helpful tips, a sound demo, wicked cool guitar slapping, and a joke about djenting. Phil this was one of your best vids yet.

[@Phoebedumplings]

Jake Angelastro I second that ! Great video

[@charlescampbell5894]

Interesting to hear you say it feels like a Schecter. Scallon has played Scheters a lot in the past.

[@gingataff]

Made in the same factory by the same people.

[@HPPrintervx4p5q]

FunkyDrummer scheter means farter in dutch

[@chazz-j1994]

Maybe because it’s made at World Musical Instrument Co. Korea which make Schecter, PRS SE etc etc. Exact same factory.

[@user-js8wz6yt4v]

Boii Bouillon that’s amazing.

[@viniciuscid1882]

For sure. The make of the guitar looks extremely similar to that of Schecter's KM6 MK2, produced in the same factory around the same time as the Rob Scallon started being rolled out.

[@darymetal]

Oh wait.....2.5 is considered abnormally high action? .....This explains things

[@patrickhunter]

Those pickups are SO. COOL.

[@EdgarC701]

Ordered a maple texas wound strat set 6 weeks ago and they're going in a strat tomorrow..... so fucking pumped. Also dude's cool as shit and reverse-wound mid for me with no extra cost ($170!!) or hassle . WIGGINS people!

[@TheSolfilm]

Yeah, they kill !

[@lonnieo4676]

i dont think they're made for djenting though...

[@jadequilatan]

ikr

[@officialharvard751]

PATRICK

[@LP5369GT]

Wow, a Chapman with a decent headstock, like it.

[@smitbar11]

Those reversed Fender Telecaster style ones Chapman uses are to me, fugly looking

[@300WINMAG360]

The mismatched wings give the guitar character. It gives it more of an organic type of look. I dig it!

[@thetonekingofficial]

great video Phil. Love the pickups.

[@memebigboy1946]

The neck is based off an eight string. His other, and main, signature guitar by Chapman is an 8 string. So the specs are 8 string specs modified to fit a 6.

[@scriptosaurusrex]

Failure is not an option Scallon has said the exact opposite in the past. He wanted an eight string that is basically a sixer in feel, but with just two more strings. His product intro video is probably a good place to check this.

[@gwildor]

Scallon Phil :] He's not an onion. Sounds great 😀

[@tresixteen]

kenny B who cares. He's burning in hell.

[@evane2808]

Tresixteen wut

[@tresixteen]

Apocalyptic Concepts lol it's from Robs second channel

[@Claimjumper55]

Yep, those tri-tones sealed the deal.

[@ryanwiseman9141]

Phil is the most humble badass! "I can't really do ___" then proceds to do said thing. Love this series

[@jefft9040]

I love that you didnt try to make something out of nothing, you didnt force the issue. You really made the improvements where they needed to be and the guitar looks and sounds great as a result. Nice job Phil!

[@chadwiklund9297]

We as musicians need more things like this. As a luthier, I trust him because he gives an accurate and honest description of the product he's reviewing. Also, the guy obviously knows EXACTLY what he's talking about because the measurements and electronics criteria he suggests are the proper industry standard/improvements. Kudos to you sir, we need more product reviews like this 👍👍👍

[@charlescampbell5894]

This was a very cool choice. An affordable guitar that was designed by a fellow youtubers and made by a company that was started by fellow youtubers.

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

I think affordable is another price range these days

[@popsharts1327]

dinky js22 and gio are like 200 bucks and are great, js22 even comes in a 7 string model. It is hard to beat mass produced "affordable" - I do however own a ml1 modern.

[@SirMonteCarlo]

FunkyDrummer. And all the profits go back to the all the people who helped along the way. Kidding, just into the pockets of 2 rich guys.

[@SirMonteCarlo]

KC. Yeah ikr. So many subscribers on Andertons' and Chapmans' channels bang on about there being community. Makes me laugh every time.

