How To Make A Chapman Guitar Better

#knowyourgear #sharpenmyaxe #mcknightrepair
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Tools used in this video
The Snark tuner I'm using in this video
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String Swing guitar hangers (I only use String Swing)
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Sure Sm57
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Radius Gauge with slots
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Fret Rocker
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Precision Notched Straightedge
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The Music Nomad gauge I use
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Digital Caliper
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Digital Multimeter
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Clip On Tuner in this video
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My Favorite set up tools
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Here are some other products from a dealer I trust and buy from online
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[@RobChappers]

Great job dude, I love it when people customise their Chapman’s! Also only just found out that you purchased the guitar, in the future just drop me an email man :-)

[@xcallumx141]

Mr. Chapman once again showing off his wonderful customer service skills ;-)

[@andybradshaw9184]

Rob - that is so you man. Respect. Wish other manufacturers had such a humble and lovely attitude. Good on you.

[@dillonfaulkner9836]

Yee

[@ryanosullivan3783]

Rob Chapman ayy can I drop you an email for one please 😉😉

[@p1st0ls44]

[@FunkyMonkey-ip4xy]

Just my opinion but I preferred the distorted sounds from the old pick ups and the cleans from the new.

[@himbo7772]

Funky Monkey1886 if you're going for the higher gain more often than not, then a pickup voiced for that would be better. I enjoyed the versatility tho. Would be perfect for me, I can go from playing Megadeth to some John Mayer with a flip of a switch and some knob turning

[@lookingforwhiteprivilege9330]

The Creeper it was just his opinion...

[@cloneorder6641]

The Creeper you're the one acting like an asshat. He's just voicing an opinion

[@FunkyMonkey-ip4xy]

The Creeper Thanks for your well reasoned and intelligent comment.

[@martb8022]

I actually agree with you... I thought it lacked the focus of the original. BUT I think the new pickup sounded a bit "bigger" which would be great for leads (which is what I think most of us use the neck pickup for anyways right?). Same with the bridge though, sounded good high gain but I can see it getting a bit too "big" if you downtune. I thought all 4 pickups sounded good. I would go with the new set though because I max out at medium gain myself. But a metal guy might have been happier with the originals..

[@bakerXderek]

You made that guitar look all kinds of high quality with those simple aesthetic changes.

[@chet7219]

bakerXderek chyeah 👌

[@FuckitnFightit]

Used to watch your videos all the time, I feel like I run into your comments on random ass KZbin videos constantly.

[@ravenshield56]

Cccchhhyyyyyyeeeeeahhh

[@tonynoon8693]

How about this for a sharpen my Axe episode: Those of us that have been inspired by the series, videotape a question that we have about our projects and then send them to you through dropbox or Google drive and then you edit that together with either a talking head explanation, or if you have an example you show it in a little more detail. That way you aren't spending too much money, and those of us with projects can get some answers and maybe show off some of our updated projects?

[@mattjones8523]

Tony Noon, I for one would be happy with that idea.

[@ianlever7292]

Call it 'Sharpen that Axe'.

[@mikeboxler759]

The monkey lord will be proud.Your classiness not to critique was very admirable. I have been watching Chapman and Andertons videos for close to 5 years now, voted on the ml1 design...and it good to see people complimenting other peoples work and adding their personal touch to it. Thats what Chappmans Guitars are all about. Guitars for the people, buy the people. your mods look and sound fantastic. Thank you for sharing with me

[@johncrafton8319]

I own this exact guitar. love the bridge/saddles, I like the tuners, and I really like the neck/fretboard. I replaced the pickups with a Nazgul/Sentient set and changed the pots/caps/switch. A seriously nice guitar for the money, but even nicer after the upgrades.

[@cuauhtemocmorisco3493]

John Crafton that's awesome. Love those pickups.

[@Blaydrnnnr]

Me too.. have that exact set as well.....

[@blkjakk]

The micro mesh sanding stick @ 6:58 is what’s called a 3-way buffer. It’s s the same as manicurists use. I pick them up at Sally Beauty Supply. They also have 4-way buffers. BTW, great job on modding this guitar. It looks better & sounds fantastic!

