xilddx Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 [quote name='bencooper' timestamp='1322151325' post='1447290'] Hi Silddx, Thanks for the kind words. I will try my best to catch those proofing errors. In my experience most of those tend to be when last minute changes are made "on screen" to something. I know how frustrating they can be, and they do leap out at you when you're a reader. The only thing I'd say in the magazine's defence is that I've yet to see a magazine that doesn't contain typos, layout errors etc. Not that this is an excuse, just that they do happen - but I'll see what can be done about tightening things up. As for the reviews, well you probably better not look at the star ratings in this issue...but what I will say is that I won't give out 4 stars and 5 stars to just good-enough basses - and I think that in this issue all the product deserved their respective ratings. As for blandness, do you mean they weren't critical enough, or that the writing wasn't lively enough? Glad to hear from you! best Ben [/quote] Thanks Ben. With reviews, the prospective audience for a particular quality of bass never seemed to be considered. So you would have the same level of critique and information on a £3k bass as you would a £79 P copy. I saw a review of an expensive Yamaha (BB3000 I think, the one that apparently weighed 15kgs lol! [it was the weight with hardcase that was given] ) for instance, and there was a photo of the bridge with a caption that said [i]'The bridge is adjustable for height and intonation'[/i], well yeah, I hope so on a £2k electric bass! The reviews should be tailored to the market more carefully. We don't need to know that the bookmatched bubinga drop top looks really pretty with its swirls and patterns. We can see that in the photographs, and I might think it's looks horrible. I think people want measurements, nut width, neck depth and width, action, string spacing. Impressions of tone should be agreed across the board so reveiwers describe the tone more accurately. I think readers read reviews for pleasure as well as for prospective purchase and comparison, so entertaining writing style is desirable too. Interviews seem ok, but Mike Flynn really sets the bar for me. I thought that as soon as he started writing for BGM, before I realised he was [b]a[/b] Basschat member! I know these things are hard to get right mate, and you can't please everyone. Some quality control on the proofing would be a great start. All the best, Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueslemac Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1322148993' post='1447250'] Also, do you have any plans to improve the quality of proofing the mag. I used to subscribe but the colossal amount of errors in the type and photos, even the music notation just put me right off. [/quote] Same for me. That and the lack of material for players like me who don't play jazz or hanker after an exotic boutique instrument. We're often told that the bass should serve the song and I don't have a lot of interest in bass players who ARE the song. Anyhow, good luck and I'll have a look at the latest issue. Mind you, I bought the Chickenfoot CD and it arrived with a whole mag devoted to it, including several articles featuring Michael Anthony, so I think I've read enough about him already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 What always used to amuse me in the reviews on an expensive Bass was the Plus and Minus ratings. The Minus ratings always referred to the high price of the Bass and how it was not in everybody's price bracket-NSS! Will there be any pedal reviews for left footers as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1322153886' post='1447336'] Will there be any pedal reviews for left footers as well? [/quote] I need a left handed strap and plectrum too, so some additional info on that would be great. Joking aside, I think Silddx makes some really good points about writing style and trying to have some appropriate reviewing criteria in place so that the reader has a benchmark to judge the review and products against, rather the existing benchmark of everything being a 4/4.5 star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Ben, I thought the mag was just fine. No prob with reviews on lefties or righties but couldn't help feel that the pics of the lefties were the wrong way round Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencooper Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) OK, that's a lot of stuff to respond too, so at the risk of boring you all to death I'll deal with each in turn: [b]ezbass[/b]: An interview with Bruce Thomas is doable, and he's in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame too, so worthy of some coverage. I'll need to do some hunting around and see what he's up to - I can't promise anything at this stage but he'll go on my list. [b]silddx[/b]: I see where you're coming from - I can tell you that in future the size of reviews will take into account the nature of the bass and its audience - for example I've got a review of a Sadowsky coming up in issue 74, this will be longer than a usual review, because the reviewer felt there was a lot to talk about, and he also had a chat with Roger Sadowsky about the bass and that is going to be included with the review. When we review cheaper basses they will tend to get less in depth coverage. As you say the critique of a bass's price should take in to account the market - that is, someone who wants to seriously consider a 2K bass will have that money, and the price should only be criticised if in actual fact the reviewer feels the bass doesn't stand up against basses half the price. On descriptions of tone, well how someone interprets a tone can be subjective so I see what you're asking for, but because it's open to subjective impression it's hard to standardise it - I