Bass Guitar Magazine editor

[seashell]

I have BGM on a gift subscription and I think I'll renew when it runs out.

I don't think I'm your typical reader, in that I just skim through the reviews and glance at the pretty pictures. What I like are the interviews/articles about players and the 'lessons' at the back. I think these are all pretty good. It's great to read about bass players you know and love (eg the Entwistle and Duck Dunn features in the last couple of issues). But I also like reading about musicians who aren't so well known to me. If it grabs my itnerest it will inspire me to find out more.

Don't listen to jaydentaku about the naked women! (I know he was just joking ). I like the fact that your mag is totally non sexist.
I have nothing against seeing pictures of scantily clad people of either sex with basses - as long as they look as though they can play the bloody thing.

Edited July 4, 2012 by seashell

[discreet]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1341407075' post='1718451']
...'lessons' at the back.[/quote]

I'll sign up for those.

[seashell]

[i]O[/i] I forgot to mention - I would [b]love [/b]to see whole songs transcribed, with or without tab. I understand though that it must be really expensive. Maybe it's something you could consider once in a while? Like in a bumper Christmas issue or something??

[The Dark Lord]

I've just searched this topic and can't find the word "Fender" in it anywhere?

Go down the pub this weekend, and there is a better than even chance that the bass player in the band that you see will be playing a Fender (There. I've said it twice). Also, chances are, he/she won't be doing any slapping.

The thing that puts me off bass guitar magazines is the strange bias towards exotic basses and slap bass players.

Can we have lots of Fender stuff in the mag please and not much of these exotic players whom the average guy in the street doesn't know and couldn't identify.

Oh yeah. Once last thing. Fender.

[discreet]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1341407701' post='1718464']
Fender.[/quote]

Problem is, Fender essentially only make two bass models!
I'm playing devil's advocate here, by the way - I'm a BIG Fender fan. Thought I'd get in first, is all.
Fender! Fender! Fender!

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1341408029' post='1718470']
Problem is, Fender essentially only make two bass models!
I'm playing devil's advocate here, by the way - I'm a BIG Fender fan. Thought I'd get in first, is all.
Fender! Fender! Fender!
[/quote]
Yet still, the overwhelming majority of bass players use those two models.

Also, I suppose, if you include all the basses that are rip offs of the Fender design, that counts for about 90% of the market.

Edited July 4, 2012 by The Dark Lord

[toneknob]

[quote name='Joel McIver' timestamp='1341405180' post='1718384']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]> How about full song transcriptions? (preferably without tab) [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Ouch, expensive. You have to pay the publishers a wedge every time you do this.[/font][/color]
[/quote]

That's a shame. It's song transcriptions and other song extracts that have kept me buying the American import magazines over the UK equivalents over the years. Are the publishing arrangements different in America?

[discreet]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1341408313' post='1718477']
...if you include all the basses that are rip offs of the Fender design, that counts for about 90% of the market.[/quote]

+1 - Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery.

[CliveT]

Hi Joel, welcome aboard.

Are all the back issues available? I'm trying to find issue 57 but can't find it on your website.

[ras52]

Very interesting, I may renew my subscription... not that I cancelled it or anfink, it just quietly expired and I wasn't prompted to renew it. (Probably coincident with a recent period of transition...)

I too tend to skim the reviews and focus on the interviews and educational stuff. So perhaps we meed more educational interviews with bass-wielding naked women...

Edited July 4, 2012 by ras52

[The Dark Lord]

Where can I buy a copy of it? Is it available for iPad? Is it in WH Smiths and the like?

[BigRedX]

Welcome Joel,

Some observations from someone who is a fairly regular purchaser of BGM but not as yet a subscriber.

In the reviews make the photos and words count. Let one support the other but don't duplicate unnecessarily. Sometimes a photograph becomes clearer with a bit of description, but on the the other hand don't describe things that are obvious from the photos. Reviewers might not know which and how many photographs will accompany their review - this is what the editor(s) are for.

By all means lets have some reviews of cheaper basses, but keep the instruments you review interesting. Don't just open the floodgates for loads of budget P and J Bass clones. In fact TBH I'd not much interested in P and J clones whether they're £50 plywood cheapies from China or £5000 hand-crafted exotic wood boutique basses, Include them, but no more than one per issue.

