Yeah man, crazy spam. I have an account set up for things like this and I never check it, so I rarely see the spam. Unsubscribing seems to be slow too.
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Free One Year Bass Player Mag subscription
- Thread starter kulit17
- Start date
Let my sub run out after 10 yes. More paper with less print and no place I could find to express my dissatisfaction to them.
Get an offer emailed every day or two but easy enough to delete.
Still waiting for an issue..
Get an offer emailed every day or two but easy enough to delete.
Still waiting for an issue..
Bass Player is utterly despicable.
I have never seen such craven whoring to advertisers in my life and I've been around. Their "reviews" are just breathtaking, pitching the most worthless and fraudulent products as though they were the real deal. "Cons: None."
I had hoped BP had folded by now, but apparently not. :scowl:
It's possible that their music technique articles have some merit, I dunno, but they can't save the magazine from indeed being junk mail.
When I got their last free subscription I truly felt I'd been swindled just for having to throw the thing out every month.
I just got my first issue. On pg. 54 in the Glockenklang review I learned that the "Hi-End" power cable "gave the lowest notes more clarity" on both Ed's Genz Benz and the Glockenklang it came with. Ed Friedland. A name I used to trust . . . He said he "has no equipment to measure the difference" but "his ears clearly detected improvements in the overall sound." Ed, why don't you have this equipment? You are an established writer conducting a review for BP. You should have access to reviewing resources out the wazoo, right? Could it be that you don't have the equipment to measure the sonic impact of a power cable BECAUSE THIS EQUIPMENT DOES NOT EXIST!?!?
I didn't even read that review because that amp is out of my price range by a lot. I do need to find out where to get that special "Hi-End" power cable though!
LOL it comes with the Glockenklang amp!
Hey, I hear a difference. You should try it and see for yourself. If you don't hear a difference, you should definitely not buy it. As far as equipment to measure my claim of improved low end response.... I would assume you could measure the difference with a spectrum analyzer, but frankly - I don't care too. It sounds better to me, that's all I said, and that's all it means. You want to be a snarky puppy about it, that's YOUR thing.
Sorry Ed, I should not have said that spectrum analyzers don't exist. You are an established writer, you must know that power cable impact on tone is a hot topic and that your testimony of a perceived difference lands you on the side of the debate that has yet to provide any proof aside from "I heard it." A BP review would seem to be a good place to expect proof/specs/measurements.
Seriously, if we can't look to gear reviews for data, why bother having them? You can summarize any review anywhere with "It sounds good" or "it sounds bad" and "if it doesn't sound good to you don't buy it." Comments like this set reviewing up as a completely subjective art. Maybe it is. If it is, then readers need to really really trust the reviewer. BP reviews are generally seen as advertisements nowadays, not genuine evaluations. Now I know why.
Seriously, if we can't look to gear reviews for data, why bother having them? You can summarize any review anywhere with "It sounds good" or "it sounds bad" and "if it doesn't sound good to you don't buy it." Comments like this set reviewing up as a completely subjective art. Maybe it is. If it is, then readers need to really really trust the reviewer. BP reviews are generally seen as advertisements nowadays, not genuine evaluations. Now I know why.
I think I evaluated the amp pretty throughly short of hooking it up to gadgets and measuring the output etc. That's what Bass Gear does... if you like that sort of thing, you can find it there. Personally, I don't understand all the graphs and tables... I am not a scientist, engineer, or tech oriented person. For the minority of folks need and understand that info... Bass Gear does a great job of giving them the hard data.
My goal is to get inside the personality and understand the function of a piece of gear, then translate that into something that makes sense to the average reader. You may like graphs and charts and data, to me - and a lot of folks, it means nothing.
The power cable was a simple mention in the article as it was something that comes with the amp... do you suppose in an 800-word amp article that I supply full technical analysis of a power cable? Even if I could, I wouldn't. Hot topic or not.
