Bass Player monthly or bi-monthly?

[IanSanX]

yes, I did a search, dont hurt me.

[Bob Gollihur]

Monthly.

[IanSanX]

thank you

[getz out]

Originally posted by IanSanX:

yes, I did a search, dont hurt me.

LOL. Gun shy? I don't blame you. Watch out for the Thought Police.

 

Well, BP has enough content for a bi-monthly release, but they manage to fill up the rest of monthly issue with reviews filled with praise. How many times do I have to read, "This is the best bass ever!"?

 

Maury

[IanSanX]

I see so many people get hate thrown on them for not doin searches, and i didnt want to deal with it.

[JDL]

hate? Try "guiding"

[Ben]

Monthly.

 

I let my subscription lapse a few months back, and will probably get around to renewing one of these days.

 

I worry that Bass Player is showing some of the signs of a publication on the rocks, (ad pages down, give-aways greatly reduced, no cheap or multi-year subscriptions, revolving-door staff) and I am waiting to see what happens.

[SolSol]

I think the consistently good reviews may reflect a trend...stuff is just made better now than it ever was. Just look at all the low-price import boutiques, or even the stuff from the major manufacturers. What do you think?

[Bill Leigh]

Hi everyone,

 

I love all the comments about Bass Player. Yes indeed we're monthly; in fact going from 8 times a year to monthly was the occasion for my originally joining the staff in late '95. However, I do want to clarify a few things:

 

1. Ben mentioned worrying that BP showed "signs of a publication on the rocks." BP is definitely not "on the rocks." We've had to deal with a tough economy like everyone else, but our ad sales are steady, our circulation has grown, and we're definitely not going anywhere. As for the "revolving door staff," I guess I'm the only one who actually revolved when I left in early 2001 and returned five months later to replace Richard Johnston after he served as Editor for four years. Most of the rest of us have been here for quite some time: Senior Editor Karl Coryat and Senior Contributing Editor Chris Jisi have been here from the beginning, and Assistant Editor Greg Olwell joined in '96.

 

2. Maury mentioned that BP fills up each monthly issue "with reviews filled with praise." He continued: "How many times do I have to read, 'This is the best bass ever!'?"

 

Have you ever read that in a Bass Player review? It's not often that we encounter any product that doesn't have drawbacks or can't be improved in some way in our opinion, and that's what you're more likely to find in every review. We try hard to be fair, complete, and "market appropriate" (meaning we don't expect a great $300 bass to be as groovy as a great $3000 one). And when a product is cool, yes, we do get excited about it. (Why shouldn't we? We're bass players!) We recognize that gear is definitely an individual thing, too; that's why we always try to incorporate multiple opinions into product reviews and try to identify which types of players might find a particular product especially intriguing. SolSol has a point, too: instruments are definitely getting better and better. You simply can get a lot more bass for your buck now than, say, ten years ago. Still, I'd challenge you to find any bass gear reviews in print that are more hard-hitting, informative, or complete than Bass Player's Soundroom reviews.

 

That said, we really do appreciate your feedback and we're always interested in how you feel we can improve our product reviews or any other part of Bass Player magazine. What do you think of the last few issues? Which articles have you found most and least informative or inspiring? Most of us BP staffers do read these forums, but you can e-mail me directly at bleigh@musicplayer.com. If we're doing something that's not so great, tell us--we can take our lumps. I just don't like to see inaccurate rumors, ill-informed criticism, or mistaken impressions of BP that may actually be based on what you might have seen in other magazines.

 

We're real people, and we're here for you. If something in BP is great or if it sucks, let us know.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

[_Sweet Willie_]

Hey Bill,

 

Thanks for chiming in.

 

While I'm used to seeing lots of 4's in the gear review ratings, they are not always that way. The Epifani UL 4x10 got what I consider a truly outstanding review -- not only in terms of the 5s in the ratings chart, but also in the writing that described the product. There was a bass recently (maybe three months ago?) that got a number of 2s and 3s, and this reminded me that y'all are still on your toes and do see some instruments that are not up to snuff -- at least based on their price tags.

 

I've learned that while most products score pretty well in the reviews' ratings box (mostly, but not all 4s), the writing in the reviews themselves tends to reveal better the true nature of the product.

