Has GuitarPlayer taken it's last breath?

[doc taz]

Originally posted by trick fall:

I feel like our forbears in general did a much better job of passing on the history of the music. All in all though GP definitely does the best job of all the guitar rags.

True. But at least for the January 2004 issue, I think there's going to be several articles on Johnny Cash. That should be a great issue to keep.

[elferoony]

I like GP's emphasis on learning music instead of listing out tabs.

 

btw, did you guys see the newest guitar one's ranking of guitar players?

[DIAMOND DUST]

Originally posted by elferoony:

I like GP's emphasis on learning music instead of listing out tabs.

 

btw, did you guys see the newest guitar one's ranking of guitar players?

I just got that issue the other day. I love WES and JIMI, but the way they came up with the results is a little strange.

[D_dup3]

Read the Dec. issue.

Consider the variety of players covered (from the Strokes to James Ulmer).

Name the other mag where you'd find that range.

[TeleCarlos]

To give credit to GP...

 

When I started playing (just a boy), I subscribed to Guitar world and guitare f.t.p.musician... Anyway, they were great for begginers. Know I only subscribe to GP. For a couple of bucks,I'm glad I have it around.

[leadfootdriver]

A change in the music scene is in order for sure. Real guitar playing needs to come back, and rap needs to die. I long for the days when music actually rocked. Not all bands today suck, but it's not like the 80's where you had actually had to PLAY THE GUITAR, and the music ROCKED! I think it's about to bust at the seams though. The powers that be need to implement the change. I think the music buisness has gotten lazy with all of the technology in the last 10 years.

[Hound Dog]

You gotta understand the business of money. If you in fact remember those issues from the eighties, you couldn't help but remember all the ads and interviews with Twisted Sister's guitarist. Guitar player has always had tons of ads and guitarists who couldn't play (but had the gigs any of us would take in a heartbeat). I remember that EVH first had a small article in the issue with Roy Clark on the cover!

[D_dup3]

Originally posted by leadfootdriver:

A change in the music scene is in order for sure. Real guitar playing needs to come back, and rap needs to die. I long for the days when music actually rocked. Not all bands today suck, but it's not like the 80's where you had actually had to PLAY THE GUITAR, and the music ROCKED! I think it's about to bust at the seams though. The powers that be need to implement the change. I think the music buisness has gotten lazy with all of the technology in the last 10 years.

Everybody likes different things.

We all learn at different rates & times & in differnt ways.

A sign of (musical) maturity is to recognize that some things we each may hate are loved by others & that some things we like may actually not be all that good.

There's no such thing as a totally bad genre/style or one that is without flaws in the hands of a bad peformer.

[dr. studly]

i'm personally not a big fan of any guitar magizines. i believe they overlook some incredible guitar players such as jerry mcphearson, paul jackson jr., nile rodgers, brent mason, etc. it seems that session players, although some of the best players out there, get no recognition. also, guitar magizines seem to be musically dumb compared to other mags, such as modern drummer and bass player. i would much rather read those two than guitar player, i learn more. guitar wise, i personally like to read playlikeapro.com. they are very musically minded, i just wish they would post interviews more often.

[yamsa2000]

.

[yamsa2000]

Check around some second hand book shops and see if if you can find some old Guitar Player mags - then you'll know what we're talking about.

Just looking at my Nov'78 copy - as already mentioned, it has roy clark on the cover. Inside you find articles about Roy clark, Eddie van Halen (Young heavy-metal guitarist hits the charts) Fenton Robinson ("Bringing Texas style electric blues to Chicago) Reinhardt memorial( a gathering to commemorate Django Reinhardt) Ted McCarty (guitar designer) Egberto Gismonti ( primitive influences, modern music on an 8-string)

Broadway Pit guitarists (bringing music to the theatres of Broadway)Happy Traum

There are columns by Jas Obrecht(interviewing Emmylou Harris) George gruhn (Collectors guitars) Larry Corell, Arnie Berle, Stefan Grossman, Tommy Tedesco, Howard Roberts. Topics covered include Guitar synths,Finish maintenance,Steel symposium, Bass guitar forum, Scotty Moore,Arpeggios,Combining scales and modes, Improvisation

Tom Wheeler's Rare Bird is a Gibson Firebird

There are great book and record reviews, and heaps more!