[@caerdwyn7467]

Hi Phil! I love your channel, and I'm really happy to be able to offer pay it back with a tip you might benefit from. There is another type of craftsman very similar to luthiers who have the same concerns with regard to keeping hardware like screws, etc. pristine. That would be gunsmiths. They have the same problems to solve: screw heads getting mangled, hard finishes getting scratched, etc. They have developed excellent tools that you could make use of. In particular, a set of gunsmith's screwdrivers might be of great value to you and your viewers. These are hollow-ground, meaning that the blade of the screwdriver doesn't have a wedge-shape where it engages the screw-head, will go all the way to the bottom of the screwhead slot without putting all the pressure on the lip of the slot-cut, and thus won't distort the screw slots as you turn the screwdriver. The screwdriver blades also tend to have a uniformly satin finish, meaning there are no burrs, etc. in the screwdriver blade that will impress themselves into the hardware. Gunsmith tool sets also have brass drift pin punches and hammers which, because they are softer than the steel parts they are used upon, are much less likely to cause scratches or dents. Leaving aside politics around firearms, gunsmith suppliers have good tool sets you can find at good prices. In particular, Brownells and Grace are always well-reviewed. Thanks again for a great channel!

[@blacktoothfox677]

Great tip thanks from the UK

[@ES335CD]

Great Tech Tip!!! I picked up the stew mac Micro-Mesh Touch Up Stick and it worked wonders on a couple of guitars I had with fret sprout. One was a Ernie Ball JP6 with steel frets that I've loathed since I bought it new in 2012 due to the crummy fret finish work. Took no time at all and feels great now!!! Thanks Phil!

[@Johnny1.0]

Greeeeetingsss!! Lol. I received my Chapman as a gift but Im pretty certain the lovely young lady that purchased it for me on a whim after being subjected to a weekend of guitar and drum reviews on youtube, 😋 immediately just opened the box and brought it to me as is and it was in perfect condition. Low buttery action as well. Lower than my USA guitars came for sure. Def was not a guitar center order because not a scratch unlike 3 out of the 5 guitars I purchased online from them in the past 2 years. Love this axe just as much as watching Phil and Robs you tube videos. Rock on!

[@davidparry1973]

this Sharpen My Axe series just rules so much. I could watch this all day long

[@toemasmeems]

20:01 sounds like a choir singing “SOHHH” that’s an amazing neck pickup man

[@dalgguitars]

Who on earth are these people who thumbs down to such great content? Who could possible thumbs down Phil????

[@trollssuck7814]

Trolls, same as always.

[@davidmiller1218]

I think Phil covered the subject a while back: KZbin Admin just counts total activity and pays accordingly so thumbs downs add to the total and don't cause any loss. But you're right, Trolls suck!

[@alsak2157]

In my opinion the pickups and the quality of the video sucks

[@mojobonbon]

the same people that give negative product reviews on amazon when they actually liked the product, but then go on to say that they didn't like how it was delivered by a third party. ie "i loved my gibson SG! plays beautifully and has great tone! HOWEVER, it was supposed to be shipped in a total of 3 days. it got here in 4 days. 1 star!!!!!!!!!" and of course they go on to rate the product rather than the seller because screw everyone, they are upset

[@trollssuck7814]

Of course Alex Sakellarioy is a douche with no video content...he just put his tampon in sideways.

[@Brembelia]

Wow! I can't believe the transformation. Not only does it look rad, it sounds so much more ... energetic/alive! Excellent job. Looks and sounds beautiful! Thank you!!!

[@davidconnelly]

Wow! That was outstanding. You can really hear the difference. Great job!

[@frankquinn1296]

I Bought a Norseman from Chapman. It was a decent guitar but had so many dead spots on it because of a really bad fret job, i took it back 3 times to the store , which will remain nameless ( it was in MN), each time it was worse than it was before, took it my own guitar tech in Hamilton Ontario Canada , came back great . Gave it to my brother in law in the end because i really wasn't into Floyd rose guitars. It was his birthday

[@TheGtrmarcus]

I've probably mentioned this before but thank god you don't tap and shred when doing a demo. Respect dude 😀

[@jeffdowning4877]

Amazing tones. I go for versatililty too. I love the way SGs look, but hate the way most feel like baseball bats and have that typical darker tone. So basically made my putting a maple neck set into a mahagony body, trying various pickups, coil taps, even wraparound vs tune-omatic setups. Also a ton of diofferent wiring schemes and trying different pole and pickup heights etcs...different nuts to compare ands on and on.... And now I have it dialed where it is great for me- I get strat-like tones, fat woolly tones, out of phase tones..... But people telling each other (looking at the comments here) how they need to set up their guitar is bull.....it depends on so many things, not to mention tastes and playing styles. The idea is to try things to see what works for you and dont permanently mess up your gear- try it first . And keep those receipts! Haha . :)

[@wallyg3]

Thank you for going into detail on your filing techniques, and not just tools. It is very very helpful!

[@dons8764]

This really has me wanting to buy a Chapman and trick it out. Seems like a great platform to start with for making something unique.

