BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE - Sensible Suggestions Thread

[xilddx]

Just thought it might be a good idea to start a thread containing suggestions, ideas, strategies, whatever, to help BGM get a clear vision of what us bassists on BC think we want from a magazine dedicated to our beloved BASS.

May I suggest clarity and brevity would be more useful than a stream of consciousness? Although marvelous ideas can emerge from such streams, I reckon an edited version of your consciousness would be best if that's what you wanna do.

In addition, perhaps we should try to limit erroneous comments on other's ideas?

Cheers.

Edited April 1, 2009 by silddx

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='silddx' post='451795' date='Apr 1 2009, 05:57 PM']Just thought it might be a good idea to start a thread containing suggestions, ideas, strategies, whatever, to help BGM get a clear vision of what us bassists on BC think we want from a magazine dedicated to our beloved BASS.

May I suggest clarity and brevity would be more useful than a stream of consciousness? Although marvelous ideas can emerge from such streams, I reckon an edited version of your consciousness would be best if that's what you wanna do.

In addition, perhaps we should try to limit erroneous comments on other's ideas?

Cheers.[/quote]

Just leave the other thread going and collate when it naturally dies... otherwise there will be dual threads running with similar content and the "clean" thread will be run off into randomness too.

Edited April 1, 2009 by EBS_freak

[xilddx]

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='451798' date='Apr 1 2009, 06:00 PM']Just leave the other thread going and collate when it naturally dies... otherwise there will be dual threads running with similar content and the "clean" thread will be run off into randomness too.[/quote]

I understand your point now you've edited it, and partly agree. However, MY thinking is that this thread has a clear purpose from the off and those who haven't visited the other thread yet would probably think it's a big old row about whether BGM is crap or not, unless they had the time and patience to swim through 150 ribald posts to get to the part soliciting suggestions for its improvement. Not only that, there are many members who won't want to contribute to the other thread for fear of their contributions being slated by opinionated buggers like me and thee. I thought I was taking a more responsible and potentially useful approach by starting this thread. Never mind

[chris_b]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='452101' date='Apr 2 2009, 12:18 AM']....Get a proper editor....[/quote]
God, this hurts.... but +1 !!

[Jase]

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='452101' date='Apr 2 2009, 12:18 AM']Get a proper editor [/quote]

They have a new one.

[Tait]

my only suggestion is that they review more mid priced basses, things between sort of £300 and £600. it always seems to be really expensive basses or occasionally a really cheap, starter bass.

[clauster]

To keep -

1. Cover Interviewees - there has been a good range of feature interviews with people from a wide range of styles and interviews.
2. Transcriptions/technique/theory - again, pretty good as is IMO.

To improve / change -

1. A decent news section - for example, if someone in editorial had a glance through this (or other) forum, they'd be aware of what's going on at Barefaced Bass/ACG/DHA etc etc
2. More mid-range bass reviews.
3. Spread the "mini" interviews to cover more genres (they seem to be mostly metal/jazz)
4. Bring back the Weekend Warrior section

[Jase]

On the mid range bass prices......wouldn't players rather just check one out for themselves? The high end stuff is generally out of reach.

[clauster]

[quote name='Jase' post='452293' date='Apr 2 2009, 11:58 AM']On the mid range bass prices......wouldn't players rather just check one out for themselves? The high end stuff is generally out of reach.[/quote]

The problem is that so many people buy from the web these days that provicial music shops just don;t have a decent range of basses anymore. Between the three local shops I use, I can count on my fingers the number of mid-price basses they've got.

My nearest shop with a decent selection of mid-priced basses (GAK) is a good hours drive and then expensive parking to boot. If I've got an informed shortlist of basses I want to try, so much the better.

[DirkThrust]

[quote name='clauster' post='452269' date='Apr 2 2009, 11:28 AM']4. Bring back the Weekend Warrior section[/quote]

I didn't realise they'd dropped it but +1.

