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Magazines....Your Opinions Wanted


Lisa

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In the thread about magazines that are missed, some of you mentioned being dissatisfied with the contents of some of the current magazines. Here's your chance to tell the inhouse editors at these mags exactly what it is that you'd like to see in the pages. I certainly think that your opinions are valuable and can make a difference. That's why I'm asking you to please speak your peace and don't hold back. Be specific about the types of stories you want to read and also, feel free to point out what it is that you do like about what the mags are giving you.

 

Fire away.....

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Well... since I was the person who kinda bad-mouthed Guitar Player, I guess I should offer an explanation.

 

When my issue of GP shows up each month, I instantly look to see what gear is in the "Bench Test" article. I just LOVE to read reviews of gear (especially guitars... who would have guessed?!). My favorite issues of GP are the ones that are PACKED full of gear reviews. So... what more could I want from the "Bench Test" section? Two things: 1) A wider range of gear. Most of the stuff that gets reviewed seems to be pretty high-end. I love to hear about the newest high-tech $3000 drool-inducing guitar (the one that will be in my dreams tonight), but I also want to know about the latest $300 work-horse that I should run out and purchase right now. And how about gear that's not so readily available to check out on your own in the stores, like replacement parts (Warmoth, WD, Allparts, etc.) or direct-order stuff. Do a review of the Route101 Solimar. Is it really better than an American Strat for half the price? We don't know because we can't walk into a store and try it out. 2) Unvarnished opinions. I don't think I've ever seen something get a BAD review. Often, the reviewer will point out a shortcoming (i.e. "The bridge pickup sounded a bit thin.") but I can't remember anyone giving the flat-out honest negative opinion ("This amp sounds like an AM radio with a blown speaker.") I'm sure it has something to do with jeopardizing advertising sales, or some other coporate B.S. I just hope that you would tell us if a product wasn't worth the money.

 

I also enjoy reading the smaller sections, such as Fretwire, Songcraft, and Street Smarts. I like seeing what strange beast is this month's "Pawn Shop Prize." I like the Buzz section. And, of course, I like to see what the giveaway of the month is, and daydream about winning it.

 

So... what DON'T I like? First off, tablature! Leave that stuff to beginner's rags like GuitarOne, and fill those pages with more gear reviews. I also find that I've lost interest in reading the interviews. Maybe my attention span has diminished over the years, but it seems like the articles are always 5 pages long but don't say anything. I just don't care if Clapton prefers maple or rosewood, or what kind of strings the guy from Marilyn Manson uses. Don't these guys have opinions about anything that matters?

 

Here's an exerpt from this month's interview with the guy from Tool:

GP: Do you switch between pickup settings very much?

 

Tool: I do sometimes when we're recording, but live, I just use the treble pickup. I turn the other one off, then I can use my pickup selector to kill my guitar sound real quick. When I use the tone knob, I either turn it all the way up or all the way down, and I leave it that way.

 

Wow! Thanks for that wealth of insight, Tool-guy! That was worth my subscription price! There's nothing more boring than hearing a guitarist talk about his own music. And I don't blame Tool-guy, I blame the guy that asked the lame question.

 

Anyway... you get the idea. I'll give someone else a chance to rant for a while.

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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I read that tool artical and i didn't like it either. I like it when they do face to face interviews and have good pictures of the artists, because it is then more personal with the artist. That Article did not even have an interview. After I read the Tool artical in Guitar World I began to wonder whether Guitar Player hadn't just done a summery of the GW interveiw and added some old file photo they had of the band. The interviews go deep on the trivial parts of playing (technique and gear) but lose sight of the big picture so they remain uninspiring.
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Ultimately I don't really think it matters what we'd like to see in a music magazine. Since Musician Magazine went under every other music related publication has addressed it's readership to a specific demographic of individuals who have the disposable income to shell out bucks for their magazine.

 

At the forefront is selling ad space to keep the magazine alive. To bring the people in to read these ads they have to make the magazine interesting to a certain group. So what we get are stories on Orgy, Creed, Blink 182, POD, Powerman 5000 and the occasional Hendrix or Clapton story to bring in the mature players.