There are 178 pages - and that's not all advertisements either. But looking at the ads from '78 is a plus in my books - favourite ad....."The B.C.Rich Bich"!

Compare this to recent editions - even the articles now are much less in-depth.

I don't buy GP now (I get 'em at the library though!)- but am always on the lookout for old editions.

[yamsa2000]

.

[sgguitarzz]

I used to read all of the guitar mags (Guitar Player, Guitar World etc). Now the only one I read is Vintage Guitar. I think it is written and aimed at a more mature/professional audience. I also think the reviews are more informative and honest.

[doc taz]

I still think Guitar Player is the only mag that manages to appeal to players of all styles. You just have to look past the covers. I do like Vintage Guitar, though, but most kids might be turned off by its writing style. Just because the Strokes are on the cover doesn't mean it'll be nothing but. Also, the writers in GP know how to ask their questions that actually pertain to guitar playing, which some of the other mags don't do as well IMHO.

 

As for the session players, there are plenty that have been covered in GP in the ten years that I've read (starting from 1993 onwards). I do wish GP would do an issue focusing mostly on fingerstyle guitar.

[Dylan]

GP is usually pretty good, but damn, putting the Strokes and White Stripes on the cover within one year is just too much. I like these bands for what they are (good pop), but only truly skilled guitarist should make the cover, IMO.

[Gabriel E.]

I think GP is still really good. Could definitely use a few more pages of content (longer interviews, features, etc.) but it still does an excellent job of covering players from diverse musical backgrounds.

 

I like that it DOESN'T cater to the player of the month. Sure they had Jack White on the cover, but Jack White is arguably the most famous guitar player right now so it only makes sense. Plus he's a serious musician who can actually play.

 

Other recent covers have included Ry Cooder, the Pretenders, Lindsay Buckingham and the Line 6 Variax.

 

The reviews are fair and comprehensive, the lessons have ALWAYS been great.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by DIAMOND DUST:

I bought my first GuitarPlayer in 1985, the year i started playing. I've had a subscription for 18 years, and it's brought me mucho insight into the thing i love most, GUITAR. But something has changed with my favorite mag. It has turned into a freakin advertisement rag. I used to love to get the Soundpage lessons, and killer interviews with obscure players who really made you want to learn new skills. Now the whole thing is full of ads for shit most people can't afford, or interviews with players who really can't "play". Has anyone else noticed this? I also subscribe to Guitar ONE, but it's kinda going that way too. Are there any other mags i should know about, that still give up the goods.

DIAMOND DUST .............

 

I sort of have the opposite take in a way, but am coming perhaps, from a different point of view.

 

GP has really expanded their reviews of new gear. The stuff by Art Thompson and Terry Buddingh are some of the best reviews I have read in any publication actually, and they are getting even more detailed. They are also covering a wide range of items in a wide area of price ranges. This is pretty cool.

 

The ads ... Frankly, to me, the more ads the better. The mag gets bigger, as there are also more reviews and more info that is not advertisment. But .... the ads let me know what is coming out, and since many now have web presence and their URL on the add, it is a snap to get more info fast on a product of interest.

 

On the players ... well, at 54, I have at least one kid that is older than many of them. They may not play in a style that I would, but they have energy and talent that breathe new life into this business. To be honest, at my age, I can get pretty sick and tired of hearing folks my age doing the same stuff they have been doing for three decades. It is not nearly as much fun as seeing some of these "kids" with talent and enthusiasm up there on a stage. Geez ... I was working with one band of sub 25 year olds, and these guys had leather, chains, heavy boots, and heavy guitars .... yet they could STILL jump higher than I could at 19 ... WITHOUT all that stuff hanging on my body.

 

I also subscrobe to Guitar One, and think that it is different, as is Vintage Guitar, etc. I think there is room for them all, and all of them offer me something.

