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Dug out that copy of BGM I was talking about... seems all the reviews I have an issue with are down to one particular writer (not naming names). His writing style is OK, but his reviews are devoid of any information that anyone might actually need to know, instead talking about how it's easy to raise and lower the height of the Enfield pickup, or how the Line 6 rig sounds better in the corner of the room. Sounds like padding to me.

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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' post='450195' date='Mar 31 2009, 01:29 AM']I've been reading... I just don't really know what I can add really. Some people don't like the mag. Some people do. I don't think that will ever change.

It could be worse. We could have just released a green bass with a bright orange scratchplate. ;-)

Stu[/quote]

British apathy at its best.

:) (that's me wondering what I'd do if we were standing next to each other having a piss.)

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[quote name='Russ' post='450199' date='Mar 31 2009, 01:41 AM']Dug out that copy of BGM I was talking about... seems all the reviews I have an issue with are down to one particular writer (not naming names). His writing style is OK, but his reviews are devoid of any information that anyone might actually need to know, instead talking about how it's easy to raise and lower the height of the Enfield pickup, or how the Line 6 rig sounds better in the corner of the room. Sounds like padding to me.[/quote]

Good ol' Brooksy.

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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' post='450195' date='Mar 31 2009, 12:29 AM']I've been reading... I just don't really know what I can add really. Some people don't like the mag. Some people do. I don't think that will ever change.

It could be worse. We could have just released a green bass with a bright orange scratchplate. ;-)

Stu[/quote]


So Stu,
What's the new regime got planned for the magazine?

Oh and I hope you[i] will[/i] be reviewing the Fleabass when they get here.

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[quote name='OldGit' post='450270' date='Mar 31 2009, 08:51 AM']So Stu,
What's the new regime got planned for the magazine?

Oh and I hope you[i] will[/i] be reviewing the Fleabass when they get here.[/quote]

Hi,

I have no idea, I'm not involved in any planning issues really. All I know is that they're going for a transcription in each issue (something we have ALL wanted for many years, right?) and that someone else beat me to it in getting hold of the new TC Electronic rig....

I think the Fleabass might be in the next issue (42), which I have not yet seen. I have no idea who reviewed it though, wasn't me.

Whilst obviously I am going to be defensive of the magazine to a certain extent, I can totally agree with the comments about spelling and grammar issues. It gives me no pleasure to read the mag and notice these things any more than it does anyone else - I didn't feel too great about the first four bars of my 'The Real Me' transcription being left off in issue 39 either. But, these things do happen, especially when pages get moved around at the last minute etc.

I'm a huge fan of Bass Player magazine as well, and have gone to great pains to collect every issue (just missing one, dammit). However, they suffer many of the same problems. That's no excuse on the part of our magazine, just an illustration that sometimes, even with the best will in the world, mistakes slip by.

Stu

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[quote name='Rich' post='449861' date='Mar 30 2009, 08:19 PM']Agreed. BP mag has all the cockups of BGM, with the addition of extra adverts -- so, so many adverts -- and the deliberate misspelling of 'colour'.[/quote]

I love Bgm, best read, doesnt come with 400 post reply cards that fall over the pavement as you leave the shop, the 66.6%-33.3% of pages of adverts to copy,and it doesnt split articles over numerous un related pages,

"this article is continued in 43 pages, please find 1/2 a column inbetween the b&w adverts."

Edited by cd_david
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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' post='450195' date='Mar 31 2009, 01:29 AM']It could be worse. We could have just released a green bass with a bright orange scratchplate. ;-)

Stu[/quote]

Quote of the year! :) :rolleyes: :D

I like BGM a lot & look forward to the improvements.

As for the moaners - You all have way too much time on your hands!

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[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='450313' date='Mar 31 2009, 10:08 AM']I like BGM a lot & look forward to the improvements.

As for the moaners - You all have way too much time on your hands![/quote]

Same here! Looking forward to it.

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[quote name='cd_david' post='450296' date='Mar 31 2009, 09:35 AM']"this article is continued in 43 pages, please find 1/2 a column inbetween the b&w adverts."[/quote]

That's one of those curious things about American magazines, it's the same with their car mags. I wonder if it's so they can fit in more text that goes over the word count / space allocation in the main body of the mag?

For a masterclass in how to produce a magazine, check out this month's issue of CAR. Near faultless - tons of wide ranging content, intelligent writing and commentary, technical and industry analysis, numerous reviews and fantastic photography and graphic design. Obviously a slightly higher budget affair than our bass niche though!

Alex

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[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='450356' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:01 AM']How about BGM reduces the font size and writes more words? That would be an improvement.[/quote]

That's what CAR did with the revamp a couple of months ago. So much more content yet the same or fewer pages.

Alex

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I think the issue with BGM is that it is the only UK magazine dedicated to basses and their players and therefore we'd like it to be good, and are disappointed when it doesn't live up to our expectations. Be thankful that there's people here voicing their concerns and some even offering useful advice, at least the magazine is being talked about - would you be happy if we were simply ignoring you?

From my perspective, what you do well is interviewing bass players who might not have 'killer chops' but have something interesting musically about them and you do usually know which players are going to appeal to a UK market. Too many of the US BP interviews seem to place pure technical ability to far above actually doing something original with it.