[@AlexPapadopoulosMusic]

Really digging the twang of the coil splitted neck pickup !

[@bmwcarrmann429]

Gosh I love guitars and the good things you hot rod and sharpen them up I am going blind and have watched to our channel for years and wish only to have a guitar to play maybe one day I will be able to pick up one and love what my ears and hands play I enjoy you reviews and everything take care peace

[@timfletch]

Nice, looks sick, I'm totally gonna steal the the chrome washers idea for mine! I have the lunar color and tossed a hetset, pickup rings, and some locking tuners on mine. Explorer shapes are just mah fav =)

[@thelieinbelieve6594]

I'm gonna do the same. Where did you end up putting the battery? That's all I'm worried about, room looks limited in there.

[@lance134679]

I like the replacement pickups - it makes the guitar versatile and able to do different genres. I also would use the Graph-Tech bridge saddles. However, I would use locking tuners instead of keeping the stock ones.

[@superdave2112]

At first, I was thinking the saddles and other bling were kind of a waste of time, but you were spot on! Nice little differences! Now the important part! Pickups! Excellent choice! I have never thought about strings that much. Been using GHS Boomers (.009) since the early 80s. Maybe I will broaden my horizons. Love your videos!

[@Xaltar_]

Exactly what I would have done to that Ghost Fret! AL5 in bridge and AL2 in neck. Love the chrome accents, it really ties it all together with the covered chrome pickups.

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

I'm not normally a fan of the looks at the pointy end of the spectrum of guitars, but the Ghost Fret is in a different league. The shape is spot on; I can't see a single that I'd want to change. Oh, and I found that the micromesh cloths work even better wet than they do dry

[@ericjam6346]

The neck pickup from Phil's buddy has a lot of character and really out shined the stock Chapman pickup. I really liked what happened in clean mode with that pickup. A great pairing with the Stew Mac pickup.

[@stevenpoe5192]

I like that you switch from B&W to color when reviewing old v new pickup sounds.

[@kylesnyder9452]

Loving this video! I bought some random fender bits and built a cheap partscaster to practice/learn tech skills on. Your vids are always entertaining and educational. 👍

[@chuchuchip]

I like the mix & match of the black & chrome. Phil did a better job than the factory designer!

[@rottenhippie8151]

Dude you'ere the man. This is were I go when I want intelligent, thoughtful... insightful commentary to cut through the BS and get down to whats really going on

[@c3920]

Great stuff about fret ends. I just spent a couple of days trying to make an inexpensive Yamaha acoustic's fret ends feel good. I was doing it trial and error with nail files and bastard files but your video has shown me the way! Thank you! Now I know my gear.

[@adriankalebra666]

The clean were way better with the new pickups however I liked the distorted sounds with the original pickups. I think a 81tw and 89 in that would of done more justice for tone. Both splits.

[@kevindu5099]

I love your sharpen my axe videos, your mods are the best. Thanks for teaching me so much!

[@69madcow69]

Crazy how much your channel has grown. Keep up the good work brotha!

[@willshuler7014]

You’re such a great teacher. I knew virtually nothing about guitar repair and now I feel confident enough to attempt my own repairs

[@kirkshuppert6126]

You knocked that one out of the park Phillip!

[@satchmodog2]

Hey Phil. I got mune from Riff city and it had their techs inspect it and set it up and it was perfect. It's one of the best playing guitars I've bought at that 450 price point. I will however have my buddy Joce at Dominger Pickups make me a bucking bull set for the thing. I only wish Rob could hear and play this set on his guitar. But, my original point is, Riff city and Sweetwater don't just ship you a guitar, they inspect the thing. GC deserves the scorn they receive.

[@connoragnewmusic]

It's called "sharpen 'my' axe" because it's a request we're making to you! :)

[@anthonynonya]

Looks 1000% better and the sound is improved just as much too. Great Sharpen episode, already looking forward to the next.

[@jorgiewtf]

I finally got to play some Chapman guitars last night and although they played SUPER smooth (as they were all the pro versions) I felt like the Chapman pickups were just a little thin for me but definitely beyond just playable. I guess coming from a Gibson humbucker background, I’m a bit biased towards a beefier sound. I still recommend checking out a Chapman 100%! The build quality of the pros is totally underrated and way under-priced, at least in my opinion. Every Gibson I’ve ever had to buy has needed an immediate set-up before being even playable and when you’re spending that much money on a guitar, that should never happen! Also, excellent video!

[@SiggySauer123]

"Sharpen My Axe" because it's what we all want you to do for us haha. Sharpen My Axe, Phil!

