Bass Player Mag. Worth it?

Precisionb87 · #1 08-02-2011, 02:57 PM

Is is worth subscribing to? Somebody told me that you can view the mags somewhere online for free. Is that true?

**251** · #2 08-02-2011, 03:24 PM

Electric & Acoustic Bass Gear, Lessons, News, Video, Tabs and Chords - BassPlayer.com - or -
I often get subscription offers for $12/year. I think it is worth $1 per month. YRMV

shackled · #3 08-02-2011, 03:26 PM

It used to be better, but it's still worth it IMO.

echoSE7EN · #4 08-02-2011, 03:29 PM

I stopped buying it. Too many ads, not enough meat. The straw that broke my back was when I started seeing "special" issues that contained the same articles from past issues. That's weak sauce.

knucklehead G · #5 08-02-2011, 03:36 PM

I cancelled when I kept seeing reviews with "None" listed as cons. If your job is to pick out strengths and flaws and tell us about them so we can make purchase decisions, don't tell me everything you touch over $2500 is perfect in every day.

**pacojas** · #6 08-02-2011, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knucklehead G

I cancelled when I kept seeing reviews with "None" listed as cons. If your job is to pick out strengths and flaws and tell us about them so we can make purchase decisions, don't tell me everything you touch over $2500 is perfect in every day.

+1

the reviews are SUPER lame. there are Cons to everything, yet BPM never seems to expose any.

can you say "Hush Money"???

fjadams · #7 08-02-2011, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacojas

+1

the reviews are SUPER lame. there are Cons to everything, yet BPM never seems to expose any.

can you say "Hush Money"???

Used to subscribe to a couple of Golf magazines. It seemed that every club, ball, shoe and shirt the advertisers released was the greatest thing ever, and everything else was pure crap.

phillipkregg · #8 08-02-2011, 04:23 PM

Don't waste your money.

Get your reviews from The Bass Whisperer (Ed Friedland) on YouTube, and get your theory and lessons from MarloweDK also on YouTube.

MarkMcBass · #9 08-03-2011, 12:39 AM

Its free, so of course its worth it! It just shows up in your email now and again for nothing! As a mag itself, it has some insightful interviews and good articles, but for gear reviews..its not really for you if you want reviews. But for what it is, yes go for it!

Venom of God · #10 08-03-2011, 12:44 AM

I don't think it's worth the $15 a month we pay for it in Australia. I get it here and there, always wish I got something else with the money instead!

loopee · #11 08-03-2011, 12:59 AM

I'm letting my sub run out

diehard70 · #12 08-03-2011, 01:19 AM

My sons used to get me a subscription for it for Christmas since about '04 (still have them all in a box in the closet. That being said, I haven't gotten and issue since Feb. '11 (didn't get it renewed). I'd hate for it to go away, but I hope it will get better soon.

MarkMcBass · #13 08-03-2011, 02:18 AM

Ohhh Im sorry I misread the title! I was talking about bass musician mag! Bass Musician Magazine Community - The Face of Bass THATS free!! Bass Player mag... was good for a while but I let that run out when it seemeed like the same recycled ideas again and again after a few years of getting it. Good to have for a while though!

diehard70 · #14 08-03-2011, 02:24 AM

I like Bass Guitar Magazine (UK) better. It's pricey at the news stand/bookstore so I usually thumb thru it first before I decide if I want to buy it.

SlingBass4 · #15 08-03-2011, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Bass Player Mag. Worth it?

I'm with 251 on this...it is to me! What can one get for $1 a month, anyway

macribas · #16 08-03-2011, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillipkregg

Don't waste your money.

Get your reviews from The Bass Whisperer (Ed Friedland) on YouTube, and get your theory and lessons from MarloweDK also on YouTube.

Well, Ed is now back to Bass Player magazine. That alone is a good reason for me to renew. It also means that he won't be doing as many reviews as before, he's going to be doing more article writing. And we don't know if Bass Player will be cool about their content being available on YouTube as Guitar World is. We'll see.

Me, I wish Bass Player signs with Zinio or some other electronic publisher so I don't get crap from my wife about keeping old magazines at the house.

BillyIVbass · #17 08-03-2011, 02:39 AM

I subscribe figuring if there's a few transcriptions/lessons I dig a years worth of BP is less than one lesson with a pro teacher. The interviews and news is just gravy. Ads come one guys if there weren't so many ads than how could you suffer from gas?

Joe Nerve · #18 08-03-2011, 02:40 AM

I have every issue so it's hard for me to give up my subscription. :/ I'm also hanging on for a few other reasons.

1. It's pretty cheap.
2. I still like to have some kind of bass related material that's in hard copy. I know everyone these days gets all their information on their phone, but I still enjoy magazines and books on trains, at work, in the bathroom etc.
3. I feel they really need my support if the above (old fashioned) kind of media is going to have any chance of surviving.
4. I'm hoping for some kind of maracle and turn around in the magazine. I do actually think it sucks. I almost threw up when I saw Victor Wooten on the cover, yet again this month. Sooooo much information in the bass world, soooo many things going on, and they keep printing the same stuff over and over and over and over and over.....

Not sure why, but the Warwick ads are starting to get to me also. I like warwick. Own 2 of them, but the amount of advertising they do in that mag is serious overkill IMO. And who ultimately winds up paying for those ads?

jerry · #19 08-03-2011, 05:33 AM

I'm still pretty stoked when it shows up in my mailbox!!!!

hover · #20 08-03-2011, 06:20 AM

I find Bass Player magazine as compelling as thumbing through a musician's friend catalog-porn while I'm taking a dump. And I keep getting those for free because I bought a 14 dollar gig bag once.