Chapman guitars are making changes...

[@tom_dilley]

Theres a comment on Robs video that says "That Irish fella is going to love this...".

[@wbertie2604]

At least Chapman has a sense of humour about it.

[@beautifulguitars3158]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@paullee5449]

The Irish kid rocks,🤟

[@Game4Lord]

@@wbertie2604Eh, I wouldn't call passive aggressive remarks that aim to point fault in others for holding Rob accountable for his past arrogance, "humorous". If anything, it shows that Rob has still learned nothing from why people still don't like him all that much.

[@drdoom8793]

​@@wbertie2604I'm not certain you comprehend humor

[@andrewphaggot297]

KDH putting more thought into this than Rob did

[@wolfsguitarden740]

I think the major change they need to make is the name on the headstock And the owner of the business.... It's a shame Anderton can't just take over

[@Neil-Aspinall]

@@wolfsguitarden740 One wonders if Lee really understands this?

[@wolfsguitarden740]

Ýeah iķ Will you get it in some hot water or a while back I don't remember what for and just remember the apology vide others are that I don't recall anything. It's like Trump and Biden, the lesser of 2 evils

[@adamg.manning6088]

⁠@richardharrold9736 Give it time…

[@adamg.manning6088]

@@Neil-Aspinall I know a former warehouse manager at Anderton’s. He said that the company is an absolute shambles. Outdated computer software, ridiculous speculative over-ordering…. He said they still try to run it as though it’s a tiny family shop; and whilst it’s not Guitar Center, it’s not a tiny family shop. I didn’t push him at the time for what he thought of Lee; but now he has left, I may ask what the family are actually like to work for.

[@johnwilkes681]

Give a hundred or so guitarists 1000 pounds each to buy a guitar of their choice and I’d bet not one would choose a chapman.

[@Game4Lord]

I've had two ML-1 Baritones. Needless to say, I hardly play the second one that I still have over my two Kiesels, or my strandberg

[@MegaRomans01]

why? i dont know much about the brand do they play bad?

[@Hubblereach0]

Idk about him but ive seen these in shops near me and something about them turns me off, not sure what​@@MegaRomans01but I've never even picked one up lol

[@Bovineicide]

@@MegaRomans01 it's a youtuber guitar lol

[@SxSxG666]

True!

[@haus05]

Rob pretty much said "We're getting rid of all the ranges and having only one range priced like the pro range but made in the cheapest country possible (Labour wise) to keep manufacturing prices as low as possible to make as much profit as possible. " At least that's what I heard

[@cdavidlake2]

Rob is a tone purist in it for the love of guitar. Profits don't factor into his calculus.

[@CJLaw945]

I hope this is sarcasm 😅 ​@@cdavidlake2

[@ripstele7744]

Strandberg has entered the chat

[@miecz23]

I'm pretty sure he must give a lot of margin for a distribution to keep the inventory. That's the reason of moving to India.

[@Raggerty-j4c]

I won't be a Chapman customer but in fairness to the guy he's running a business. His overheads will be massive. He's have to sell a lot of guitars before he even breaks even.

[@galdersrontgorrth]

if anything, they shoulda called the telecaster the telegraph.

[@DestoTrading]

@richardharrold9736 yeah 100% lawsuit incoming

[@wbertie2604]

Could have called it the Guardian and shipped it with a complimentary bag of quinoa.

[@TristanJCumpole]

....and the Daily Strat

[@plantain.1739]

@richardharrold9736 People have been cloning the Tele for decades man, I really doubt fender cares.

[@amslu]

Usually that what happens when the guitars don’t sell anymore…

[@pads-zr9ln]

You just need to wait 6 months until andertons has them on clearance, mostly for half price

[@hazardeur]

these days, give me one good reason to buy a chapman. the only thing they got going for them was their low budget stuff but there are tons of better alternatives and their owner emitting very strong "don't trust me" signals doesn't exactly help them either lol

[@Smart-Alex]

Only had one Chapman - forget the model but paid about $500. Qc was dreadful, pickups were muddy. Couldn’t wait to return it.

[@JustNik8968]

I bought a T Shape Chapman and sent it back after about ten minutes. Some of the worst sounding pickups I've ever heard. The fit and finish was also horrific.

[@richardsmith9615]

From what I remember, the idea of Chapman guitars was always to be a platform to customise from. They never hid the fact that they always swapped out for new pickups. I can't comment on the finish for your particular guitar, but I've always been pretty impressed by the finishes. Which made sense being made in Korea. You perhaps were unlucky.

[@BryanMiranda96]

​@@richardsmith9615"fit and finish" doesn't literally mean the finish on the guitar, it means the assembly, tolerance, setup, and acceptability of the quality control. This can mean anything from protruding fret ends, sharp or dry fingerboards, non leveled or rough unpolished frets, bad neck angle, loose pots, etc etc etc

[@richardsmith9615]

@@BryanMiranda96 Yes. Thanks for clarifying, but I do know what a finish means.

[@paulyguitary7651]

Oh is it that time of year again?

[@dermotfenster9980]

The tele, commonly used in country music, is the "Lawmaker. Cool. Lots of fun associations with that little bit of nomenclature. I keep forgetting what Rob Chapman is like. This is a good reminder.

[@Gitfiddle]

Here’s the issue w Chapman. When they came out they were the only budget brand offering specs like jumbo SS frets, branded pups, flat radius, ebony boards etc etc. All the other companies uped their game immediately hence making Chapman just another brand.

