Chapman ML1 Review - Original Vs Reissue
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Today I take an in-depth look and review and demo two Chapman ML1's. A Chinese original and a Korean reissue.
Gear used
Strymon Sunset
Boss DD500 (in the loop)
Victory Kraken
Zilla Super Fatboy cab (Celestion G12 K100's)
Close mic'd with a SubZero (SM57 clone)
Voice over mic Thomann the t.bone SC 400
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Music used in this video
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Nearly bought a Chapman last year. Went with a Jackson instead thankfully
Close call, sir. Glad you're safe now!
I played one in a guitar center once. It was god awful, it just felt cheap and I owned a js32 king v at the time. I had never had that king v set up and it still felt better in my hands than the Chapman. That was 3 years ago, I’ve owned a few more guitars since. I recently tried another Chapman at a guitar center and came to the same conclusion. It’s amazing to me how a brand can not get ANY better over a period of years and somehow find it logical to RAISE their price tags.
I tried a few of Chapmans guitars… it somehow felt cheap to me. Heavy (weight wise) and cheap.
Hey, i know im a few years late and was just about to buy a new ML1. Im literally looking for my first guitar up to the £400 price point and was recommended the ML1 but after seeing your comment and a few others I'm sort of reconsidering it. May I ask what the issue with chapman is and what else you would consider?
Man I can't believe Rob talked shit about your guitar playing this shit's great
Lmao right? Im glad i took the time to actually look him up instead of blindly following..
Yeah I caught that too,he's very good indeed and I find his videos very interesting.
@@TheDunateen77 In what video did Rob shit on him about his playing?
Alexis Gutierrez Robs video about the truth thing of his business. IMO hes better player then Rob
Denis& Litisha That’s a stretch. The kids decent but basically stuck to a fast paced scale in the same section. Hating Rob doesn’t factually make him a bad guitarist.
and chappers said you couldn't play guitar XD. good little review.
chappers is a handicap
@T D In his "My Truth" video, near the end iirc
Chapters also won’t do a scale run without excessive string muting to hide the mistakes
Dude you are 10 times the player Rob is. I cant believe he would even go there. Egos know no bounds apparently.
For a second i thought you meant rob scallon and i got real fucked for a second
Most overrated brand of guitars ever... just buy an LTD, similar components, higher residual value.... word 👍
MUCH higher residual value I'd say.
Unless it takes a dive off a guitar stand like my LTD did and split the headstock at the high E and B string. The Edwards guitars of the eighties were so much better
Shawn Rurodenm My MH-300 took a dive onto a carpeted floor from a stand and the neck broke. It was fixable and my repair guy did such a good job that you can barely tell there was a break, but still...And my Les Paul Custom had a classic headstock snap from a similar incident, but everyone expects that from a LP. That guitar was never the same afterward, even with a pro repair job, and it killed the resale value.
Gibson headstocks were pretty notorious for being a puss. I found the early 80s lawsuit Ibanez LP with simple modifications to be equal in playability and sound to a lot of late 80s early 90s genuine Gibson LPs and would handle actually abusive environments . God knows I miss that tobacco Burst axe.
truth. ESP LTD is the shit
please don't get too discouraged of this shitstorm, there are still many people who see reason
I recently bought a chapman guitar last year, first time...
Will probably be the last time. :(
PinkTaco Tuttle The company owner, Rob Chapman, is a complete egotistical jackass who picks on smaller creators and insults all who dare oppose him, even going so far as to direct his fans to attack the naysayers.
@@CC-ks3tj Sounds LIKE Stevie T!
I was initially following Chapman, then saw "his truth"... and thought you were the bad guy. But HECK NO your audit is 100% legit, you are a super nice player and your honesty is great. Keep doing awesome reviews and breaking the BS "big channels" try to make us believe in !
Andertons should get you on, doing gear reviews.
I am never buying a Chapman, ever
When you get sub $500 meh. I picked up a 70's Hondo Mustang competition copy that plays and sounds better than the $400-$500 MIM Mustang and as good as the $1k one. It is used and vintage and as dude says, used is way to go.
