Take 5 With Rob Chapman
“The best guitars disappear when you play them.”
Favourite Song
I am a Viking. Yngwie Malmsteen
Guitar Heros
Joe Satriani, Marty Friendman
Desert Island Effect
Wah
Years Playing
30+
Fav body shape
T-Style
This conversation moves quickly past the obvious. What starts with guitars and influences turns into a wider discussion about practice, pressure, creativity, and how your relationship with an instrument changes over time. Rob talks openly about learning the hard way, why some techniques stuck while others didn’t, and how confidence on stage is often built long before you ever step into a venue.
There’s plenty here about tone, feel, gear, and playing approach. Enjoy this honest look at what keeps someone playing, writing, and questioning their own answers after 30+ years with a guitar in their hands.
Gear Talk
What guitar are you most connected to right now?
The Lawmaker Legacy. After about ten minutes it disappears, and I’m just playing. That’s the sign of a really good instrument for me.
Desert Island Gear
The original Ghost Fret ‘‘Sky Nail’. The Chapman Cloud Hammer amp, and an effect you actually have to play, like Wah.
Do looks matter when choosing a guitar?
Absolutely. Guitar players choose emotionally. If it doesn’t make you want to pick it up, it doesn’t matter how good it is.
Words of Wisom
Is tone wood a thing?
Yes, but so too is tone pickups, tone strings, tone cables….. We only hear a small slice of what’s actually happening, but it’s all part of the system.
Chase Tone, or create your own?
Create your own.
Advice for newer players?
Slow, methodical practice builds real confidence. If you can play something perfectly at a slower tempo, you truly know it.
Thanks for Taking 5 with us. More Artist interviews coming soon. In the meantime check out what to do next below…