 

Even Vintage Guitar Magazine caters their publication to a specific group over the age of 35. They have a specific agenda and they stick to it. I'm a big fan of this magazine.

 

I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm too eclectic. I like everything from Miles Davis to Albert Lee. Louis Armstrong to Beck. Musician Magazine had that eclectizim but it's probably why they went under. It wasn't targeted enough.

 

One month Wayne Shorter is on the cover and on the next issue Judas Priest. I dig that! But I can see how that would turn the less open minded off. Alot of people enjoy the same consistency they get from McDonalds. From an economic stand point this works. The bottom line is money and readership. But for me it's boring. I like learning and being introduced to new things. I miss the Jazz articles on harmolodics right next to another article on some obscure Nashville session cat.

 

You see it all the time on TV. The cool new well written cutting edge shows (Remember Profit?) that don't do well in the heartland get canceled, so they create shows that cater to the lowest common denominator and they become hits. You know like the sitcom "Home Improvement," or "TV's Funniest Videos."

 

My suggestion is bring back a revamped version Musician Magazine and call it something else. That's what would float my boat. And if it came to pass I would be first in line to contribute as a writer or pick it up at the news stand.

 

------------------

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/144/oscar_jordan.html

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I miss the Guitar Player of the '80s. You had a lot more instructional/how-to material. There was a column on site-reading (I guess no one even bothers now); there stylistic columns; there were technique columns; there were theory columns. Guitar One uses the slogan "The Magazine You Can Play" (or something like that); back in the '80s, that's what I did with GP. An entire month's worth of practice was there for me. Now, there seems to be very little to play or work on. I also agree with the idea that gear reviews need to cover a larger price range. Think about it: for every $2,000 axe that someone buys, how many $400-700 guitars get grabbed up.

 

Take care,

 

Glenn

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I havent purchased a guitar rag in years. I subscribe to MIX and thats about it. My mother even offered up a subscription to Guitar World and Guitar Player a couple of years ago as a Christmas Present. I declined.

 

I am not sure why. I guess it may stem from reading the same old shit time after time. How many articles can you read on Clapton and Hendrix. Dont get me wrong I love those guys but I think I have their stories down. I realize that the younger readers need to be exposed to these players but for myself I'd rather read baseball weekly.

 

I do get the feeling that these publications are just putting the classic guys on the cover to get the mag to shoot off the rack. They say "lost interview". When its probably just a few words that you haven't read yet - all the rest is rehash. I hope the Claptons etc are getting richer from this. God knows these publishers are...

 

So on the sunnyside--- I enjoy Stories about how they got the tones to tape. What gear they are using. I dont want to hear about how they got their record deal, who they know or any other industry stories.

 

As far as the gear goes. I do enjoy the reviews, benchtests etc.. Maybe I am slowly truning into a producer. God help me..

 

BK http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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As far as the bench tests go..

 

a good portion of the the time i dont know who the person is reviewing the gear...

A little bit of a resume would be nice.

 

Why should I trust their opinion when I can go the local music store and make my own. Thats the only one that matters to me anyway...

 

BK

 

This message has been edited by BK on 05-11-2001 at 03:12 PM

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I guess I don't really have a huge problem with GP. If you're trying to reach the widest audience possible, then you have to include information that might seem like common sense to the seasoned player. Even though you know to turn down one of your pickup volumes to cut your signal immediately, a brand new guitarist might not know it, and it's good to hear it straight from the horses mouth.

I also know I've found myself reading an article about which I know nothing. That's what I appreciate about GP: One page you're reading about "Tool-guy", the next moment you're learning slide techniques from India. I'll put up with the former for the latter. Many times I'll find myself picking up tips that are probably standard ideas in another genre that I'm used to. Like country or traditional jazz. I appreciate these and would be bummed if they cut them out because they were boring for the experts in those styles.

 

I still find the best parts the gear reviews like y'all.

~clockwirk~
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Where do I start?