Buy a used one for cheap (there are loads), so he won't get the money. Then sand off the logos if it bothers you.
Cool man!
A lot of decent Schecter, LTD and Ibanez in that price range, even a more traditional ones like Squier and Epiphone. So it doesn't make any sense, at least financially, to get one. You get better resale value too.
@@flashaxl but like why would you buy a guitar solely based on resale value...?
Just another run of the mill guitar. There's nothing at all wrong with it. There's just nothing special about. It does that have a "some guy built it in his garage" look about it, though.
Reverse Headstocks,how innovative......NOT
I like the look of some Chapman tele types but I just don't think I can buy anything Rob Chapman related
With that much gain all guitars sound the same.
I would never buy one regardless of how good they are. Wouldn't even take one for free. I can't stand Rob Chapman.
" I like the Wilkinson trems because they stay in tune" hits it once and guitar goes out of tune. Chapman's are pretty much junk guitars. Rob was just trying to cash in on his internet fame. That guy could be selling vintage strats for $250 and I'd pass. You will find I disagree with you upon occasion but I love your channel.
what's with the dislikes. your playing got me energized. damn, sweet
chapman made 400 sock accounts lol
I'd advise against buying these guitars. Try a Yamaha. It has better parts and build quality for the same price.
Yahama budget instruments are amazing. My grandma started me out on a Pacifica in 2004 and it's still one of my favourite guitars, although at this point the frets would benefit from being redressed. I also upgraded the pickups over the years, because I just like playing it so much!
@@tobiasboh3370 I agree. I have the Pacifica 611 and I don't need a more expensive guitar because this one's awesome.
Anything from Chappers is gonna smell! (Like his stinky old dreads!)
Thankyou kdh your demo was a real treat not like robs were he is just more of the same.
I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE ANDERTONS CHANNEL SINCE THE "NEW WAREHOUSE VIDEO" AND ALWAYS THOUGT ROB WAS SLOPPY AND HAD POOR TONE. I'M GLAD HE LEFT THE CHANNEL AND DANISH PETE TOOK OVER. AS FOR HIS GUITARS, I'VE NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO PLAY ONE BUT THEY HAVE A VERY GENERIC DESIGN LANGUAGE IMO.
The Abasi thing aged pretty poorly. They parted ways with Frank who was responsible for the early builds iirc after a huge money related issue on his part.
Their builds have been amazing since that whole fiasco since they have a new team and there’s even a version built by Japanese luthiers.
I'd been out of the loop and wasn't even aware of their QC issues. But, good on them for clearing it up. However, (and this is purely subjective and just my opinion), that body shape is ugly as hell. I get the whole "prog", unique style choice, and the aesthetic does fit his style, but every time I see them, my face scrunches up a bit. Lol
@@ThursdayMonkey475 that shit aint prog, Tosin just doesnt know how to keep time so he calls it "prog" to get away with his mistakes.
暗黒騎士 Ankokukishi
lmao what. I’m pretty sure Tosin could keep time in 4/4. Almost anyone can. The way AAL’s music is written is certainly intentional.
Or maybe that was bait. But w/e
@dafuq wut Uhh stuff with Frank Falbo not being able to meet deadlines, not meeting QC requirements for customer built guitars, and then on top of that all, embezzling 15,000 dollars (with documentation showing that twice as much was missing). All the outstanding builds had to be completed by a Japanese luthier team which essentially took a huge hit on Abasi Guitars financially (probably why they couldn't produce guitars for a while).
Now Frank is offering a guitar model in his line which Abasi Guitars claims is just reworked CAD files from the Larada (which would make sense as Frank was the one building the original Laradas). Prior to that, Frank never built a headless, ERG, multiscale guitar for his customers apparently.
@@ThursdayMonkey475 finally. Damn every time I see the body I feel ill. Not a fan of headless guitars either. A abasi guitars are the pinnacle of ugly in my eyes.