Yeah, the gear reviews are too short in BP, which tends to influence the focus. It's a challenge to say something meaningful about a piece in 800 words, but I do my best. And that is the general theme. Do your best.
We have our editorial staff, people you may know for many years, Brian Fox, Chris Jisi, Elton Bradman, Karl Koryat, myself... we know our readers... but the editorial staff does not have the last word on many of the critical decisions that guide the magazine. That is all I'll say on that.
I see a lot of BP bashing going on... In the 25 or so years we've been around, we've gotten used to this, people always gonna hate. You can never please everyone, try as you may. I personally feel like I'm writing solid stuff for them, and while my reviews may not be tech and data heavy enough for the engineer/bassist crowd, I think they represent a clear picture of what you can expect from the piece.
For whatever reasons you all feel justified in trashing BP, just realize that we work on a very tight budget, do the best we can with what we have available. I think the writing is top-notch, and while you may not like every artist that gets profiled, there is always a mix. If you can't find anyone in there that interests you, maybe you need to broaden your scope.... that's part of what we do - expose you to new things. Sure, lots of "Flavor of the month" guys show up... it's always been that way. Newsflash: Magazines are part of the promotional machinery that drives the industry.
I think the Woodshed section is solid. Don't like the gear reviews? Why not learn how to play better, it's all in the hands after all. And for the guy that claims we are "pitching the most worthless and fraudulent products as though they were the real deal." Excuse me? Is Glockenklang fraudulent? I just reviewed three kick-ass AER combos, are they worthless? I don't get your criteria. When I wrote for Guitar World, I had to review a fair amount of cheesy poofs... But then... they're GUITAR players, they know squat about bass, they have no respect for the instrument, or the players that make them feel like the "Golden Gods" they envision themselves to be.
I feel the quality of product I've been working with since returning to BP has been excellent. So... if you want to hate, I can't stop you, but don't expect not to get a rebuttal to ridiculous claims like the last one. Maybe that guy just learned the word fraudulent and wanted to use it in a sentence... but I don't see any of that going on in BP.
And that is all I have to say about it. We're not perfect, but we do our best. If you have concerns, or suggestions, I'm sure you can find constructive ways to relay your message, if you just wanna hate... well, go ahead, you do yourself more harm with that energy than you do the object of your disdain. Remember, when you point your finger at something... there are 3 other fingers pointing RIGHT BACK AT YOU.
My goal is to get inside the personality and understand the function of a piece of gear, then translate that into something that makes sense to the average reader. You may like graphs and charts and data, to me - and a lot of folks, it means nothing.
The power cable was a simple mention in the article as it was something that comes with the amp... do you suppose in an 800-word amp article that I supply full technical analysis of a power cable? Even if I could, I wouldn't. Hot topic or not.
Yeah, the gear reviews are too short in BP, which tends to influence the focus. It's a challenge to say something meaningful about a piece in 800 words, but I do my best. And that is the general theme. Do your best.
We have our editorial staff, people you may know for many years, Brian Fox, Chris Jisi, Elton Bradman, Karl Koryat, myself... we know our readers... but the editorial staff does not have the last word on many of the critical decisions that guide the magazine. That is all I'll say on that.
I see a lot of BP bashing going on... In the 25 or so years we've been around, we've gotten used to this, people always gonna hate. You can never please everyone, try as you may. I personally feel like I'm writing solid stuff for them, and while my reviews may not be tech and data heavy enough for the engineer/bassist crowd, I think they represent a clear picture of what you can expect from the piece.
For whatever reasons you all feel justified in trashing BP, just realize that we work on a very tight budget, do the best we can with what we have available. I think the writing is top-notch, and while you may not like every artist that gets profiled, there is always a mix. If you can't find anyone in there that interests you, maybe you need to broaden your scope.... that's part of what we do - expose you to new things. Sure, lots of "Flavor of the month" guys show up... it's always been that way. Newsflash: Magazines are part of the promotional machinery that drives the industry.