 

Hmm... I'm really time compressed at the moment so this will be haphzard, some thoughts:

 

I love magazines, but only for little isolated tid bits.

 

Usually these tid bits are considered asides, they're pull columns. Bits that may seem to a Professional Editor to be not worthy of real attention perhaps.

 

Overall music magazines seem too tense or high strung.

 

I used to be a big fan of the old school _skateboarder_ magazine. I wish there was an equivalent guitar/musician magazine. What I liked about skateboarder that I think was cool is that they always had articles written from a narrative standpoint, instead of an editorial or demonstrative position. The article in Musician someone referenced about the steve Morse/VanHalen encounter at I believe an Ernie Ball show at a Namm is what I'm talking about: tell *stories* about situations I (or other professional musicians) might be interested in!

 

It's SOOOOOO easy! Go to any music store on a Saturday, and listen to people shoot the shit. Take on a "real world" stance: just write in first person like a normal human. Skateboarder magazine had articles written by skaters talking about the scene where they're at, what was going on, what was considered cool, etc.. That's why this place is so cool, and Usenet potentially - it's the real world, unfiltered, actual opinions.

 

Ahhg, I've got to go and I have so much to say about this subject... Oh well...

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Thanks so much for the opportunity.

 

1.- PLEASE explain to your advertisers that it is iritating in the least, and downright headache-inducing at its worst, when they insist on using ad copy that is unreadable, illegible, or trying so hard to be hip to the current 'scene', that one cannot even fathom what it is that's being sold, without close, intense study of said ad. Give me a friggin' break!!!

(God, that felt good!!)

 

2. Since when did 'Low Priced', 'Budget', and 'Affordable' refer to items that cost more extra money than I can scrape up in 6 months??

I recently saw a comparison of 'budget' acoustics. What a joke...the cheapest one listed for almost $600!!! Who's f***ing budget are they refering to??!! Not mine, that's for sure.

 

Just once, I'd love to see a review of say...Beginner Electric Guitar packages, for instance. You know, the ones that come with a case, small amp, strap, etc.

At the very least, it would provide comic relief for the professionals in the mag's readership!!

Ther are amazing multi-effect units available for under $250. Why is it all I get to read about is $1200 mic preamps???

 

Oy Vey!! Now you got me all riled up!!!

Steve

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First off, I actually really like GP. That said things could all ways be better. I think GP used to be a little more eclectic. I mean it was the first place I ever hear about no wave, or read about the session musicians I'd heard so much from, but never knew who they were.

 

Oh and most importantly, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and a bunch of others should never, ever be in another guitar magazine again!!!! When I get an issue with one of these guys on the cover I feel like mailing it back in. I see people on these boards rail against people overexposed in mainstream pop or whatever, well these are the top three most overexposed guitar players.

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1) Real world writing.

 

2) Re-examine criteria for reviews of gear. In other words, what is the thing the average buyer is *most* concerned with about an item?

 

3) Keep an ear to the ground for what the latest "hot" item is and review it. It's amazing how this doesn't happen; I suppose it has to do with politics, but...

 

4) Have multiple parallel interviews.

 

On that note -

 

It serves no practical purpose to have people I don't know from a hole in the wall tell me "this guitar sounds good". Who is that person, and what it their tastes/experience?

 

Have a regular cadre of reviewers. List their preferences so a reader will know where they're coming from. Have them *all* review the same product, independent of each other. GP did this a few times and it was cool; why this isn't the standard I don't know....

 

5) Record reviews: what do I care if Elmo Farnstein likes or dislikes something? I've never bought a CD or not bought a CD based on a review, and I don't know anyone who has. It's amazing how much space music reviews get and they're never really informative: the bottom line is what kind of music fan will like/dislike the music being reviewed, and why? Everything else is superfluous...

 

6) Better pictures. I'm not talking Ansel Adams, but musicians like Gear Porno. If your editors don't know what I mean by that then that's maybe the problem....

 

Witness Lynn Fuston posing with mics and preamps....

 

Outside of that, pictures - I don't care, unless it's Playboy. I don't care about looking at Eric Johnson; I am curious as to the settings on his gear. In this respect the Japanese magazines rule; they get down to it, closeups of pedals and everything.