I was slightly interested then the original came out. I like the idea of getting a well-priced guitar and speccing it myself. However, the main thing that put me off is the massive signature on the headstock. Perhaps Chapman fans like this. For me, he is a YT player, and I couldn't even hum a single one of his songs (and I have tried listening). He's just not a famous player, he's a famous demonstrator of gear in the fairly niche spectrum of 'guys who like guitars'. He's actually quite good at that, but I just couldn't have his name scrawled all over my guitar. I'd have preferred sending him my own 'autograph' and just having 'Chapman Guitars' underneath in the current font. This would have made it fully customisable, may have inspired a purchase for me, and would look less like a vanity project for somebody who just isn't a recognised player. No matter what he says, he is primarily a YT character. Obviously his reputation has taken a hit in the last couple of years, but even so. Lose the signature and I'll be far more likely to try one out. Or just make is simpler and much smaller. Leo Fender and Les Paul didn't put a huge signature on their axes!
That intro makes me feel the necessity of an Abasi guitar review by you, or and audit
Pretty sure Abasi guitars is doing pretty well...
Awesome playing,,but personally I wouldn't buy anything from china no matter what it was.
That Abasi guitar was bad! Ouch.
Great and informative comparison review.
Hopefully you will get the chance to do more videos like this and maybe DØV and others will help you grow.
You got another subscriber.
(Skip the sunglasses though.)
How about a full video explaining the abasi concepts quality control issues?
I would be interested in that too. Tosin Abasi seems by all accounts like a decent person (who is even more widely appreciated than I previously thought, he did a nice quarantine performance with Gilad Hekselman the other day). I wonder how he and his company handle that kind of issue.
Ya abasi guitars seem like decent guitars by an amazing artist- but if they have qc issues id love to see that
yeah ill avoid chapman alltogether, stick with what i know, schecter, legator, strandberg and fender. everyone makes a good guitar (er almost everyone) just a matter of personal aesthetic and what kind of sound you want. ive owned jacksons, epiphones (higher and lower end) esp etc. they all offer something good i struggle to see what chapman offers (solar on the other hand i would totally buy especially after seeing the reasonable prices on most models)
Schecter is chad
@@adwitatherealadwita having that opinion is chad. we cant all afford strandbergs or aristides
@@adwitatherealadwita oh but playing a synyster gates model is totally chadwick. but thats true of anyone who plays a sig that isnt their own.
Why on earth would a brand make its guitars with the intention of having players swap out its parts? Isn’t the point of selling a product to make it as good as possible for when a customer buys it?
Not when customers want champagne parts for lemonade prices
I discovered your site by accident. I love your objective take on a guitar. I have a very small company :-) LENARD Re-Inventions and although my prototype has been finished for a few months the Chinese government has locked the small warehouse where my guitar is by the airport because of C19 There is virtually no apparent time frame to reopen it. My guitars are deliberately niche market. I wish to make guitars where an equivalent does not exist. My first is the The LENARD F-4G. I found that many die hard Gibson players wanted a good quality reasonably priced guitar that would give them the classic Fender sounds of a Strat and Tele but with the neck specs of a Gibson. They wanted it to have a Fender vibe but NOT be an obvious clone. By using info from Leo Fenders notes and sketches from 1951 and 1952 I came up with what a Strat may have looked like if it came out then instead of 1954. The rear half of the body is Tele and the forward half has an upper horn spec from the 1951 P.Bass. The lower half suggests a Jazzmaster not actually used for years but it was in the cards. Players loved the Tele bridge PU from it's earliest days but Leo and was considered a keeper. Leo was already working on what became a Strat PU that would likely have been used for the bridge. He had already come up with the 6 saddle hardtail bridge. In short it looks Fender because it is ...but it is not a clone. Please checkout my Blog ....The Second Best Guitar on the Planet. Thanx. :-) I tell the whole story and have drawings and photos of the guitar.
Who asked?
@@jihamiya5755 You did but you are not very specific?
Rid myself of my Chapman and purchased a Dunable instead. Best trade up I ever made.
Mahogany is a fairly light wood...(compared to other comon "tonewoods") So what they are realy using........
