My only suggestion would be to include more beginner level content.

With the way the world is going, things like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are introducing new players into the fold all the time. And it takes years to escape the 'beginner' status (unless you're practicing a massive amount each day, which most people who've moved out of their parent's house don't have the time to do).

Along this same thread, I find many articles to be extremely theory-heavy. While theory is a good thing, its an unfamiliar language to many players (even advanced ones, who've never taken the time to really learn) and it can instantly cause them to skip to the next article (or the next magazine, if there's not enough non-theory material in that issue).

I don't have any suggestions to remedy the second point, but its something that frustrated me endlessly when I first started reading GP about the same time I started playing; I could practice along with the tabs and such, but I had no clue what E7sus4 was or how to do it.

I've been a Guitar Player subscriber since 1994. Right now, it's the only magazine I subscribe to, and the only guitar magazine I've read regularly over the years.

Some of the things I really like about GP:

-- You keep it clean. I appreciate that I don't have to wade through dozens of F-bombs in every interview and editorial. In other words, you're not contributing to the further coarsening of our society. I can give your mag to students without worry. Thanks.

-- You cover a variety of music and musicians, and you don't seem to bow to fashion. You have an appreciation of the legacy of music, rather than a shortsightedness about the flavor of the month. This is even reflected in the quality of your advertising.

-- You write about a good range of gear, from very affordable to (at least for me) the quite pricey, although I read all the gear reviews no matter whether I'd buy the item.

Things that I think you can improve:

-- Make the magazine more educational. One of the best cover stories you had in the last while was a really big takeout on how to build a pedal board. I was so excited about that piece that I re-read it a few times. Tell us more of that -- how to dial in a great sound, how to make our delay pedals work, etc.

-- Cover the people who are being inventive and help us be the same. Write about the guys who mod pedals and tell us whether the mods actually make a difference. Talk about people who mod amps, mod guitars, etc. There's a huge interest in DIY these days; help us join in.

-- Take me into the worlds of people who do cool guitar-related jobs. Profile luthiers, recording engineers, guitar techs on tour, pedal builders, etc.

-- Tell me more about ISSUES. Do you have the balls to write about Guitar Center's monopoly on retail and how that affects the prices we're paying for gear?

-- Drop the "10 Things Ya Gotta Do ..." If you want to teach me to play, pick a song or a solo and dissect the whole thing, including telling me the hand and finger positions for each move, etc.

-- Hire some wordsmiths. You guys are all decent writers, but you need someone who writes on the level of a New York Times Sunday Magazine writer. Set that person loose on the ISSUES stories I mentioned earlier.

-- Cut the "Internet hordes" column. I've never explored any of those people and most likely won't unless the record a song or album that finds its way to me. And I've discovered over the years that good music always finds its way to me ... I don't have to do much searching.

-- On lessons and tips, give more for the beginner/intermediate.

-- I'm concerned that your page count is dropping. I'm sure advertising decreases play a roll. But don't follow the mistake of newspapers and keep cutting pages. It's a death spiral.

-- Do star musicians always describe their speaker cabinets as being "loaded with xxx"? I always find that funny -- they sound like a NASCAR driver in the winners' circle ... "well, the Coors Light Chevy did well today." Maybe tell us when a star you're interviewing has an endorsement deal with a manufacturer so I can know when he's actually pitching a product and not just offering info.

Enough for now ...

And don't assume your readers "know everything".

I read my computer magazines and at least 2 times a year they'll have an in-depth STEP-BY-STEP guide to building a PC. I can practically do it blindfolded, but read it none the less.

For GP, tell me how I can build a home recording studio on a budget. How do I hook up (in DETAIL) my computer to my laptop and play licks over a track (and how I get that backing track, say, into Audacity).