could ask reviewers to weed out anything too flowery in the tonal descriptions. The impression I get from you is you want things to be more factual but also more lively and engaging - I'll try and do a Captain Picard and "make it so" [b]Jacqueslemac[/b]: Well, I do think that the emphasis in BGM over recent years has been on the jazz/funk guys. It's something I'll be addressing - I want to achieve a balance of coverage. I'm a rocker at heart, but I've always been interested to read about bass players from all genres and I listen to all kinds of music. It's fair to say I will be having more rock and metal players in the mix than over recent years, but I also want to feature reggae and dub players, country players, blues and so on. As Silddx said, you can't please everyone, and not every issue, but making the interviews more varied is something I'm going to work on over the coming months. [b]yorks5stringer: [/b]I think I addressed your point in my response to sliddx...as for reviews of left footed pedals, well I'm actually right-footed... [b]skej21: [/b]What I am going to make sure is that all basses are reviewed relevant to their price point, which I'm not sure was the case before. That is, if a £179 bass gets 4 stars that means it is 4 star against its competition, and wouldn't be equivalent to a 3 star 1k bass. I do have to say that in my time working at Oyster House I've seen very few instruments that were rubbish - sure, somethings are merely OK, and some are overpriced, but I think to give something 2 or 1 stars it would have to be really sub-standard and you just don't see many of those instruments these days, as manufacturing has become so much better, especially in the Far East. What I will be doing is bringing in other star ratings so each instrument will get a mark out of 5 for Build Quality, Sound Quality and Value For Money - so a bass could get 4 stars in Sound and Build but only a 3 or 2 for value if it's deemed overpriced. [b]gary mac: [/b]Cheers, I can see we're going to get along just fine On the pics...yeah I know...it ain't gonna happen again is all I can say! Phew! Well, that's brought my RSI back...stop sniggering at the back... best Ben Edited November 25, 2011 by bencooper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Fantastic response Ben, thank you! Glad you're thinking of featuring more diverse players, especially roots players. I think a few of us 'normal' bassists feel under pressure these days that if we can't sightread and improvise upper register extended chords over II V I progressions we are somehow less worthy as bassists than Anthony Jackson and unlikely to get good gigs. The proliferation of interviews with highly technical bassists in the Jazz Funk arena seems to compound this. I think we should celebrate our diversity rather than suggest there is a blueprint for the ideal bassist, which is what I seem to get from the bass publications, but not nearly so much in the guitar mags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1322146291' post='1447196'] I personally don't see a problem with reviewing LH instruments - the components are the same, the electronics are the same, the materials are the same, the sound is the same - the thing's just made backwards is all... [/quote] A bit like the people who play them, in fact. p.s. Welcome to the fold. Good to have another lefty in the pack. Pretty soon we'll have enough to mount a takeover! Edited November 25, 2011 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 [quote name='bencooper' timestamp='1322145492' post='1447182'] Hello everyone, I'm Ben the new Editor of Bass Guitar Magazine. Not sure if I should resurrect this thread, or if I'm just asking for a kicking... Ben [/quote] There's more than a few lefties here who are more likely to buy you a pint.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencooper Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1322214316' post='1447921'] I think we should celebrate our diversity rather than suggest there is a blueprint for the ideal bassist, which is what I seem to get from the bass publications, but not nearly so much in the guitar mags. [/quote] Yup, I'm with you on that. Obviously I didn't spring fully formed as a magazine editor from the womb, and since I started playing bass at the age of 16 I've read every mag there is with any bass content in it, and I do think there is a bit of snobbery out there about things such as "can you sight read?", "don't you know how to improv. over jazz chord progressions?", "whhaaaaat you play with a pick?!". People should endeavour to learn and improve as much as they can, but a lot of people are too quick to judge players on these elements. It's interesting to note though that I almost never see anyone say: "(Famous bass player) can't improv. over a jazz chord sequence/can't read music, so he/she sucks", it seems to be reserved for our fellow enthusiasts, which is what I always find a bit odd. I've never heard anyone suggest that Carol Kaye is somehow a deficient player because she uses a pick, that Sting is useless because he doesn't slap or that any "name" player is pathetic because he can't sight read (which many of them, particularly the rockers, will openly admit). And people often don't want to admit that many of the most memorable/hummable bass lines (note I'm not saying best, as the definition of best will change depending on what criteria you're using) are often fairly simple, technically speaking... I think to suggest that any given player is a paragon we should all aspire to is a bit dangerous. You need to have an open mind and ears, that's my philosophy, anyway. And anyone who doesn't like it is just plain wrong LOL cheers Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 On the subject of reviews. It has been a criticism of BGM in the past that basses reviewed are too often in the higher price