I'm interested in real life stuff rather than just reviews and interviews. Like the reviews of vintage gear that appeared in a few issues and comparing it to modern stuff, weekend warriors, something like "my bass rig is" that Bassist magazine used to do. There is also a column in Guitar and Bass magazine written by a dealer and each week he shows a selection of popular gear he hires out or vintage stuff he owns. I even find readers letters interesting.

The fests that BGM used to do are also useful and interesting, although I acknowledge how difficult it is to get gear together from different manufacturers simultaneously.

The mag seems to have become very one dimensional lately and TBH is so boring I even enjoy reading G***** and Bass magazine more. It's got a greater variety of articles in it.

[Rich]

[quote name='clauster' post='452269' date='Apr 2 2009, 11:28 AM']To keep -

1. Cover Interviewees - there has been a good range of feature interviews with people from a wide range of styles and interviews.
2. Transcriptions/technique/theory - again, pretty good as is IMO.[/quote]
+1.

[quote]4. Bring back the Weekend Warrior section[/quote]
+1000000etc.
They'd have 10 years' worth of material from this site alone

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='clauster' post='452269' date='Apr 2 2009, 11:28 AM']1. A decent news section - for example, if someone in editorial had a glance through this (or other) forum, they'd be aware of what's going on at Barefaced Bass/ACG/DHA etc etc[/quote]


+1 on that

The news sections in these magazines is usually just another couple of pages of thinly veiled advertisements, mostly for stuff i don't want or need. Before i joined this site i had no idea half the luthiers in this country existed, pretty worrying as i used to read 2/3 music mags a month

[Krysbass]

And once again; bring back the Weekend Warrior section – this helped keep it real. In fact, what about expanding this a bit?

Also, don’t shut out the readers who don’t have the time/inclination to learn to read music, by only printing notation. This seems to be a regular occurrence in the Janek Gwizdala column to name but one. Always include TAB too please.

And yes; more mid-price gear reviews too please – the Traben Chaos Obsession review in the current issue was a good start here – I decided not to buy one after all. Having said that; I enjoy seeing some of the top-end stuff and spot where it falls short in some respect or other compared to the ordinary gear I use!

[deaver]

Improve the proofing. I could do a small amount for free, we're at the outer limits of my philanthropy here though.

[Rich]

After the 1000000 comments on the proofing, or lack of it, I reckon they can probably take that one as read!

[Alun]

I would say...

Better proof reading as mentioned above ( it's embarrassing when the editor/interviewer seems to think "a tumbao" is a songtitle and adds capitals, especially in an interview with a Latin music player!)

Improve the layout so the news/reviews are in one place, not hidden in side columns where they appear to be part of the main article they've been shoe-horned into.

On the plus side, please keep the instructional columns and the wide variety of players covered as they are

Cheers
Alun

[xilddx]

I always liked the reviews of readers' demos in SOS. Lot's of useful production tips in them, and the bad ones were quite funny even when the reviewer was being diplomatic. IIRC, the way Guitar Player does it is for you to send a Myspace friend request to the reviewer.

[Rich]

Anybody remember the old freesheet Making Music? It was brilliant in the early days, and the readers' demo reviews were good there too. After a while though, it started becoming apparent that the demo reviewer only gave positive reviews if the demos were in her genre of preference. Not exactly impartial.

[William James Easton]

Free cd with all the 'licks' and 'tricks' on featured in said rag.

[bassbloke]

I'm not at all impressed by BGM. I find it distinctly lacking in real content. However, here are some positive suggestions:

Include a CD that covers the material from the technique columns plus backing or rhythm tracks so you can play along, etc...

Spend a few pages analysing the style of the cover stars in more detail.

Include some articles on being a working/jobbing musician. Cover gig etiquette, band etiquette, tricks of the trade, studio hints

Interview a few sessions or professional musicians. Maybe a feature called what's in your gig bag or something where a pro lists the items they really couldn't live without

A second hand or used bargains article where they review an unknown gem or other modern classic - there are loads of them.