[@timcastle165]

That guitar looks and sounds GREAT!!! After listening to those pick ups you installed now I’m thinking of doing the same to my PRS SE Custom 24!! Great video!!!! And you are correct the heat shrink is a much better way to go, it protects Bette and it is much neater, the electrical tape is more frustrating to put on and has a tendency to slip which can cause big big problems!!!!!

[@frankhoxsey1177]

While I'm not sold in the pick-ups. You definitely made a huge improvement to the looks.

[@marksadventures3889]

I say, that Chappers is a top chap indeed! Now those are the kind of product suppliers we need; A whole new era of musical instruments is on the rise now - Thomann/Harley Benton, Chapman, Joyo, it's great! Gibson are you paying attention here? This is how you could have your business survive - customer service!

[@overdrivemejimmy6847]

I'm doing my entrance exam in May for an education in lutherie this video was phenomenal 👍

[@snooze0023]

You made that guitar WAY way better. Aesthetically and tonally.

[@KevinPlaysGuitar]

Awesome job! I love the black and chrome hardware. Those new pickup sound amazing!

[@tonybowen455]

That neck pickup sounds amazing.

[@AkiraSpectrum]

looks great and sounds 100x better with those pickups too!

[@Blaze9able]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I learn a lot of things from you.

[@1951kbz]

I'm sharpening my axe while watching you sharpen the Chapman. Installing Ratio tuners on my American Tele.

[@scottestes7768]

I got those pickups in that exact combination on my 1964 Lyle 5102t (es-335 copy) with D'Addario xl strings and it's an amazing combination

[@JenniLudes]

Really digging the tones after the sharpening. Especially the cleans on the neck pickup!

[@TheKiteless]

I first saw you on Marty Schwartz' channel, and it was very interesting. What you did with this Chapman guitar is mind boggling! The transformation is like night and day. Top work, Sir. Top work. Feel free to travel to the UK to transform my Ibanez SA360 into a Dave Gilmour soundalike (I'll even pay for the local hotel costs; you have 3 days max though ;) )

[@grasshopperhawk]

That good friend makes a really good pickup.

[@Rob-rm8yx]

I have a low end Ibanez I feel has a lot of potential to be great. Love these videos helps inspire me to sharpen my own axe. Thanks Phil!!

[@PearlJamaholic]

The deadpan delivery at the beginning was the best.

[@ElDuderino502]

These videos always make me want to go out and buy an bunch of cheap guitars to practice working on. I'm completely inept in this department, but this makes me want to learn.

[@ChadAnthonyTheReaper]

Beautiful split coil sound and looks Great. Awesome job.

[@alexanderlumberjack]

im working on making the cheapest mini pedal board that will still compete with the most expensive pedal board. so it would be nice to see some reviews of dirt cheap(but solid make and sound)pedals. if you could review compressors, phasers and flangers that would be most helpful and i think alot of people would love to see a video about it!

[@GeoFitz4]

On the new neck pick-up, I didn't really like the distorted tones on it. But the clean tones on the neck, both humbucker and split, were sweet. Really loved how that sounded.

[@williamolsen20]

I just started using StringJoy strings, and I really like them, just putting it out there if you are interested in some good strings. The are more expensive but I feel they are worth it.

[@DemysMusic]

18:30 , nice Slash inspired little lick👌

[@micheltaillon5833]

i'm a die hard fan of charvel for over than 20 years, i'd really appreciate a review on the recent t models 7 strings since the retailers don't have it in stock in my area. thx Phil and i love your work!

[@GWPerry]

I'm really liking the Sharpen My Ax episodes I think this one was the best so far. good job

[@LarryMar]

I am very picky about how my hardware matches up to the "theme" of the guitar. Love that you added the bling into the "murdered-out" look to make consistent. And I hate fret sprout - loved your vids on it!

[@brettfettbeargaming]

Someone may have already have pointed this out buuuut...Chapman's '17 updated range moves away from using rosewood as much as possible. They were replaced with macassar ebony in the standard range models not using maple

[@Zelomeisterdude]

Great job Phil. I think the guitar looks much nicer and looks like a much more expensive guitar. I think the contrast of the chrome saddles and PU covers really enhances the red/black top.

[@erictaylor2819]

Honestly liked the black tuners better. Thanks for showing that fret work!

[@AXPena]

I think your aesthetic choices made the guitar look way cooler! Great job as always!

[@christophercloudstrider5877]

Wow! That is one cool and unique guitar. It sounds great too.