 

7) Interviews: I know you walk a line between trying not to irritate the artist and yet get info, but..... It seems there's seldom an interview anymore where I'm left thinking "hmm. I know this person better now". They're generally dry recitations of gear, or genuflections to whatever trend is out ("yeah, I like so and so, they're good"). I like Bonzai's angles in _Mix_, the seemingly non-linear approach; it ultimately leads back around, and you get a feel for the interviewee as a person that way.

 

I'd prefer nothing but interviews, long ones that are pretty introspective, that let the artist become fairly garoullous. That's why I liked _musician_.

 

 

ALSO, CONSIDER THIS:

 

The Net changes the dynamic of "Reading Magazines". The purpose of gaining information about products? Easier done online.

 

The recreational utility of a magazine is more important now. I buy a magazine to give me an excuse to go somewhere and get a bite to eat, sit down and read. I can't do that with the Net (not practically, at least). In this respect I don't care about much empirical data, but anecdotal info.

Again, real world stories, and interviews, things that are not immediately pertinent but are stimulating viscerally.

 

I should go to bed, I've got a music festival to play at at 12:30 I've got to set up for at 10:00, go to work, do another gig starting at 8:00....

 

Hmm.

 

_Gig_ magazine sort of tried long time ago to do some different angles, but was symied (I think) by trying to walk a line between (Zappa voice: ON) "Professional Journalism" and the Real World. Little snippets of anecdotes from professional people, little pointers here and there - but a lot of filler in between, amounting to bs padding. Back when I was younger I used to buy *all* of the magazines and try to glean every little fragment of info out of each one, and in retrospect it was pretty meager offerings.

 

Uhg, I really should go to bed...

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Originally posted by BK:

Why should I trust their opinion when I can go the local music store and make my own. Thats the only one that matters to me anyway...

 

That's what I was saying about doing reviews of gear that's less accessable. I can walk into ANY store and try out a Line6 POD. It's a lot harder to try out a new DiMarzio pickup without buying it and installing it. Also, you gotta know the gear exhists to go check it out. I remember seeing the Bench Test of the Telestar Mona and thinking, "That's guitar seems pretty cool, I want to go check one out." Unfortunatley, I still haven't seen one in a store.

 

Originally posted by ricknbokker:

Since when did 'Low Priced', 'Budget', and 'Affordable' refer to items that cost more extra money than I can scrape up in 6 months??

I recently saw a comparison of 'budget' acoustics. What a joke...the cheapest one listed for almost $600!!! Who's f***ing budget are they refering to??!! Not mine, that's for sure.

 

Yeah... I saw that too. It was "Best Acoustics Under $1000". Is anyone having problems finding a good acoustic under a grand?! If I pay $800 for a guitar, it better be damned good! You wanna give me some useful info... tell me the best acoustic under $400.

 

 

 

This message has been edited by Scott from MA on 05-13-2001 at 11:13 AM

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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... and something else:

 

What's with all of these magazines padding their issues with reprints of old articles???????

 

By the same token, though: GP should maybe put out a seasonal "Best of GP" magazine (seperate), printing articles from old issues.

 

------------------

New and Improved Music Soon: ]www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Yeah... I was going to say something about the reprinted articles too, but I figured maybe a lot of people are into that nostalgia thing. I think it's a waste of pages. I mean... I didn't care about the guitarist from Toto in the 80's. Why the hell would I care about him NOW?!?!

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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Originally posted by trickfall@yahoo.com:

Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and a bunch of others should never, ever be in another guitar magazine again!!!!

 

No argument here! Add to that list Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards, Randy Rhoads, and Tony Iommi.