I think the Woodshed section is solid. Don't like the gear reviews? Why not learn how to play better, it's all in the hands after all. And for the guy that claims we are "pitching the most worthless and fraudulent products as though they were the real deal." Excuse me? Is Glockenklang fraudulent? I just reviewed three kick-ass AER combos, are they worthless? I don't get your criteria. When I wrote for Guitar World, I had to review a fair amount of cheesy poofs... But then... they're GUITAR players, they know squat about bass, they have no respect for the instrument, or the players that make them feel like the "Golden Gods" they envision themselves to be.
I feel the quality of product I've been working with since returning to BP has been excellent. So... if you want to hate, I can't stop you, but don't expect not to get a rebuttal to ridiculous claims like the last one. Maybe that guy just learned the word fraudulent and wanted to use it in a sentence... but I don't see any of that going on in BP.
And that is all I have to say about it. We're not perfect, but we do our best. If you have concerns, or suggestions, I'm sure you can find constructive ways to relay your message, if you just wanna hate... well, go ahead, you do yourself more harm with that energy than you do the object of your disdain. Remember, when you point your finger at something... there are 3 other fingers pointing RIGHT BACK AT YOU.
- Oct 23, 2005
- 1,439
- 1,378
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, Bartolini, Genzler Amplification, GHS, Tsunami Cables, Sonic Nuance
I think that was a reasonable response, Ed. Jondog, you're right to be skeptical of the issue regarding the cable, too. I do find it hard to believe that 5 feet of super thick copper braided cable can right the inefficiencies of hundreds of feet of tiny gauge wire that the electricity has to flow through to get to the outlet that stupidly-priced cord is plugged into, but you certainly can't fault someone for claiming they perceive some kind of difference, and reporting that.
I still subscribe to BP. No magazine is perfect, and I am aware of its shortcomings, too. But I feel like these guys are on our side, in general. I got to tour the office with Bill Leigh back in '07 and was genuinely impressed with the people I met and the conversations I had, and Bill picked my brain quite a bit about what I wanted to see in the magazine and what I perceived to be wrong with it, if anything, because he cared about my opinion.
I know Bill's not there anymore, sure, but I feel like the staff is still trying to do right by the bass community. I have grown increasingly aware of advertisements strangely appearing in close relation or proximity to gear reviews of that item or spotlighted interviews that mention it, but like Ed said, the reason for all this stuff - that bands tour, musicians do interviews on TV shows, commercial radio airplay often features newly released or soon to be released music, and magazines print articles on new gear and/or artists that have something to sell at the moment - is that this is all promo. The whole big machine. All these elements of media that are peripheral to the events which they support or, hey, promote, are selling something! No one at BP claimed that they were a not-for-profit or anything, and just having this awareness helps to take everything you read in context.
I work for a large MI corporation myself, and I now understand completely how, sadly, the best intention is sometimes not the thing that's executed, due to a myriad of influences by sales and marketing departments, and the movement of money in general. So there's compromise. I would ideally like a pure, no compromise solution too, but when was the last time enough money was made on something like that to keep it going for any real length of time?
Anyway, I just tore through my latest issue of BP. I'm an avid fan of Bass Gear, too (because I, for one, care about specs and measurements), and those nifty digital publications go by too quickly as well. At least we get BP on a monthly basis! I recognize that neither is a perfect publication, but I don't know if there is one. But if one should come about, that caters solely to bass players in our limited numbers, please do let me know about it! I'll subscribe to that one, too.
I still subscribe to BP. No magazine is perfect, and I am aware of its shortcomings, too. But I feel like these guys are on our side, in general. I got to tour the office with Bill Leigh back in '07 and was genuinely impressed with the people I met and the conversations I had, and Bill picked my brain quite a bit about what I wanted to see in the magazine and what I perceived to be wrong with it, if anything, because he cared about my opinion.