 

Now, the real question: I live in a collar suburb of Chicago. It seems like all the subscribers here get their monthly issues of BP before me. Anything about the regional mailing/shipping that you could illuminate for me, or is this something I need to harass the post office about? (And yes, I know I have it better than some of the international folks!)

 

Peace.

[Brendan Orr]

In my opinion, BP is looking pretty nice. However, it seems to be product-review heavy. Though I do like the Soapbox articles as well as the Bass Tech articles (I was happy to see Steve Azola's article in the July '03 issue). Though I must ask the staff of BP this one question:

What happened to "Working Stiffs?"

[Yogi]

Originally posted by Bill Leigh:

That said, we really do appreciate your feedback and we're always interested in how you feel we can improve our product reviews or any other part of Bass Player magazine.

Bringing Beller's column back would be nice. The issues I tended to pick up and read were the ones his column appeared in.

 

I'll admit to a little bias on my part, though.

[Scoot]

Originally posted by Yogi:

Originally posted by Bill Leigh:

That said, we really do appreciate your feedback and we're always interested in how you feel we can improve our product reviews or any other part of Bass Player magazine.

Bringing Beller's column back would be nice. The issues I tended to pick up and read were the ones his column appeared in.

 

I'll admit to a little bias on my part, though.

I'm with Yogi (is this the famous Yogi of Bump fame??) Beller's articles were always the first thing I read. Funny stuff, but still worthwhile reading. Other than that, excellent magazine. Covers Jaco and Fieldy and everything in between, which is good.

[ClarkW]

Originally posted by Brendan Orr:

In my opinion, BP is looking pretty nice.

Though I must ask the staff of BP this one question:

What happened to "Working Stiffs?"

I could have sworn that I've read at least two Working Stiffs in the past two or three issues.

[Brendan Orr]

ClarkW: Really? can't believe I missed it. Thanks man

[IanSanX]

yupyup, and there is a working stiffs column in this months BP as well.

[getz out]

Originally posted by Bill Leigh:

 

2. Maury mentioned that BP fills up each monthly issue "with reviews filled with praise." He continued: "How many times do I have to read, 'This is the best bass ever!'?"

 

Have you ever read that in a Bass Player review? It's not often that we encounter any product that doesn't have drawbacks or can't be improved in some way in our opinion, and that's what you're more likely to find in every review. We try hard to be fair, complete, and "market appropriate" (meaning we don't expect a great $300 bass to be as groovy as a great $3000 one). And when a product is cool, yes, we do get excited about it. (Why shouldn't we? We're bass players!) We recognize that gear is definitely an individual thing, too; that's why we always try to incorporate multiple opinions into product reviews and try to identify which types of players might find a particular product especially intriguing. SolSol has a point, too: instruments are definitely getting better and better. You simply can get a lot more bass for your buck now than, say, ten years ago. Still, I'd challenge you to find any bass gear reviews in print that are more hard-hitting, informative, or complete than Bass Player's Soundroom reviews.

 

We're real people, and we're here for you. If something in BP is great or if it sucks, let us know.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

Glad to see you guys actually read what is written down here in the basement.

 

Actually, Bill, I've probably read every review in BP for the last 6 or 7 years. I actually subscribe to the said periodical. I do find the writing, editing, and layout of the magazine to be on par or better than the average, especially when compared with others in the music/musician genre, of which I read several on a regular, if not monthly, basis.

 

Due to my initial exaggeration, I will be happy to clarify. Please be so kind as to let me articulate; my issue is two-fold.

 

First, let us discuss content. Other than gear reviews, for which I understand there is a definitely a large base of target readers, I find the articles, interviews, lessons, and other assorted information a bit light. I feel that most of the rich content for two months could be fit into a bi-monthly magazine. I do not have a long commute to work, but I find I cannot get much more than a subway round-trip out of the magazine, sans gear reviews. I'm a fast reader, but I can usually squeeze at least 3 to 4 days out of the average GQ, and there are more pictures in GQ.