[@michael1]

Well, no. Chapman didn't create the push to stainless steel, roasted necks et al. They just followed it along with the others. No one has ever or will ever react to Chapman. They're not significant at all. They don't make guitars do they? They're no different to the brands that come up if I search Amazon for a soldering iron and there are 500 Chinese soldering iron brands all selling the same soldering iron with a different sticker on it. Chapman thinks he owns a guitar company but if the Indonesians or Indians get bored of his shit eating grin and "greetings" thing, they'll figure we'd just as soon buy the guitars directly from them - and then what exactly is Rob Chapman for? Even Lee Anderton must be wondering what he needs Chapman for. You know you could argue that he created a bit of popularity with the name, but that was on Anderton's channel...and he tarnished that. Now it's just as likely someone won't buy a guitar because it says Chapman on it. It's a pariah for a lot of potential customers. And some are going to say "Eww, but he designs the guitars" but guitars haven't changed for 70 years in any significant way and, as you note, they are pretty much the same specs. There's no reason for Chapman to exist in the chain from Indians building guitars to us playing them - any fat guy could replace him, or you could remove him entirely and there'd be no difference. So logic suggests that happening is inevitable at some point.

[@cuckmasterflex9106]

As if Chapman has had that kind of influence over the industry

[@intenzityd3181]

IIRC a bunch of budget brands started offering those specs, all being built in the same few Chinese factories. I'm sure the quality is "okay" enough for the price and they're selling the guitars based on the specs alone so when the market becomes saturated it's hard to stand out. And it's also the case that a buyer shrewd enough to know what hardware they want on a guitar is going to have an expectation of build quality too; ie there's no point paying for SS frets on a bad neck, if anything it just makes it much harder to do any fret work. So they pay a little more money for a brand with better QC. I think that the budget-guitars-with-killer-specs market is a race to the bottom and the little brands like Chapman will get eaten up by bigger brands.

[@michael1]

@richardharrold9736 Not really. (a) A lot of the other brands using Indonesia have established product lines from elsewhere - they are basically getting someone to make a cheaper versions of their guitars and often they are actually guitar makers. You know PRS SE might appear to be a.n.other guitar made in indonesia but PRS do make guitars. There's no Chapman factory in the UK or USA that's been building guitars for 40 years is there? My guess is that if Rob was asked to build a guitar it wouldn't pass GCSE woodwork - on that basis why does anyone care about his guitars? If you can write a list of specs on a sheet of paper and say les paul, telecaster and strat then you could order a factory to make the same guitars. Anyone could. KDH could do it. My gran could do it. There may be some similar brands, but I doubt there are many. Strandberg I'd suggest are similar, but they have some innovative ideas, the weird neck shape, obviously headless isn't their idea but they have put significantly more effort into the ergonomics of the shape than most other guitar brands. I honestly do think they are overpriced and I certainly wouldn't pay what they want for an indonesian one - I think Strandberg should start making guitars. Put a few in a hard case. Make them worth the asking price - but I won't suggest that I could do what they did given a week and an internet connection. But we undoubtedly could recreate let's call it 'Chopman guitars' it'd be the same. Was it KDH who visited all the UK builders at the nec? God they were sad. All making strat copy, telecaster copy, les paul copy...none of them had any clue why we should buy their guitars. And these were expensive because they were made in the UK. These guys don't give anyone a reason to buy their guitar, but at least they are making them. Without that - what are they for? Everything of value in this business as far as I can see is owned by someone else - the factory making the guitars, the distributors, and the retail outlets - I can see what each of them are doing. It's difficult to see what Rob has provided other than a surname that, as I said, seems as much as hindrance now as an asset. When he said to the kid at Andertons in one of their videos "I wish I had hair like that" and the member of staff retorted "I wish I had a guitar company" - you can see the hairy kid realises it's a farce that Rob has a guitar company and this guy getting minimum wage for Rob to take the piss out of his haircut having to sell these guitars. It can't last can it? Why are all these people letting him take a cut? You have to do something.

[@Gitfiddle]

@@michael1 “Yeah, well, ya know, that’s just like your opinion man.” The Dude

[@SirGingerOfKnight]

I don't know if anyone else has commented this, but as certain corners of the internet degrade; the renaming enables them to erase the review and repair reputation from the history of each model! My lead guitarist had a ML1 and the best thing he ever did with it was sell it, it was constantly in and out of the shop for electrics, a re-crown past the 12th fret and even a replacement nut. Giving each guitar in the range a new name slowly erases 15 years of reputation regardless of whether it was good or bad. This was 100% a strategic marketing decision!

[@glennlilley8608]

Chapman ? A cold day in hell before my money goes their way

[@GlennJimenez]

I’ve never even considered it for a second Even if I wanted a shred guitar

[@blaness13]

I own 3 and they are all great guitars, a first gen ML-2, a ML-1x and a ML-1 baritone, and they are all awesome guitars, and they hold their own against the other 29 guitars I have.

[@countzero5150]

They seem nice enough. I've only ever played one of them and it was a thinline. I just wouldn't buy one because they don't make anything that interests me.

[@evilutionltd]

I guess that's up to you. I'm really not a fan of Rob. His playing is ok, his singing isn't great and he seems a bit self important but I bought the Rabea Baritone Chapman guitar 2nd hand and it's great.

[@blaness13]

@@evilutionltd I'm not a huge fan of his singing either and sure there are plenty of players better, but even if he might have a bit of an ego, i don't think he is a bad guy, i'm not much of a tele guy so i have tried the Bea Bari

[@Crovax]

Hey, look, a wild KDH on his original tropical surroundings... that's a KDH of the inquisitor variety, a ruthless hunter of the parasitic entity known as "the chappers"...

[@thaedleinad]

It was a pretty normal and nonaggressive video, man.

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

Tropical? He’s just outside dude….you may wanna try that sometime

[@dermotfenster9980]

The Chapman entity is a slippery one....