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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Yeah I agree, do away with the TAB's and the silly articles like "strings....does size really matter?". I get TapeOp, and the occasional Recording or Musician mag. Haven't seen any mag with Guitar as the first word in the title to be worth a damn. Vintage Guitar is cool...the mag's built like the old Rolling Stone (newspaper-like material) and has oogles of tech articles and old session men's lamentations, plus all the links to the finest speculators of musical instruments. : )
Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in
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Personally, my favorite bits in GP were the bios that Jas Obrecht used to contribute. Might not matter to some, but I never knew anything about LOTS of certain less famous old-time blues guys (like Syl Weaver),earlier jazzers(George Van Eps---now that guy might be someone to lay on all these young 7-string players!), etc. without those sorts of pieces. Certainly, big problems now are info overload & the need to grab readers's attention but a bit of retrospect is worthy.

I agree with the emphasis several respondents place on "gearhead" pieces as well,though; these can be very helpful for those looking for info.

Finally, I think the most valuable addition in recent years is the deep analyses & notation of particular performances(can't recall the serirs title but you know what I mean).

 

------------------

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Well, it's certainly tough as hell keeping everyone happy, but I appreciate all your comments. I'm distributing this thread to the GUITAR PLAYER staff so we can discuss future directions the mag should take.

 

It's critically important for GP's growth, credibility, and relevence that we take reader opinions seriously. Thanks for keeping us on the edge!

 

Best to all,

Michael Molenda

Editor in Chief

GUITAR PLAYER

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Michael,

 

Thanks for checking out this thread. It's cool that people with the power and inclination to improve their publication actually care about what the "little people" want. I hope you'll occasionally come again and visit us and maybe even impart a little wisdom here and there.

 

Ditto for the rest of your staff.

 

I have to complement GP for trying to "talk to" such a wide variety of readers with obviously contrary views on gear, music, and the industry.

 

I've always thought that GP's mixture was the most interesting, and I always like being surprised with some article on an artist I didn't know until I saw your issue.

 

Considering the potential for interplay between this site, (and its multi-media capabilities) and GP, it would be cool for GP to perhaps use this forum for content that didn't fit the confines of the mag... (extended interviews, lessons, and more), more in-depth product reviews (say a new guitar, effect, or amp review with sound bytes), and perhaps sponsoring a contest or two... Ooops, wrong thread! This is not a contest thread!

 

Anyway, thanks again for showing up... don't be a stranger...

 

guitplayer

I'm still "guitplayer"!

Check out my music if you like...

 

http://www.michaelsaulnier.com

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I used to buy mags when I was in my teens learning the ropes. I couldn't care less for Guitar Player 'cause it didn't have no tab and featured artist that I didn't know about. I would probably enjoy the articles more now. Now I don't care about mags with tab 'cause they're filled with either no-brainer power-chord stuff for pages or old classic rock shit that have already been printed when I used to buy it 10 years ago! I'm 27 now, I don't think that I've bought a mag since the early nineties because usually (from a player's perspective) it's filled with stuff I already know. What I do enjoy from magazines (I'm with Chip on this) is the anecdotal experience and insight by artists. Not the writer's. When I read an interview I want to pick-up some of the artist's philosophy and take on what constitutes a musician's life. Not read a half page intro to the writer's essay paraphrasing the artist with a couple of quotes. Q and A. That's simple enough. I want to read it the way it was said. I'm sure Beck doesn't speak like B.B. King. I want to read that. If the writers feel the need to make literary statements they should change jobs and write books. I HATE FILLING unless it's in a cake.

 

I only buy pro-audio magazines now because they're not targeted towards teenagers and I learn stuff. But the interviews often suffer from the same lack of content and writer self-gratification.

 

That being said magazines played a big role in my woodshedding years and I realise that if I didn't have formal training in college I would probably still buy the stuff.

 

Emile

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I really don''t care much for the mags which primarily present hard music and metal players. I prefer the ones like Vintage Guitar Magazine, and Guitar Player. But I am more interested in gear. How to use this piece, or how to better produce this sound. I like the info GP is giving about guitar setup for some of the famous ones (like the ones they've done about Clapton's, Satriana, Santana, and others), and the pawn shop prizes, etc. More about gear and using it, the gear of the stars in more detail. I realy don't want to hear about how this guy plays off that guy or he played the 4th of the 3rd chord in the 15th verse of the 2nd chorus, blah, blah, blah. I want gear info. Thank you for your interest in what we are interested in.