Huge fan of your channel. Super objective and entertaining. I went to gc last Saturday to buy a good ol guitar . I knew of the chapman controversies and the lack of quality recently but man I've never ever been so disappointed so quick. The 24 inch scale squier super sonic paranormal I got ended up not only having fit and finish as well as meaner pick ups it was 150 less. Constantly see people shilling so hard on these
This is great content. I think there is definite value added to the RUclips guitar community here.
I’m not a fan of the content-cop style stuff, this is much better. I’d definitely watch more of your stuff like this.
Nice playing man!
I’ve played a few of those. ... worst guitars ever! Even the cheapest Epiphone and squires are better than Chapman guitars.......
My mate sold his Chapman as he said he'd become a figure of ridicule..... ambiguous, who is the "figure" in question?
I bought a Chapman ML1 and it was awful. I sent it back and one of Anderton's technicians said it was an awful setup with a neck that had never been treated properly and was so dried out it was unusable. It came back and it was slightly better. Thirteen months later the pickup selector switch stopped working. As I'd hardly played it I asked them for a replacement switch and they told me they couldn't help. I bought a replacement and sold the guitar on ebay and will never buy another product from the company.
This was a guitar I bought in 2014. price paid TOTAL: £398.98. The money would have been better spent on a Squier Classic Vibe Strat. Now in 2021 I've bought myself a Fender FSR American Performer Strat Olympic White for my 60th birthday. I should have bought one 20 years ago as I can't put it down.
KDH any tips on how to learn how to play with that kind of speed? I’m a self taught, intermediate player. I really don’t know much and have no idea where to start.
I literally pulled my back on a Korean Chapman ML1 due to the weight of it while standing up after adjusting my pedalboard.
No super strat should weigh 10lbs...
Really appreciate this comparative review style, we hear "it's a great guitar" all the time but that's meaningless because a modern Squier Strat "is a great guitar" and a Fender Custom Shop Strat "is a great guitar" too. Direct comparisons of similarities and differences is so much more informative than a review in a bubble.
Hey man, don’t get too discouraged by that shit head. You’ll get through it and he’ll get what he deserves.
Mate! The negative logic click bait shit is kinda Breaking the “Don’t be a Dick” rule.
On yae go big man! Rob ain't saying shit about your playing now!! 😂😂 👏👏
Taylor Donna Moore Daniel Allen Betty
I like your channel and your videos so far. Thumbs up for every video I watch.
So Chapman is a Harley Benton with a different name?
Split the difference and avoid that trash.
Bought a Chapman ML3 in 2016 and there were fret level issues right out of the box :(
Abasi guitars are fucking puke worthy
Almost pulled the trigger on a Chapman last week, but decided to buy a sterling instead. Pretty glad I changed my mind
Has your video been taken down ripping into 'Robert El Chapo' 'Chappers' 'Chap-door-run' Chapman?
He took it down because of an onslaught of shitty chapman fans threatening him.
It's on Døvydas' channel.
honestly I played a bunch of these and they were all shit to be honest. The only reason I got wind of him being such a dishonest person was because I was wondering what they've recently released. ooooh boi ... I am SURE AS SHIT not going to buy one NOW. xD
Nice skills, KDH! Like your reviews, pretty honest and fair. Chappers has lots of enthusiasm to bring to market new products, not all snake skin oil sales; but hey...we all need to make a 💰
Nah we all gotta make a 💵. Some people try and get 💰, and in the process lose what 💵 they had and/or their morality. In rare cases people get there without losing either.
I almost bought a Chapman, but the frets were incredibly sharp for a 500 dollar guitar
I went with an LTD instead
BEST DECISION EVER
You took down the Chapman and Fricker "Audio Audit" videos. Couldn't take the heat, huh?
@Bigboss1992 Why are you instantly on Robert's case for asking a simple question? There is no substance to this douche's content and him deleting it proves that. Can't wait for my ML3 Pro Modern to get here! Thanks for all the content RGD!
Bigboss1992 I actually asked that question because I genuinely wanted to see the video and hear what he had to say. Surely there some sort of reference to back up the outlandish claims that he was making towards Rob, right?