[@dermotfenster9980]

​@mr.smithgnrsmith7808 dude KDH is literally in California in this video. He even said so specifically in the video. You know...on the coast, lots of palm trees.

[@bigmike9527]

Chappers sucks

[@BaBaBaBenny]

Its bizarre, despite their roots as a brand for budget conscious and (not to use this as a dirty word but) bedroom players, it seems odd to me that they've spent the last few years trying to shake off that customer base, almost as if they're embarrassed by it. The only guitars I've really seen players use from chapman (who aren't big youtubers or the handful of pro musicians that use them) are from their budget line. When you go on andertons' website they're constantly blowing out Chapman guitars, from all lines, so I really can't see why focusing on £1000+ guitars is a sensible move for the company. Also, I can kind of understand the want to lose the ML, given that it stood for "Monkey Lord", a moniker Rob hasn't used in years but the new names honestly just reinforce the impression I have from Chapman that they're guitars for the kinda guys that have "Man caves" and think they're vikings (if you know, you know).

[@JeanMarceaux]

I thought ML stood for "main line"

[@BaBaBaBenny]

@@JeanMarceaux When the ML-1 first launched all those years ago, Rob used to do a few things online and musically under the banner of Monkey Lord, a nickname that I believe his martial arts teacher gave him. When the ML-1 came about it was initially meant to be a signature guitar under the brand name Gould (Monkey Lord-1) before they launched Chapman as its own brand. But yes, main-line actually fits and makes more sense 🤣

[@JeanMarceaux]

@@BaBaBaBenny the ｄｅｅｐｅｓｔ lore

[@intenzityd3181]

They're not making any money at lower price points. They won't make money at higher price point either unless they ditch their branding and association with Rob.

[@TheBlindAndTheBeautiful]

I said this in a previous reply so I'm not going to say it after this just so I don't come off looking like a shill or bot for the brand or anything. But I've found a real love for ESP/s entry level LTD stuff lately. I play a white ESP Eclipse (EC200) as a main player these days. They kind of got smart with all the stuff Chapman and others were doing and updated the entry stuff to be a tremendous value. I play three guitars on stage as primary players (With a pop act). One is the EC200. Another is an ESP custom shop Eclipse in Emerald Green to match my color schemes I use in stuff. And the third is a Shecter Sunvalley SupershredderFRS (Primarily for a big solo section in the set and a couple of songs that need it). The EC200 is not only the one I play the most, but the one my singer has consistently told me she prefers above everything else. To me its a bit above an entry level for sure. But when I talk to people looking to upgrade from that first guitar to something else I am starting to send them toward the LTD stuff. The bang for your buck is there to say the least. They are extremely light. Sound insanely good. Play really well (And I'm particular to that neck shape) and are basically pick up and play guitars. Chapman tried to be all that. And were kind of none of it to be honest. They did a lot of things they were not good at instead of trying to be very good at things they could be good at. I think LTD has that model down. Be very good at being a good guitar. And a gateway to an actual ESP model down the road. Some brands try (coff coff Epiphone) but the only other one that I think even holds a candle to it is the SE line from PRS. I sometimes switch out the emerald green Eclipse for a PRS Hollow Body II Piezo because its insanely good and holds up even being an SE model

[@myoptik3x103]

Welcome to California KDH! Hope you have a great time here!

[@ThePowerman121]

I can’t wait to buy the Chapman USA Today.

[@gunkyzip]

It'll be the shape and graphics of a pie chart, line graph, or Venn diagram.

[@JeanMarceaux]

Chapman Komsomolskaya Pravda, shaped like a 60s Yamaha (iykyk)

[@cdavidlake2]

Underrated comment.

[@omen3766]

Chapman is the issue. His personality, publicly is off putting, at least to me. India is not the issue.

[@Bill-Door]

Good thing his embarrassing dad humour and David Brent-esque public persona don't have any effect on the guitars at all.

[@roathripper]

yeah it's not the child labour working the circular saw for 3 rupees a day it's his personality!

[@vorpalblades]

"The Monkey Choad"

[@pkdude5334]

I can't stand him and his "greeeetings' bullshit

[@CG-vn8iy]

@@Bill-Door Except the sales...

[@Erik.Fernandez__]

0:04 seconds in and I’m just saying I was waiting for this inevitable video.

[@gunkanjima3408]

Are you guys bots or is this a new strange trend? Timestamping 1-5 seconds into a video

[@nightlust]

Probably yeah.. comment makes no sense either ​@@gunkanjima3408

[@rotaryrotary4227]

I recently bought a cordoba for a couple grand US that’s made in china. It seems to be nice but theres little information about the factory and how they treat their workers. I’d love it if you cover these factories across the world (like India). I think it would help viewers make informed decisions and keep these guitar companies honest. I’m not looking for a Chapman guitar, but it would be interesting to know about the factory, the workers and where they source their materials. Obviously you can’t trust the company videos, they’ll always paint themselves in a good light.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

Chapman Guitars. Now that’s Size.

[@JaxCrow_316]

Hope that you're doing very size [sorry bad joke]

[@coldbastard6859]

Please don't normalize it.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@JaxCrow_316 No worries brother, have a size day!

[@JaxCrow_316]

@@TylerJohnstonGuitar Sending size vibes from the UK

[@AndrewAHayes]

Wasnt he just an absolute T*at, not just for SIZE but the money scrounging scams also!

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

I never heard of Chapman until your channel. I've played for a living for 50 years. But I am in the US. Always a bad idea to change the name of an established item. People can't find it or the competition will simply tell customers " They don't make those anymore. " And they won't be lying. I think the most interesting part of this video is that you are in Cali!

[@michaeldesrosier1068]

Damn, a fifty year career in music thats crazy. What are some of your credits, where can I check out your stuff?

