Members LowYaw Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Is it me or is it the weather? A friend of mine gave me a heap of "..." guitar mags with CDs. Was I excited! For free, man. Anyways. So I check them out. Okaaaay. Ads. More ads. Lick of the day. Weedlee weedlee doo. Okay, I got it. Ads. More ads. 12 pages of some blues solo transcribed. Ads. More Ads. More boring crap like "Peter Green's solo from the unbelievable B-side on a 1963 record (wtf??)" Wow. A nice idea / trick, sadly, it's a 4-bar lick. Ads. More ads. Back cover. After the third issue i kinda gets same-y. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aenemated Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 no one buys print media anymore. it's all dying. ALL of it. the only thing they have left to cover cost is ad space. thank the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Save the trees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LowYaw Posted January 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 I got 'em used and for free, so i haven't cut any, really But actually, it's the material they cover is what bugs me. Or the concept. Come on. 5 pages of a blues solo in every issue? I mean, with all due respect, how will it help players improve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LowYaw Posted January 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 no one buys print media anymore. it's all dying. ALL of it. . true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 It definately seems to have gotten worse with the adds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C-4 Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Guitar mags have been doing more and more ads since I started reading them back in the early 1970's.All they have become is a a mag of commercials for which we have to pay...or not. I stopped reading them years ago due to the weak story material, and heavy commercial content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aenemated Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 I mean, with all due respect, how will it help players improve? that is not their concern. their concern is to sell more issues so their circulation numbers are high enough to entice advertisers to pay for ad space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LowYaw Posted January 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 that is not their concern. their concern is to sell more issues so their circulation numbers are high enough to entice advertisers to pay for ad space. how deeply frustrated the employees must be; after all, they're just players, like most of us, who try to make their living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Guitar mags have been doing more and more ads since I started reading them back in the early 1970's. All they have become is a a mag of commercials for which we have to pay...or not. I stopped reading them years ago due to the weak story material, and heavy commercial content. But they do offer alot of unbiased reviews of the gear being advertised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kit_strong Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 My only real problem with guitar mags is the fact that Guitar Techniques is so bloody expensive on this side of the pond. I could get a digital subscription but that doesn't have access to the audio files which is a big part of Guitar Techniques. I would love to see more guitar mags fully embrace the digital format. Not just a PDF version of the print mag but a truly interactive ePub where any lesson has the associated audio/video embedded right there for quick and easy playing. As much as I dislike Guitar World, their Lick of the Day App developed in conjunction with Ajile partners is a very cool little app and a definite step in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 But they do offer alot of unbiased reviews of the gear being advertised. yep....it just so happens that very piece of gear... ever... is bloody fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeanoBoy Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 But they do offer alot of unbiased reviews of the gear being advertised. Bingo (oh no, somewhere a 16 year old guitar whiz is rolling his eyes)! The guys reviewing gear in the mags are experienced pros. I don't always agree on what 'sounds good' but I respect their opinions over a lot of well meaning but relatively inexperienced online Forum opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 no one buys print media anymore. it's all dying. ALL of it. the only thing they have left to cover cost is ad space. thank the internet. I'm sorry, but that is bollox. Newspaper sales are massive in Europe, despite (perhaps even because of) internet. Then there is the 1/6 of the global population in India, who mainly read newspapers rather than news on the net, and the further 1/4 of the world's population in China, who likewise, tend to consume print media rather avidly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeBoy Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 No problems. I stopped buying them years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Guitarist is quite good... it has a column by CSM (I believe he is liked in these parts), technical tips page for mods, good letters page, histories of classic guitars, reasonably good reviews (although of course erring on the side of generosity, but they do pick up on problems), it has a cd with it, doesn't have excessive ads, has updates on new bands and guitarists, interviews with some really well known (and lesser known by up and coming) musicians, techniques section, new albums reviews... Probably a better and more reliable guide to guitar playing and guitarists that what you would find on a forum like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scott944 Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 I only subscribe to Premier Guitar, which I enjoy, and they just pubished the largest guitar mag ever (200+ pages) a couple of months ago. I don't mind the ads, that's where a lot of new stuff pops up first, especially for those of us who don't have a GC in town. I also sub to several car mags. On days when I don't have a lunchtime business engagement, I hole up in the back of a bistro with a magazine and check out of the real world for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 You want complete and utter fluff? Try Guitar Aficionado.. Every other page is an ad for Jaguars, cigars, watches that cost more than most guitars or some sort of limited edition whiskey.. I'd say it's about 70/30 ads/content, and half that content is about how to dress the part of a musician.. As for "normal" guitar mags, I agree completely. Back in the day, they were about actual guitar instruction. Guitar School was an awesome read that taught me a lot over the years. Now, it's all about the ads. Some people say the internet is killing print media, but I say it's more like an assisted suicide. It's not just guitar mags either. I fish, a lot, and during the winter I get my fix through stuff like Field and Stream and Outdoor Life.. They're both just like guitar mags. All ads and articles that are total fluff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FoonkySteve Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Guitarist is quite good... it has a column by CSM (I believe he is liked in these parts), technical tips page for mods, good letters page, histories of classic guitars, reasonably good reviews (although of course erring on the side of generosity, but they do pick up on problems), it has a cd with it, doesn't have excessive ads, has updates on new bands and guitarists, interviews with some really well known (and lesser known by up and coming) musicians, techniques section, new albums reviews...Probably a better and more reliable guide to guitar playing and guitarists that what you would find on a forum like this Im with you on Guitarist! Im a subscriber, and CSM's columns are always very good. I actually prefer guitarist, and buy it because of its ad's and gear reviews. Little bit of technique and a few lessons. But im a gearhead at heart. If your looking to study guitar playing, then the magazine for you is 'Guitar Techniques' i think this magazine caters for the more advanced and eclectic players, and has more lesson and technique content than any of the other mags. 'Total Guitar' (imo) is more geared towards a younger audience i feel, and usually contains more about the current metal and indie scenes, but still has some classic tunes too. The brit magazines seem to have a good rep overseas too i think? no? idk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members faberbz Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 They're magazines. They're for entertainment. They are what they are. Magazines aren't reference works, definitive tutorials or instructional texts, or publishers of non-biased product tests. At least, I don't expect them to be. I generally like Premier Guitar. I don't have a GC or any big guitar shop in town, so I don't mind the ads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brianeharmonjr Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Premier Guitar is fantastic (I'm a subscriber), Guitar Player is alright, but Guitar World became unbearable for me. I just got so utterly sick of seeing Dimebag Daryl or Zakk Wylde as the lead article in every issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 In continuation of my previous post.... Guitarist also has recently been doing 'themed' issues - there was one on 'recording guitar', looking at different options, routes and bits of gear, depending on your budget and what you want to do; there was recently one on semi-hollows, and very recently an issue on the top 100 stomp boxes of all time, with details of who uses them, why etc. etc. They also do tours of some of the main guitar manufacturers, interview the people who work there, and have also interviewed amp designers. [video=youtube;ExWfh6sGyso] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cyprusg Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Absolutely nothing interests me in those magazines. I use to get Guitar World and it was terrible. I don't know how many times I read some rehash of a Hendrix interview. The only music magazine I love is Sound on Sound. Fantastic if you're into recording. They give you great tips on just about everything to record, it's awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skyforger Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 Total Guitar magazine wasn't too bad when I was still buying it. It was only really worth it for the free gifts, though. Got about a million picks, a tuner, a JD string winder and a Danelectro personal amp, which I used as a gain boost on my little amps. Wouldn't know about it these days, however. I occasionally try to buy it, but every time I do it's always got Matt Bellamy on the cover. I promptly leave the store disgusted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orourke Posted January 20, 2011 Members Share Posted January 20, 2011 I like guitar magazines. I've subscribed to Guitar Player on and off for about 30 years, it's been pretty good lately, not as good as the Brit guitar mags but not as expensive either (those English really have a way with English). Guitar magazines are just something to pass the time, bathroom reading, I don't expect them to change my life. Guitar World is not my thing, too much metal. I'm going to go to my local import newsstand and get a copy of Guitarist, thanks for pointing out that CSM has a column in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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