 

Second, on the subject of gear reviews, I find the short, narrative, personalized nature of the review in each bi-monthly "Bassics" is more informative than the reviews I find in BP. Why? It appeals more to me as a musician, not a luthier or electronics engineer. Bassics describe sound, feel, and aesthetics without using a ratings system. I find most of the BP articles read as a cold, formula driven review. I read a review, and I say to myself, "I bet this is where's he's going to write about how "everything was perfect, except for the fret finish on the bass side of fret 24."" While this may be good for a "scientific" assessment of gear, musical gear by definition isn't scientific. That said, I have found that BP's "Shootout" reviews are fantastic. They take that same "scientific" approach to a similar set of gear (4x10", 5 string, etc.). However, each time I read a review of a single product, I cannot help but feel I'm reading the same review OVER and OVER again.

 

Why is this? One thing I notice is I VERY rarely see a rating of less than 4. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention, but I am flipping through the July 2003 issue, I can tell you, of the five products reviewed, 9 of the 25 ratings received a "5 - Outstanding", with the remainder receiving the "4 - Above Average" category. I feel this experience is the norm instead of the exception. Three "Editor's Awards" were given for these same 5 reviews.

 

While I understand and agree with the statement that gear produced today is of much higher quality than even 5 years ago, using that as an argument to defend inflated ratings is inhearently flawed. If the average instrument produced today is of higher quality than yesterday's, does that not redefine what we mean as "3 - Average"?

 

BP's reviews point to one of two conclusions: (1) that all (or at least the majority) of the gear today is above average or (2) BP only reviews gear that is above average.

 

Statement (1) is inherently false. In order to have a meaningful average, you need a good, old- fashioned bell-like curve. (I knew that statistics course would come in handy one of these days.)

 

Statement (2) seems to suggest that BP is creating more of a buying-guide than a honest, objective review section. I am not suggeting that this actually the case, but an argument could be made to that effect. If not, where is all the "average" gear these days? I don't seem to see it in BP's reviews, that's for sure. If the ESP LTD Deluxe J-1004 is above average, what am I supposed to compare it too? Other basses in the $1,300 list price range? There are a LOT of quality basses in that range. I'd like to read about one that is below average.

 

All of that said, I still find the reviews somewhat useful. The reviews provide a starting point and provide information on things that are available to the buying public. I, and most other players, know that personal experience is the overriding force behind selecting something as personal as gear. No matter what BP's review says, if I go try the Parker Fly Bass and think it sounds like a cow-chip, I'm not going to buy it. However, the average (there's that word again) beginner is not going to have the same exposure, knowledge, or guidance to make such a selection or distinction.

 

I guess I could summarize all of the above and say that BP's "1 - 5" ratings systems could use some improvement, or, in my opinion, the system could be completely abolished. GP's "Kissing Cousins" is also a nice little feature, which gives the reader some type of reference to identify what competition a product is facing-off against.

 

I hope this helps clarify my statements. Feel free to contact me with your thoughts off-list if you prefer, mspadoto@yahoo.com.

 

Maury Spadoto

Hoboken, NJ

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by getz76:

BP's reviews point to one of two conclusions: (1) that all (or at least the majority) of the gear today is above average or (2) BP only reviews gear that is above average.

 

Statement (1) is inherently false. In order to have a meaningful average, you need a good, old- fashioned bell-like curve. (I knew that statistics course would come in handy one of these days.)

 

...I guess I could summarize all of the above and say that BP's "1 - 5" ratings systems could use some improvement, or, in my opinion, the system could be completely abolished.

In order to have a meaningful average you don't need to have a bell curve, but you do need to know about the distribution of your data. Like you, I've noticed that the mode for most ratings in BP gear reviews seems to be a "4." I've readjusted my interpretation of the ratings system and tend to scope for 3s and 5s to determine if a product is below or above par.

 

I agree, however, that the 1-5 ratings system may need a little revision. Maybe a little editorial from Bill giving examples of what might result in a 1 or a 3 or a 5? E.g., is a "1" -- "We plugged the Brand Z bass into our {totally rump-kicking} Demeter/Hafler/Eden reference rig, turned on the power, and absolutely no sound came out. After checking the instrument and amp cables, we came to the conclusion that the bass did not work. We opened up the control cavity and noticed the conspicuous absence of any electronics whatsoever. However, kudos to Brand Z for the careful shielding job and threaded inserts for the cavity cover screws!"

