What is this mangled Telecaster we see before us? There’s a whiff of the Wild West about the guitar’s name, which suits the Telecaster-derived style – or the ML3 in Chapman terminology – but this is a thoroughly modern take.
Just check out its reversed headstock, jumbo stainless-steel frets, glow-in-the dark side dots (a must for a modern ‘progressive’ guitar, it seems), along with direct-mount pickups and black-plated hardware.
While it’s a pretty standard T-shape bolt-on, with Strat-like front and back contours and a nicely relieved and shaped heel, the neck is solid Indian rosewood. It’s pretty unusual for the style, and here is quarter-sawn and quite stripy in appearance. The solid alder body, meanwhile, gets what looks like a thin maple cap with a figured maple facing.
The finish is all satin, a very original-looking green/brown ’burst to the front; the back and sides are black. And while it’s also available as a 711mm (28-inch) baritone, our Law Maker uses a regular Fender scale with a 350mm (13.78‑inch) fingerboard radius.
That black-plated hardware is good, too. The Hipshot Grip-Lock 18:1 ratio locking tuners are a nice upmarket touch, and the no-name through-strung bridge is actually modelled on a Hipshot design. But either way, it’s very tidy and the height-adjustment screws sit well into the saddles. There’s an equally neat Electrosocket-style output jack plate on the body edge, and large gig-ready Dunlop Straplok buttons.
The pickups and circuit continue the modern themes: a covered Seymour Duncan Alternative 8 at the bridge with a Little ’59 mini-humbucker in the neck slot are paired with a simple master volume/master tone, plus five-way lever pickup selector (all rear-mounted), which offers bridge humbucker, bridge humbucker plus inner coil of neck, both humbuckers, neck humbucker with bridge inner coil, and neck humbucker.
Overall, it’s a very clean build. To be picky, where the maple edge ‘binding’ flows into the black painted chamber on the top horn it does look a little unconsidered, and the unfinished pickup routes – though very cleanly done – don’t quite suit the super-detailed vibe of the overall instrument. Very minor quibbles.
Feel & Sounds
The pretty unique look of the finish is a bit of a curveball because, actually, the Law Maker feels very much the modern rock tool with few, if any, surprises. It’s not a trendy featherweight guitar, but you can’t complain about the regular 3.44kg (7.58lb) bulk, and obviously those body contours lose some of the original’s slab feel.
In playing position, that lightly back-angled and reversed headstock looks overlong, like the low E-string. It is slightly longer than a classic T-style headstock, but only by a few millimetres.
But the fretwork is excellent: the wire gauge is big (2.7mm wide by 1.47mm high) with plenty of height for ultra-smooth bends, the ends are really well fettled, and there’s some pretty heavy fingerboard edge-rolling.
It’s all sounding roosty and nicely funky with those three mixes, but then it’s ‘Hello Wembley!’ as we engage the bridge
If the style suggests an ultra-slim ‘shredder’s’ neck, it’s not the reality. Classed as a ‘C’, it could just as easily be called a ‘D’ because the shoulders are quite full, giving a slightly bigger feel than the dimensions suggest (21.4mm at the 1st fret and 23mm by the 12th).
We’re not complaining; it feels very good in the hand. The slightly textured but slinky neck back has a light sealing finish to keep it looking fresh in-store and feels much more upmarket than the price suggests. The setup as supplied was as good as the overall build, and after a bit of minor string stretching it’s very in tune and stable, with virtually zero neck-flex.
Plugged in, we have a pretty thick and woody humbucker voice at the neck that’s immediately brightened by the snappier, more single-coil sounds of the position 4 mix. That’s thickened but still with a little edge in position 3, then thinned very slightly and single coil-y sounding in position 2.
It’s all sounding roosty and nicely funky with those three mixes, but then it’s ‘Hello Wembley!’ as we engage the bridge. Hold on to your hat: this is thick midrange power with a clear high-end. It’s really quite a ride. You might well stick on that bridge pickup. And it cleans up very well with the volume control, too; you could easily use that to ride your rhythm and lead levels.
The overall playability and the fast response just make it a pleasure, not least in higher positions where we’d wager the all-rosewood neck is adding to the firm response. Wow!
Verdict
It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a production-level Chapman guitar in our hands, and based on this one we’ll be back for more.
This is a very classy T-style in both concept and build. The unique colour might not have the huge appeal that the guitar deserves (there are others coming, we’re told), but the actual build is well on par with the likes of PRS’s SE models and Yamaha’s current Revstar and Pacificas.
The Indian rosewood neck is a real boutique or custom shop-like addition, which, in combination with the very detailed fretwork, makes us question the price point. Add in those Seymour Duncans and you begin to think, all in, this is a little under-priced.
Sound-wise, it might be voiced for gain, but the split-coil options on the five-way add some cleaner-aimed sounds and there are plenty of lower-powered pickups that can be easily swapped in. Overall, it’s a pretty resonant, lively instrument that could be taken in numerous directions.
Specs
- PRICE: $1,349 / £1,099 (inc gigbag)
- ORIGIN: India
- TYPE: Single-cutaway, solidbody electric guitar
- BODY: Alder w/ flame maple ‘drop’ top
- NECK: rosewood, ‘C’ profile, bolt-on
- SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
- NUT/WIDTH: Black Tusq XL/42.1mm
- FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, ‘Infinity’ 12th fret inlay, 350 (13.78”) radius, glow-in-the-dark side dots
- FRETS: 22, jumbo stainless steel
- HARDWARE: Chapman string through hardtail bridge; Hipshot Grip-Lock 18:1 ratio locking tuners – black-plated
- STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
- ELECTRICS: Seymour Duncan Alternative 8 Trembucker covered (bridge) and Little ’59 humbucker (neck), 5-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume and tone
- WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.44/7.58
- OPTIONS: No, but it is available as a baritone
- LEFT HANDERS: Not currently
- FINISH: Forest Moss Green (as reviewed); other colours to follow
- CONTACT: Chapman Guitars
