KennysFord Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I picked up April's Bass Player mag at 4.30 today,it was in the recycling at 4.40. Looking forward to BGM a bit more now !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 (edited) Back in the early days,altho' it had loads of adverts it was brilliant and the only mag for us. Now ,I'd only buy it if something/someone's in there that appeals to me. Over the years the ads are still there but it seems to be full of lots of people that aren't too well known over here. It needs ,like the gu***r mags a dvd/cd . Come to think of it so does the uk bgm... Edited April 3, 2009 by RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 [quote name='kennyrodg' post='453616' date='Apr 3 2009, 07:32 PM']I picked up April's Bass Player mag at 4.30 today,it was in the recycling at 4.40. Looking forward to BGM a bit more now !![/quote] What did you find boring about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 is Bass PLayer a UK mag ? If so, where do you get it? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I used to buy Bassist mag. It then stopped being produced with the assurance that Guitarist would now be "Guitarist, incorporating Bassist magazine. Now, if you buy Guitarist mag, you get a £80 pactice combo and a £199 bass reviewed and nothing about any players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennysFord Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 [quote name='silddx' post='453639' date='Apr 3 2009, 08:02 PM']What did you find boring about it?[/quote] Everything except the bit about the usb interface thingy. I looked at the headings and subjects but nothing caught my eye and made me want to read the articles. Geek99,it's US mag but readily available here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmurf Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I got my first issue of BP back in 91 (Billy Sheehan on the cover) and got it religously over the next 3-4 years, they covered many different players from the rock/metal genre - Sheehan, Muzz Skillings, Mike Anthony, Rob Trujillo to the more esoteric - Les Claypool, Michael Manring to the jazz/funk guys - Marcus Miller, Victor wooten etc. Was a very good read and made me aware of different players/styles of music, have been still been buying it occasionally over the last few years or so but for me I find the british BGM mag a better read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 +1 the sad demise of Bassist and it's subsequent incororation and disappearance into Guitardist Magazine I rarely buy music mags now but always found the American ones more player/music orientated with good stuff to learn and mess about with and the UK ones obsessed with equipment reviews but featuring yet another Deep Purple/Floyd/ Zep transcription. Yawn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosebass Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I'm still buying up old copies of International Musician from the 70's and 80's. Best magazine there has ever been to give a full spectrum of players , gear and the industry as it was back then. My new years resolution was not to buy any new magazines and I must admit I don't feel like I am missing anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 (edited) [quote name='lonestar' post='453879' date='Apr 4 2009, 09:37 AM'].....UK ones obsessed with equipment reviews....[/quote] My thoughts exactly, and it's why I stoped buying them. I was lucky enough to buy a job lot of about 100 bass mags from the 80's and 90's on BC a while back and, having slowly worked my way through them on the occasional rainy afternoon, I find them far more relevant to me as a bass player than anything published at the moment. I think the mags now have far too strong a commercial orientation and assume that bassists spend their whole lives buying new kit. OK, this is perhaps a fair enough assumption, but if so I'm still not sure why the editors fail to recognise that there are far more reliable sources for equipment reviews than their often pro-manufacturer snapshots, BC being one of the best examples. Edited April 4, 2009 by Beedster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 [quote name='Prosebass' post='453900' date='Apr 4 2009, 10:01 AM']I'm still buying up old copies of International Musician from the 70's and 80's.[/quote] I remember that. They had an rather incestuous relationship with the circle around Argent. Drum reviews by Henrit, bass reviews by Jim Rodford etc They got into a mess and reprinted reviews in subsequent issues. Bass Player's editorship has changed in a boardroom streamlining scuffle. Bill Leigh is gone. He didn't do much for the magazine but dd a lot with bassplayer.tv - if anything the magazine was further dumbed down under his editorship. J Herrera is the most likely suspect to be the next editor and it leaves the magazine in shaky hands as far as I am concerned. A journalist who writes "capacitors are nifty", and then brags about his knowledge of electronics is a sure sign of editorial decline. Print magazines are no longer the fountainhead of information and have not been for the last 8 - 10 years now. News comes onstream on the net much faster now. Even journo's like Herrara troll the net for interesting stories - Bassplayer claims to be the first to blow open the fake Accuswitch that Acugroove had. But really, there was an article already on that at Andy's Acme site way before BP published it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Gave up buying it ages ago....... Rubbish !