[@kennethdarlington]

I mean, honestly right now almost nobody could challenge Harley Benton in low to low-mid budget range.

[@robertcarey3383]

Certainly not Chapman

[@fajaradi1223]

Challenging HB in their game is a race to the abyss.

[@Broccoli_Highkicks]

Vintage Guitars UK. I own guitars from both brands, and will absolutely choose a Vintage over a Harley Benton any day. Don't get me wrong, HB are great for the money, and I can't fault Thomann's customer service, but personally, I think Vintage play and sound just that little bit better. Their biggest problem is their brandname. Obviously, if you google "Vintage guitars" the actual company will not be the first result. Probably not even on the first page. Terrible marketing decision on the name, but phenomenal work horses. Maybe overall a bit more expensive, and not always specced as generously as HB, but only fools are blinded by specs on paper. What matters is how it plays and sounds, how inspired you are when you play it... Not what supposedly premium fretwire or "roasted" wood was used.

[@willrobertsmith]

It's a good comparison as Chapman guitars do look at lot like some 200 euro Harley Benton models .

[@mijorchard6206]

@@Broccoli_Highkicks Yeah, don't know why they didn't call them Wilkinson Guitars. I might be up for one in the future. (I have three Fret Kings, all bought at knock down prices, and they are FANTASTIC.)

[@Manley156]

I dig the Ibanez naming system, but theres a learning curve to it. I understand why some folks dislike it

[@brendanm6921]

"Ah, check out this new Ibanez model. The RG5689954 fanned fret 453325 baritone 7664678." "Oooh yeah, I know the one". Ibanez are a great brand and I personally am a really big fan of them. But their names are just ridiculous.

[@nicholasrella6904]

I can never remember the name of any of my Ibanez's. I've been playing Ibanez guitars for almost 30 years. Don't ask me which ones I have/had. I know I had a Satriani in the 90's. Probably the only model I can remember.

[@claymor8241]

A learning curve to a guitar naming system ffs, do you struggle with shoelaces?

[@ScottFairley]

I think part of the problem is that they had perfectly acceptable model names at one point (Artist! Roadstar! Talman!) but no longer.

[@Twirlyhead]

@@ScottFairley I had a very nice Blazer back in 1982.

[@BlackHoleForge]

I can't wait to hear about their new guitar called the tribute.

[@Ravenh4wk]

What, like the Tenacious D song? 'This is not a Fender, this is just a tribute' :)

[@BlackHoleForge]

@@Ravenh4wk It had two meanings. The first one was like tenacious d, and the second meaning was like the name of a newspaper, like Chicago's Tribune, because all the other guitars have the names of newspapers.

[@diabeticmonkey]

Has it really been 15 years already? Damn, I feel old.

[@MrTabasham1990]

When i hear 'The Sundown' I immediately think of Sundown towns in the US. They might wanna rename that one

[@roathripper]

whats a sundown town? a deprived high unemployment area I'm guessing...

[@MojoStrummer]

​@@roathripper a town where minorities shouldn't go out "after sundown" because the town is full of violent racists.

[@Birkguitars]

It's a lot nastier than that. The idea is "be out of town by sundown. Or else...." and in the USA unfortunately its not hard to guess which demographic that was aimed at or what the "or else" involved. ☹️

[@stevestevens1457]

@@Birkguitars doesn’t look like a bad concept supporting local societies

[@Birkguitars]

@stevestevens1457 I think you should look this up e.g. Vidor, Texas

[@simonpark843]

I used to have a Chapman Hot Rod. It was well built and sounded good, and was great to play. My problem was the Floyd Rose trem - if it'd had a Strat-style trem or if it'd had a hard tail bridge I'd still have it. That's the only Chapman I've ever played but I thought it was good, especially for under a grand in Australian dollars (with a hard case).

[@JohnWiku]

KDH keeping champmun in check 😂😂

[@beautifulguitars3158]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@roathripper]

you really know your stuff KDH - I've enjoyed your vids, keep up the great work!

[@JackCalico]

People are saying that no one buys them, but a company can't last 15 years in a very competitive market with zero sales, surely. Unless Rob and Anderton's have just kept ploughing their own money into it hoping that one of these ideas eventually pays off.

[@2ndEditionBryce]

People are just haters. I’m sure they sell ok.

[@ThatGuysGuitars]

From a logistics standpoint, it makes sense to focus on having your entire line produced from one factory. Saves a TON by consolidating your inventory shipments, and higher order quantities from a single factory. Not sure about killing off the budget friendly models, but it likely means those are the slowest selling models; so why not focus on the mid price point, and reducing your costs there. I remember, I briefly worked for guitar center back when they first started carrying Chapman guitars. The profit margin on them, was WAAAY higher than most other lines. (Comparable to GCs own brand, Mitchell) I wonder if with this new distribution deal, if their dealer costs have gone up….

[@xamislimelight8965]

Objectively, those are better names. However, they can change the names all they want, its still the same half-assed product, and name changes don't usually work out the best. See Ford and what happened when they changed the Taurus to Five Hundred. Yeah, there's a reason you don't remember that model name lol

[@Andrew_182]

Jackson made some guitars in India years ago and pretty quickly pulled all production out because the QC was terrible. Maybe it’ll be different these days with the advance of CNC and all that, but they have a hole to dig themselves out of imo.

[@Psichlo1]

If history is any indicator, changing names is usually tied to an attempt to distance the company from drama or bad press. As far as any of country of origin not being an issue isn't necessarily true. Indonesian made PRS's are not nearly as good as the ones that were made in Korea. The major reason a lot of manufacturers move to cheaper production areas is to make a more affordable option, but it also increases their profit margins, Cheaper production with same prices means they make more per unit.