I know Bill's not there anymore, sure, but I feel like the staff is still trying to do right by the bass community. I have grown increasingly aware of advertisements strangely appearing in close relation or proximity to gear reviews of that item or spotlighted interviews that mention it, but like Ed said, the reason for all this stuff - that bands tour, musicians do interviews on TV shows, commercial radio airplay often features newly released or soon to be released music, and magazines print articles on new gear and/or artists that have something to sell at the moment - is that this is all promo. The whole big machine. All these elements of media that are peripheral to the events which they support or, hey, promote, are selling something! No one at BP claimed that they were a not-for-profit or anything, and just having this awareness helps to take everything you read in context.
I work for a large MI corporation myself, and I now understand completely how, sadly, the best intention is sometimes not the thing that's executed, due to a myriad of influences by sales and marketing departments, and the movement of money in general. So there's compromise. I would ideally like a pure, no compromise solution too, but when was the last time enough money was made on something like that to keep it going for any real length of time?
Anyway, I just tore through my latest issue of BP. I'm an avid fan of Bass Gear, too (because I, for one, care about specs and measurements), and those nifty digital publications go by too quickly as well. At least we get BP on a monthly basis! I recognize that neither is a perfect publication, but I don't know if there is one. But if one should come about, that caters solely to bass players in our limited numbers, please do let me know about it! I'll subscribe to that one, too.
As a long time reader, and an off and on subscriber, all I can say is, it's clear to me that you're trying, and care, so thank you for doing your best!
Personally, I like most other sections of BP. This is my second free subscription, and reading about Armstrong is worth the time it took to sign up. The only bits that bug me are the gear reviews, and up until those few sentences on the power cable even they didn't bug me that much. I know that there's a fine line between advertising and reviewing in an industry driven publication, but I'm a critical reader and with a decent amount of faith in the writer's knowledge, goodwill, and honesty I used to feel like I could get a fair understanding of a piece of gear from reading a review. Unfortunately, I don't feel that way any longer. IMO announcing a loss of respect for a specific reason is not hate speech. For me, telling me that power cables improve tone, with no data, is either an honest delusion or an attempt to treat me like a fool. It makes me wonder if other people caught on sooner, and if that is why BP needs to be given away for free. Also, I'm curious to read what Glockenklang claims about this power cable.
I'm certainly not trying to take you for a fool, but I will not agree to your "honest delusion" description either. I'll say it again, I tested it in my studio with more than one amp - A/B'd it with standard power cables, and I heard an improvement with the Glock cord. Personally, I think you may be overreacting, but if I didn't hear it for myself... I wouldn't try to defend it. I'm one of the more skeptical people you'll ever meet. I always thought fancy power cables were BS... but after testing them with my ears... I was convinced. Have you ever TRIED one of these "fancy cables"? (ESP or the Glock?) If not, rather than sit back and immediately dismiss the possibility that it does something... I suggest you test for yourself. If you HAVE tested and are still convinced, well, then I accept your results for your specific case, but I STILL stand by my statement. Did I make outrageous claim about this? No. I simply said I heard an audible improvement. Not sure why this particular issue makes people so upset, but whatever - I can't take responsibility for their feelings. You may not like the style of my review, but my integrity is intact. I've been at this a long time. I have no interest in making false claims. You want to get bent about it? I can't stop you.
I don't want to kill Santa Clause here, but all the complaints about ads in BP... have you ever read ANOTHER magazine? Ever notice any ads? Guess what - every magazine is full of ads. Yes, the advertisers are in there to sell you stuff. All magazines run on advertising, even Bass Gear. They tried to do it without ads... guess what? It didn't work. Why are ads in BP such a problem then? Product placement throughout the mag is definitely coordinated with stories and reviews... that's just being smart folks. That's how it works. Don't take it personally. If you take exception to advertising, maybe you need to stay offline too.
