Rob Chapman is a guitar wizardoso and a creator of very nice, especially for the price, guitars. Recently my cohort Trey Xavier took the ML-1 and ML-2 models for a spin, clad in full Chapman regalia, and had some very kind words for the instruments.
Chapman keeps the quality of the materials high and the cost low by manufacturing at World Musical Instrument Co. Ltd. in Incheon, South Korea. This is the same factory that numerous other companies outsource their work to, including Schecter. Rob recently took a tour of the factory and caught the whole trip on video. So if you want to see how the sausage is made, or at least the guitars that your stupid sausage fingers flap across, this is a rare, savory treat.
Like Rob, I find it fascinating that it’s mostly women, and often families, on the production line. There’s also a neat moment when he gets his hands on the Schecter Keith Merrow prototype, because Keith and Rob had previously worked with each other before Keith signed with Schecter. Between the two videos there’s a good TV show’s worth of behind-the-scenes footage, so I hope you brought snacks.