As I've said before it's very easy to try out mainstream instruments at all price points simply by going to a few musical instrument shops. What I'm looking for in the reviews section is gear that isn't quite so easy to come by.

Personally I'd like to see instruments from BassLab, Spalt, Norton, Reverend, Hallmark and Little to name but a few.

I'm guessing that the Bass Scholarship articals are essentially advertising paid for by The Institute and EBMM. So long as that also pays for several more pages of reviews and interviews then it's a necessary evil, but if not you should probably consider binning it.

I can't really criticise Basically Speaking because you were kind enough to give me a spot, but I would look at how long the "interviews" take to get into the magazine (mine was almost 6 months). Most of the musicians and bands featured are young and fast moving, so if you're going to ask them about what they are promoting and tours, there's a good chance that it will all be over before it's been printed.

I'm never sure about the techniques section. Not being able to use actual examples because of copyright issues reduces the value of some of the articles IMO. And AFAIAC no matter how much you write and how many lines of tab or notation you include most of it is trumped by 30 seconds of someone actually showing you how in real life.

Good luck with the magazine. We're hard on you sometimes, because we are interested in bass and therefore really want the mag to be the best it possibly can. When it's not, we get disappointed.

PS If you need any more help with the artwork and layout, I'm available, so PM me and I'll do BGM a good rate since it will actually be something I like as opposed to farming and vet products...

[BigRedX]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1341407701' post='1718464']
I've just searched this topic and can't find the word "Fender" in it anywhere?

Go down the pub this weekend, and there is a better than even chance that the bass player in the band that you see will be playing a Fender (There. I've said it twice). Also, chances are, he/she won't be doing any slapping.

The thing that puts me off bass guitar magazines is the strange bias towards exotic basses and slap bass players.

Can we have lots of Fender stuff in the mag please and not much of these exotic players whom the average guy in the street doesn't know and couldn't identify.

Oh yeah. Once last thing. Fender.
[/quote]

Actually can we not have any more Fender than you already have.

As has already been pointed out Fender only really make two basses. And if you want to find out what those two basses are like you can go to to a Fender dealer and try them for yourself. It's easy and you don't need a magazine to tell you want to think.

Unless they start doing something radically new, one Fender review per year should be sufficient.

And Fender basses aren't not as ubiquitous as you think. At the gigs that I go to, a Fender bass is a rarity...

[Grassie]

Good luck Joel. I stopped buying BGM after the last Les Claypool issue because it seemed that we were getting interviews with the same players once a year, even when they had nothing new to say. As there seems to be a new focus and drive to give us lot a decent mag again, I may well re-new my subscription.

[ras52]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1341409655' post='1718521']
Actually can we not have any more Fender than you already have.

As has already been pointed out Fender only really make two basses. And if you want to find out what those two basses are like you can go to to a Fender dealer and try them for yourself. It's easy and you don't need a magazine to tell you want to think.

Unless they start doing something radically new, one Fender review per year should be sufficient.

And Fender basses aren't not as ubiquitous as you think. At the gigs that I go to, a Fender bass is a rarity...
[/quote]

Actually in the last few months of my subs I recall a steady stream of Fender stuff, such as reviews of the anniversary and "modern player" models.

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1341411249' post='1718551']
Actually in the last few months of my subs I recall a steady stream of Fender stuff, such as reviews of the anniversary and "modern player" models.
[/quote]
Good. Things are looking up then.

[skankdelvar]

Hi Joel

However you make your audio and video available, [i]please[/i] make it easily accessible. I binned Guitarist after 25-odd years just because of their poxy 'Vault' thing, with sign-ins, passwords and mandatory downloads of gigantic files.

Fair play to you for getting chummy with us shower of bastards. A welcome move and one which others could profitably emulate (cough) [size=2]Rickenbacker[/size] (cough).

Edited July 4, 2012 by skankdelvar

[OliverBlackman]

Exclusive transcriptions maybe a good idea. The only problem is making it enjoyable for all levels of playing.

[WurzelHedghog]

Hi Joel,

Nothing much to add to the thread as the other guys have already covered everything I would raise.

If your editorial style is anything like the style of your books ('tallica, slayer) then you will give BGM a good kick up the arse.

Respect for sticking your head above the parapet.