[@pj2524]

"The evening standard" "The Big Issue" and "Recycling Today" may be more apt.

[@paulsmith1807]

I'm waiting for the Sunday Sport ;-)

[@Barbarapape]

After having to setup and repair their early samples this left me unimpressed by them. It took a lot of backlash from disgrutled retailers and buyers before they changed the factory. Now they are doing the same again, it won't fool everyone and my guess is that there will still be still be no spares backup other than the retailers that sell them. The choice of names shows little imagination, so i predict that apart from the new names it will be business as usual.

[@Barbarapape]

@richardharrold9736 I can only think that the early bad samples that i had to rectify came from China Cort and WMI make guitars for a number of respect brands, and in general the ones from Korea are a step above the ones from indonesia. As once said by Phil Mcknight, these factories will make what you ask for and prepared to pay for including the ones in China. We can only wait and see if this relaunch brings some much needed improvement.

[@PrettyRecords]

I think naming the models after animals would have been a fresher idea. Eg; The Chapman Cheetah, The Chapman Orangutan, The Chapman Kangaroo, The Chapman Snake, The Chapman Donkey.......etc etc. At least it would help with the yawning 🥱

[@justice100forwin2]

The new models look really good and they are spec'd out really well. Also now they are in India they are getting Indian Rosewood and Ebony for a great price and I really don't see how you're going to get a better guitar for the money. Obviously the style of guitar has to appeal to you , but Seymore Duncan's , roasted maple , Indian Rosewood , Stainless steel frets , rolled fretboards , Great colour's , Hipshot bridges , along as they get the QC right , I'm really excited about Chapman guitars again.

[@CR0SSJ]

So while everyone in the world is strapping in and trying to save every penny and cent they have towards living costs, and other essentials. Rob decides to ditch the more affordable line, and double down on their expensive line? Not to mention change to an untested factory market (I'm not trying to say their quality is inherently bad or anything, but it's less experienced, so it'll have their teething issues like other country factories did), and add in an extra man in the middle of the chain of distribution and create more cost in the business?

[@ibaneze6666]

Resale value drops like a stone😮

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

If you buy a guitar intending to sell it, a current account hiolds value better.

[@ibaneze6666]

When I see another guitar I want I sell some old ones to help fund

[@2ndEditionBryce]

Resale drops on virtually every guitar you buy unless you are buying high end.

[@alangreenway6695]

The only reason I can see for changing the names is because very few people are talking about or buying their guitars. This name change is a reason to release a video that other KZbinrs will talk about. To be honest I’ve never considered buying a Chapman guitar, to me they seem to be aimed at the extreme metal end of the market. To me Ibanez and Schecter have the shredder and down tuned modern guitars figured out.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Much like Solar, Chapman to me is two sort of semi-popular KZbin guitar players creating brands so they and their friends could endorse something because they wouldn't be able to otherwise. Just look at their artist roster. Meanwhile, guys like Rob Scallon, Charles Bertould and the like are endorsed by major brands.

[@Boots_McScoots]

A big difference is that Ola is friends with people in much bigger bands than Rob, lol.

[@Acre00]

A couple thoughts on the changes: I'm happy they're changing the naming scheme, but the new naming scheme sucks. The old naming scheme was ok, but even having just heard about it, I can't remember for the life of me which is which. The new naming scheme is infinitely worse. Not only do I not know which is which, there isn't even a pattern to go by. I think a much better naming scheme would be something like CS, CT, and CLP. Even without me explaining, I bet everyone reading this post can work out what each name means. I agree with you completely on their move to official distributors. For me, personally, I will buy a guitar online but only if I know what I'm getting. I'm a Schecter guy, and a lot of that is because I know what I'm getting when I order a Schecter online. I'm far less likely to try a new brand if I've never handled one in person. I've never seen a Chapman in person, so the chances of me buying one online is slim to none, especially with their move to India. Now, there's a chance I'll see one in person and try it out, and then have the confidence to order online in the future.

[@blaness13]

I toke a chance back when they first made into the US and apart from a very minor finish flaw that was even difficult to photograph, that ML-2 was and still is a great guitar, and i recently got a ML-1 baritone B-stock direct from chapman via their reverb store and the flaw is hard to find even when you know where it is, and that is a monster of a guitar, and because i'm impulse as fuck and had the means of doing it and was so happy about the ML-1 bari and my 5 year old ml-2 i got the ML-1X with the walnut top, and again, fantastic guitar, so i don't know what peoples issue is, Rob definitely seems to have a certain personality to him, but i don't see him being an intentionally shitty person.

[@alicewilson1913]

Using the same branding guy as Victory clearly lol

[@Nibblerr]

​@richardharrold9736that's literally how all electronic devices are built today, and have been for decades...

[@Nibblerr]

@richardharrold9736 I'm not talking about just amps. I'm talking about all electronics in general lol. I'm an engineer and trust me a "made in XYZ" stamp does not mean anything lmao A PCB does not care where it's made, but if it did I'd argue that the Chinese ones tend to be the better ones - they make so effing many of them and are honestly leading in that. Just like how they're leading in injection molding and especially MIM.

[@elstoof]

They’ve both got the same owner!

[@vijay6404]

Ah! 'those guys at Victory' 😂

[@drdoom8793]

​@richardharrold9736it's painfully obvious you have no clue how manufacturing works these days

[@ianhoyle8459]

Good video, I love your journalistic content KDH. I totally agree Chapmans original budget concept worked for this reason alone. Remember when they were selling hand finished plectrums promising Chapman like shred-ability for nearly a fiver; which was a real con! Ask me how I know! Beautiful garden and birdies singing. 🎶 😊

[@cdavidlake2]

KDH: The man who singlehandedly brought down Rob - then gave us the Chapman redemption arc. Respect.