What you don't manage as well as your US counterpart is in the range of equipment you review. Admittedly there's a bigger selection more easily available in the US, but I think that you need to realise that with on-line purchase both new and second hand getting hold of bass equipment that doesn't have a UK distributor is no longer the near impossibility that it was 10-15 years ago. In fact reviews of gear that isn't easily available in the shops would actually be more useful - it'll open peoples eyes to the sheer breadth of basses and related equipment that's available - and as it's possible to go and try the more common instruments in our local music store we can make up our own minds reviews of the latest Fenders, Yamahas, Ibanezes etc. Actually in that respect your most recent issue was a vast improvement and if that's an indication of the way things are going to go congratulations, but so far it's been the exception to the rule.

Following on from that, would it be possible to have at least a 6 issue ban on reviewing Warwick products? I know that they're spending a lot on advertising with you (there's normally 2-3 pages of Warwick ads per issue when all the other big names take just a single page each) and they're obviously happy to supply review instruments, but when there appears to be a Warwick review in every other issue it starts to get a bit much. I've noticed a similar trend in Guitar Buyer Magazine. It doesn't do you any favours when in appears that the UK musical instrument press is part owned by a German manufacturer!

Finally I do think that you need to employ a proper proof-reader and artworker as there are too many beginners mistakes in both the standard of the writing and the technical aspects of the production of the editorial pages. Having recently gone freelance I would be happy to offer my services in the latter capacity and my rates are very reasonable. For starters here's a tip for your production 'department'. Turn off "Automatic Smart Quotes" in your page layout application. Then you might stand a chance of getting the apostrophes the right way round in "Rock ’n’ Roll" and also render feet and inch measurements with the correct typographic symbols (both the highlighted mistakes occur in the very first spread of your NAMM overview).

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[quote name='BigRedX' post='450388' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:24 AM']I think the issue with BGM is that it is the only UK magazine dedicated to basses and their players and therefore we'd like it to be good, and are disappointed when it doesn't live up to our expectations. Be thankful that there's people here voicing their concerns and some even offering useful advice, at least the magazine is being talked about - would you be happy if we were simply ignoring you?

From my perspective, what you do well is interviewing bass players who might not have 'killer chops' but have something interesting musically about them and you do usually know which players are going to appeal to a UK market. Too many of the US BP interviews seem to place pure technical ability to far above actually doing something original with it.

What you don't manage as well as your US counterpart is in the range of equipment you review. Admittedly there's a bigger selection more easily available in the US, but I think that you need to realise that with on-line purchase both new and second hand getting hold of bass equipment that doesn't have a UK distributor is no longer the near impossibility that it was 10-15 years ago. In fact reviews of gear that isn't easily available in the shops would actually be more useful - it'll open peoples eyes to the sheer breadth of basses and related equipment that's available - and as it's possible to go and try the more common instruments in our local music store we can make up our own minds reviews of the latest Fenders, Yamahas, Ibanezes etc. Actually in that respect your most recent issue was a vast improvement and if that's an indication of the way things are going to go congratulations, but so far it's been the exception to the rule.

Following on from that, would it be possible to have at least a 6 issue ban on reviewing Warwick products? I know that they're spending a lot on advertising with you (there's normally 2-3 pages of Warwick ads per issue when all the other big names take just a single page each) and they're obviously happy to supply review instruments, but when there appears to be a Warwick review in every other issue it starts to get a bit much. I've noticed a similar trend in Guitar Buyer Magazine. It doesn't do you any favours when in appears that the UK musical instrument press is part owned by a German manufacturer!

Finally I do think that you need to employ a proper proof-reader and artworker as there are too many beginners mistakes in both the standard of the writing and the technical aspects of the production of the editorial pages. Having recently gone freelance I would be happy to offer my services in the latter capacity and my rates are very reasonable. For starters here's a tip for your production 'department'. Turn off "Automatic Smart Quotes" in your page layout application. Then you might stand a chance of getting the apostrophes the right way round in "Rock ’n’ Roll" and also render feet and inch measurements with the correct typographic symbols (both the highlighted mistakes occur in the very first spread of your NAMM overview).[/quote]

Well, I don't want to set myself up as the mouthpiece for the magazine here, but you raise a few points that I do think I can comment on.

The range of equipment we review is down to what we can get our hands on. We do everything we can to get the latest stuff as it's released, and have a had a few decent scoops recently with the Status Kingbass 2, Hartke HyDrive system, Tech amp rig, Marcus Miller SWR rig and hopefully next issue with the TC Electronic Rebel Head rig (I want one of those based on looks alone!). However, if manufacturers don't get gear to us for review, we cannot review it. Warwick are one of the companies that seem to be particularly on the ball and send a lot of stuff in.

With regard to proof reading, I agree. As I said in an earlier post, no-one wants to see errors of this nature in the mag, especially when they are so easily avoided. Perhaps you (BigRedX)should contact the magazine head office and offer your services?

Stu

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Personally i could'nt give a rats ass about the odd typo here and there,get over it !
More reviews would be a bonus and more technique/transcriptions stuff too.I thought the J Jamerson line was a missed opportunity but apart from that thankfully there's a UK based Bass mag out there to read. :)

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