Bass Guitar Magazine. Do you get it on subscription or only if you're interested in the cover star?

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1476438196' post='3154265']
I get the bass porn angle but it gets frustrating as I know I'm not likely to own anything costing £1.5k plus. It's not the money per se, as I could go out and buy a Stingray today, but I cant justify it to myself I'm a hobbyist and there are too many other things competing for my hard earned.
[/quote]

That's fair enough. But you don't need a magazine to tell you what to think about a bass at the less expensive end of the market. There are plenty hanging on the walls of music shops all over the country for you to try out for yourself and allow you to form your own opinions. And unless you are actually in the market for a(nother) bass, then all magazine reviews are essentially bass porn irrespective of the price point.

Edited October 14, 2016 by BigRedX

[dmccombe7]

Only buy it if i'm looking for new gear and want to read reviews normally i would take on holiday for a light read.

[uk_lefty]

I'm not renewing my subscription this time round because I find it a bit weak really. I think it used to be every second month instead of monthly and the content was better. But now I find the interviews with the most random players at the front of the mag annoying "I don't slap cos it sucks" "I play with my heart man, I don't even know where E is!" And other such nonsense really annoying. The main interview is usually good, but the reviews are pretty much copy pasted, but there's a lot of repetition. Some of the features like showing a bass that was on eBay for a good price are just weird. Will probably get the odd copy for a long train journey but sadly I don't find it engaging enough to commit to buying for a whole year.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1476452382' post='3154460']
I'm not renewing my subscription this time round because I find it a bit weak really. I think it used to be every second month instead of monthly and the content was better. But now I find the interviews with the most random players at the front of the mag annoying "I don't slap cos it sucks" "I play with my heart man, I don't even know where E is!" And other such nonsense really annoying. The main interview is usually good, but the reviews are pretty much copy pasted, but there's a lot of repetition. Some of the features like showing a bass that was on eBay for a good price are just weird. Will probably get the odd copy for a long train journey but sadly I don't find it engaging enough to commit to buying for a whole year.
[/quote]

As one of those "Random Players" I can confirm that the "interview" is simply a set of questions that they email to you and you send them back the replies, hence the cut-and-paste nature of the section and the somewhat silted replies. I thought carefully about what I was going to say and then got Mr Venom to spice my answers up a bit before sending them back, but it still came out somewhat stilted.

[uk_lefty]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1476452795' post='3154468']


As one of those "Random Players" I can confirm that the "interview" is simply a set of questions that they email to you and you send them back the replies, hence the cut-and-paste nature of the section and the somewhat silted replies. I thought carefully about what I was going to say and then got Mr Venom to spice my answers up a bit before sending them back, but it still came out somewhat stilted.
[/quote]

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be invited for such a thing (it will never happen) but without context of knowing the band or music style it's hard to read and enjoy. It has never once made think of looking up a band because some has said something interesting there and that probably does the interviewee some disservice. Or I'm a miserable stuck in the mud (yes I am).

[lurksalot]

I used to buy it , but half the mag seemed to be printed with white text on a black background or some other 'trendy' way of displaying text , and I found it a PITA to read , so I stopped looking for it in the end

[ambient]

I think I've maybe bought three copies in all the time that it's been out. One had John Patitucci in it, the other Steve Lawson.

My friend writes for them, I bought one copy recently because she'd reviewed a Wal 6 string in it, so I bought it for that.

I just don't find it particularly interesting. Chances are I've either never heard of the featured players, or am just not interested in them.

The tuition pages, for me at least, are ridiculously basic.

So there's really very little point in buying it.

Edited October 14, 2016 by ambient

[LayDownThaFunk]

I would definitely try gear out for myself before blowing a huge wad of cash on it, good review or not. Never think it's good to buy blindfolded...

[BigRedX]

Nearly all the guitars and basses I've bought over the last 20 years have been without trying them. If like me you like unconventional instruments the possibilities for trying them out first are very limited. In fact the last bass I was able to try first got sold on within 3 months of it's purchase because it didn't hang comfortably on the strap (something I wasn't able to try in the shop).

[LayDownThaFunk]

You see, I don't have money to throw around like that. Power to you if you do...

[Grassie]

This month's issue is a bit of a dog. The Sting interview ain't bad, but the mag still suffers from poor proofreading (apparently, Sting's 57 P bass has a "roundwound" pickup in it...), there's another interview with Tim Commerford, yet he was the cover star less than a year ago, and the rather excellent "bass albums" feature which used to appear at the back and was written by the superb Mike Brooks has been replaced by articles about vintage basses, which, really, is just a glorified ad for Andy Baxter's bass shop.
My missus pays for my subscription, I've asked her to cancel it.

[yorks5stringer]

[quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1476647881' post='3156001']
This month's issue is a bit of a dog. The Sting interview ain't bad, but the mag still suffers from poor proofreading (apparently, Sting's 57 P bass has a "roundwound" pickup in it...), there's another interview with Tim Commerford, yet he was the cover star less than a year ago, and the rather excellent "bass albums" feature which used to appear at the back and was written by the superb Mike Brooks has been replaced by articles about vintage basses, which, really, is just a glorified ad for Andy Baxter's bass shop.
My missus pays for my subscription, I've asked her to cancel it.

Yes, the Sting interview seems to have been edited so it reads as if he says he has an original pickup in his 57 P, 'turned in a lathe' by Leo Fender but his tech says it is a Seymour Duncan.... [/quote]

[Barking Spiders]

On balance it seems there's not much love for BGM on BC. Have to admit I don't bother with the stuff at the front with bassists from prog metal bands I've never hear of nor the tutorials at the back. Just the main interviews and kit reviews. They sure do need to bring back the section on classic bass albums but expand it to cover less heralded albums with great bass. Maybe also a series on Unsung Heroes.

[Wayne Firefly]

Bought Bass Player since '91, got pretty much all copies of Bassist when it was out, got BGM from like the 2nd issue but it slowed down to maybe 3 copies per year now as as much as I hate to say it, its slightly 'cheesy' if thats the right word.
Its easy to spot who gets a review and how well it will do is what advertising space gets bought.
If Mayones and Sandberg get (another) review, mark my words it'll be within 3 pages either side of a corresponding advert.
Its just how magazines work. Always has. Same with album reviews, take a half page ad out in a music mag, you'll get a glowing review and maybe a small feature too !!
I dont care who's on the cover. Rocco Prestia or Tom Araya !!!!

[Joel McIver]

Hi, BGM editor here.

I drop in to BC from time to time and enjoy the content without feeling the need to contribute, but I thought I should probably address this comment:

"[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Its easy to spot who gets a review and how well it will do is what advertising space gets bought.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If Mayones and Sandberg get (another) review, mark my words it'll be within 3 pages either side of a corresponding advert.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Its just how magazines work. Always has. Same with album reviews, take a half page ad out in a music mag, you'll get a glowing review and maybe a small feature too !!"[/font][/color]

This is absolutely not the case. Ad spend does NOT ensure a gear review, let alone a glowing one. I get on well with the advertisers and am always happy to consider reviewing their stuff, but whether they book an ad or not does not influence that decision. Ad sales are handled by a different member of staff and we work independently of each other.

If anyone is in doubt about this and would like official confirmation from Future, I'm happy to forward messages. My email is [email protected].

Keep up the good work, I admire the breadth of knowledge at BC and your community spirit, which is why I run a monthly column devoted to what goes on here.

Cheers

Joel McIver