JP in this months Guitarist but......

[puppyonacid]

in all honesty, don't by it! It's a one page job. Now, I know its probably not entirley their fault, however, I get the feeling that JP gets hiddeously overlooked by said magazine. Well, I say magazine, but its more of an ad rag with the odd review (usually of a Fender.........but in an all new colour WOW!) and interview thrown in.

The interview is ok, and I know JP has time restriants at the mo, but the editor, I dunno............the asked JP, apparantley about the "Honky Tonk Piano interlude in Repentance" Blimey.

I had been reading Guitarist for years but stopped around 2002. My gf got me a years subscription for my birthday last year. Which was thoughtful really. But when the year is up I'm thinking of quickly categorising a list of reviews. Every freaking issue is the same. And is it jsut me or do Ernie Ball products and artists just not seem to register with them? Every issue is a new fender, how many times can that company reinvent the wheel? Another PRS and another Taylor (cos we're diverse and review acoustics as well you know!)

One of this generations most influential guitarists playing what must be one of the most popular well made sig models out there gets an interview you could put on a postage stamp. Ill pass thanks!

Rant over.

 

[DrBob]

Whilst I'd totally agree that JP has been given unfairly short shrift in said mag I'd have to disagree on a couple of points.

I'm sure that in living memory I've seen reviews of the HH Stingray, SMY2D, and
20th Silo. I definitely also recall a review on the Silhouette Bass but that was a little further back They also did a piece to celebrate the Silo's 20th anniversary in the oldies section too, so on that score I'd say that the coverage of Musicman in that mag is pretty good really and certainly above average on the UK circuit.

And yes the Fenderr/Gibsonn/PRS/Taylorr/Mesa Boogie thing is getting a bit relentless but then again it is a fair reflection of the stock held by 99% of the shops that advertise in the mag.

I think that there's still a bit of a mental block about brands here in Britain

I was in Guitar Guitar in Glasgow at the weekend (probably my favourite guitar shop right now, shame it's 450 miles from home) and the salesman tells me that whilst they have whole walls of of traffic stoppingly gorgeous EBMM's (Well 2 Axis) Tylers, Tom Andersons, Suhrs etc that 99.9% of the punters walk straight past them to the Fender/Gibson/PRS rails.

So is it that the magazines have their hands tied to only giving column inches to the big manufacturers for fear of losing advertising revenue ?
Or is the slightly more disturbing truth that us Guitarists really do fear change ?

What is slightly more concerning is that JP is also interviewed in this months Guitar&Bass magazine and the point to a picture of 'John playing his new signature model Musicman in the main picture on Page 46@ which to me looks suspiciously like a White Silhouette bass.

I'm guessing that the picture editor on the mag is certainly NOT a Knucklehead.

 

[pjc812]

I don't know. I think it's a reflection of the buying community at large. They come in croaking F and G like they're parrots and don't know of anything else to say.

 

[dstockden]

its happened AGAIN!!!!!
I dont know if you guys remember last time JP was in Guitarist, there was him Satch and John frusci-whatever from the chilli peppers, guess who was on the front!
I could have accepted Satch on the cover over JP ( i love his stuff) and he would deserve the cover but John frusci-whatever! PLUS the interview with John Frusci-wahetever was about 12 pages long and satch got about 3 (with a big advert ion the middle) and JP got 2 i think.
I guess its all to do with who sells the magazine but still i think they should show some respect!
I remember when Guitarist was good and you had satch vai gilbert etc on the cover , this was in the days before the evil future publishing empire took over every magazine on the planet!
I agree with puppy, its just a big advert after advert , i used to be a quality magazine, then it just went down hill bigtime............

 

[beej]

Lots of guys love John Frusciante and he sells a lot of records.

If you don't like the mags ... vote with your dollars and don't by 'em.

 

[wagnerite]

geez, check out the age/occupation thread... seems like EB should advertise in Wall Street Journal

 

[Meedleyx10]

the only solution is to subscribe to Guitar Techniques instead

 

[KungFu Grip]

I haven't read a guitar magazine in the last 10 years that I would subscribe to, much less even purchase on the newsstand. The internet give you more information with fewer ads.

 

[robelinda2]

Well to be fair, the same company that does Guitarist also does Guitar Techniques and Total Guitar. JP is often featured in GT as its more of a lesson based mag. Guitarist mag is aimed at the older players for sure, Total Guitar is obviously aimet at teenagers.

GT rules.

 

[Jimmyb]

This month's Guitarist does have a little feature on the Global Warming guitar, plus it's got Mr. Horsepower as the famous 'guitar of the stars' at the back.

 

[puppyonacid]

Yea you got me on a few points there. And I will concede that I hadn't noticed much MM coverage and that was probably during the time Iw asn't buying guitarist. I know they have mags to sell, but how many car magazines do the same thing? In any car mag I've seen I see reviews of common place models but you also get the cars reviewed that are less common. Cars you'll never be able to afford, or are quirky, or are just plain innovative. If there's some thing new out there I wanna know about it! Remember when I posted the thread about the 8 string ibbo that I thought would get deleted? I was also really intrigued by the VG strat and the Gibson equivalent. Why? Because it's new. Because that's where the envelope seems like its being pushed.