[@kursaaal]

Oh please, at that price you could get an awesome prs se custom24 or a gibson sg special. Cmon, either are you kidding or someone in the company.

[@bakerXderek]

Those pickups sounded as good as they looked !

[@henrymarocchi7844]

Ok wow I've seen you all over the place and this is the first time I've seen you in a video where no one recognized or mentioned you. Wow. Cool seeing you here.

[@bakerXderek]

@@henrymarocchi7844 ive played guitar since I was 12 so I watch a lot of these lol.

[@henrymarocchi7844]

@@bakerXderek yeah that's dope man! It's crazy whenever I find a new hobby I find you in the comments. Can't remember any examples but just the most random places. That being said guitar is a lot of fun sofar for me. Been playing saxophone for almost 9 years and brass instruments for 3. Guitar is a completely other beast and it's tough to get over the mental barrier at first but it's slowly happening. Anyway have a great day.

[@bellachi9575]

Those wooden Wiggins pickups are beautiful and were made for that guitar. This is a very helpful demo for us newbies. Thanks Phil & Gregor!

[@mikemorada6290]

Phil being humble. The slap technique was impressive.

[@InsomniacMatt]

Congrats to all the lucky winners. Looking phorward to Phil phixing up these guitars and making them better.

[@JackstandJohnny]

Phil, you are truly a stand up person for doing this. Those custom humbuckers are a very thoughtful touch. Things like this are why I am a devoted fan to you and your channel.

[@richardbinder9662]

Just catching up with your videos Philip. I'm 53 and have been playing for over 40 years and an amateur luthier for about about 30 years. I thought I knew alot but learn something new or a great tip every video. My dear friend was the late luthier Steve Carr , apprentice of Jimmy D'Aquisto and builder of many Kiss guitars. Think he would be very impressed with your straight shooting, concise videos.

[@westwoodlynx7059]

I would watch vids of Phil doing this every week

[@andrewdimartino7426]

Wow matching wood pickups, that's a fantastic idea! They sound awesome and they really bring together the overall look of the guitar.

[@URKOVAI97]

Dude that slap section was killer... guitar sounds nice and looks way better with the wooden pups.

[@brokitov_enya2259]

I remember watching this channel years ago when itjust had 15,000 subs. It's grown so much.... Congrats man

[@fiveaces1029]

I love this "Sharpen my Axe" side of your videos! Your a very knowledgeable person explaing the why and how. You're a great Human Being! Thanks for educating us and keeping music alive!🤘♩🎶🎵

[@charlescampbell5894]

You're slapping was actually pretty good. You played it more like a bass, but who hates slap bass? The one thing I will add is that you need to hit THROUGH the string when thumping with your thumb. That way you can still get notes on some of the higher strings by thumping. Davie504 is great at it, check out his Dardue Sandstorm video. Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten are legends at this.

[@toddflowers8052]

You do know that Phil is a bass player ,right ?

[@patrickcol]

And I'll bet Phil is so relieved to hear you say that FunkyDrummer LOL

[@dragostego]

thats called double thumbing and is a different technique than slap bass

[@einarabelc5]

I'll tell you who hates slap bass, freaking Ritchie Blackmore hates slap bass ... Just like he hates funk music... Go figure.

[@joshstarkey8883]

For some reason it seems every time some one does a demo and says "well I can't really slap but" they're actually decent

[@sowhat5150]

Great idea for a video. How come you didn’t do a before sound sample so we could here a before and after?

[@ryanvitty9743]

Every time he says “Rob Scallion” a djent baby dies.

[@MaxCarroll93]

Remember that show Pimp My Ride? when you revealed those pickups it brought me back.

[@RetroPlus]

Exhibit probably would've found a way to jam a GameCube in there I bet.

[@SuperGolgotha]

I really love the idea for this series of videos, great job. Those pickups look and sound great.

[@musishoon7950]

Jonathan Leavitt they were

[@SuperGolgotha]

That would explain it lol I missed that. That so cool.