If you are suggesting that I have altered any of my reviews to appease advertisers... you are dead wrong. I'm very lucky at this point to be writing for a mag that sends me nice things. I don't have to make up good things to say about Glockenklang, or AER (three combo review coming out soon... KILLER!). Sorry if I'm not technical enough, but I always list the specs, and describe the features, and sometimes illustrate how they work. I think someone reading my review will have a very good sense of what the gear DOES, a reference point for how it sounds, how it feels. You want to know if the output is what the mfg claims? Can't help you. I make no excuses.
Here's the thing, the Talkbass crowd sometimes forgets that not everyone out there is as sophisticated and deep as they are. I know that may sound sarcastic, but it's true. Most bass players, and MANY of our readers are just not sitting at their computers obsessing about bass 22 hours a day (I am). Many of them are young players, just discovering the bass world. Many of them are old timers that "just like to play", and many are just regular folks that are interested but not obsessed. Not everyone wants, understands, or cares about that level of detail. My goal is to translate what gear does into layman's terms, to provide practical information about it. I'd love to have more space to do it... 800 words is just enough to list the features, and tell you my subjective impressions based on field testing. Field testing... THAT is the important part. How does it perform? I think I'm a good judge of that, and I do my best to relay my impressions based on those experiences.
Okay, I've said about as much as I care to on this. I know from years in the mag biz that you can't please everyone, and yet here I am spending bandwidth to try to please you Jondog... and most likely to no use. But... I have a tendency to want to address people's concerns. It would be an easier life if I just didn't give a hoot.
I don't want to kill Santa Clause here, but all the complaints about ads in BP... have you ever read ANOTHER magazine? Ever notice any ads? Guess what - every magazine is full of ads. Yes, the advertisers are in there to sell you stuff. All magazines run on advertising, even Bass Gear. They tried to do it without ads... guess what? It didn't work. Why are ads in BP such a problem then? Product placement throughout the mag is definitely coordinated with stories and reviews... that's just being smart folks. That's how it works. Don't take it personally. If you take exception to advertising, maybe you need to stay offline too.
If you are suggesting that I have altered any of my reviews to appease advertisers... you are dead wrong. I'm very lucky at this point to be writing for a mag that sends me nice things. I don't have to make up good things to say about Glockenklang, or AER (three combo review coming out soon... KILLER!). Sorry if I'm not technical enough, but I always list the specs, and describe the features, and sometimes illustrate how they work. I think someone reading my review will have a very good sense of what the gear DOES, a reference point for how it sounds, how it feels. You want to know if the output is what the mfg claims? Can't help you. I make no excuses.
Here's the thing, the Talkbass crowd sometimes forgets that not everyone out there is as sophisticated and deep as they are. I know that may sound sarcastic, but it's true. Most bass players, and MANY of our readers are just not sitting at their computers obsessing about bass 22 hours a day (I am). Many of them are young players, just discovering the bass world. Many of them are old timers that "just like to play", and many are just regular folks that are interested but not obsessed. Not everyone wants, understands, or cares about that level of detail. My goal is to translate what gear does into layman's terms, to provide practical information about it. I'd love to have more space to do it... 800 words is just enough to list the features, and tell you my subjective impressions based on field testing. Field testing... THAT is the important part. How does it perform? I think I'm a good judge of that, and I do my best to relay my impressions based on those experiences.
Okay, I've said about as much as I care to on this. I know from years in the mag biz that you can't please everyone, and yet here I am spending bandwidth to try to please you Jondog... and most likely to no use. But... I have a tendency to want to address people's concerns. It would be an easier life if I just didn't give a hoot.
Not that you need it Ed, but you can have some of my respect back for engaging in this thread and explaining your perspective in a fairly calm and rational way. Unfortunately, I still think that people who believe that power cables impact tone are deluded. Apparently this group includes Rick Derringer and Victor Wooten . . .