 

In the case of Guitar Player, some of their recent review have been some of the best reviews I have ever read in any publication.

 

Anyway .... that is my two cents worth .... and this is from my personal feelings, not somebody from Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting, or Groove Tubes, etc.

[DanielT]

I love G.P.. It's the only mag that I read cover to cover every month, and hey, all of the articles don't always appeal to me, but I read them anyway, and I've been enlightened on many occasions.

[njrocker]

i still think theyre a good mag but theres one thing they did that bothered me. they printed a prs ad(nothing wrong with prs) featuring the guitar player(if youd call him that) from the band "good charlotte"- who plays in the infamous genre of pop-punk. i cant believe guitar player would succumb to pop-punk.

 

and also i agree with leadfootdriver- rap must die

[yamsa2000]

I just got hold of the October GP - some dirty rat must have beat me to it at the library last month.Gotta say - it's an improvement on some I've seen in recent years.But I'm absolutely outraged that they should put a (shudder) grunge artist on the cover! Nice to see Joni Mitchell included, even if it's just a dvd review.And Taj Mahal!As I said earlier, we're actually quite a spoilt lot, are'nt we?

PS I was joking about having the Godfather of Grunge on the cover.

[michael saulnier]

One interesting thing about recent GP reviews on amps...

 

About a year or two ago, when Myles became the forum moderator here... he posted a thread basically pointing out that most amp reviews failed to say what kind of TUBES the amp was based on...

 

At the time, I didn't really understand his concerns... I mean as far as I knew, some amps had tubes, some didn't, who cared what KIND of tubes they were?

 

But recently, ALL GP amp reviews ALWAYS say what kind of tubes...

 

And since, mostly thanks to Myles kind sharing of his time and knowledge here... along with my mad scientist like experiments with my UniValve... I can guess pretty easily what an amp's likely to sound like just from the tube configuration.

 

I'd like to think Myles "mission" to make guitarplayers more knowledgeable about the importance of tubes in their amp, combined with however many of us, (I was one), who e-mailed GP requesting this information be included in the reviews, helped them decide to consistantly share this helpful information in all the reviews.

 

Major Kudos to Myles for kicking this off... and it goes to show that people CAN make a difference!

 

As far as GP is concerned, I think they've recently done a nice job of evolving the mag both content wise and graphically. Sure, the 70's version may have been more "jazz" or "monster chops" oriented, but that was a reflection of the times.

 

I think compared to its competition, GP does a great job of putting info on both "current" players like the White Stripes and Strokes side by side with articles, lessons, and more from "deeper" players.

 

IMHO, if some teenage kid, new to guitar picks up the mag to read about the White Stripes, but then later reads an article about say, Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew, Monte Montgomery, or Adrian Legg, (all featured in the SAME issue)... well that's a GOOD THING.

 

Too many of the other mags focus ONLY on the "current" players and don't have the breadth and depth that GP does.

 

So I'm continuing my subscription, and I plan to as long as they keep this up!

 

I also am a bit of a gear junkie, so I like all the ads, AND the fact they have more gear reviews than ever. The cover story on the Variax a while back was awesome and deep, and every month when my GP shows up... my family knows to give me some space for about an hour or so while I get my GP FIX!

 

Oh yeah, one last thing. Of course you know that THIS place is paid for and operated by the publishers of GP... COOL!

 

guitplayer

[DIAMOND DUST]

The reason that i started this thread was to test the waters, and see where everyone stood on this subject. I was seeking intelligent, and passionate replies, because the mag has been such a big part of my life as well. Thumbs up guys.

[the stranger]

Why must rap die? Why not condemn vocals all together?