[@shipofthesun]

13:50 Thanks for a clean demo instead of just dropping a ton of distortion on it. I like those pickups quite a bit.

[@trevorreniger5670]

Those pickups are SPECTACULAR! Holy cow.

[@ss750f]

Very cool sharpening ! I just put a set of Wiggins pickups in my 87 dollar Harley Benton T30 telecaster and it is just a gem to play, love it.

[@gvucko]

Cool video. Thanks for your time on this. And yes, I like it high :). I also hope that I get your signature on the guitar.

[@darrenmcgovern7845]

Gregor Vucajnk your guitar is cool man dont mind the haters about the mismatched ash wings that lady is pretty and hss character enjoy it

[@edpack4390]

Wow - I think that's the first bridge pickup I've EVER liked. And they look fantastic on that guitar.

[@DTrecording]

Those pickups are absolutely gorgeous and really makes this guitar look ultra high quality

[@TOOLAPC68]

it feels like a nice schecter because its made in the same factory as the schecters, its set up and manufactured by the same people. those are some amazing looking pickups real props to that

[@waynebrown1394]

Mr. Mckinght I lost my dad 8 months ok and he was my hero because he was my best friend and he severed his country for over 20 years. I went to military school from Texas to Germany and back he was a Vietnam vet. I heard that you severed in the military and I want ed to take the time to thank you for your service.

[@chuckpowell734]

Even on my cheap speakers I adored the tones on this one...really love your channel and I learn much from your easy to relate to method of communication and explanation...many mahalos

[@joesatchton212]

Brilliant vid. Brilliant idea for a series Phil! Somebody else here said it best: the expected real-world no BS objective Phil breakdown of an axe followed on by just the right amount of modding to take it up several notches. Those Wiggins pickups are so perfect on the Scallon Chapman. Love ya Phil. So smart. Leveraging all those years of guitar repair knowledge in real world situations. Only thing I would add is the rough, real-world cost of those mods. Because not all of us are lucky enough to have Phil McKnight around as our guitar tech. :D cheers and awesome 2018!

[@bernadettedonofrio1074]

Love the Wiggins pickups

[@SugarMapleForge]

I just started listening to the podcast on Spotify at work and have gotten to the sharpen my axe episode, so naturally had to come find the videos! 😂 Love the podcast and been a long time watcher of the channel.

[@county365]

Those pickups really set that guitar off. They are beautiful.

[@markgilson7404]

Great video. I got 1 of these a while back. I found the action very high too, so ended up dropping it by a millimeter or so. The neck relief was spot on, so no adjustment made. I put a Bare Knuckle War Pig in the bridge position as this is my drop tune metal guitar. I left the neck pickup stock but rewired it in parallel, for a cleaner tone. Also, swapped out the tone pot and wired independent volume pots for each pickup. It has turned out to be a very versatile guitar. All for well under £1000.

[@Malleuss]

I can’t like this enough, great job, great series.

[@dykeneuk]

Loved watching you talk through the setup. You seriously do know your gear. Very interesting about neck profiles.

[@lance134679]

Excellent mod and setup, Phil. I didn't submit my old Squier Tele because it's already been fixed up, but watching this video, I think you would have found things to change. Oh, well, you had no shortage of guitars to work on. I'm also going to find out more about those pickups.

[@Distinguished_Djentlemen]

Drops jaw! 😲 those pickups are amazing!!

[@80sguitarplayer]

Those pickups are SPOT ON. Couldn't imagine a more balanced tone if I wanted to.

[@DavidHBurkart]

Those pickups!!!🤩 ...and you mimicked those slaps pretty dang well!!

[@charliefoxtrotthe3rd335]

Rob Scallon and Rob Chapman: If you're watching this, well done. Phil, if you're reading this, samey same. Those pickups sound (and look) so badass. To me, that is what these guitars are meant for. Modding. Yes, you can keep it stock and it will sound great, but those pickups are a great example of what can be done. Smooth out the neck, get the action right, get rid of the parts that made it affordable (junk output jack) and now you're smokin'!