[@3kil0w4tt]

Thank you, Phil, for your breakdown of how you deal with the "fret sprout" issue...my very inexpensive Strat-copy sounds awesome, but has this problem and I've been wondering the best approach to fixing it...and now I know how !!!! By the way, I've loved the "Sharpen My Axe" Series (?) since the very beginning and this episode may be the best one so far. Thanks again !!!

[@mylemonblue3070]

If I had money. I'd buy one of those and pay you to do the same thing to it...again. I love that look and sound!

[@Acroanidd]

That looks really awesome, the only thing different I would do is chrome volume / tone knobs but even in black it's bad ass.

[@darymetal]

I am gonna be honest, i LOVE the clean sound, and the split coil sounds orgasmic....However, in my honest opinion, i think the distorted sound isn't quite where it should be, and most importantly, those pickups don't seem to go well with the general design of the guitar. Those are *amazing* pickups don't get me wrong, just not for that guitar maybe. If you ask me, that guitar was born to house Bare Knuckles

[@Mr.Goldbar]

Instead of making the bridge pickup not being able to split, I would consider making every pickup being able to split individualy with two push pull pots, It makes it more versatile in my opinon. Michael Kelly guitars also have them

[@juvenromero3715]

Those paf style pickups really made the guitar sound big and full. It sounded a bit "anemic" as you like to say from time to time with the old ones. As always great content and great tips!

[@FangPaw]

Rather than the coil-tap, I'd have wired the p/up with series/parallel switching. Sounds very similar, but without the hum. BTW, I though the new p/ups sounded better both clean and distorted. Great choice! I used to go for really hot p/ups, but these days, I think lower output p/ups have more dynamic range and more top-end sparkle - and you can always use a linear or treble booster if they're not hot enough.

[@Joe_whatuknow]

Phil - A perfect axe for you to sharpen would be a Fender Modern Player Telecaster! They are the cheapest guitars made under the name Fender and with the humbucker and two single coils it can do so much! My friend left one with me a year ago because he was going to Korea for 2 years. Something about the electronics in it make it play terribly. Every time you switch pickups it's like you've got to adjust the volume and eq on your amp to get that one to sound good. I'd love some suggestions on how to improve this guitar, I want to give it back to him better than he left it. You can buy them used for 250-300 bucks. I think alot of people would enjoy getting one for a project guitar.

[@michaelmitchell5909]

Wow what a difference in those pickups!... Man!.... That guys getting a bad ass guitar!... Love the black and chrome cosmetics too!... Great job brother!

[@gorilladesperado9015]

I was skeptical when you said you are going to match the black and silver motif in the tuners, but man! those actually look really good, and I had no idea you could swap parts like that. This is why I love this channel. Quick question, though: Where do I get a good friend to custom wire a neck pickup like that? (okay, is there some off the rack solution that is close-ish?)

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

That was a very nice sharpening. You have given me some great ideas. Thanks!

[@blacksnowman6045]

Man, I kinda regret not making an offer on it now. I love the sound of that pickup/string combo.

[@chuchuchip]

I can't get over how Phil always picks the right pup for the guitar he's working on.

[@resington]

Best series on KZbin.

[@stevenborrowman9282]

Playing snuff on the new neck coil split was rad!

[@TomsGreenMind]

Definite improvement with the pickups. Personally I would have gone chrome tuners with black washers and tuning keys. Small difference but I think that would fit better IMO.

[@thedondeluxe6941]

Looks great with the added chrome!

[@roopher2]

Nice job Phil, love the black/chrome look you went for.

[@brandonclark7867]

Simply amazing dude! Fantastic choices for the mods! Looks and sounds killer! You’re the man, Phil! Keep rockin’!

[@mrscott99]

cool video, not sure if someone mentioned this but the bridge pickup is actually a single conductor.

[@zibbezabba2491]

Nice job. Love the chrome bits but I would have changed out the vol/tone knobs for chrome too

[@SanAndFe]

Nice job on the aesthetics it looks a lot better with the upgrades, but that sound, wow. Talk about chalk and cheese, that sounded fantastic after your pickup changes. 👍🏻

[@finaljesus]

i like the stock bridge better then the golden age from stew mac for the playing demo at the end it just sounds cleaner and much nicer to me cool guitar too i like it and as always love you’re channel and this video Phil

[@DanCooz323]

This one came out killer, Phil! Keep up the awesome work! I'm loving this series!

[@visionofconfrontation8145]

Just installed new pickups in my LP copy aswel, also alnico 5 bridge and 2 in the neck Good job on that ghostfret Love that slash riff of no more heroes

[@a456987]

Love the neck pickup, especially in coil splir

[@kamesjey]

My favourite of the pickups were the Chapman bridge pickup and the new neck pickup