The Ugly Guitar Truth: Rob Chapman

I assume my experience with Rob Chapman is about the same as many others. I was watching YouTube and noticed a video, probably about a guitar pedal, and decided to watch. A charming British man proceeded to shred and turn knobs for a few minutes. Some time passed and I had watched countless videos featuring Rob, Lee and many others. These videos were entertaining and informative. I still watch Rob's and Anderton's videos from time to time, so when I noticed that Rob had produced a response video addressing some other video that made some claims I was surprised.

Chapman Guitars had held quite a lot of appeal. I had seen and heard loads about them simply because I watched a lot of early Andertons videos that feature Chapman and Victory frequently. So when I finally got a chance to play one at an LGS I was excited and then somewhat disappointed. The instrument was completely playable, but it didn't do anything for me. I'm glad I was able to pick up and play one as I had considered buying one online a number of times. The fit and finish were fine, but the guitar didn't suit me. Oh well, I guess I'll just buy another Tele then. Since then, I've been able to play a number of Chapman Guitars. They're fine. I think that CG did help innovate the market. That or CG was small and nimble enough to adopt trends closer to real-time. I don't really want to do a review or anything here, but I have played a single-cut, double-cut, and Ghost Fret model. They were all fine.

In the simplest terms, I think Chapman is dealing with YouTube drama. I've noticed an uptick in video essays that expose people. It easier now to complain and rail against someone/something than it is to support. I understand that some complaints may be legitimate, but someone's misstep is hardly a reason to create a 20-minute rant about that person. I mean, I rant about a pedal that I don't like but that's different, somehow. I think a lot of the attention that Chapman is getting is because he is a large YouTuber. If you mention a large channel in a video then the all-mighty algorithm might put you in front of the large YouTuber's audience, thus increasing your audience. It's people trying to game the system and faking outrage. Honestly, it's preying on peoples' naivety. The only part of the drama that I think is the least bit concerning is that these established, adult people are responding to it. Maybe they were having a slow day and couldn't think about anything else to make content about, but people who own businesses and hold hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars worth of assets respond to people saying something about them online. It saddens me that we as people aren't better than this.

Is Chappers in the right? Well, that's a simple question with a complicated answer. You have to get specific about what it is your talking about. Did he send his audience to go harass people online? No. He didn't tell them not to, but that in no way means that he endorsed or implied that they should. People are going to people. Unfortunately, that means that they abuse their perceived anonymity and say something that is wholly unacceptable. Did he cause Riff City to go under? No. My LGS closed after decades of business. I was sad, but it happens. The market has evolved over the years. It turns out that investing in an internet celebrity is pretty risky. What about his Guitars, Pedals, Ect? They're fine. I haven't used any Snake Oil pedals, but from what I can tell is that they are takes on established circuits. The custom shop British Standard stuff was interesting, but it seems like that ran into some sort of issue. Either way, I'd probably never invest in one. I just don't need a custom guitar like that. Chappers and Lee did a video on how there is a diminishing return on instruments like that. It's a good watch.

So all this drama is baseless and wrong? Again, no. I mean, there is some petty stuff mixed in with some larger implications. Rob and his bandmates had their gear stolen. That's horrible. There was an organized effort to collect money from those wishing to help the band recover their losses. This may not be a good look for someone that looks like they have a large YouTube channel, owns a business and is assumed to be well-off. The optics may have been bad, but there could have been good reasons for it. If his other bandmates needed help, or if there were individual offering to help, I'm sure they wanted an organized way for people to donate. People shouldn't have to help Rob or his band buy new instruments, and exactly zero people were forced to do so. They just made it possible. Is this really something that upsets people? Has Rob Chapman lied to his audience? Yes, but he'd have to be an idiot not to paint himself in the best light possible. Let's be real though, If you ever hear a statement that begins with, "I've never", or "I always", then that statement is can usually be disproven rather easily. Picking apart these statements shouldn't be taken as if the entire foundation of a person's credibility is compromised. He is so closely related to his company that saving face is important for his company to continue. So making a strong, emphatic, absolute statement is imperative. These statements are always suspect. Plus, he is trying to sell us something. Maybe I'm just cynical...

Just in case this gets a little traction, I'm just a dude on the internet that writes about the crap that I think about. These are just my opinions. I put them here so I don't annoy the people that I talk to that don't really care about any of this stuff. So if you disagree with me that's fine. That's good even. Go and write about what you think, or you could make a video about how I'm wrong. That way I could write a response and have a twitter war and they could make a subreddit about it or hashtag.