[@killianlpc]

I think it's a mistake to axe the so called budget range, as the Standard ML1 and ML2 were great guitars, it really wasn't worth getting the Pro Models as the cost was almost double. The Standard models were really good guitars, and relatively good value for money. I have to say the ML2 Pro Modern from about seven years ago, especially the Fireburst model was aesthetically superb, and they made a major rick when they brought out the next ML2 models a few years back which were really inferior from a design point of view, they seemed to be price cutting those newest ML2's constantly. OK fighter pilot call signs are cooI, never made the connection with the Herald, The Guardian and The Sun-Downer all being newspapers but it is a rather amusing coincidence and very naff!

[@adamstein9333]

I have an ML3 Pro Modern and it’s incredible.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

lol I already know your guitars aint got S on mine haha.

[@nikverschuren4291]

@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 stop the bullshit, ever heard Rabea play an chapman. Its all about the player.

[@stephenfoley1261]

Bit of trivia. Cole Clark, when they made electrics, made a Guardian. It was their Strat copy.

[@Patrick-857]

I didn't know they made electrics, but their acoustics are incredible. I've played one.

[@PedalBattle]

It's a strange decision to make but sometimes a fresh start is good

[@PedalBattle]

Years ago Marshall used to produce pedals in India

[@ericwarrington6650]

It's like 3 fresh starts now .. clearly grossly mismanaged..nothing is working out for Rob and it's always the last guys fault

[@roathripper]

reminds me of the saying about if you find yourself going down the wrong road, then no matter how far you've gone down it - turn back.

[@VioletSepe]

no need to apologize for the background noise! the birds were a nice touch actually

[@Raggerty-j4c]

That wasn't birds, it was feedback.

[@williamsatnan4380]

Still have an ML7T and a CAP10 blackout. They both are decent. Mostly keeping them because of the amaz8ng experience I had at Riff City Guitar (a direct casualty of Chapman's business decisions) when I bought them.

[@Vndrew_ARW]

Didn’t know a thing about Chapman himself. However, got an ML3 Pro (2023 model) for $500 and I LOVE this guitar. Would I actively have gone looking for one? Probably not. Still love it, and will hopefully have it forever. Not super keen on their new stuff, but hey.. I have what I like and that’s all that matters I suppose.

[@frodeleirvik]

From the "established brand name" point of view, I get your take on the name changes. For me, though, I've never been able to remember the names they've used (which applies to several other manufacturers, not just of guitars...). So, I welcome this change.

[@Chris_Lohmann]

Wasn’t the Ghost Fret (Explorer copy) also part of their original lineup along with the ML-1, 2 and 3?

[@alsantangelo]

My most recent Dean, as well as two new models I have my eyes on, are from India. Build quality is just fine, it's a solid instrument, though I did have some minor QC issues that I had to take care of myself.

[@BessieBopOrBach]

Squier was making a fair amount of the line in India about 15-20 years ago, but they stopped.

[@pauld378]

Love the fig tree in the background.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

I have a Chapman ML2. I believe it's the best guitar ever made and arguably made by one of the best guitarists ever. Chapman is a seriously underrated player. Light years ahead of players like Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani and easily on a par with Guthrie Govan. As for the guitar, it smokes any custom shop Gibson or Fender. I'm only selling it because I need to buy something else. It's going on Reverb this afternoon. Asking price is £20k no offers. This guitar is a future classic.

[@OPsK1LLs]

Had a black ml 2 till life forced me to sell it. Loved the thing it was a great guitar. Rabea inspected it from the card that came with it. People get too caught up in drama. I don't need the maker of my things to be a saint. Whatever issue folks have with him, it was a good guitar I still regret having to let go

[@kornphlake79]

Assuming labor in India is cheaper than china or Indonesia (I honestly have no idea if it is) Chapman could possibly produce a guitar with higher specs at a lower price than competitors. Dropping the low end makes a little sense, because their low end models would potentially compete with the mid-range models. I only played a ML1 once and didn’t care for the heavily rolled fingerboard edges, being unaccustomed to stainless frets, I had a hard time not accidentally bending the 1st and 6th string off the end of the frets. I didn’t pay much attention to Chapman guitars after that one experience, the fret boards don’t work for my hands. When I was getting started, and before Rob got too much confidence then lost his confidence, I really enjoyed the Andertons videos with Rob and Lee. In my opinion Rob and Lee have good chemistry and can make entertaining content. At some point I began to be more sensitive to the fact that in many episodes Rob would choose a Chapman guitar over and over in blindfolded tests, but in the intro to every video he chose to play some PRS guitar or Pete’s purple telecaster. When he was playing for his own pleasure, he choose his favorite guitar, but when he was blindfolded he knew he was selling guitars and played the part of salesman. There was never any mystery Rob has his name on the headstock, I don’t think there was any deceptive marketing, but the Andertons videos became predictable, and felt like less honest reviews at some point.

[@Zer0basscovers]

I had a ML3 that I got in a trade. It was a decent mid priced guitar, but the thing weighed a metric ton because of the arch top. That puppy was thick! I sold it after a few weeks.

[@cancelbubble6535]

The move to India is no surprise. Manufacturers will always be chasing lower cost labor (globalization) and guitars will eventually be made in Africa.

[@sonountaleban]

Well, this can be applied to every Western product, not only guitars.

[@Michel-r6m]

Cost is one thing but climate and logistics count as well.

[@gunkyzip]

It would be cheaper to transport ebony wood to an African factory, presuming there's no war zone in the middle.

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@gunkyzipBetter child slave labor jobs than mining cobalt for the chinese

[@Michel-r6m]

@@gunkyzip When making something to a price you need to be able to meet targets and be able to improve manufacture as logistics as precurement. Africa is no go for all these criteria. Have a look at South Africa what a succes story that became after Apartheid (not justifying Apartheid, just pointing out).