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I suppose it depends on what you want from a bass mag, but I enjoyed it. I thought the Paul Chambers piece was extremely interesting and I can't even listen to Jazz, the Miles Moseley and Lamb Of God interviews were too. I don't mind reading the Bassnotes interviews with people I've never heard of. Like the JJ piece in BGM, no-one had heard of [i]him [/i]until ages after the records had been out. Thought the gear reviews in BP were nicely put together and very informative. The Bebop scales thing was interesting too and I found out that's kind of how I play anyway, so I can say I'm a bit Bebop now All in all, I learned a lot and enjoyed reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 [quote name='Prosebass' post='453900' date='Apr 4 2009, 10:01 AM']I'm still buying up old copies of International Musician from the 70's and 80's. Best magazine there has ever been to give a full spectrum of players , gear and the industry as it was back then. My new years resolution was not to buy any new magazines and I must admit I don't feel like I am missing anything.[/quote] Yep I liked that and Beat International Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 My first issue was also the one with Billy Sheehan on the cover. Being 16 years old and no readily available interweb, I assumed it was normal for bass players to use 6 string basses as that was generally the main feature I found. There were a lot of really good reviews but tended to interview a lot of people that I wasn't remotely interested in or had a clue who they were and who seemed like complete r soles. This may sound funny but I found it too 'American'. Just like Talkbs can get on my goat after a while. I loved Bassist and probably bought a lot of gear off the back of a review but sometimes you become satisfied with what you have so half the magazine doesn't get read. On BC, we have the freedom to roam all the different sections reading what we want to read and adding information of our own so the idea of a printed magazine that's probably already out of date and that you physically have to get off your bum to go and get and pay for becomes pointless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 (edited) I liked Bill Leighs editorship.... I found the mag had become a little sweet under his guide,nicer,better,less preachy... Ive read Bassplayer under all its editors,I have to say ,imho,Richard Johnson stank.....the articles were boring,the layout was bad,and I feel his christian viewpoints coloured the magazine during his tenure (not ONE 'Heavy' Bassist was featured...nor anything beyond AOR). I wished sometimes Karl Coryat still had the reins after the great Jim Roberts left...The mag was a breath of fresh air under Carl.... He is still longest serving member on the Bassplayer roll of honour. Im happy for Bassplayer.tv to exist,it gives a good selection and interactivity to the magazine. This issue brought back to the fore the mind of Scott Thunes,I hardly find that guy 'boring'..I didnt care for Stinson,but still read it,and it was nice to see the first inclusion of Pete Trewavas in probably 12 years. The reviews are better than BGM,the layouts Better than BGM,and the information,still feels more accurate than BGM.... I await judgement on Herrera,but cutbacks may drop the quality,I remember him coming onto the staff register....I hope he does well. And I still miss the Berlin and Bailey columns. I remember buying my 1st edition in sept 92,'Masters of funk' adorned the cover....missed the next issue (think it was Steve Harris)and didnt miss an issue for maybe 6 years,until moving house and Johnson came on as editor.... Edited April 4, 2009 by ARGH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 [quote name='Prosebass' post='453900' date='Apr 4 2009, 10:01 AM']I'm still buying up old copies of International Musician from the 70's and 80's. Best magazine there has ever been to give a full spectrum of players , gear and the industry as it was back then. My new years resolution was not to buy any new magazines and I must admit I don't feel like I am missing anything.[/quote] If you have the April 1985 issue (with tears for fear on the cover) you can read my first tape demo review on p12. Anyone remember "One Two testing" magazine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 [quote name='ARGH' post='454427' date='Apr 4 2009, 11:50 PM']I wished sometimes Karl Coryat still had the reins after the great Jim Roberts left...The mag was a breath of fresh air under Carl.... He is still longest serving member on the Bassplayer roll of honour. Im happy for Bassplayer.tv to exist,it gives a good selection and interactivity to the magazine.