The way to check for tonal differences is with a double blind test, not simply swapping cables. Our minds can and do play tricks on us all the time. No I have not personally tried expensive power cables, they are out of my budget range, as are all Glockenklang products. That's why I read reviews on them, to see if they are worth saving up for. Here is a review of power cables using a double blind test
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/-000-power-cable-1015757/index10.html
It makes me not want to buy expensive power cables, and makes me doubt people who claim they hear improvements from them.
Are you aware that past BP praise of expensive power cables and your recent Glock review are also being discussed in this thread? http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/-000-power-cable-1015757/index10.html
When established and respected amp designers are not on your side, when they say that it's electrically impossible and have double blind tests to prove that power cable tonal improvements are a psychological delusion, then yes, saying that you hear any difference is outrageous.
The way to check for tonal differences is with a double blind test, not simply swapping cables. Our minds can and do play tricks on us all the time. No I have not personally tried expensive power cables, they are out of my budget range, as are all Glockenklang products. That's why I read reviews on them, to see if they are worth saving up for. Here is a review of power cables using a double blind test
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/-000-power-cable-1015757/index10.html
It makes me not want to buy expensive power cables, and makes me doubt people who claim they hear improvements from them.
Are you aware that past BP praise of expensive power cables and your recent Glock review are also being discussed in this thread? http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/-000-power-cable-1015757/index10.html
When established and respected amp designers are not on your side, when they say that it's electrically impossible and have double blind tests to prove that power cable tonal improvements are a psychological delusion, then yes, saying that you hear any difference is outrageous.
First of all, thanks, Ed, for your immense contributions to the bass community. I completely understand where you are coming from.
As far as the amount of ads appearing in BP (and in fact ALL magazines) nowadays, I have a unique perspective. I worked in the commercial printing/magazine publishing industry for 23 years, and the changes in the industry during that time were tremendous.
The cost of producing a magazine skyrocketed during this period for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the astronomical rise in costs of paper and ink. Ads have always been used to offset the cost of production. When production costs were low, it took less ad space to offset the cost. To keep the subscription prices reasonable, more and more ads need to be sold.
Because more ads need to be sold, there is less space available for articles. It's a vicious cycle. To keep the cost relatively reasonable, a magazine is also required to have a substantial readership. While we would all love to see an ad-free, completely un-biased publication for the bass community, ala Consumer Reports, the readership base could NEVER be large enough to make it cost-effective enough to appeal to everyone. It used to be that the publication "sweet spot" started at a production run of at least 100,000 copies/month (it may be even higher now)
Do you think you could get 100,000 bass players to subscribe to such a magazine? (at a cost/year of $100 US or more). I think that is highly doubtful.
As such, magazines are forced to compromise, attempting to appeal to as broad a bad as possible. Such are the trade-offs. Just my 2 cents, FWIW.
Now back to the thread. Sorry for the slight derail.
As far as the amount of ads appearing in BP (and in fact ALL magazines) nowadays, I have a unique perspective. I worked in the commercial printing/magazine publishing industry for 23 years, and the changes in the industry during that time were tremendous.
The cost of producing a magazine skyrocketed during this period for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the astronomical rise in costs of paper and ink. Ads have always been used to offset the cost of production. When production costs were low, it took less ad space to offset the cost. To keep the subscription prices reasonable, more and more ads need to be sold.
Because more ads need to be sold, there is less space available for articles. It's a vicious cycle. To keep the cost relatively reasonable, a magazine is also required to have a substantial readership. While we would all love to see an ad-free, completely un-biased publication for the bass community, ala Consumer Reports, the readership base could NEVER be large enough to make it cost-effective enough to appeal to everyone. It used to be that the publication "sweet spot" started at a production run of at least 100,000 copies/month (it may be even higher now)
Do you think you could get 100,000 bass players to subscribe to such a magazine? (at a cost/year of $100 US or more). I think that is highly doubtful.
As such, magazines are forced to compromise, attempting to appeal to as broad a bad as possible. Such are the trade-offs. Just my 2 cents, FWIW.
Now back to the thread. Sorry for the slight derail.