That said, of course I really don't care too much for the otherwise current stock that those companies produce. No disrespect, but Fenders, Gibsons and Ibanezes just aren't my thing. Musicman guitars are. Hence my preseance here. Being in the UK, I can't go and try out any and all MM models. And I know alot more of you guys all over the globe are in the same positon. I can ask Ernie1966 what he thinks of the BFR JPs. And I know he'd try hard to be objective, but we're all a little prone to being biased here. I'd like to hear from a pro what they think. One that wont necasserily be associated with MusicMan. And to be honest, I want to see them swoon! I wan't them to ask "how come these instruments have passed me by?"

Any review I have read in a mag of an EBMM product has always been favourable. And I used to think that's why PRS started to appear more and more in guitar mags. Because it's a sound product. Or was. I don't know because I have little excperience of them. But the mags made me want to find out about PRS. I jsut don't understand how the same doesn't happen for MM. Yes they do get reviewed. But often months later. If Fender come up with a new finish, it gets reviewed. When MM redesign what could almost arguably be called their flagship model it gets ignored. It wasn't even mentioned in the NAMM report! Guitarist magazine are consistant in what they report and also what they just seem to ignore.

 

[philiprst]

I've been reading Guitarist on and off for about 10 years. Their coverage of EBMM instruments has been very good and they always rate them very highly (as they should!).

 

[lovedaebmm]

JP was featured in a guitar mag i bought this week, he had a 7 page feature and the cover also.

 

[Phrat]

I guess Guitarist just give what the majority of punters want. The solution here isnt for them to change but for a more specialist magazine to come out, one that overlooks the F,Gs and PRSs and goes straight for the more prestige quality instruments that we all here like to play and interviews with artists who are respected for the talent and pushing the boundries of guitars and not some fella from the Arctic Monkeys!

 

[Blind Lemon]

Guys, It's me that looks after all UK Ernie Ball Musicman advertising and reviews and I can tell you that over recent years every new guitar and bass has been reviewed in Guitarist. Watch out in a few months for reviews on the BFR Petrucci and Luke.
Directly we get our shipment I'll be sending a couple to Guitarist and other UK mags.
If there are guitars I have missed then let me know!!!!!!!!!!

Musicman Rules OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dstockden]

interviews with artists who are respected for the talent and pushing the boundries of guitars and not some fella from the Arctic Monkeys!

exactly what i was getting at when i said about john frusciante.

 

[Jimmyb]

Guys, It's me that looks after all UK Ernie Ball Musicman advertising and reviews and I can tell you that over recent years every new guitar and bass has been reviewed in Guitarist. Watch out in a few months for reviews on the BFR Petrucci and Luke.
Directly we get our shipment I'll be sending a couple to Guitarist and other UK mags.
If there are guitars I have missed then let me know!!!!!!!!!!

Musicman Rules OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a really good point. We know that the BFR's are only just starting to ship out, so S&T can't send in a guitar for review until they've received them.

Plus, there is also the lead time involved in getting a magazine copy ready for print. I used to write for a magazine in the UK where we needed all copy ready 3 weeks before the publishing date. Chances are that with a magazine the size of Guitarist, copy needs to be in and approved a long time in advance. There are always last minute news items that can be fitted in, but a review is a substantial piece.

I've always seen great reviews for EBMM in Guitarist and they've always stated that they don't know why the guitars aren't more popular in the UK.

There will always be a strong emphasis on the 'well known' makes, like f3nd3r and g1bson, but that is simply catering for the market.

I bought my first EBMM (Axis Sport) on the back of a review in Guitarist and never looked back.

 

[Phrat]

Guys, It's me that looks after all UK Ernie Ball Musicman advertising and reviews and I can tell you that over recent years every new guitar and bass has been reviewed in Guitarist. Watch out in a few months for reviews on the BFR Petrucci and Luke.
Directly we get our shipment I'll be sending a couple to Guitarist and other UK mags.
If there are guitars I have missed then let me know!!!!!!!!!!

Musicman Rules OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Blind Lemon

I run a guitar based magazine, why dont you send those BFRs over to me and I will give them a really good review

Honestly

 

[Phrat]

Actually in fairness to Guitarist, since i have been buying it again i have seen a review of the 20th Silo and the Rosewood ASS as well as a (very positive) review of the Sub on the CD thats there every month (and i read every month like an eejit!)

But I could live with a month with no reviews of the "latest" Strat so Blind Lemon, get those BFRs to them ASAP!

PS when are you expecting the delivery as i am hoping my LE is with it

 

[Bungo]

Small thread tangent here but I'm always amazed at how often Jimmy Page/Led Zep or Pink Floyd feature on the cover of all sorts of rock magazines.

For bands that have been pretty much dormant for years, it's clearly only because they shift copies of the mags.

Like a sucker, I'm often one of those still buying to read the same old re-hashed stuff.................D'oh!