[discreet]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1341409655' post='1718521']
Unless they start doing something radically new, one Fender review per year should be sufficient.[/quote]

Sufficient for you, that is! It's no secret you're not a Fender fan and are partisan, to put it mildly.

Edited July 4, 2012 by discreet

[discreet]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1341416622' post='1718676']
A welcome move and one which others could profitably emulate (cough) [size=2]Rickenbacker[/size] (cough).[/quote]

JOHN! JOHN!! HE SAID THE 'R' WORD!! AROOGAH! AROOGAH! DINGALINGALINGALING! NEE-NOR, NEE-NOR!!

And so on and so forth.

Edited July 4, 2012 by discreet

[bertbass]

Hi Joel,

I'd love to see reviews of old gear, amps, speakers, etc., that have stood the test of time compared with new 'Super' gear. I bet there would be a few surprises.

After the pile of sh*t I paid £220 in 1972 that went under the guise of a Fender Precision, I proudly fly the 'No Fender Here' flag as well.

[louisthebass]

Hi Joel,
Welcome aboard - I subscribe to the mag (thanks to the missus buying it for me for chrimbo) & quite enjoy reading it.

Would I be right in saying the boo-boo in the most recent issue was Andrew McKinney being called Paul Geary ? I had a lesson with Paul that night & we had a chuckle about it..

[discreet]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1341423919' post='1718826']
After the pile of sh*t I paid £220 in 1972 that went under the guise of a Fender Precision, I proudly fly the 'No Fender Here' flag as well.[/quote]

I don't want to move into an off-topic brand war here (again) but in the interests of balance, the P-Bass I bought in 1976 for £280 was brilliant and I used it for thirty-five years. The seventies Precisions were notoriously patchy quality-wise though, I'll give you that.

Edited July 4, 2012 by discreet

[Joel McIver]

> Can we have something like beginners corner ? We're not all Dave Marks.

Yep. Look out for this in a couple of issues’ time.

> more < £500 kit please –

That too.

> Any news on EPlatforms such as the iphone ?

BGM is available for iPhone and iPad, see www.pocketmags.com.

> Can we have lots of Fender stuff in the mag please and not much of these exotic players whom the average guy in the street doesn't know and couldn't identify.

Ah, there’s the million-dollar question. Some readers want exotic stuff, some don’t. Some want expensive gear, some don’t. It’s our job to try and strike a balance.

> Are the publishing arrangements different in America?

It’s a question of budget rather than legislation, unfortunately.

> Are all the back issues available? I'm trying to find issue 57 but can't find it on your website.

Have a word with [email protected].

> Where can I buy a copy of it? Is it available for iPad? Is it in WH Smiths and the like?

Yes to both.

> In the reviews make the photos and words count. Let one support the other but don't duplicate unnecessarily. Sometimes a photograph becomes clearer with a bit of description, but on the the other hand don't describe things that are obvious from the photos.

Thank you.

> By all means lets have some reviews of cheaper basses, but keep the instruments you review interesting. Don't just open the floodgates for loads of budget P and J Bass clones. In fact TBH I'd not much interested in P and J clones whether they're £50 plywood cheapies from China or £5000 hand-crafted exotic wood boutique basses, Include them, but no more than one per issue.

Noted. See my comment about striking the correct balance above.

> I'm guessing that the Bass Scholarship articals are essentially advertising paid for by The Institute and EBMM. So long as that also pays for several more pages of reviews and interviews then it's a necessary evil, but if not you should probably consider binning it.

The Bass Scholarship is, as I mentioned before, a way of illustrating that bassists can make a professional career if they study music. That is its function. I’m not saying that all or most of us need to go that way, simply that it is an option.

> PS If you need any more help with the artwork and layout, I'm available, so PM me and I'll do BGM a good rate since it will actually be something I like as opposed to farming and vet products...

Appreciated. The design is handled by an in-house team, but thanks anyway.

> However you make your audio and video available, [i]please[/i] make it easily accessible.

We will do. This is coming later this year.

> If your editorial style is anything like the style of your books ('tallica, slayer) then you will give BGM a good kick up the arse.

Thank you. Writing books and editing a magazine are very different – the latter is a much more diplomatic art – but in both cases I want excellence to be the goal. Hopefully we’ll get there before too long.