[@preston5104]

Locking tuners are Hipshot. Nut is Graphtech Tusq XL 42mm. Radius is 12 I believe.

[@mickeyhunkin5625]

Wow..... that was an awesome episode. Great job on the Chapman axe. Someone gonna be reallll happy.

[@Grandpa.Dan8881]

Thanks Phil, great job. not too long or boring and very informative. Can hardly wait for the next one. Keep it up!

[@isaacjohnson.]

Love this idea, excited to see more. This had some great helpful tips in it. Would have liked to see you do the intonation, and a little more on how you knew it needed the truss rod adjustment. Overall fantastic video, very helpful, and can't wait to see more. Thanks Phil, I know you put a lot of effort into making these videos.

[@rockerbenjammin7185]

That pickup reveal was amazing. Those Wiggins pickups sounded and looked fantastic. Was just a very well done upgrade.

[@Sus_blues]

God that wall of pedals is beautiful

[@zaz4667]

8:35 too shreddy? Didnt know it could ever be too shreddy! Awesome video Phil. Love watching anything you do on adjusting the truss rod, frets and how to get low action.

[@letzrockitrite8469]

Gregor is a lucky man !!.... great decisions for this Chapman Phillip... love the show and the many interesting pathways... letz

[@tullnfloyd]

Wow Phil!! These videos are great, this was a great idea!! Can't wait till the next "Sharpen my Axe"

[@meatrocket1]

Me too was disappointed I wasn't picked but happy for all the winners.

[@sybilmacaulay2881]

Metal Dad Do you know how to get picked? I've checked a lot of videos and live streams and I can't find anything.

[@mrdelgado5930]

Really nice pickups; they sound great. A very nice upgrade and beautiful monochromatic final product. Keep `em coming.

[@diablilloperdio]

This was fun, Phil. It's a great way to connect with your viewers. I wish my guitar was getting reviewed...I'd get the biggest kick out of that. I would have sent my Guild with dead strings and crackly pots. LOL Nicely done! Can't wait for the next one.

[@jimbrown6139]

Love my Wiggins single coils, but hadn't heard the humbuckers yet. Man, they sound great, too! Perfect look for that guitar.

[@Doug5524]

Great video as always, sorry there's a but here my first one ever I would have loved to hear the guitar before you swapped out the pickups or changed anything, maybe a note for the future, thank you

[@Josbornevonosborne]

So many mentions of scallions I'm getting hungry

[@darvinreed2314]

I just ordered rob scallon schecter guitar super great guitar not one issue pickups are great

[@generatorofheavy7761]

The ash wings’ grain are totally different! Like not even close to matching

[@diegocraigdallie]

Todd Bogley I've seen PRS guitars with thar thing but in the maple top

[@guitourney]

Im absolutely not a Chapman fanboy, but I thinl the RS models look fantastic

[@Blankishish]

Actually looks pretty sick

[@Steve-nq8jc]

Todd Bogley like who cares?

[@guntherabrahamowicz4659]

It looks really sweet that way.

[@patrickmulder2450]

Pretty neat pickups. Sound of the guitar instantly reminded me of this telecaster a friend of mine plays as his main.

[@shoeonhead]

That clean sounds made me really go “Ooooooh, Mmmm, Ahhh!!!” It sounds INCREDIBLE!!!

[@foxtrot889]

I'm getting a kick out of how it sounds like he's saying "Scallion" instead of "Scallon," and "Gooby" instead of "Goby." Can't look at scallions at the grocery store without thinking of Rob, and with Gooby, all I can think of is the dolan duck memes. That aside, I really like these videos. A lot of small on the surface, but big in the grand scheme of things changes. Typically tasteful, and you made a great guitar even greater.

[@MrBiggordy]

Great idea for a series of videos, modding already good guitars into (hopefully) great ones. Real lateral thinking in putting the Wiggins p/ups into such a modern looking and sounding guitar - inspired!

