Chapman Guitars started in 2009 as an experiment: let the internet spec the guitar, then actually build it.
The first 500 ML1s shipped in April 2010 and the experiment stopped being an experiment. Rob Chapman is still the name on the headstock, Dave Hollingworth still runs design out of the UK, and since the January 2025 restructure the operational side sits in the Netherlands under Chapman Guitars BV. What has not changed is the brief: specs that normally cost twice as much, aimed at people who play rather than collect.
Guitar Freaks is an authorised Chapman dealer, a real boutique in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, run by the team behind Bass Freaks. We ship worldwide. And if you were looking for the Konami arcade game, wrong Guitar Freaks.
The Chapman range
| Family |
Shape |
Character |
| Scout |
Double-cut S-style |
Introduced July 2026, the newest body in the line. Modern spec on a familiar outline. |
| Law Maker |
T-style |
The single-cut of the current generation. Replaced the ML3. |
| DPT |
Signature |
Peter Honore's signature, better known as Danish Pete. Vintage-leaning, built for people who play sessions rather than solos. |
| SAR63 |
Signature, semi-hollow |
Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry. Semi-hollow, and it does the loud thing very well. |
| Ghost Fret |
Offset single-cut |
The one people recognise from across a room. Aggressive without being a pointy guitar. |
| Guardian |
Original shape |
Chapman's first fully original body, launched 2024. |
| Pegasus |
Signature |
The Steel Panther model. Exactly as subtle as that implies. |
Chapman questions we actually get asked
What do Classic, Legacy and Traditional mean on a Chapman?
They are spec descriptors, not a price ladder, which trips up almost everybody. Classic means PAF-style pickups with a wrapover bridge. Legacy is the throwback build. Traditional has no published definition from Chapman, and in practice on the current Scouts it means a roasted maple neck, an HSS layout and a trem. Do not read them as good, better, best. Read the spec sheet.
What happened to the ML1 and the ML3?
They are the outgoing generation. The ML3 has effectively been replaced by the Law Maker, and the new bodies are the Scout and the Guardian. Nothing wrong with an ML1, there are a lot of happy ones out there, but if you want current Chapman you want the names above.
What is the DPT?
The Danish Pete signature, named for Peter Honore. If you have watched more than four guitar videos on the internet you have heard him play. The model reflects that: it is a working guitar, not a shred platform.
What is the SAR63?
Chris Robertson's signature, the frontman of Black Stone Cherry. Semi-hollow, built in India, and one of the few Chapman models as at home clean as it is buried in gain.
What pickups does Chapman use?
Chapman now designs its own with Trevor Wilkinson: the Redline Special, the GT, the Straight-Six and the Consentus. Other models run Wilkinson R-Series or Seymour Duncan. Which one you get depends on the model, and it is on the product page, because guessing at pickups is how people end up disappointed.
Who owns Chapman Guitars now?
Rob Chapman founded it and the design work stays in the UK with Dave Hollingworth. In January 2025 Brian van Zwietering of Musifacts in the Netherlands came in as a shareholder and the operational headquarters moved there, with the trademark now held by Chapman Guitars BV. In practice: same designers, better logistics.
If you are also looking at
Legator guitars sit in the same territory, spec sheet first, price second, with extended range as the speciality. A step up, Suhr guitars are what a Chapman is measured against, and the Suhr Classic S is the usual comparison. If the look matters as much as the spec, Duesenberg guitars. Full catalogue on the electric guitars page.
Buying Chapman from Guitar Freaks
Authorised dealer, physical shop in Louvain-la-Neuve, worldwide shipping from Belgium. Come and play one, or ask us which of the current bodies actually suits how you play. We will tell you if the answer is none of them.
