Chapman Cap10 America

Musicman20

Barely ever go on the RCF, but here are some pictures of new 2017 guitars, which I assume they don't mind sharing as the author has linked to it:

http://imgur.com/a/Tgwfz

Not so sure about the nut work...cases look great though.

Evildurka

I agree the new Korean prices are daft no doubt. If the bea came with bareknuckle in the bridge maybe the price would be fair. If one pops up second hand though I'd love to get one. WMI know how to make great guitars. 

GoldenEraGuitars

digitalscream said:

lonestar said:

Imho you'll get better value from a fender strat. 

I recently put a post up on the RCF (I won't be posting there anymore tbh) regarding some of the new prices too. £900+ for some models and £1250 for the Bea signature. Really? For a Korean guitar? I also read Bea reply to a guy on Facebook about the cost to which he replied that the guitar should be £1600 or so if there was a distribution company handling it. Ridiculous.

As much as I applaud them for getting a company off the ground in today's climate I also have to be harsh now that their pricing has risen significantly in their Pro series. They are head to head with a lot of American made strats and Gibson as well as my favourites; Ibanez Premium. Regardless of the spec you'll get a big branded guitar from a company that has a history of making great guitars. 

Yeesh. Just read that thread...it started off rather sensibly, then the fanboys got involved and it went a bit silly.

My problem with this kind of pricing for Korean factory-made guitars is exemplified by one of my guitars:




That's a custom-made Jaden Rose Modern T Lite, with SD '59s in both neck and bridge (since replaced with Lace Sensors, but that's beside the point). Exotic-ish woods (black limba body, pistachio fretboard), and hardware from Jaden's Series 2 guitars. He estimated that, if he was to make it as a production model, it'd come in around the £1200 mark. Oh, and I actually got to pick the bits of wood I wanted (I love that grain stripe along the fretboard).

So...the price point of the ML-3 BEA forces me to compare the two - sure, the BEA has a Floyd and stainless frets, but those are the only significant differences in spec. Which would I rather spend that money on? Well...there's no choice to be made, really.

I started the thread to invite conversation from the non fan boys AND I started it outside the Chapman Guitars subforum.

Had I placed it there instead of the Gear section it would have gone wrong very quickly and I've no doubt "someone" would have waded in to defend the company. So, it went okay to start with but as you say a few silly comments lead to more silliness and so on. 

The Cap 10 (blatantly a Korean strat) is the cross over model imo. It's the blues guitar amongst a metal/shred backdrop. It's certainly the most versatile guitar in the range but again, I'd rather build my own strat or get one that says "fender" on it. 

The other niggle is that I doubt the people buying these guitars know about second hand value... many a Chapman Guitar has been spotted on the used market with as little as 15-20% off the Rrp because it's "mint". It pretty much sums up their demographic.. young impressionable players who watch a lot of YouTube and want to buy into a brand. That's fine.. but your CG is worth 50% on the open market unfortunately. 

darthed1981

So interesting side point, how would a Cap10 America compare to one of these if they could be found second hand?

Fair to say the Cap10 has somewhat nicer pickups at least?

https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/0303050538/solid-body-electric-guitars/squier-deluxe-stratocaster-hsh-crimson-transparent

steer

lonestar said:

The other niggle is that I doubt the people buying these guitars know about second hand value... many a Chapman Guitar has been spotted on the used market with as little as 15-20% off the Rrp because it's "mint". It pretty much sums up their demographic.. young impressionable players who watch a lot of YouTube and want to buy into a brand. That's fine.. but your CG is worth 50% on the open market unfortunately. 

Wow. 

I wish I was young, but I am not. 
I wish I was impressionable rather than massively cynical. 
My days of hero worshiping a celebrity or a brand are long gone. 

And yet I have a Chapman Guitar. And I like it. And I bought it secondhand, so actually the depreciation is a good thing. 

Best wishes, 

"Chapman Fanboy" or actually, more likely to be known as "Miserable old grumpy git"

digitalscream

steer said:

lonestar said:

The other niggle is that I doubt the people buying these guitars know about second hand value... many a Chapman Guitar has been spotted on the used market with as little as 15-20% off the Rrp because it's "mint". It pretty much sums up their demographic.. young impressionable players who watch a lot of YouTube and want to buy into a brand. That's fine.. but your CG is worth 50% on the open market unfortunately. 

Wow. 

I wish I was young, but I am not. 
I wish I was impressionable rather than massively cynical. 
My days of hero worshiping a celebrity or a brand are long gone. 

And yet I have a Chapman Guitar. And I like it. And I bought it secondhand, so actually the depreciation is a good thing. 

Best wishes, 

"Chapman Fanboy" or actually, more likely to be known as "Miserable old grumpy git"

To be fair, he's talking about the people who bought them new.

GoldenEraGuitars

steer said:

lonestar said:

The other niggle is that I doubt the people buying these guitars know about second hand value... many a Chapman Guitar has been spotted on the used market with as little as 15-20% off the Rrp because it's "mint". It pretty much sums up their demographic.. young impressionable players who watch a lot of YouTube and want to buy into a brand. That's fine.. but your CG is worth 50% on the open market unfortunately. 

Wow. 

I wish I was young, but I am not. 
I wish I was impressionable rather than massively cynical. 
My days of hero worshiping a celebrity or a brand are long gone. 

And yet I have a Chapman Guitar. And I like it. And I bought it secondhand, so actually the depreciation is a good thing. 

Best wishes, 

"Chapman Fanboy" or actually, more likely to be known as "Miserable old grumpy git"

As @digitalscream said, I was referring to those younger and impressionable Chapman fans who bought their guitars new.

You appear to have read "fanboy" and misunderstood the direction my post was heading. If you pay about £200-250 on average for a CG then you are bang on market value, nice one. 

Im talking about young guys selling theirs for maybe £50 off the Rrp because it's "immaculate and never gigged"...

Anyway, that's not what this thread is about I guess. @darthed1981 yes that's a tidy guitar. A Cap 10 used may be the way to go also..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232410720014 ;

Change that horrendous pickguard and you've landed a decent guitar at decent money 

revsorg

@lonestar - this link to the Ebay listing works.  I agree about the horrendous pickguard.