Bgm! is pants or is just me?

[kevvo66]

Well just got the latest issue it's really not that good at 4 half squid.any thought is there any good bass mags out there still, many years ago it was quit good ,not so good anymore.?

[NJE]

If you have a laptop or tablet you don't mind reading off I can thoroughly recommend, Ibass magazine, they have some great videos on youtube with some superb bass players. Actually it might be iPad only....great mag though and not too expensive.

[steve-bbb]

[size=6][url="http://notreble.com"]http://notreble.com[/url][/size]

[kevvo66]

Cool I will check it out. Cheers kev

[Cosmo Valdemar]

It's riddled with errors but it means well and it's miles better than Bass Player...
Plus it's good to read whilst on the lavatory.
This month's interview with Fieldy is pathetic in the extreme though.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Cosmo Valdemar

[Lozz196]

This months edition I thought was quite poor, whereas the month before I really liked.

[HowieBass]

Free online Bass Musician Magazine http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/

Premier Guitar (free again) has some bass coverage too http://www.premierguitar.com/

[Dingus]

I have nothing against Bass Guitar magazine and I'm glad it exists , but it does have to be said, most of the features are pretty devoid of any really interesting content, and overall the whole magazine reads like the text is an inconvenience and an afterthought, really just excuse to hang the advertising on . The interviews and features are too short and usually pretty vapid , and, for the most part, the equipment reviews aren't precise enough or impartial enough to be useful.

The problem all these magazines have nowadays is that they no longer have a captive audience that will automatically gravitate towards specialist interest publications and buy them because there is precious little else available that is about their favourite hobby . The internet is choc-a-block with far more interesting bass guitar orientated content than Bass Guitar magazine could ever hope to compete with and it's all free , but compete they must do, just to survive. In that respect, I sympathize with them.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Dingus

[Geek99]

I used to buy and enjoy it immensely, particularly the technical articles and the "new player" features. It's just too damned expensive / if it was £2.50 I could justify it.

[kevvo66]

Fair comment, people thanks for the feedback,unfortunately it's gone a bit too metal for my liking .no offense!

[seashell]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1398545500' post='2435196']
This months edition I thought was quite poor, whereas the month before I really liked.
[/quote]

+1

[maldy]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1398549466' post='2435245']
I have nothing against Bass Guitar magazine and I'm glad it exists , but it does have to be said, most of the features are pretty devoid of any really interesting content, and overall the whole magazine reads like the text is an inconvenience and an afterthought, really just excuse to hang the advertising on . The interviews and features are too short and usually pretty vapid , and, for the most part, the equipment reviews aren't precise enough or impartial enough to be useful.

The problem all these magazines have nowadays is that they no longer have a captive audience that will automatically gravitate towards specialist interest publications and buy them because there is precious little else available that is about their favourite hobby . The internet is choc-a-block with far more interesting bass guitar orientated content than Bass Guitar magazine could ever hope to compete with and it's all free , but compete they must do, just to survive. In that respect, I sympathize with them.
[/quote]

I used to subscribe for years (and to bass guitarists before that). Then I stopped as I just wasn't reading them.

Back when I bought them late 90s it really was the best source and one of the only sources of bass information around. As Dingus says they are competing with free online material which is tough. They did get some great players to interview, but I was always left thinking they could have asked more.

[molan]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1398544863' post='2435183']
It's riddled with errors but it means we'll

This month's interview with Field.
[/quote]

Is this part of your audition piece to be a journalist for them





Sorry, couldn't resist - we all get caught out by over-zealous spell checkers from time to time. . .

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1398596262' post='2435551']
Is this part of your audition piece to be a journalist for them





Sorry, couldn't resist - we all get caught out by over-zealous spell checkers from time to time. . .
[/quote]

Ha! I actually typed that on a brand new phone, it's a little more enthusiastic with the predictions than my old one!

[Cat Burrito]

These threads never get too far before someone mentions the early 90s when Bassist magazine broke off from Guitarist.... so I will, what a great magazine!

I stopped my BGM subscription and the very next issue they had Lee Rocker on the cover and I kept forgetting to pick a copy up. That aside I really don't miss it. One article in over a year doesn't really justify it for me.

[Kiwi]

Just so you're aware, Joel McIver is a member of BC and checks up on comments about BGM from time to time.