[@iainfreeman5112]

I found it interesting that Trev Wilkinson was shown a lot in the factory tour video. Also the factory in India might not have allowed Chapman’s previous direct buying, so they might have been forced into the distributor route.

[@sagittated]

Welcome back to America! Hope you're having a good trip despite the climate. ✌️

[@amirigra7515]

I actually have a 2016 Chapman ML2 (Harold is a funny name). It was priced similar to lower end schecters and felt better. Put some BKPs in it and it roars. That was what Chapman used to be - guitars that were well built and meant to be upgraded, and as far as I remember that was Rob, the "Monkey Lord's" (ML) idea back then. The fact that there is a Pro range is seemingly different and I would have preffered their lower range. I know that the guitars are great, I have a friend that bought an ML3 Pro to his studio, they're just marketed badly, and since Rob's PR disaster in 2019-2020, I don't think the brand got back on its feet. Also, resell value is minimal so if I wanted one, I'd buy it second hand.

[@johnwebb2562]

KDH . Thanks for your impetus On Chapman. Although they have FAB guitars in the past . It seems to me that they have distanced themselves from the reality of today's guitar market. Don't know why an enterprise would drastically change the manufacturing base , even China now make top 🎩 quality instruments at a fraction of the cost Have they hit the Buffers?. Best Regards. John.

[@joshuajouet]

I had a reasonably early ML3 Traditional in that rather nice blue stain. It was a weird guitar but I kinda dug it. It was heavy and the body was way too chunky (later versions slimmed down a bit), the bridge and tuners were ok but the pickups were horrible. It was a T type guitar that couldn’t make a T type noise. However, it was around £400 new from Andertons (in 2016 I think), and for the money I felt it delivered a decent platform to then upgrade the bits I didn’t like. It became a couch guitar for me, once I realised it really didn’t serve as a Tele back-up on stage, and then I sold it. I haven’t really felt since then like buying another one particularly as the prices have gone up and up and up.

[@adamwatson6916]

Some of those Koreon made epiphones were great guitars.

[@LeviClay]

Nah, dropping the budget line makes sense. The only people buying them are the same people who were buying them 15 years ago who haven’t woken up in 15 years. They’re not picking up new players, so budget guitars don’t make sense. They gotta target those 35-50 guys who might pay 1000. So when I say “makes sense” I mean makes sense based on the business they have.

[@steelisreal]

They also have 15 years of data on which of their guitars are selling and where etc. and while there's lots of things to criticism the people involved in that company with, Lee Anderton seems to be a fairly savvy buisness head. Got to assume this change is data driven.

[@Bucklestein]

The issue is trying to convince those 35-50 year old dudes to purchase a Chapman over a Fender or Gibson. They don't have the "cool" factor of the legacy brands that would convince a more "casual" player with money to spare, and their QC reputation isn't great which would put off those who are a bit more savvy.

[@beaujeste1]

I’d NEVER pay £1000 for a guitar made in India…

[@Neesavampi]

I don't understand why more guitars are not made in Mexico? The Mex Fenders are good, usually better than Indonesia.

[@jakewilson7211]

I had a 2013 ml2 which was £400 and it was a great guitar I put emgs in it and it was my main gigging guitar for a while. At that time the ltd eclipse at the same price wasn’t nearly as nice quality and playability wise. They had a place in the market that I feel they have since forgotten

[@metalhead_1996]

Chapman should take a leaf out of those japanese companies like Tokai, etc, less confusing names like ‘ST’ to represent strats, TL for teles

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

I normally play a guitar in a store before I buy it. I want to feel and hear the guitar, how it resonate and if this guitar makes me feel happy I buy it.... I don't like to buy a guitar without testing. I play the baritone ml1 storm burst. It's a very good guitar. I don't need complicated name constructions for a guitar.

[@SapientiaHumilitas]

The world doesn't need another guitar company. Total US guitar sales dropped over 50% from the 2000s to 2020 and the established brands are fighting hard in the remaining space. It's hard to see Chapman being competitive in such a market as they're not offering anything remarkable to differentiate themselves, not in terms of quality, price, legacy, associations, image and.......well, I can't think of a single reason to buy a Chapman guitar.

[@vinitvs]

Recently Chapman started selling guitars here in Brazil. I thought it was really weird that I couldn't find any of the more budget-oriented models to buy, but now I know the reason... I think it's really funny considering that we are a market that basically only buys cheaper guitars and they aren't even a recognizable brand. It's the opposite of what S by Solar and Squier (with their new debut series) aim for

[@MashaT22]

I agree on all points. In terms of the ML names, I don’t think that’s a good move. It stands for Monkey Lord, which has a connection to Rob for those who are familiar. It’s tied to the history of the brand and it’s simple. Why fix what ain’t broke? I’m having more trouble remembering the new names, except Lawmaker. But after all these years, seems like a bad time when people are already accustomed to the ML1, 2, and 3. Also bad move to get rid of their budget line. It’s a very competitive space. That’s what most people can afford. Why get rid of something that they’ve built their entire company upon? They should offer an affordable and a pro line. Not sure that most customers will be willing or able to go above $500-$1000.

[@andrewshell788]

This move to a distributor is a smarter move from Chapman since they've had issues with QC before... it may not help price but it helps with the final experience.

[@TalicZealot]

I'm not an SEO specialist by any means but it might be possible to relatively smoothly transition with some effort. They will probably use ML tags on all new pages and update old videos that still get traction with new tags.

[@sim0n17]

Don't forget Mexico for guitar production and did Chapman rename the "Ghost" model?