Wouldn’t it be better to review a brand new one?
Wouldn't it be better to review something that you didn't shit on their company owner and then back track severely?
@@9childofburningtime9 all his points have since been proven and evidenced.
i had a chapman ml-1 pro a few years back. was really heavy and clunky, walnut top was a really thin veneer, and the thing would not stay in tune worth beans. Was damn near $1000 brand new and i couldnt wait to sell the damn thing.
Hey KDH, keep up the great content. I subbed after your audio audit, You're doing gods work
Respect bro, keep it up! Sick playing!
Amp and guitar combos sound great together. You can shred really well man.
Hey you removed your Rob Chapman exposed video, so I'll unsubscribe now,see ya
Apparently he had death threats sent
Thank god you left.
Bob Jones oh bob Jones. Please come back. He doesn't know what to do with out you. Please bob. He's sorry. Oh bob Jones, where did ya go? Where did ya go?
Maaaaaaaaaaaaan! Rob talked shit about your guitar playing?! Damn
It’s generally a good rule of thumb to actually be in tune for your demos
Bought a korean one online.
Pros: Awesome specs (10years ago); Sounds decent (but not great))
Really reliable on stage and studio, easy to play
Cons: HEAVY as hell, sharp frets, poor building quality, parts fixation. Needed some work and adjustment.
Not the worst, not the best...
I think the kid can play!
Great video dude, I've subbed, don't let the keyboard warriors stop you, you have a great channel here
I have the Korean ml1 and totally agree on your points.
1. Very heavy body
2. I changed my pick ups to iron gear because neck and bridge originals where crap. Simple
3 . Slight marks on the neck and lack q.c too but I love the guitar and that all it matters to me. Great video
What is the original abasi guitar video or was that you?
rip his exposed videos
So sad
You do great reviews brother
The only Chapman model that ever appealed to me was the CAP10 America, mainly because it came loaded with Seymour Duncan's.
have a first edition ML1 Pro, great spec, sounds decent, similar mass to a small elephant. Wierdly though recently purchased a squire John5 tele and can't put it down???? That's guitars for ya!
Keep her lit!
Put the videos back if possible. We stand behind you! The most interesting of the guitar shit talk this year.
why the dislikes? this review is great!
bc the sad Chapman horde
Last I seen Abasi guitars were doing just fine.
@Russian Account They don't have "stock" guitars anymore they're made to order.
@Russian Account very good point theres only a small handful that in existence that i'm aware of and only found their way to popular people. The rest are left waiting...
@Russian Account I don't know about that, I'm just saying that they haven't went under a a company yet.
I have the Korean one from 2013 ,they're amazing guitars I got my second hand and it's one of the best buys I've ever done
PLEASE do a vid on the abasi/falbo fiasco
Ubermax I’ve thought about doing one but I don’t think the story’s over just yet.
I want to wait until it’s either a success story or a train wreck.
I doubt I’ll have to wait long to find out.
Fiasco? How so? Seems rad for what it is...
Em B lol
From what I’ve heard
they took preorders and didn’t deliver most of the guitars, and the ones that were delivered had qc problems. Then there was a big law suit between Abasi and the luthier Falbo.
Abasi then switched luthiers to Grover Jackson. Apparently there’s been problems there as well.
There’s also a whole thing about a version of the guitars being built in Japan for the Japanese market and they’re readily available where people who preordered months and even years ago still haven’t got theirs, and when they try and contact the company they are ignored.
By the way, those are not real USA grover tuners but chinese made grovers. You can see the difference in the washers on the headstock. real grovers have a kinda roundend nuts (lol) while chinese grovers have a normal, perfectly square nut.
bully guitar brand
I was wondering if you have reviewed any of them latest premium chapman guitars, I'm thinking bout the new ml3 pro bea, I like that you review the chapman guitars
Unbiassed review despite scathing chappers vids. +1 credibility.
Never played a chapman. would be curious to try but they do seem to have very quickly escalated in price.
You'd be hard pushed to beat the higher spec Harley Bentons on value though.
I'm continually impressed by my Roswell equipped prs copy.