bracket. I have posted my feelings on this in the past. We all have the ability to go along to our local instrument store and look at endless Ibanez, Fender and Yamaha basses in the low to medium price bracket. Therefore, I think concentrating on that price of bass is perhaps not the best use of editorial space. Highlighting lesser known basses for me would be more use. But then again that is only my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I just bought the new issue and had a very swift glance. I can see a few changes already, and I don't mind the new paper at all. I'll have a good read later. And thanks again Ben for your replies above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 [quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1322214880' post='1447941'] Good to have another lefty in the pack. Pretty soon we'll have enough to mount a takeover... [b]provided it's somewhere small[/b]! [/quote] Fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencooper Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 [quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1322220649' post='1448065'] On the subject of reviews. It has been a criticism of BGM in the past that basses reviewed are too often in the higher price bracket. I have posted my feelings on this in the past. We all have the ability to go along to our local instrument store and look at endless Ibanez, Fender and Yamaha basses in the low to medium price bracket. Therefore, I think concentrating on that price of bass is perhaps not the best use of editorial space. Highlighting lesser known basses for me would be more use. But then again that is only my opinion. [/quote] Hi BassBus, I think we have to strike a balance with these things - like you say anyone can nip down the local guitar shop and have an hour or two on a Fender, Yamaha, Ibanez, not so much with expensive luthier basses. But at the same time, not everyone is that interested in those high end instruments - they want something they can aspire to. My intention is to do what I did on my previous magazine - feature a spread of price points where possible, so there is something in the low and mid points and the high end. best Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 A good mix of budgets per issue is great - I think the latest issue wasn't far off that but maybe lacked a real budget instrument (the G&L was midrange). The only thing that irked me was overuse of the term [i]triumvirate. [/i]It was a new one on me and it seemed to plastered around a lot ! Other than that, I think it's going in the right direction and look forward to the next issue (of which the gap always feels longer than last time !). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I enjoyed the issue. Lots of silly grammatical errors and typos though. It seemed 'busier' if you know what I mean, I like lots of boxouts with specific information in interviews, and I thought the instrument reviews were pretty decent. And Ben, you write well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Any reason why the lefties were photographed upsidedown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueslemac Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I bought the issue too and enjoyed it more than some of the previous ones. Using American spellings instead of English ones always annoys me, though. What's wrong with "modelled"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencooper Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1322562413' post='1452538'] I enjoyed the issue. Lots of silly grammatical errors and typos though. It seemed 'busier' if you know what I mean, I like lots of boxouts with specific information in interviews, and I thought the instrument reviews were pretty decent. And Ben, you write well. [/quote] Cheers Silddx - I definitely tried to make the interviews busier, like you say boxouts and so on. Glad you liked the reviews too. Thanks for the compliments on my own writing! As for the typos etc. as I said I will try and tighten this up over the coming months - it's not an excuse at all, but if you knew the time frame I was given to put that issue together, as I was simultaneously in charge of my old mag. Anyway, good to know I'm heading in the right direction, and the feedback here from everyone has been valuable. Bear with me and 2012 will be a case of onwards and upwards! Cheers Ben PS - As for the pics of the basses...errrr...yeah, it won't happen again! PPS - Americanised spellings just slip through unfortunately, I think because the eye is used to seeing them so much these days. But for consistency I'll double up efforts to catch those in future too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chlo_treacher Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Hi Ben, lovely to meet you! Good luck with the new post, sounds like your getting a good response already. I'm a subscriber too but haven't had much time of late to look at the magazines dropped on my doorstep but I promise to do so soon. Chlo x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Chuffed to have you aboard, and in the drivers seat at BGM. I'm sure it'll be a winner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencooper Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Hi Chlo and gafbass02, nice to meet you both - and thanks for the kind words. I hope you enjoy the current issue, and issue 74 when it arrives. It went to print last week. Hopefully subscribers will get it end of next week. best Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencooper Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 PS gafbass - your interests are spookily similar to my own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Hah hah, see, I knew we were in safe hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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