DestroyAllGuitars Chapin Guitars

~ Chapin Guitars ~

In the guitar building world there are those who collect specs and build accordingly and those who start with the finest quality materials and search for the soul of an instrument, focusing the material's natural strengths into a piece of living art. For over twenty years Bill Chapin has not only been building fine quality instruments but also exploring, in-depth, the interactions of design, materials and methods that make an instrument great, and each instrument unique.

"At Chapin Guitars, my approach revolves around the instrument as an individual voice. There are many variations of any given type of tone, each with its own charms and nuances that make it unique and special. This "magic," as it were, lies in the synergy between the design (including the execution of the design) and the materials. Over the many years that I've been building instruments I've learned how to "read" the wood and carefully craft it so that, at every stage, the elements of design further the tonal goal instead of contradicting it. This involves incorporating the classic tonal heritage of the past, but also, reinterpreting it, building on the precise tonal strengths of the exact materials involved." - Bill Chapin

The result is a truly individual instrument, which maintains a sonic personality while being able to cover a wide range of truly stunning tones.

DAG REPRESENTS CUSTOM COMMISSIONS FOR THIS BUILDER!

DAG represents custom commissions for Bill Chapin. We can only handle a limited amount per year and they are on a first come-first served basis with typical wait times ranging from 6 to 10 months. If interested please call for a preliminary discussion in regard to the guitar you'd like to have Bill build for you. If scheduling permits and it's an instrument that Bill is interested in building, we will proceed to the next step and have you consulting directly with Bill to work out all the fine details, as well as pricing and deposits, before the build commences.

Chapin Hawk

Originally built for Billy Johnson of John Lee Hooker’s Coast to Coast Blues Band, the original Hawk model was designed as a hybrid of the early fifties Fender Telecaster and a early sixties Gibson SG. However, this model has since been expanded into many different directions.

Chapin Fatline Hawk

Thick, T or Hawk shaped flat top semi-hollow (also available in hybrid/hollow) lightweight mahogany body with tuned chambers. 24.6", 24.9" or 25.4" scale. Neck made from quartersawn mahogany or eastern maple. 22 fret rosewood fingerboard. AAAA figured maple or redwood top. Hand-carved access neck heel and cutaway. Figured hardwood pickguard. Thin Translucent finish. Hardtail or Trem bridge. Locking vintage-style tuners. Two humbuckers or P90s.

Chapin Fatline TV

The TV is a vaulted internal brace design semi-hollow with a tremolo. It's made from the most resonant and beautiful aged tonewoods. Vibrato with acoustic p.u. in saddles. Master grade + quilted or flamed maple top. Figured hardwood pickguard, headstock plate and back plates. Documented legal ivory nut. Graphite reinforced glue-in flamed maple or quilted mahogany neck with no truss rod, hand-carved and blended access heel and cutaway.

Chapin Custom Instruments

Bill Chapin produces a number of custom instruments in various configurations. Please inquire through the "contact us now" link for more information. This page shows a number of examples of Chapin Guitars custom work.