Chapman Bass Guitar

[madshadows]

Noticed that Chapman guitars have announced a bass guitar, the MLB-1, looks quite nice, thoughts/opinions?

[url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/electric-basses/pid36359/cid682/chapman-mlb1-in-natural-bubinga-with-gig-bag.asp"]http://www.andertons.co.uk/electric-basses/pid36359/cid682/chapman-mlb1-in-natural-bubinga-with-gig-bag.asp[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ANzYPhM6M#t=67"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ANzYPhM6M#t=67[/url]

John

[MikanHannille]

It sounds very Warwick-ish to me. Looks great though! I want to try one.

[uk_lefty]

Competitive price

[allighatt0r]

Looks cheap and ugly, IMO.

[Weststarx]

They look like a classic case of ''Oh well bass players are boring arent they? Lets make the bass look boring as well then...''

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1415612613' post='2601881']
Looks cheap and ugly, IMO.
[/quote]

and this... To look at it doesnt scream out quality - would have to try one.

[UglyDog]

I like it. At least it's not yet another F*nd*r clone.

[PlungerModerno]

I'm curious. From the specs on the Andertons website (link in first post) it has an 8" fingerboard radius - a bit tight given the average for a 4 string is about 10".
While the weight is quoted as 10lbs - which makes it too heavy for some players (Those who do long sets or struggle with heavier basses).

Also on the website it says "24 extra jumbo stainless steel frets" - while in the vid he says "brass frets"
They look like brass frets - but it's not definite given the lighting.
Actually, the bass on the website looks like it has nickel-silver or stainless steel frets (I'd call the shop before ordering one).

On a positive note the bass looks well made, in a warwickish kinda way - which is not a bad thing.
Like warwicks the headstock is an aquired taste. Actually reminds me of a cross between a Yamaha TRB and an ACG headstock:




Although not as elegant as either.

Neck through or not - I prefer the upper horn around the 12th fret - then the body can be lighter and still balance fine with a long scale.
With heavier bodies there is the possibility to chamber it lighter - but with a thumb like stubby upper horn I'd leave the weight in the body for balance.

P.S. In summary they might do well with this bass - but I think they could have done better with something along the lines of an Ibanez SR clone/inspired model.
Like the bass collection offering: [url="http://www.basscentre.com/bass-collection-speakeasy/bass-collection-speakeasy-pro-4.html"]http://www.basscentr...easy-pro-4.html[/url]
(Although that headstock is an acquired taste too!). I guess I just like parallel string pull and in line tuners (that wrap the same way on each side of the headstock).

Edited November 10, 2014 by PlungerModerno

[Jenny_Innie]

It's a good price for a neck thru. Weight is alright. Bit suspicious of the stock pickups. Might be worth a go.

[White Cloud]

I'm not sure whether I like the look or not. It looks quite nice...but then it also looks cheapish in a hard to define way.

Would be worth a play though.

[Cameronj279]

It looks proportionally off to me. I think because of the vast space between the bridge and the bottom of the actual bass.

Personally I'd be going for a second hand Warwick at that price.

[RhysP]

Fugly.

[Geek99]

I echo Jenny , I think it looks alright

[SolomonHelsing]

Glad I didn't update my post from April about this as you've started this one

Likely going to be picking one up myself due to having had alot of my vote choices if not all having made it to the final bass.

Yes I wanted that headstock damn it

Though I may well swap out the pickups after a while for actives due to them having the control cavity routed out bigger especially for after market electronics.

Only thing that annoyed me was the neck was originally going to be bubinga aswell, but they veto'd that vote in favour of the maple to keep the cost down, which in the end is fair enough.

And I have plans if the oil finish can be taken off enough to get a new stain applied to make mine a bit less coffee table

Funny how the general fugly comments I was seeing from guitarists are echo'd here, Oh well. It's not a fender clone so i'm happy

[GloopyJon]

Hi guys, I'm new here. Just wanted to mention that I have an MLB-1 in case anyone's interested

I don't know how to post a photo here yet though

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='GloopyJon' timestamp='1419940668' post='2644092']
Hi guys, I'm new here. Just wanted to mention that I have an MLB-1 in case anyone's interested

I don't know how to post a photo here yet though
[/quote]

Bit of a stale thread but I'll give my 2c:

How's the MLB-1 doing? (I know you said you'd be doing a review in the other, slightly older thread in the last day).
To post a video or picture, you can upload a small amount of data to basschat, but to save server space (&cost) you should put any big files (especially vids) onto a dedicated hosting website or service. e.g. vimeo or youtube for vids, and photobucket for pictures.
There is a button for links and a button for images in the reply box. At least [s]their[/s] there is on mine (using firefox within a PC, could be different for a mobile user!).

Hope that helps. Feel free to P.M. myself or the mods if you're experiencing issues. 99% sure I can help with the obvious stuff, but if it's technical or dealing with personal info I'll have to ask that you direct it to the appropriate staff for assistance. I like it here and would rather not get banned!

Edited January 5, 2015 by PlungerModerno

[GloopyJon]

Thanks for the tips. I like it, but then I'm biased because I've just spent six hundred quid on it! The review is in progress - hopefully it'll get finished soon and I'll post a link on one or other of the threads about the MLB-1.