MusicRadar Verdict
The ML-1 Pro's imaginative pickup selection and meticulous ride is proof that the Monkey Lord is not just content to ape the opposition.
Pros
- +
Great upper-fret access. Seymour Duncan pickups. Vibrato is very stable.
Cons
- -
Looks a little dowdy up close.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
With a trio of Seymour Duncan pickups and a walnut top, the ML-1 Pro is a classy piece of kit, kitting out one of the earliest Chapman designs with a host of pro features.
It might be a generation removed from the hot-rodded double-cuts that debuted in the 80s and opened the floor to a flood of electrics boasting new and exciting features, but the ML-1 Pro continues in that shred-ready tradition.
"The ML-1 Pro looks all future-centric, but the Seymour Duncan Lil' 59 in the bridge is a vintage-voiced PAF-style pickup"
It has a modern, clean finish, open-pore like its siblings, but the ML-1 Pro lacks character - walnut doesn't offer the visual pizzazz of, say, flame maple, and it's noticeably dowdy for the series' premium instrument.
It's much more convincing when you get your hands on it. Like the ML-7, the ML-1 Pro has a 'set-through' neck and incredible upper-fret access.
Indeed, when we talk of the Chapman Guitars DNA running through the ML series, it's most apparent in the guitars' supreme playability, with quick necks and extra- jumbo frets that accommodate the most demanding speedsters.
Tonally, there's a lot going on, too. The ML-1 Pro looks all future-centric, but the Seymour Duncan Lil' 59 in the bridge is a vintage-voiced PAF-style pickup with a sound that's dynamic and warm, perfect for classic rock.
The Seymour Duncan stacked 'bucker in the mid position has plenty of grunt, while the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker in the neck belies its single-coil footprint with a gnarly and pugnacious tone, which at high-gain provides a smooth, harmonically responsive option to invigorate your solos. And then there's a super-stable little Hipshot vibrato unit to put the cherry on the cake.
"Chorus is a beautiful effect when used nicely, but it can also sound horrible if over-applied - unless that’s what you want": How to harness the chorus effect to give your tracks more life!
“Some of the things that age most quickly are electronic drums, which I’ve used tons of, but they usually sound very of their time”: Finneas on how he and Billie Eilish made a conscious effort to make Birds Of A Feather sound “timeless”
Behringer hits back at critics accusing the company of only making "vaporware" in defensive social media post: "No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do"