 

I also agree, Maury, that the "shoot-outs" kick ass.

 

Bill, do you request gear to review from the manufacturers or do they send you products on their own initiative? Either way, I would guess that more often than not, the specific item you get may visit a couple of more of the manufacturers' employees for checking and re-checking before it gets sent to BP. This could result in some inflation in the quality of the products you see. That is, for some pieces of gear, you might receive the "best" version of it which might vary somewhat (but hopefully not too much) from what I might see in the music store.

 

Thanks again, Bill, for dropping some knowledge on us!

[Tom Capasso]

I'll disagree a bit with Maury. I want all the technical stuff on a review. Tell me everything. Measurements, finish observations, how the pots turn. All of it.

 

I agree that the reviews are too similar and cold. I know the reviewer say things like (and I'm paraphrasing) "I took this to a funk gig, and it made the crowd dance". That would be more meaningful if it wasn't always the same one line type of comment. While I agree that gear is well made, none of your current reviewers seem to get excited about a product (maybe Terry on the Merlin amp a while back?).

 

One way to get some more "feel" into the reviews is the shootout. I can only imagine the amount of work a full scale shootout takes, but maybe more small scale ones would work. The 5 string (from '97?) was great, but huge. The 12" cab thing was better. And we don't need a "winner". If you have 4 people working on the project, let them each pick one (the 5-string shootout results were like that).

 

One suggestion for a column (sorry Maury) would be to get down seriously with the hardware and electronics that builders use. Gotoh, Hipshot, Shaller, and others make key elements of my bass. Is the barrel-style bridge from Hipshot the same as Shaller's? Does it weigh more? Is the metal thinner? Are the screws on the barrel longer? Electronics in a bass are another big area. So many pickups and preamps....

 

Keep visiting factories (better yet - send me!!). The Smith and Rickenbacker articles were good (somehow the Fender one didn't seem to impart anything).

 

Thanks for using notation. Don't give it up.

 

Finally, more Beller and his ilk. Here on the board, we love equipment and theory. But lots of people respond to stories with a human element, or a sense of humor.

[Ben]

Thank you Bill Leigh for personally responding to our various concerns.

 

I am glad to hear that my concerns about the magazine being "on the rocks" are unfounded. I've been wrong before, I remember one time back in 1977...

 

I'll go and re-up forthwith.

[wraub]

Firstly, Mr. Leigh, thanks for posting, and for participating in "our" forum. Joking...

 

Tom and Maury's observations bring to mind another of the fundamental rules of marketing, especially with media: everyone likes something different, you can't please them all.

 

That said- I also like the shootout format, and find it preferable to the single reviews, especially the "softball" ones.

 

I also agree with Tom about the tech stuff, there are many details that go into a bass, good or bad, and as BP has a lot of younger/newer players reading , these types of pieces could work well. Explaining, in pictures, what exactly makes a shielding job good or bad, or a piece, with pics, on woods and their various tonal types, or a tech section more like the old Anderton columns, explaining in detail exactly how different effects or amps work, in basic language, with schematics/tech drawings. These would inform the curious, as well as appeal to the rest on at least a GAS level. Some bicycling mags do similar, displaying products along with a sort of photo glossary, sometimes down to the sizes/types of bolts and such.

 

"This month: Bridges. So many different approaches to what is, in theory, a simple thing. But design and construction can go a long way to making necessary adjustments easier, as well as improve your tone and improve the looks of your bass..." or something like that, along with pictures of the various types available. Just a thought.

 

Please stick with the notation.

 

Maybe an "other music" section spotlighting little seen or heard of bass players who are none the less "stars" in their respective musics or countries, as well as stellar players.

 

A column like the old Tommy Tedesco ones in GP describing the process of recording and studio work, with charts.

 

I guess hoping for fewer ad pages is out of the question, but at least the ads are bass/music related, for the most part, and enjoyable enough. You know, for being ads. Please, no ads for cars or cigs, no matter how tempting the revenue.

 

That's it for now, I'll probably think of more later...