Or, if I buy some power amp tubes, how to put them in SAFELY and re-bias my amp without having to take it to a Pro and pay them a $35 bench fee PLUS labor for the re-bias. Too many amps to cover? Fine, have a Web link to a spot where 50 of the most popular amps are re-biased. Hire an intern (read: cheap labor) to do the research and document it. Helps you, helps me and helps the intern looking for a possible job

And how to setup my Telecaster to go from .009's to .010 string size (e.g. intonation, bridge adjustment, truss rod tweak etc.) in detail (ala "Setup for Dummies")

It may seem simple to you (like building a PC is for me), but I need that simplistic approach. And, even with the PC builds, I always learn something new.

Hear! Hear! I have had that issue sitting out near my guitars & rig since it came out...and I read it before I go shopping for a new pedal.



Again, excellent!

Dumeril Seven nailed a lot of things I'd say.

In general, I'd like more articles about playing, and less about gear.

Although I'm not a beginner, I think having more lessons for beginners would be a good idea.

Having some instructional columns with thematic continuity from issue to issue would be helpful also.

Instead of gear reviews, I'd like more CD and DVD reviews.

I think the magazine is fine, graphically. I don't know that making changes in the way it's laid out would make a substantive improvement. The suggestions about content so far seem pretty right on. I wonder if a "beginner's theory for guitar" section is something that would work. The suggestion not to think the reader already knows everything struck home with me. If you could find someone with a creative way of teaching guitar students how to read music, I'd subscribe again.

I like the gear reviews, but I think the shoot-outs vs round-ups comment above was right on. And, while I love reading about high-dollar boutique & custom shop gear, my budget allows low-dollar gear more often than the expensive stuff, and I doubt that I'm alone or even a rarity among your readership. I'd like to see some shootouts like Agile guitars vs Xaviere guitars etc, and pointing out pitfalls to avoid and in buying low-budget gear. With the advent of internet sales, there are options to buy gear without playing it first, and you guys could kinda brave those waters first, and tell us what is acceptable, usable gear, and what is junk.

What do you think, EB, any chance of seeing those sorts of things in the revamped GP?

Like most print media, I think you've got a tough row to hoe. The competition is not just those other guitar/music magazines, it is the internet which has the ability to provide fresh content as soon as it becomes available (an ability that is really hurting newspapers)as well as the whole interactive/streaming thing.

How can static media compete with something like this, for instance:
http://anawatyrussell.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54&Itemid=45 when discussing how to mix a tune?

I think you have to focus on what you do best.I don't think you need us to tell you what that is, you've been doing it for years.

"Like most print media, I think you've got a tough row to hoe. The competition is not just those other guitar/music magazines, it is the internet which has the ability to provide fresh content as soon as it becomes available ..."

I don't know that this affects GP as much. There are some magazines that are better than their internet competition, and lets face it, most guitar sites are not providing useful fresh content on any regular basis, most pretty much blow chunks in that department. And I'm expected to scan through HOW many sites a day, HOPING that MAYBE they've posted something new? Meanwhile, I know that, once a month, certain mags arrive at the door and give me an update, on schedule. Most of the world doesn't get to sit in front of a computer all day and read internet sites. I simply stopped reading guitar player at a low point in its history, and never got back to it. I don't bother with Mix or PAR or EQ or EM on line, I read the print version, gladly scanning pages during TV commercials, marking articles to be read at night before going to bed.

-Looking back at some issues from the late 80s I notice that the magazine was thicker with more content. I know this is an economic reality but I've been able to burn through some of the recent issues in 1/2 hour.

-The stories could be more in-depth. As mentioned in a post above, a lot of features consist of a photo, a brief profile and a couple of paragraphs about gear. I'd rather have fewer, longer features with more detail about the creative process and actual playing techniques.

-Need a more formal journalistic approach. Less articles with the word "I" in them. I could care less about the author. Also, Molenda uses way too many gushing metaphors. Need to go back to journalism school.

-Lose the female musician feature. That's ghetto-ization. There are many great female players now and they should be featured along side their male colleagues with no special mention of their gender.


Otherwise it's a great mag and I've been reading it since I was a teen over 20 years ago. Great variety of styles covered.

