My Open Letter to Guitar World Mag 11/22/04 - Rant

[Pearly Gator]

Guitar World
PO Box 58660
Boulder, CO 80322

Attn: Subscription Services

Today I received the December 2004 issue of your magazine and an invoice for the one-year subscription. Being a professional musician, I looked forward to reading articles about guitars. I also enjoy gear reviews, manufacturer ads and music related news. However, there was a glaring problem with your magazine. First off were graphics containing soft porn and sexually explicit items, followed closely by Satanic related symbols of pentagrams and an inverted cross. Less offensive were ghoulish graphics and characters. All this was in the December issue. Is this issue your standard holiday format?

This issue is so bad that I cannot leave it out for my children or my grandchildren to see, all of whom are musicians like myself. It would be wise of you to put a parental advisory on your magazine. Actually, that should be a requirement for magazines containing sexually oriented graphics, which may fall into the hands of minor children. In fact, I think that is such a good idea that I am sending the magazine to the state of California with a formal complaint that you are perpetrating offensive material on children.

All that to say; “No thanks.” I am not interested in your magazine at this time. In the future, should you publish a guitar magazine for professionals interested in gear, not guitar sex and guitar ghouls, please contact me. Cancel my subscription and do not bill me.

Best regards,

Gary M.
Address
Palmdale, CA

[stephen]

Well, it is good that you made a stand!

I have decided, that I wont be getting any subscriptions in the future, cause I have the same problem with em, as you do! I really dont want to hear how many groupies, 'slimeball', the guitarist of the month, from 'satanic pentogram fixation', nailed, during their recent tour.

Also, why is it, every peice of gear gets a great review? I've never seen (in the past couple of years), anything that would be considered a negative review. Have all the mfr's gotten that good now?

I'd like to find a Christian guitarist magazine: Maybe that way, I wont hear about all the unbelivably made stuff, and slimeballs next tour conquests!

[Teleguy]

...Also, why is it, every peice of gear gets a great review? I've never seen (in the past couple of years), anything that would be considered a negative review. Have all the mfr's gotten that good now?...


Nope. But they advertise in the magazine. Sometimes right on the facing or following pages!
Go figure.
I'm not sure the groping Governator will take much action, but you are being salt.

[Pearly Gator]

I'd like to find a Christian guitarist magazine: Maybe that way, I wont hear about all the unbelivably made stuff, and slimeballs next tour conquests!

Hmmm.... maybe we should do that here. Gear reviews, stories about our gigs and get some "new gear" articles up for readers to enjoy. Of course, it may have to wait for the paid site to be up and running because it may be more graphic intensive. I'm still willing to donate some things for auctions.

In His grip,

Gary

[stephen]

Hmmm.... maybe we should do that here. Gear reviews, stories about our gigs and get some "new gear" articles up for readers to enjoy.

I have been thinkin about that. A new "Gear Review" forum. I think it might be a good thing here. Get two or three different reviews on the same piece of gear. It could happen one of these days here.

[LesStrat]

I have experienced similar problems. I have subscribed to GW and Guitar Player. Another reason I let those subscriptions lapse is because of editorial bias toward one style of music. GP was a good mag at one time, but they followed the same path.

A gear review forum could be very useful.

For other potetially useful information, check out the Seymour Duncan Forum. The folks there are usually quite respectful, and they give honest reviews of gear. Also, the company forbids slamming the competition in the forum.

[MrMike]

I've found the same thing. I've reached the conclusion that the mission of the magazine has moved from one of information to one of entertainment. The equipment reviews amount to little more than advertising and the articles seem geared toward pandering to the lowest common denominator. At least GP makes some effort toward stylistic diversity, although not nearly as much as they used to. One magazine I really miss was called "Guitar Shop". It was put out by Cherry Lane, the same guys responsible for "Guitar For The Practicing Musician". It was focused almost solely on gear. Very cool stuff, indeed.

[reverbbb]

Tone Quest is a great review publication IMO. They have no advertisement, therefore, just reviews. Some folks feel they are biased, but I can't think of any situtation that could completely avoid being biased. TQ is expensive though, $69/year.

[TheViking]

.......... read any guitar magazines. When i come to think of it, I don't read any music magazines. I know a lot of guys who works in them, I used to write articles for some way back, but I guess I somewhere along the road just lost my urge to keep up on stuff. I do however speak, chat and mail a lot with people who have a clue what is going on and of course, having a music store kinda keeps me updated, but NO, I don't care for most magazines of several reasons. 1. Very few magazines can survive on the money they get from subscriptions and to make it they need to be friends with the dudes with the cash. That often means they have to compromise the integrity of the magazine, in other words write what the cash people wants them to. 2. Sound and playability are both a matter of taste. If I want to know what something sounds like I either try the gear or ask someone I know have the same preferences as me when it comes to what’s hot and what’s not. 3. Most music magazines I used to read displayed incredibly bad journalism. I found that when you had ditched the 60% of ads (and paid promotion disguised as articles), the remaining 40% contained little or non useful information. That’s why I love a forum like this. People can all meet and share their experiences, views and opinions. Most people here are not paid to “mean” something about equipment, we us it, we play it; we try it and test it, either because we are working musicians or happy amateurs. If I want to know what people who are paid to have an opinion about a product thinks about it, I’ll just read the brochure.

[Crunchyriff]

Viking has a great point, and one that's sadly 100% for the most part.

There are few exceptions to this.

In the world of Mag. Publications there are only FOUR that I give any credibility to whatsoever:

1. Guitar Shop (sadly defunct)

2. Gun Tests

3. Maximum PC magazine.

4. ( and I guardedly give this) CPU magazine.

The rest are all entertainment only, and visual chum to get you salivating over new gear (or the latest porn star de' jour...) PFTT!

I won't waste my money on anything other than these four.

[ptrallan01]

do not survive on subscriptions but on ads. I now work in the inside sales department of a christian magazine selling subscriptions to pastors. Our sales and the money we make in a year would not keep the operations open for a more than a month.

Because of this advertising keeps the flow of money moving and the magazine alive. Hopefully we give good sound commentary on the state of the world based on a biblical viewpoint. Our advertisers are primarily Christian organizations, publishers, schools and para-church organizations. I am sure that at least some of our editorial content is driven by a need to keep our advertisers happy and to attract(sp) the readers that the advertisers want to reach. Moved to a secular magazine they will go in whatever direction keeps them in the money. You cannot serve God and Mammon!

Peter

[Old Believer]

The only two "guitar" magazines I will even look at are British -- they are Guitarist, and Guitar. They don't edit the bad language, but they are superior to the American publications. These two mags are not obsessed with the latest Metal crazes in the US. Their reviews are generally unbiazed and thoughtful. Unfortunately they are pricey. I usually go to Barnes and Noble, check the latest issues, and buy if they have anything of personal interest to me. By the way the writing is vastly superior to the American rags.