 

Thanks again for the magazine, and, by extension, this forum. Both have helped me play better and have more fun doing it. Not too bad.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by wraub:

Thanks again for the magazine, and, by extension, this forum. Both have helped me play better and have more fun doing it. Not too bad.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

I agree wholeheartedly w/ my compadre, wraub, on this.

 

I also like the technical details in the product reviews.

 

I also vote for standard music notation for any music included in BP.

 

Peace.

--Willie

[thrakkor]

i have been reading BP for quite some time now. I have issues going back to '93 and I started subscribing in '94 or '95.

 

as far as gear reviews, I think that overall, they are pretty good. i like the mix of objectiveness and subjectiveness BP gives through the reviews. all the technical stuff is important to me (objective) as well as the more subjective parts of the review, where the reviewers reccommend what styles of music and such a certain piece of equipment would work well in. however, this is just a starting point for me. in the end, i'll trust my ears when deciding whether or not some piece of gear sounds or performs good.

 

yes, the reviews are similar from review to review, but i think that is a good thing. at least we know that BP approaches each and every review with the same goals in mind and that they will be review the same way as closely as possible (diff't live situations taken into account) every time.

 

i defintely dig the shootouts as they are by far the best kind of gear review that BP does.

 

i only wish they would put an "affordable" spin on the reviews, from affordable gear to an affordable test setup.

 

maybe a forum which visits rythyms from around the world.....................each issue.

[wraub]

I have to second Thrakkor on this. A "price point review" would be a great thing. A $500.00 bass shootout would be illuminating, if only to see what similarities and differences 5 Samicks would exhibit.

But seriously, it's a good idea.

 

And how about more info on the methodology of the tests themselves? A small sidebar with amp info, room size(s) and type(s), played in a live setting or not, proficiency of player(s) and their playing experience, etc. would be sufficient, and by consolidating some of the info that normally goes into the body of the piece in a box, you might free up a page or two for advertising, or even another review or feature story.

 

Thanks again, again.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Tom Capasso]

I agree about the shootouts. Pick a price point and cover as much as you can. If there are too many basses, do it in parts (10 this month, 10 more two months hence).

 

I agree about the "methodology". the 5 String shootout explained what was done, but that was at least two reviewers (two "Scotts") ago.

 

And Bill, thanks again for stopping by!

 

Tom

[davich]

Heyy!! Bill Leigh was here!!

I have to thank for the great job! I even feel that I need to have it biweekly rather than monthly as it is now.

 

I have to say that I like most of Bill's editing, especially on this years edition. Lot's of improvement like factory visits and tech specs. I love it. If somebody else doesn't like it or like it i think it's something subjective.

 

I agree that we still need shootouts, the problem is that whether we need to update the old shootouts or add more?

 

Quiz: Where does Jonathan Herrera comes from (his experience and background)? - I think we need to get familiar with the BP staff as well.

[Ben]

Another vote for shootouts. Most useful.

 

And I don't really care what kind of ads you run, although I might agree with wraub about the mythicalization of cancer sticks.

[Timothy Lyons]

Originally posted by Ben:

Another vote for shootouts. Most useful.

 

And I don't really care what kind of ads you run, although I might agree with wraub about the mythicalization of cancer sticks.

Hey, Autotrader does it, most car magazines do. Run up competitor's monsters head to head, shoot down the lows and rate them versus each other!

[jeremy c]

Bill Leigh take notice...we have a poster here who would be an excellent reviewer for your magazine.

 

Maury is knowledgeable, writes well, has opinions without being opinionated, and can speak for the player. And he is prophetic as well.

[getz out]

Originally posted by jeremyc:

Bill Leigh take notice...we have a poster here who would be an excellent reviewer for you magazine.

 

Maury is knowledgeable, writes well, has opinions without being opinionated, and can speak for the player. And he is prophetic as well.

 

Jeremy, thanks for the kind words. I only have one question; where were you when I was in the 8th grade? I told my English teacher the same thing, but she refused to listen!

 

I could never be a reviewer, as I get attached to everything I touch. They were have to pry the gear from my cold, dead body if they wanted it returned. Innocent people would get hurt, as I would put up quite a fight. I could potentially cost millions of lives and take years.

 

Oh, and if I was actually prophetic, my investment portfolio wouldn't be in the shape it's in.