Since we are discussing that GP is competing with the internet, you have to offer content that you can't get on the internet. One big thing GP had going for it in the late 70's and early 80's was a lineup of really good columnists. Really good writing from well respected established players. You would tune in each month and hear from Tommy Tedesco, Rik Emmit, George Gruhn, Barney Kessel, Michael Lorimor, Craig Anderton , Dan Erlewine, and a host of others. There may have been an opinionated SOB that pissed you off every other month, but you sure couldn't wait to read next months rant.

It's not that the current writing isn't good, but its seems like its one been amalgamous blend with only one personality. I can hardly tell the difference in writing styles and what tastes of music each individual might have. I am not saying stir up controversy for it's own sake, just get some big names that write a column every month that we will want to follow for there own merit.

There is a good part of having some flexability and randomness on what to expect each month, but again I think you need some exclusive personalities with varying opinions where each has his own niche genre. I would like a good classical guy, a good acoustic guy, a beginner guy, a C&W guy, a jazz guy, a rock guy, a blues guy, ect., as well as equipment and repair guys. Something for everyone so I don't have to wait for a random article on my favorite style. I am sure it wouldn't be easy to assemble such stellar columnists as in the past overnight, but it would be a long term goal to have a stable of writers that really made GP feel important again. My broad musical tastes are in some respects due to the eclectic columnists of GP past that exposed me to so many genres of music that I never would have payed attention to if not for them.

"One big thing GP had going for it in the late 70's and early 80's was a lineup of really good columnists. Really good writing from well respected established players. You would tune in each month and hear from Tommy Tedesco, Rik Emmit, George Gruhn, Barney Kessel, Michael Lorimor, Craig Anderton , Dan Erlewine, and a host of others. "

I cannot speak to GP in particular, but I stopped writing for publication when the pay scale dropped to the point where it was not worth my time. You have to really just want to write for a magazine now for it to be worth it, there is no way to do it and make any reasonable amount of money. For every writer who used to appear in the various music publications there are 50,000 guys who will do it for free. And the publishers look at that savings, and take it.

Sounds like the writing biz is just like the music biz.

I don't disagree with whether writers are payed enough or not, I really don't know. If you want talent, you are going to have to pay for it. I am not talking about 50,000 guys that will write on the cheap, I am talking big name credible talent with unique opinions on music. Lots of people can write well, but very few are interesting, especially when talking about a specific subject like guitar.

If money is an issue, pay for it the way lots of people finance things these days, sponsorship. For instance, off the top of my head, Eric Johnson writes a column each month on electric guitar and Fender steps up to the plate as the sponsor. Heck even Budwieser sponsors concert tours, maybe there is a tie in there. Not flat out beer ads, but a tie in to the tour.

Again, I am not trying to slam the GP staff, they write well and use all the cool new lingo. I just think GP needs some individualality. The old regular columnists had personalities. Like I said earlier, it would take awhile to find engaging guitarists/writers, but there's bound to be talented people out there that have something to say and having a monthly check never hurts.

that is my biggest complaint about product spotlights. i get annoyed to see the same copy in an article as is on the site of the manufacturer. when i see an article i expect to be informed in depth instead of reading an add disguised as an article.
i miss the player setups.

First let me say that I find the current staff & content generally equal to any period of GPlayer's past & better than some eras.
I'm not sure too many changes are needed & I'd caution against following too much along the lines of the competition in targeting certain niches...there's a reason GP remains the most respected of the guitar-oriented mags.

My main ideas would be to reprint some of the pieces from the past sometimes.
Jas Obrecht, as just one example, detailed the histories of some terrific blues players & there are almost infinite other examples through the mag's history.

It also might be nice to find someone (or a varying list, periodically) who'd fill the gap left by Tedesco regarding session playing, whether pop, film, cartoons or advertising.
I think that would answer some of the things mentioned above about career advancment without getting too far afield into areas already covered by EQ or other periodicals.
That's where to find yer constant info on recording methods, Net-posting, & the like...one magazine can't be all to all of us!