[@juanjosemora6534]

I think they are trying to get some space in the market, but, if I were to choose a guitar with a Metal aesthetic, I would go with LTD, Schecter, Ibanez or PRS , more established brands. P.S. KDH; Are you watch guy as well? Looks like the 2100 series G-Shock, which I also have in the same colors (all silver with black strap).

[@kennytheamazing]

There was the Ghost Fret, and the MLB bass as well at some point. If I recall, the ghost fret was supposed to be some half-fretted, half fretless things that in the end they couldn't make work? They just made a regular point explorer. It's strange that the name endured. Same with MonkeyLord monikker as other have pointed out. Seems like they haven't been making basses either for a while?

[@terrycroucher3633]

Being a Canadian, more specifically in the province of Ontario. I have been interested in Chapman guitars but haven't had the opportunity to try one. My only option would have been to order one and hope I liked it. With the traditional distribution model, maybe I will finally be able to go to my local Long & McQuade (Canadian Guitar Center) and try one.

[@XxHarounXx]

I've played them at Cosmo in Richmond Hill. Hit or miss tbh

[@infinidominion]

Ha, kinda forgot about them already, theres really no need for them to exist now that Solar is up and running

[@thaedleinad]

What? That makes no sense. Also, Solar designs are of a pretty different taste than Chapmans.

[@Patrick-857]

@thaedleinad with the amount of options, I'm not sure taste is an issue. Anyway, Solar gets it right, and Ola as the face if it just works, everyone likes him. I only own Fender though, so what would I know.

[@AWMJoeyjoejoe]

I'm not sure about that. Chapman guitars have more of a rock aesthetic going while Solar is just out and out metal. They're not really comparable.

[@JeanMarceaux]

​@@AWMJoeyjoejoeSire kinda has rock aesthetic covered IMO

[@brendankane1190]

I thought they were gonna be called The Online Power, The Donator, The Size etc. All available at Riff City Guitars, each purchase coming with a pair of RC crew socks (normally €18)

[@ShindigTrader47Sundeck]

It's a very competitive market at the Chapman price point. Leaving past controversies to one side, I don't really see any USP (unique selling point) for the brand that isn't catered for better by other brands. I guess you may pick one up and it 'just feels right' like I did with a very unassuming spec'd PRS i'm not sure if that method is going to sell too many. I can only speak for myself but I went from Fender to Ibanez then to a few other brands just to try, and then wandered back to Ibanez again. They just seem to work for me. I wonder what it would take for me to be tempted with tracking down a Chapman to try? I'll be interested to see how successful this rebranding / relocating is...

[@GilgaFrank]

There may be another reason for renaming the entire line. You can't legally protect a product name of three characters or less. This is why Intel came up with the "Pentium" name rather than 286, 386, 486 processors. As it stands, anyone can produce an guitar and call it ML1, ML2 etc, giving them legally protected names would be a very sensible move.

[@michaelgriffin5304]

"Outsourced to India" - This is all too common nowadays.

[@JoelBass68]

Where in CA are you? I'd really enjoy taking out for a pint.

[@kirkbolas4985]

Given that many players are thoroughly unfamiliar with Chapman, the model name changes might help the brand. As an aside, KDH…I reckon you’re in the Napa area, given the grape trellis/wine tasting parlor vibe of your background. If so, welcome to Northern California. I’m about 160 km away in the Sacramento area. You’d prefer our winters, cold and rainy…much like Ireland, I’d imagine.

[@JahmezFox]

Honestly hope the new distribution deal covers Australia, we never got an ML2 Pro or a Ghost Fret release over here and they’re legit the best looking guitars in the chapman lineup (besides the guardian, that guitar just looks fkn epic to me for some reason)

[@rollerdragon]

dude... nearly 400 chapman's for sale on reverb in the u.s. alone... but only 1 rob scanlon

[@taz4965]

The original chapmans were modding platforms and old as such. They also made many of them by player contribution where player were asked what parts or deign they wanted and building the guitar to that spec.

[@Dimbo]

“ML” stands for Monkey Lord, which is fucking embarrassing tbh, so I think the name change is a good idea. Not enough to make me buy one though.

[@PikaStu666]

It feels to me like Chappers is constantly releasing videos about changes he’s making with his company. No disrespect to the guy, it’s just how it comes across (to me). I hope it all works out for him.

[@danthedem]

Welcome to California! Hope you enjoy your stay in the Golden State.

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

While it's sad that the kind of "affordable but good quality" approach that they were doing for a long time is kind of gone now, I think it's good that they're focusing on a flat range that gets all the attention, rather than trying to spread the focus over multiple classes of guitars, which could also bring in a lot of conflicting feedback. - I mean like, if a (potential) customer would give feedback like "I would like to see this and that on the budget range.", the answer might be "Well, that's on the middle range.", but the customer might not be able to afford that. Things like that. - But now they just have one "flat" range and they can take all the feedback and try to do as much as they can on the models they have. It will probably be for the best and get the best guitars they can make rather than, again, have it spread and have these varied guitars that either have lesser or better qualities to them. - I don't think that benefits anyone, including a company, and different companies can make different guitars at different quality and price levels. - Like maybe Harley Benton can keep doing cheap stuff or whatever, but Chapman clearly wants to keep up the standards and have all of their guitars solid, which is totally understandable if you care about your brand. - In any case, even though it gives less options, I think this is a good down-the-middle type of approach for them. Their "cheaper" options weren't that cheap anymore anyway and if they just consolidate everything it will just make for a better average.

[@kimmorgan379]

This is a pretty positive film. Nice.

[@andym2612]

About 15ish years ago Marshall where getting there value range of amps made in India. I have a mate who bought 10W one that came with an Indonesian Squire Strat.