This months Bass Guitar Magazine, is worth buying. Shock!

[daz]

Yes folks they have actually come up with a good issue. with several well reaseached well written articles. Chris Squire is in it and gives a few pages on his 1964 Rickenbacker 4001 and how he customized it over the years. Tony Levin is interviewed. There is a decent review of the new Hiwatt Amp and cab, the Krist Novoselic Gibson bass. Also a fine review of the Will Lee model Sadowsky bass.

As well as a chat with famed Exeter luthier Hugh Manson, who takes us through how he and his brother got started in the business, which i found most excellant to read. Lots of other stuff of course. Along with the usual matter, such as tutorials etc. All this and considering that last months mag' was not bad either. Have they actually turned the corner and started to produde a decent bass magazine ? I must admit that for the last 6 months i had stopped buying it, as I was sick of reading either about some young Mr nobody who was in a music acadamy and was going to be the next big thing, (month after month from the same institution!) or poorly written reviews which made me wonder sometimes if they had actually ever had the bass in their hands at all?

Last months mag with Primus bass master Les Claypool on the cover, meant that I stood in WHSmiths for 20 minutes and read through a few dozen pages, and [i]almost[/i] paid for it. This month I flicked through it and thought id give them the benefit of the doubt and pay for it, as it also looked to have improved. Lets hope the higher standard is retained.

Edited December 30, 2011 by daz

[fender73]

Gonna try and find it today - wasn't at my usual source this morning.

Thanks for the heads up.

[alanbass1]

Think I will check this out as well

[Bilbo]

And a great article on rising Jazz star Ben Williams by our own award winning Mike Flynn (urb).

[bobpalt]

I still cant really understand why they have reviewed Hiwatt amps two months on the trot, and gave their practice amp last month top marks when it was heavier than any combo I have ever owned with only 150w output? I agree everything else has been very readable recently, and I will continue to subscribe (have done so since the first edition), when I was seriously thinking about giving it up.

[crez5150]

[quote name='bobpalt' timestamp='1325237480' post='1481134']
I still cant really understand why they have reviewed Hiwatt amps two months on the trot, and gave their practice amp last month top marks when it was heavier than any combo I have ever owned with only 150w output?
[/quote]

ahem....... advertising revenue...... cough cough.......

[leftyhook]

I often buy it, but the reviews are so 'back-hander', almost automated. I think they should invite a working bassist to co-review. Someone from basschat for instance! A different 'public opinion every month.
I just find that it's almost like they copied and pasted the manufacturers press release.

[ezbass]

Yes I was very pleased with this month's content too, although I still find the Basically Speaking and Bass of the Future sections a waste of time and space, but each to their own.

[discreet]

Loving the Vintage White/Maple P-Bass too, looks like a bargain.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1325237617' post='1481135']
ahem....... lawyers fees...... cough cough.......
[/quote]

Fixed it for you; they're owned by Music ground these days

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I'm subscribed and always look forward to reading it each month, but I'm amazed at the amount of sloppy mistakes they make - in the Chris Squire interview they used a picture of Rickenbacker bass he doesn't play, and in the Novoselic interview they used a picture of a modern Ripper reissue and a generic jazz bass. Surely it isn't hard to find a picture of the actual bass they played? Or at least a live shot of them using it? Laziness!

It's not as bad as the now legendary '50 basses you must play before you die' issue, where most of the pictures accompanying the article were of the wrong bass.

[fretmeister]

I still sub to it.

Not a lot of choice for us low enders.

my local WHSmiths doesn't even stock Bass Player anymore.

[discreet]

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1325251950' post='1481334']
Not a lot of choice for us low enders.
[/quote]

Very true. I was astonished by the number and variety of publications specifically for g**t*r*sts in WHSmith today.

[hairyhaw]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1325250767' post='1481316']
I'm subscribed and always look forward to reading it each month, but I'm amazed at the amount of sloppy mistakes they make - in the Chris Squire interview they used a picture of Rickenbacker bass he doesn't play, and in the Novoselic interview they used a picture of a modern Ripper reissue and a generic jazz bass. Surely it isn't hard to find a picture of the actual bass they played? [/quote]

I was considering buying this month's mag till you said that about the Rick. Does the Squire article take a different slant to the usual? I only ask as it’s it’s getting difficult to say anything new about CS’s Rose Morris short of a doing a photo essay with the bass being taken apart. I’m surprised Squire himself isn’t fed up of talking about it.

[Merton]

[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1325238250' post='1481146']
I often buy it, but the reviews are so 'back-hander', almost automated. I think they should invite a working bassist to co-review. Someone from basschat for instance! A different 'public opinion every month.
I just find that it's almost like they copied and pasted the manufacturers press release.
[/quote]

At least one of their reviewers is BCer Mike Brooks who is very much a working pro bassist, and a top bloke to boot. That said however, I do agree that all the reviews seem to be (edited?) to give the reviewee a glowing report for free advertising!!

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='hairyhaw' timestamp='1325257679' post='1481416']
I was considering buying this month's mag till you said that about the Rick. Does the Squire article take a different slant to the usual? I only ask as it’s it’s getting difficult to say anything new about CS’s Rose Morris short of a doing a photo essay with the bass being taken apart. I’m surprised Squire himself isn’t fed up of talking about it.
[/quote]

Nah, if you've even a passing interest in Squire or Yes you will have read it all before - wallpaper covering, picking each note then brushing it with his thumb. Probably why he didn't get the cover (which he deserves) and a picture of a bass and amp did.

The picture they used on his gear list was of a recent 60s reissue, with the reverse headstock.

[Dood]

I was asked if I wanted to interview Chris recently, but sadly I was busy on the day he was free! Gutted!!

[hairyhaw]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1325285423' post='1481888']
Nah, if you've even a passing interest in Squire or Yes you will have read it all before - wallpaper covering, picking each note then brushing it with his thumb. Probably why he didn't get the cover (which he deserves) and a picture of a bass and amp did.

The picture they used on his gear list was of a recent 60s reissue, with the reverse headstock.
[/quote]

4001C64? I could [i][u]partially[/u][/i] see some logic in there as its the nearest you're going to get to Squire's bass right now (albeit with the daft headstock) without going second-hand and trying to pick up a used 4001CS or V63 or paying and arm and a leg for a real RM. But then, I'm not convinced that was the reason - I suspect laziness was involved!

The best recent article I read was probably the one Nick Beggs did, as he actually got the chance to handle the bass. There were some good observations (something about driving a bus underneath the strings as the action was so high maybe) but alas, there were no close up photos.

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1325295447' post='1481981']
I was asked if I wanted to interview Chris recently, but sadly I was busy on the day he was free! Gutted!!
[/quote]

If you get the chance again, make sure you get some interesting questions in there, rather than the bog-standard ones. I'd love to know a bit more about the 21 fret 4001, Tele bass and his '75 Jazz!