[Philip Candella]

I left GP about a year ago I decided to try Guitar World since they offered me a year for 10.00. To be honest I feel ripped of by Guitar World and renewed my GP subscription after being gone for 6 months. GP has decent interviews even with the new people whose music ability comes in question. The pretty much keep the interviews to music and how sound is achieved. GW seems like Circus magazine with a few guitar articles and sheet music I can get for free tossed in. I don't read a guitar magazine to read about groupies, drinking on tour or skateboarding. I read a guitar magazine for guitar information. GW really turned me off when they had a full page of some new kid giving the finger and the only thing I remember from the article besides the multiple f words was that he stole his first multitrack and seemed pretty proud of it. I can understand some of these kids can only feel good if they flash the bird but I don't think it was necessary for an entire page to be devoted to that. When my subscription to GW is up I am gone. I find myself paging through the mag now and don't read half of it. I read GP cover to cover including the stuff I don't care or know about. There is usually something interesting and often times I find a new artist to check out

 

I would like to read GP for product reviews but I have a bit of a problem with most of them. Why is it they never review a piece of crap equipment and say it is a piece of crap. All the reviews says things are great. If they were giving grades out nothing ever goes below a B. We all know the playing field is not that level. I think they are scard of being honest of an advertisers product so they don't review it or they don't really say anything negative about it. When I want real or as close to it reviews on a priduct I go to the internet. I think they also spend a little too much time devoted to equipment that costs more than a good used car. Recently they did a review of a 6000.00 guitar and mentioned several flaws ( that alone was shocking) but they took an attitude that they were no big deal. I don't know about you but if a guitar costs 6k it had better be perfect and clean my house.

 

GP is a great magazine for articles interviews and info on new gear. I hope it stays around.

[Anderton]

Sorry I'm late to the thread, but as a LONG time GP reader (and contributor since 1975), I've seen the magazine -- and the industry -- go through a lot. To give you a little "insider perspective," nothing about GP is put together casually, or without care and research. It's a magazine that has always fought hard to print the truth as they see it. This has gotten them in trouble with some advertisers, and the readers of course don't realize all this stuff that's going on in the background.

 

But IMHO GP has succeeded in retaining its integrity in a world that is all too ready to sell out at the drop of a hat. Sure, it has had to adapt to the realities of the magazine business (paper costs are way up, postage rates aren't as favorable as they were, etc.) AND the music business (greater fragmentation of genres, the recent collapse of the record industry, etc.). But I gotta say, the people at GP wake up every day to new challenges, and they have succeeded admirably at nagivating extremely turbulent waters. GP remains the best of the guitar mags, by far.

[shood]

I think Guitar Player still has the best interviews, articles, and information generally.

 

What disappoints me, however, is that GP is now very similar to all of the other mags in the way that it reviews gear. In the past, my perception was that GP judged gear somewhat objectively. Many guitars received mixed or predominantly negative reviews. Today? When was the last time you read a negative gear review? I haven't in some time. In fact, take the piece of gear's name and picture out of the article and you might not know if they are reviewing a $200 Epiphone or the newest Gibson Historic offering. Yes, most guitars and gear have positive attributes (I certainly do not mean to disparage Epiphone), and it's fine to discuss them. However, all guitars are not created equally. I want input on what I should buy. The current state of things is that we are instructed to buy everything, because it's all fantastic. Not true.

 

The realities of advertising places great pressure on magazines to put a positive spin on all equipment.

 

But I don't have to like it.

[Cowbell]

I agree that GP is by far the best guitar magazine out there. I've been browsing the magazine section of Border's recently and have discovered magazines such as Classic Rock and also enjoy them.

 

I was searching my attic a couple months ago, because my dad was a guitar player and had a couple Tom Sholz Powersoaks hidden up there somewhere. I came across a small stash of GuitarPlayers from the 80s. Flipped through a couple and noticed a couple differences between these and recent GP issues.

 

The thing I really enjoyed seeing in the old Guitar Player was that they gave you instructions on how to build your own pedals and other devices. Every month there would be a new effect pedal that you could make at home. That is one thing I would REALLY enjoy seeing. I love seeing how all this technology works. In magazines such as Guitar World, a majority of the players they interview only know how to plug the cable into the guitar and play. They don't know the technology or anything behind it. That's one thing I like about GP/BP, they take the time to explain things.

 

Actually, I would like to see transcriptions. GuitarWorld has some really awesome transcriptions of songs, while GP has none. They used to,but don't now. I would also love to see that added to the magazine,more than anything.