[UglyDog]

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1398685912' post='2436488']
These threads never get too far before someone mentions the early 90s when Bassist magazine broke off from Guitarist.... so I will, what a great magazine![/quote]
Really? I don't remember it being all that much better than BGM is now. It too had its share of editorial bloopers and smelling pistakes, and fixations with certain manufacturers.
I still remember the heady days of 'International Musician & Recording World', now that was a belting read. And then there was the ridiculously metal-biased 'Music UK', which was firmly in the so-bad-it's-good category -- I remember they had one features writer in particular who went by the name of 'Katy 88' (geddit??!?!!?!???!!?!), who felt that no article! was complete without! a huge smattering! of! exclamation marks in random! places!! It made Kerrang look like the Spectator.

[Mickeyboro]

I write for Guitar & Bass magazine, and they are actively trying to increase bass content to justify the title after passionate representations to the letters page.

If you would like to have input, feel free to pm me please.

One of the things I've already pitched to them is a column. I thought I might call it Bass Chat…but then decided not to sail close to the wind!

M

[fretmeister]

I used to read Bassist and then sub'd to BGM for years.

I stopped BGM about a year ago. If (big If) I spot it in a newsagent I'll buy it if I have to sit on a train for hours.

I still like the feel of a proper magazine rather than web stuff.

It must be difficult though - so much free stuff on the web and the magazines having to be 50% advertising just to have the funding to get printed.

I do wonder if we are just hanging onto the idea of paper magazines when really the concept is dead? I hope not - I still like print!

[Dingus]

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1398687706' post='2436519']
Really? I don't remember it being all that much better than BGM is now. It too had its share of editorial bloopers and smelling pistakes, and fixations with certain manufacturers.
I still remember the heady days of 'International Musician & Recording World', now that was a belting read. And then there was the ridiculously metal-biased 'Music UK', which was firmly in the so-bad-it's-good category -- I remember they had one features writer in particular who went by the name of 'Katy 88' (geddit??!?!!?!???!!?!), who felt that no article! was complete without! a huge smattering! of! exclamation marks in random! places!! It made Kerrang look like the Spectator.
[/quote]

Yes! International Musician And Recording World! Now your talking !

That's exactly the kind of magazine we need now, in so much as the content wasn't dumbed down, the features were varied and very knowledgeable, and you could learn a lot from reading it, whilst being entertained and enthralled at the same time. Similarly, Guitar Player Magazine , which had plenty of excellent bass-orientated features in the days before Bass Player magazine, was written to a very high standard in the '70's and '80's, and I used to read it from cover to cover every month. Bass Guitar Magazine is nowhere near the same league as those magazines were, I'm very sorry to say. The only magazine I can think of in recent years that has anywhere near the same standards as those magazines used to be is Sound On Sound. That seems to have some pretty interesting stuff in it .

[ambient]

Off topic a bit, but 'Sound on Sound' is still a really good magazine, so why can't BGM be as good ?

I know a couple of people who write for BGM, there are a couple of good interviews coming up, but again probably nothing that you can't discover in a few minutes of googling .

[Dood]

Does anyone read Guitar Interactive Magazine?

[CamdenRob]

I like having a physical magazine to read as opposed to looking at everything on a screen... I only buy it to look at the pictures / read the gear reviews really anyway, I've little interest in the interviews.

I remember bassist magazine though, I seem to remember it didn't last long. One issue had a CD with it with containing a great track by the flanagan ingham quartet and a super cheesy version of blues for alice on a clifton upright... it had a doug wimbish track on it too... although I remember it was crap.

[randythoades]

I used to subscribe to Guitar and Bass, being a player of both instruments myself and always found it better than BGM or Guitarist and the content and price was always good. But I did move away when it seemed that there seemed to be a hole in the middle ground content where I suspect a lot of us here live. That middle ground of intermediate semi-pro players who couldn't justify a £3k instrument but wanted something more than a beginners guitar. I know that magazine publishing in particular needs to be quite formulaic but I got a bit fed up of reading almost the same articles month after month. Maybe some general articles on recording or PA's etc would have ben helpful too.
I ended up not really reading it much so stopped subscribing.
Maybe I should pick it up again and try!

[jacko]

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1398686244' post='2436494']
Just so you're aware, Joel McIver is a member of BC and checks up on comments about BGM from time to time.
[/quote]

Given that it always seems to be the same complaints every time this subject comes up, maybe he's not that interested in our opinions cos nothing has changed in the way the mag is presented for years.

International Musician was head and shoulders above just about every other magazine there's been since the 70's. Still have most of my collection and I revisit them from time to time. fascinatiing to see how much gear has changed and how many companies from back then have gone out of business.