I would suggest that some ideas, such as "glossy full color pages" (don't we already get those?!) are great in themselves but not realistic in a time when publishing costs are driving many out of the printed format.

In sum, I'd suggest something that's prolly alreday being done: simply look over the history of the mag & return some of the things that worked in the past, possibly on a rotating basis rather than in every issue.

I dunno, though, as said, I think GP's doing great.
I hope nothing of value's gonna be lost.

THIS and by a budget I mean not several hundred bucks but a barebones one. It has to work well for bass (primary instrument) also.

Also some more stuff for beginners like me. As soon as the theory talk comes out I am often lost. Even though I hate to admit this in public I'll give the example of scales and solos. While I can play a few basic scales I have no idea how to solo even though I have read and been told that solos are built on scales.

Also I think it would be nice to reward manufacturers that make their models available for us lefty players as well. Always let us know if there's a lefty model available (or not) for the guitar reviewed. If there is then ensure that the same options are available as well (i.e. Fender will not give offer maple fingerboards on lefty basses and seem to think that lefties only want black and 3-colour burst on most offerings) It always sucks to see a nice piece of gear and then finding out (as usual) it's unavailable for southpaws. In this age of CNC manufacturing IMO it's ridiculous as it isn't especially difficult to hit mirror image. Then I think there would be more reviews of makers like Schecter, Dean, and Ernie Ball who put the big two to utter shame in this aspect as well as perhaps increasing the number of lefty players as many may not be aware of lefty gear. I myself had no idea and after a disastrous attempt at 14 on a regular guitar I gave up until almost 25 years later when a new musician friend informed me of the existence of lefty gear.

Just my two cents as a very new reader.

Cheers
Newf

I'd love to see more depth in the articles and interviews, with fewer of those ones that seem to be cobbled together from older interviews... I get so disappointed when I think I'm going to get something fresh and I realize I've read all or most of it before... SOMETIMES the person who puts one of those together does great research and great editing, and then the piece stands on its own as a new thing, but sometimes not...

I'm prob'ly in a minority 'round here, but I'd love to see a column on the whole 'intangibles' thing--something well written about the musicianly mindset... THAT would be different, if it was intelligently written and not fluff...

Something new has occured to me.
I'ts actually been going on a while but seems to be getting more frequent.
I personally hate those addenda to some articles suggesting that we on the forum discuss some specific aspect of the article, things like: "Did you ever have a wacky onstage experience ? Go to the GPlayer online forum & talk about it. You may be mentioned in the magazine!"

Why should we discuss something that's already been cited in the mag ? That's just redundant.
Don't we stimulate our own discussions enough that pages are piling up on your servers ?
I think a much better option, that's already been used, is to cite some discussion that springs up spontaneously, when it's interesting enough or, as Craig Anderton [BTW, great to see him back recently] is wont to do, ask a question about a subject that's being considered for an article & include relevant responses.

FWIW, I note that several have mentioned providing more basic info on subjects. That's good but as I've been recently culling old issues I'm in a patch where sidebars to articles would briefly explain those basics [The "Huh ?" series from about 5 years ago].
I can't help noting that when done then, there was a strong outporing of letters criticizing the practice b/c "we don't need this beginner stuff".
Guess there will always be something to complain about.

I'd like the idea of group interview from artists in different genre's discussing something a little more interesting than what strings/amps/pedals they use.

Maybe even the readers could have a say(write in) in what might be the 20 most relevant questions to a musician and what artists they'd like to see be interviewed together???

Al Di Meola & Allan Holdsworth discussing the use legato vs picking...

That's not half-bad! A "Legend's Symposium" where you put 3-5 great guitarists in a room and let them expound on a particular subject...you'd get some interesting info, to be sure.

Topic choice might be tough, though.

As a graphic designer I think this will be an interesting thing to watch unfold. Cool.

+1 the idea of having some forum type discussions among the legends in one article sounds like a cool idea..