Psalm 33:3

The best instrument you have, is your heart.

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Well, I'm gonna stick my neck out here. Trust me, I'm pretty sure an awful lot of the folks hammering upline axes can play circles around me. But, I'm pretty sure not one of you gives a rip about the schmoe who made your axe.(most likely a machine anyway!)

 

Have you ever been to a luthier shop? I love my axe. It came with a translated letter from the luthier, telling me about his experience making it. Best axes over a $1000.00? I wish I could find a guitar that had as much care and love for tone in it for that kind of money.

 

I truly Love this instrument, actually any stringed instrument. And, I love to read about it in it's finest forms.

 

Rick

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Originally posted by jef5f:

I realy don't want to hear about how this guy plays off that guy or he played the 4th of the 3rd chord in the 15th verse of the 2nd chorus, blah, blah, blah

 

I actually find that stuff useful, especially if the transcription is of a tune that involves some interesting changes. For example, I found the transcription of the Mike Stern/John Scofield solos that they published recently very helpful. I don't play music that involves terribly complex changes too often, but the opportunity does arise, and I am constantly trying to improve my abilities in this area. Much of that solo is over diatonic chord changes actually, so I found it interesting to see how someone from a legit jazz background would approach a solo that is over simple changes. I transcribe Miles Davis for the same reason. It shows you a different way of approaching music that's familiar to you from a different perspective.

~clockwirk~
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2. Since when did 'Low Priced', 'Budget', and 'Affordable' refer to items that cost more extra money than I can scrape up in 6 months??

I recently saw a comparison of 'budget' acoustics. What a joke...the cheapest one listed for almost $600!!! Who's f***ing budget are they refering to??!! Not mine, that's for sure.

 

The problem with the above mentioned article is NOT overpriced for budget acoustics. $600 list translates to $350 - $450 street price. I'd consider that a budget acoustic. Now if you want to talk complete novice specials, that's different. Most of the big manufacturers have acoustics for less than $200 street price. My experience is they are all dogs. But yes, I'd have to admit, if you want a cheap beginner instrument, most of these would suffice. Unfortunately, the quality control on these instruments is bad. Even if they had a $199 and under shootout, it's likely that you would have a completely different experience of that make and model in a store. Therefore it would be of little value. They should do it anyway. Maybe the manufacturers would cut their profit margin just a little bit to make sure these instruments were solid and setup correctly.

 

I always liked interviews in GP, tab in GFTPM (this was 10 years ago!) and any gear reviews I could sink my teeth into. I also enjoyed the "In the Listening Room" column I think was in GFTPM. They'd have a famous guitarist comment on 5 songs without telling him/her who they were listening to. Sometimes they knew, sometimes they didn't. The latter evoked some pretty good responses almost every time.

 

Neil

 

My 2c

It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman

 

Soundclick

fntstcsnd

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ya gotta sell magazines, so put whomever ya want on the cover. but those interviews...yikes! ya know what? i don't really care what gear ya used. it don't matter. the playing is in teh fingers. i don't care about your new CD either. talk to me about playing, plain and simple. how do you do this or that? i found it very informative and funny a few years ago when tony iommi was talking about how he plays sabbath tunes and how he's seen all the magazine transcriptions and how they're all wrong! then he talked about how he actually does it. very cool!

 

-d. gauss

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...ok, and here's yet another thing....

 

Despite what Emile said, I think it's counter-productive for guitar magazines to post tab.

 

Here's some reasons:

 

A) It probably can be found on the Net somewhere anyhow; trust me, I teach guitar and I see it everyday. Yes, it's often wrong; that's not the point, it's the availability that should ultimately concern you; young people simply won't pay for it if they can get it somewhere for free.

 

B) From an ad-space utilization standpoint, it inefficient. People turn to those pulp-paper pages, where the tab staff takes up a lot of real estate. They're not seeing any ads. If you advertisers think otherwise, I suppose this isn't a problem....