I'm not a heavy player but im loving the tones you are getting.. Got some appetite for destruction kinda vibes to me.
Dude that abasi telecaster thing idk 🤮 am I too Boomer for that shit ? I don't see the appeal
I've never heard of these guitars, and I touch guitars for a living. All I see and hear is deforestation and contributions to holes in the o-zone layer. Garbage.
I was close to getting a Rob Scallon RS6, for the through neck, hard tail, and ash wings. But they were often sold out. I didn't like the new colour with the black and brown so that was that. And that is a discontinued model now.
I had a Korean one for a bit, what i found most interesting about the guitar was the big amount of different pickup configurations, using the push-pull pot. I assume the older chinese one had that too?
Holy sh^t dude you're insane. Awesome shredding man 🤘🤘🤘
What happened to the other videos?
From what I saw / was told by another person who spoke with him, he was receiving lots of threats from people, so he took them down.
@@DroneShotFPV I'm sorry to hear that. As bad as it is that the other part received threats back in the day, this is equally sad. Especially if it comes from people who say that threats are not cool. Not to disregard anybody's work, but I thought that some of the points raised in both videos were interesting in terms of creating the feeling that anyone can be scrutinised and criticised. It should help people be a bit more cautious about what and how they say and do it. I hope he is well.
@@coloneltrumpman While I might not agree with KDH's claims, and think that some of the (again, my personal opinion) claims are more speculation than fact, I do have to say that threatening someone is not cool, ever. It's childish and the "mob mentality" of most RUclips threads from fans of almost everything. Now, I do have to say though, Rob never once mentioned KDH's name, and chose not to name him for a few reasons, but it didn't take long for viewers to find him and then post his links. The internet can be SO toxic sometimes!
@@DroneShotFPV I agree!. It looks like everything got quickly out of hand for both of them in both cases by the sound of it. The real danger here is the stupid reactions of some people in both cases more than the actual claims. Bullying is the shittiest attitude of the shittiest people.
I feel that some of the points addressed on the videos (product independent reviews vs paid publicity demos, or how public people conduct themselves when it comes to money donated by followers for example) were interesting general points to open an intelligent and civilized debate without being necessarily addressed to anybody in particular. At least viewers and followers would have a clearer idea of where they put their money and why. Unfortunately, some people tend to react in very stupid ways 😔
coloneltrumpman Sadly that’s how the world works. It’s Tibet monks trying to go to war with the US marines.
Have you ever played an abasi.... one of the best guitars I’ve ever played
I actually dig the Abasi guitars they are different sure but I mean they aren’t for everyone
You keep bending out of pitch on your vibrato.
Holy fuck, thats some playing!
I think the ML-1 Pro (also Korean-made) with the Walnut top and the Seymour Duncans was a great guitar. Bought it used and I love it. The newer models are kinda shite though
Reverse headstock equals firewood!
Reverse headstock = awesome!
Reverse headstock is AWESOME. Higher tension (read Brighter, more defined) low strings with lower tension (read warmer, easier to bend) high strings. Plus, Hendrix... nuff said.
@@soylentkris well said also.
Why? I’ve built many of my strats and do so with reverse headstocks intentionally. It’s a more logical redistribution of string tension...lighter strings are easier to bend and thicker strings are easier to intonate with power chords and double stops. All of that aside, why do reverse headstocks = firewood in your estimation? I’m curious to know...
@@manifestgtr Well, Jimi Hendrix did light his on fire so....
hey bud new sub here i like your videos .just watched the rob chapman and glen fricker videos. i love the fact that you can play guitar well and your transperancy is outstanding ty,cheers from calgary alberta canada.
I picked up a Chapman ML 2 at a used shop and it plays like a dream
The Korean one sounds more trebly, almost tinny.
I preferred the rhythm on the original but the lead on the newer one.
I own one of the original chinese ML1s. It sounds great, that bridge pickup is killer,. However, it is obscenely heavy as you say and i had to change the killswitch pot after it broke.
Forget the guitars bro, that amp and cab combo are sounding killer!