Bass Magazines

AHbassist · #1 10-11-2007, 01:52 AM

BassGuitar or BassPlayer, you decide. If neither, tell me about it.

DrayMiles · #2 10-11-2007, 03:14 AM

Bassplayer was pretty good back in the day when Anthony Jackson had his column, now it's kinda weak to me. I definitely skim it over now before thinking about buying. The other one isn't worth the paper it's printed on IMO.

That's why I read Double bassist. I'm tired of the dumbing down factor...

Eliminate tab!!!

AHbassist · #3 10-11-2007, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrayMiles

Bassplayer was pretty good back in the day when Anthony Jackson had his column, now it's kinda weak to me. I definitely skim it over now before thinking about buying. The other one isn't worth the paper it's printed on IMO.

That's why I read Double bassist. I'm tired of the dumbing down factor...

Eliminate tab!!!

Dude, is your last name Miles?

Vandelay · #4 10-11-2007, 06:42 AM

If you're talking about Guitar World's "Bass Guitar" magazine, it closed down a couple months ago, correct?

Bass Boy · #5 10-11-2007, 08:06 AM

Correct.

lefty007 · #6 10-11-2007, 08:31 AM

Yep, Guitar World's Bass Guitar magazine is finished. But there is Bass Guitar magazine published in the UK, no?

Isn't there a Bassist Magazine? I see iton news stands sometimes, and comes with a CD.

I've been subscribed to Bass Player for 10 years, and I enjoy at least 80% of each issue.

StanFan · #7 10-11-2007, 09:43 AM

Bass Player. It helped expose me to jazz music in a time when I was strictly a rock/metal music fan. I had a subsciption to BP around 4 years ago, but didn't renew it since at the time I wasn't totally into reading interviews with jazz players. Almost as soon as I stopped subscribing (maybe 3 years ago), I began listening to artists such as Weather Report and Return To Forever as sort of a bridge to knowing jazz, and I revisited some of the issues to read more about guys like Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter. I soon started to buy the magazine on an issue-by-issue basis, and I just recently started up my subscription again.

Guitar World's Bass Guitar had some good points, but much like Guitar World, which focuses too much on hard rock/heavy metal today, they'd too often include certain bass players from popular bands just to make a buck (obviously, you know who

). I was surprised when they stopped making the issues, but if Bass Player ceased production, it would easily have a bigger impact on me personally.

Bass Boy · #8 10-11-2007, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lefty007

Isn't there a Bassist Magazine? I see iton news stands sometimes, and comes with a CD.

You may mean Bassics. It was started by Ron Garant (sp?) and I know waaaaaaaay waaaaaaay back Dave Freeman at Club Bass was part of the team.

DrayMiles · #9 10-11-2007, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AHbassist

Dude, is your last name Miles?

David Lansen · #10 10-11-2007, 10:59 AM

When I was starting, I bought a couple of issues of both magazines, and I liked the lessons in BassGuitar better. Later on I would go to the bookstore every month and pick up a new issue of BassGuitar, and Bass Player only occasionally, if I liked some articles in that month's issue.

Yeah, I know a lot of people were pissed off when BassGuitar put Pete Wentz on the cover. I still bought it because there were Steve DiGiorgio, Bill Wyman, etc. in it.

AHbassist · #11 10-11-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrayMiles

small world

AHbassist · #12 10-11-2007, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Lansen

When I was starting, I bought a couple of issues of both magazines, and I liked the lessons in BassGuitar better. Later on I would go to the bookstore every month and pick up a new issue of BassGuitar, and Bass Player only occasionally, if I liked some articles in that month's issue.

Yeah, I know a lot of people were pissed off when BassGuitar put Pete Wentz on the cover. I still bought it because there were Steve DiGiorgio, Bill Wyman, etc. in it.

yea I posted a Youtube video ripping the cover off along with the entire Pete Wentz article and setting it ablaze, that and the GHS advertisement with Good Charlot's "bassist".

The Steve D article was awesome tho

sarcastro83 · #13 10-12-2007, 10:55 AM

I'm not much of a fan of jazz, so I'm going with Bass Guitar. Pete Wentz should be on the cover of Tiger Beat and not Bass Guitar, though...

BellBottomBlues · #14 10-12-2007, 11:03 AM

I've been subscribed to bass player for ages, I like the wood shop section

I tried Bass Guitar but it was just 'eh' for me, ya know? Instead of exposing me to new and/or innovative players it just covered the popular bass players. Unfortunately 90% of those popular players suck...

Bass Boy · #15 10-12-2007, 11:27 AM

Although I found alot of Bass Guitar a bit "tiger beat-ish" the Mike Visceglia interviews were great. There were a few hidden gems per issue but the "ignorance is bliss" attitude that accompanied some of the early issues left me scratching my head.

funkybassplayer · #16 10-12-2007, 12:42 PM

seems like here recently i signed up for some online bass mag here on TB

BassAxe · #17 11-01-2007, 08:26 AM

Why I like Bass Player magazine:

Bassics is a bit high brow for my tastes. It focuses on upright players and only electric bass guitar players who are virtuoso enough that even the upright players respect them.

I just wrote an e-mail to Bass Guitar magazine asking if they have ever done an article on Josh Ansley of HURT. If so, are there back-issues available? If not, are there plans in the future?
I found their e-mail address via an online search. I do have a few issues, but referencing the previous posts in this thread about Bass Guitar magazine going ku-put, maybe I e-mailed to the one forementioned to be out of England by mistake.

The reply I got was that they are "only doing articles on more high-profile bassists."

More high profile? HURT just released their 2nd album in a row with Capitol Records. In the past year they have toured with Stain'd, Army of Anyone, and Alice In Chains. How the hell more "high profile" do U have to be?

That's why I like Bass Player magazine. Sure they put players like Stanley Clarke on the cover, but they also have their "Introduce Yourself." section for those bass players who have day jobs. I feel like Bass Player doesn't just give their readers what they think will sell the magazine, they include their readers in the magazine, as well.

I will express this criticism about BP, though. They are starting to run too many full page ads together. If I have to flip through 8 pages of full-page ads before I find the next article, they are going to end up going downhill until they at the bottom of respectability, like "Rolling Stone" magazine has become.