[/quote] Coryat was removed very quickly as he behaved like Jerry Reed in smokey and the bandit III, i.e. scream incessantly " I get to be the bandit! I get to be the bandit! I get to be the bandit!". Too excited about the job and completely unprepared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William James Easton Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 i prefer motorhomes monthly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 [quote name='synaesthesia' post='454481' date='Apr 5 2009, 05:50 AM']Coryat was removed very quickly as he behaved like Jerry Reed in smokey and the bandit III, i.e. scream incessantly " I get to be the bandit! I get to be the bandit! I get to be the bandit!". Too excited about the job and completely unprepared.[/quote] Well,after Jim..who was of a senior generation...Karl was probably abit young (remember his columns on gadgets and gizmos) But he did freshen up the place. Another guy I dont see much of in writing now is/was Dale Titus,where did he go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 (edited) [quote name='ARGH' post='454485' date='Apr 5 2009, 07:52 AM']Well,after Jim..who was of a senior generation...Karl was probably abit young (remember his columns on gadgets and gizmos) But he did freshen up the place. Another guy I dont see much of in writing now is/was Dale Titus,where did he go?[/quote] BP and GP have to pander to the American market which is their main market. Too much intelligence was never appreciated either in those rags - Joe Gore tried to raise the level of writing, width of musical coverage in GP - but if anything he only met with general derison for his over use of the word "Catharsis". Still that generation is a long way from when GP started and when the interviews were "what kind of pick do you use" "what strings do you use" etc etc To which the likes of E Clapton would give a one word answer like "Ernie Ball". I liked the early - mid 80's best when their GP issues were almost as thick as Playboy and had long articles worth reading, long interviews justifying the cover. Since 2000 or thereabouts I have always felt the articles to be too short to be worth shelling out any money for. I don't know why they do it - you could probably read it all at WH Smith in a few minutes without buying it. You can also read the articles full online these days... Edited April 5, 2009 by synaesthesia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foal30 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I think Anthony Jackson wrote the best column for BP, it was fantastic stuff. This is why I liked Jim Roberts actually, man enough to let AJ hold forth. John Goldsby, his section has been all learning goodness. I always read Jeff Berlin's column. surely the most gushing of the writers was T Wichtor(?) I laughed at that letter about his unsung bass stylists..especially the one when it was not Bruce Thomas Did not know that Johnston's Christianity had an effect on mag content? Maybe I have read your post wrong mate? anyway for someone living near the asshole of the world Bass Player and Bassist Magazine were good value. Clearly less so today for BP but I would suspect that us the case for most subscribing members to any periodicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I recall the 5th or 10th birthday,of BP..and AJ got to write..and he pulled no punches......on the 20th he did the same thing again.... Foal30,when Johnston took over...after 18 months..maybe a year,not one 'Heavy' musician of a Bass nature got a feature,nada,nowt,zip...the man even had a dig at 'Extreme' music in one of his editorials,lotta cheesy in the charts punky stuff,but theres only so much Late teeny with a P or J into an SVT that I can give a sh*t about,the mag went very very weak,the writing got gushy and didnt cut it,the reviews,have always been good,but even they started to get sweet......So I stopped buying for a time,the gospel content went upward,and things ..just felt wrong.Like a friend had drifted away. Wictor ,fubar'd many a time on the 'Unsung' side column...It almost became comical. And yeah I agree,the interviews in GP and GW in the last decade have thinned out...I remember when players really got grilled on their motivation and history. ONE THING AS A TREND I AM BEGINNING TO HATE IS...... Asking the roadie for the equipment list..yeah ok,the tech knows best,but shouldn't the player learn the tools and know the job? Ive even seen blatant contradictions,in what the player 'thinks' he has and uses,vs what the tech says he has and uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foal30 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Cool, I thought the Gospel stuff was good business sense given America's spiritual tastes. To me it was preferable on a musical level than requests fro TAB of the Offspring or Nirvana. AJ"s 5th Anniversary Op/Ed remains a highlight for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 [quote name='foal30' post='456031' date='Apr 7 2009, 03:07 AM']Cool, I thought the Gospel stuff was good business sense given America's spiritual tastes. To me it was preferable on a musical level than requests fro TAB of the Offspring or Nirvana. AJ"s 5th Anniversary Op/Ed remains a highlight for sure.[/quote] "The pants are falling down,and the fly's open..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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