[@reddoggie100]

Hey Phil, this is one of the coolest videos I’ve seen u do. Awesome idea. So jealous of the person who gets this guitar back. Looking forward to what’s next.

[@TheMusicalMedic]

Sometimes the action gets goofed up in shipping too. I had a guitar that a friend of mine bought from me, so I shipped it to him after having it set up and when he received it, it had gotten all goofed up.

[@handooho1294]

This is amazing. a Triple crossover, from Rob Scallon to Rob Chapman to Philip McKnight

[@sn95_mustang_garage]

I had Willam Wiggins make me a single coil for my Ibanez. This guy is awesome and makes great pickups.

[@adam3839]

When I saw the guitar's finish I thought, those wood pickups Phil's talked about for sure! Very nice!

[@keithspillett7312]

Very impressive, and I actually LIKE that the wings are different 😀🎸

[@metalliholic]

Comments kept bringing up the pickups. They were right. Those look amazing.

[@donharrold1375]

G&B are Korean pickups. Installed in the PRS SE, Ibanez and ESP korean guitars I believe. They actually are pretty decent pickups.

[@wilson4180]

I use mineral oil for rosewood fretboards, it also works as a laxative too in case you’re having trouble pooping. :)

[@jarrusjenkins]

I've just got the darker coloured rob scallon one. I found when mine come out the box, the action was low enough for me (I haven't measured it but its definitely way lower than 2mm) but the neck had a back bow in it. I adjusted the truss rod, tuned it up and everything else seemed just right to me. Other than my Gibsons (which were way more expensive) this has to be the best out the box guitar I own... Even my kirk hammett ltd had a high fret on it (no big deal, sorted that out) But yeah altogether I rather like it

[@BenBreard]

I like what you did. I would have swapped the pots and switch for better ones too. Cheap components like that make me crazy.

[@lewisbeeman]

this is one of my favorite videos you have done. I am super impressed with the Wiggins pups. I am getting into building guitars and will be starting with some kit guitars. the wiggins pups will be a great upgrade to the garbage pups sent with the kits. thanks

[@robertwood8605]

Great video and contest. I hope you do more of these. I’ve been looking at the Wiggins Pickups for a while now and your video made me pull the trigger on a Tele set for a guitar I’m building.

[@dalgguitars]

I've said it before. (As many others have.) You totally rock! Great video as always.

[@reviewforthetube6485]

Those pickups sound amazing seriously thats an amazong tone

[@PintsofGuinness]

man this is such a cool project/series. your channel really deserves more subs phil.

[@AJgeartalk]

That was a FUN video Phil!! Keep em coming.

[@RetroPlus]

Those upgraded wood pickups were gorgeous on that guitar

[@christopherfleming6990]

Awesome video Phil and fun to watch.

[@gustavomantovani8309]

WOW! Simply and right to the point mods! Great job bro!

[@rdz5703]

I know that you aren't necessarily a big fan of metal/pointy guitars but it's understanding that the new Solar guitars from Ola England have much better build quality and quality control....like a sports car.my one tuned machine where one can have fun on's Chapman guitar but that's like taking a nice miniman. Out for a spin.

[@guitardudeguy3139]

Very nice job Phil! You were very djentle with the new Chapman...I changed the switches, harness and pickups with mine too...guitar came to life after that..

[@mikestevenson6745]

I played a Scallon guitar today for the first time. I put it back after a few minutes because of the weird neck and high action. Its ashame it wasnt set up, looked awesome though. Great video!

[@Lex10999]

Awesome that you made Gregor's guitar play and sound better.

[@oliverjames7315]

Output. Output jack. Great video as always dude.

[@regperatrovich9406]

The only thing I could’ve asked for if this absolute beauty would be to Rit Dye a white GraphTech Tusq nut in Rit’s burgundy color to match the overall color of the mahogany neck.

[@Ihadtheories]

Wish my ML1-RS had that much differentiation in the Ash wings. Looks awesome