 

C) Most importantly; tab creates a body of readers who are likely to quit in a short period of time, or become physically more proficient than they are mentally. That doesn't create a reader base that is interested in guitar magazine content. This gets back to the bit about ignoring the craft of playing an instrument: if you encourage it, don't get mad when your readership drops off because they feel they just need tab or they can physically play whatever, but don't think a whole lot about what went *into creating* it.

 

Yeah, you'll be stepping out on a limb without transcriptions - but if you keep the same number of pages and ad an equivalent amount of actual journalistic content - *longer*, more candid interviews, more in depth info - that carves a niche of it's own.

 

Also - the local hero column in the back of GP is missed, if for nothing other than the bad haircuts. Seriously though - a local report of what's going on from a *guitar* standpoint encourages people to think in those terms - which feedsback on your own purposes, to appeal to people interested in guitar information. When a magazine reports on a aspect of a regional area, that makes that regional area more important and vital to a person who lives in that area. They then get more excited about the gestalt of what they're doing in general, and likewise are going to be more interested in the magazine's perspective. *Not* having a perspective misses out on that completely; see my reference to skateboard magazines (that usually report on regional activity).

 

Signed,

Mr. Know-It-All Heretic #72291

 

------------------

New and Improved Music Soon: ]www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Hey, wait, I'm still not finished....

 

ANOTHER thing that bothers me about magazines these days is the "detached reporter" stance. This seems like a dichotomy with my previous statement about "less reporter more interviewee", but let me explain myself...

 

I don't want more of the reporter's opinion. HOWEVER - I *do* want the reporter's personality. That's both entertaining and informative - because then I can understand the dynamic that happend in an interview better.

 

The most entertaining columns I've ever read were with I think the guy's name was Jeff Gilbert and his friend in G. World - I think it was caled "Metal Detector" - where they ragged metal records, called it as they saw it... Very funny stuff, but most importantly *real* opinion.

 

 

I HATE, MOST OF ALL

 

The fluff padding in the first few paragraphs of interviews. If I bother reading the interview, already know the stuff that is usually said here - which is mostly the interviewer's opinion about the artist being interviewed. I don't care. I want to read what the artist said, GET TO IT. In fact, I probably have a bad habit now of automatically skipping the first two paragraphs of *anything* in a magazine now because of that - it's probably going to be fluff.

 

 

But like I said - I don't mind if it's not p.c., and *real* opinion. Just come out and say it: "I'm interviewing this guy, but I'm not wild about his tone", or "I'm interviewing this person, and I worship the ground she walks on". Let me know you have a real persona, and a real opinion.

 

Matt Resnicoff I liked because I kinda learned his persona after awhile. I didn't agree with some of what he said/wrote, but that's not important. What *is* important is that I understood that there was a certain bias present in an interview, particularly relative to certain questions with certain artists. *That's* much more interesting than a generic person asking a generic question.

 

ALSO

 

More curveball questions. CERTAINLY better questions can be thought up????

Not only that, but I don't blame these people for complaining about the same question being asked over and over... If I was plopped down in front of Sting for instance, I would NOT care about asking him yet again about when the Police were going to reunite... that doesn't matter, it will happen or it won't; I'm more interested in his current musical preferences, his motivations outside of music, the quirky oblique stuff.

 

 

Yeah - more oblique questions.

 

Ok, I *think* I'm finished...

 

Common Peasant #2901

 

------------------

New and Improved Music Soon: ]www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald

Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com

Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/

 

/ "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien

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Originally posted by fantasticsound:

I also enjoyed the "In the Listening Room" column I think was in GFTPM. They'd have a famous guitarist comment on 5 songs without telling him/her who they were listening to. Sometimes they knew, sometimes they didn't. The latter evoked some pretty good responses almost every time.

 

YES YES YES!!!! I was trying to remember the name of that column. I would have to say that those were the most entertaining interviews I ever read. GP needs to do something along these lines.

 

So... thanks to all the editing staff at GP for actually taking the time to read this stuff. I know it has to be hard to try to please everyone. Hopefully the suggestions here will prove to be helpful.

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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