A lot of these articles could easily be incorporated with minimal cost and would flesh out a currrently dull magazine.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='452352' date='Apr 2 2009, 12:54 PM']Before i joined this site i had no idea half the luthiers in this country existed, pretty worrying as i used to read 2/3 music mags a month[/quote]

Absolutely bang on the nail.

If BGM has any competitive advantage over the US mags, it is simply that it's NOT American! So celebrate British and European luthiers and bass players.

Before joining this site I had heard of Goodfellow and Shuker, but I wouldn't have believed you if you'd told me where Jon Shuker is based ... I thought that name was Turkish or East European.

And as for Sei ...

[simon1964]

My thoughts:

1 Another +1 on the weekend warrior thing. Its such an easy idea to produce, and was a good read.

2 I'd also like to see a bit more on music rather than gear. One or two of the guitar mags will review new releases, specifically commenting on the guitarist (or bassist in this case!).

3 How about a "secret shopper" type review of a music store each issue?

4 On interviews, I do find the style a bit laboured, sticking to a slavish Q&A tpye format. It would be nice to have some proper journalism, setting out a bit of background to the subject, his or her CV etc.

5 And something on the local gig scene in a particular City / area? Most of the readership will either be in bands or will aspire to be.

6 Finally, a series on recording / home recording.

[Hot Tub]

I don't particularly want to read about bass guitars in Sound On Sound, and neither do I really want to learn how to set up a studio from BGM.

[b]BUT[/b][u][/u]....

I think there is a small crossover ([i]sic[/i]). There used to be some really interesting articles by Petra Jones about recording and mixing bass; more of that sort of stuff would be great.

Agree with the comments about mid-range basses. The high-end p0rn is lovely, but "most" of us live in the real world. So, review the basses and gear which "most" of us are "most" likely to buy. And what about reviews of 2nd hand gear? There's a healthy used market out there - why not look at instruments & equipment which is (say) up to 5 years old?

eg. What does it do? How useful is it? How has it held up over time? How does it compare to modern (digital?) equivalents? etc.

As another approach, I'd suggest the good people at Oyster House look at what's going on over at Emap. An example would be [i]Bike [/i]magazine. It covers current machines (new instruments) in all price bands, great roads (gigs, venues, experiences), better riding (theory & technique), etc. And they also select READERS to review BIKES. Think about it.....

I like BGM. I have it on subscription, just renewed. But it can and should improve.

[WalMan]

[quote name='William James Easton' post='452551' date='Apr 2 2009, 04:30 PM']Free cd with all the 'licks' and 'tricks' on featured in said rag.[/quote]
I think they are on the website - at least I'm sure they were once

[Russ]

The reviews should answer more of the questions that a buyer might have about a piece of gear, based on its attributes and selling points. As I mentioned in the other thread, take the new Line6 combo - its killer app is the ability to emulate other rigs, and not once did it mention how good its impressions of an SVT, B-15 or Eden Traveller were. Also, with the Enfield bass, part of its appeal is the ability of its pickup and electronics to do effective Jazz, Precision and Musicman tones, and, again, no mention of how it sounded in that regard, too much piffling around talking about adjustable pickup height. Basically, reviews need more points of reference to gear that the reader might actually know, certainly in cases like this, to put them in perspective. In these cases, I came away with no idea about how either the Enfield bass or the Line6 combo sounded, other than "versatile" and "usable".

Basically, they should tell the reader more about what they might want to know about gear, which requires an editor who knows these things and could ask the writer involved to expand on elements of their review, or remove elements, based on this. BP is very good at this.

Other than that, having the weekend warrior stuff back would be good, and I'd like to see more opinions, rather than verbatim press releases. Also, more information on "working" players would be good, for those out there who are interested in going pro - function band players, pit players, etc. Would be interesting to hear about how they got their starts, how they do their networking, and so on.