Rob Chapman (5)

Rob Chapman is a guitarist from Wiltshire, UK. Also known as “The Monkey Lord” or “Chappers”, he is internationally renowned for his entertaining and instructional YouTube channel. Since graduating from the ICMP in 1995, Rob has performed in bands worldwide and acted as a session player for Universal Music on productions spanning from the blues rock of Jimi Hendrix, to the neo-classical metal of Yngwie Malmsteen. Rob’s studio experience has seen him work with iconic producers such as Eddie Kramer, Todd Burke and Nick Tauber in prestigious studios across the world. In 2007 Rob became dedicated to building his YouTube channel full-time. He has carved a niche in viral marketing through video tuition and product demonstration. His engaging personality shines through on camera, which has seen him act as a freelancer to steer marketing campaigns and video productions for Orange Amplifiers, Marshall Amplification, Faith Guitars, World Guitars and Andertons Music. Rob has also acted as an official clinician and demonstrator for a vast range of musical instrument products; From value ranges by Vintage Guitars and the affordable “Tiny Terror” by Orange Amplifiers, through to private stock PRS instruments and boutique Matchless amplifiers. During his time spent as a Faith Guitars clinician, Rob was approached by the director of the parent company Barnes & Mullins, and was offered a signature guitar as part of the Gould brand. Rob announced this news on YouTube, asking his subscribers what features they would like to see in his signature guitar. The guitar would be named the “ML1” and was the first Chapman product created through collaborative design, a unique concept inspired by the communal reach of the YouTube platform. Barnes & Mullins decided to launch the guitar through a new venture – Chapman Guitars. 500 units of the ML1 were shipped in February 2010, and have since sold out. Chapman Guitars has expanded to include an exclusive line of hand-made instruments, whilst the “ML2” will continue the tradition of collaborative design, and is due to ship in July. As a result of his success on YouTube, Rob has been invited to speak as part of a panel at numerous music shows across the UK – including Guitar Nation in 2010, and the Analogue to Digital show in 2011. Rob ran his own guitar festival – “MonkeyFest” – which took place at Bisley Pavilion, Woking across three days in July 2011 . The event was headlined by premier UK guitar talents: Guthrie Govan, Andy James, Alex Hutchings, Sacred Mother Tongue and Godsized.