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Topic: Guitar Player magazine and the missing steel guitar |
ajm
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 10 Nov 2007 9:00 am |
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I was going to add this to Jody Carver's "Power of Tweed" post, but thought it best to start a new topic and not detract from his work.
There were a couple of comments concerning GP magazine. I still buy GP every month, but at times it sickens me to see what it has become.
I primarily buy it for the gear reviews, and at times I think that Art Thompson is the only one whose analysis I can trust. The rest of them all seem to be part of a clique that hangs around the office and plays gear all day.
There is no coverage of the steel any more. When they actually do cover something steel related, it is clear that the guys doing the writing have little idea of what they're talking about. They had Neal Schon's (of Journey) opinion of Robert Randolph a few years ago. He was very complimentary, and NS is certainly successful and to be respected as a musician. (I personally like a lot of his work.) But when I hear NS do some pedal steel licks then his opinions on RR and the steel will start to carry some weight. Out of all the people they could have picked on this God forsaken third rock from the sun to voice an opinion on a steel player they picked a melodic hard rocker from the 70's. As for any other coverage of the steel: Steve Howe, Eric Johnson and Jimmy Page are certainly to be admired and respected for their accomplishments. However, IMHO they are NOT steel players like the staff of GP seems to think.
I spoke to Terry Buddingh (one of the writers for GP on a regular basis) at an amp show one time a couple of years back. I politely mentioned that GP doesn't do any steel coverage any more, and a good place to start would be the ISGC. That would amount to one article per year that they would have to do. He politely listened and took a couple of notes, but clearly nothing ever came of it.
A recent product shootout for volume pedals did not include the Hilton or any Goodrich product. I have said this before and will say it again: If you want to know about volume pedals, DO NOT ask a guitar player, because they know next to nothing about them.
Rant over.
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Artie McEwan |
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Billy Wilson
From:
El Cerrito, California, USA
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Posted 10 Nov 2007 9:18 am
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| Terry quit GP and went to work for one of he other guitar mags. |
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Jim Kennedy
From:
Brentwood California, USA
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Posted 10 Nov 2007 9:35 am
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Unfortunately, GP is like any other "business." They sell what "sells." They market to the under thirty crowd that listens and wants to play "current popular music." Unfortunately, steel does not fall into that category. As players go, steel is a limited market. Ther are onlo 6908 registered members on this forum. Not a large population of pickers. Compare that to the number of guitar players just in your neighborhood, and you can see why GP doesn't go out of its way to publish steel articles. I wish there were some good periodicals for steel, but this forum is about as good as it gets. Thank goodness b0b loves these instruments and the people who play them.
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ShoBud Pro 1, 75 Tele, 85 Yamaha SA 2000, Fender Cybertwin, |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 10 Nov 2007 5:06 pm
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I had every issue of GP from no 1 for about 10 years,in the early days they had some steel stuff in most issues,Buddy and Rusty had monthly articles,Also they had features about the great,jazz,and country players,then turned into mostly a rock mag,don't you know.
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Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 11 Nov 2007 12:47 am
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Don't forget Skunk Baxter also used to write a column for GP as well Rusty Young.
It was a very long time ago, did Buddy actualy write a column or just do interviews?
I haven't even looked at one for decades, not since the GP polls always chose Jerry Garcia as the "best" year after year.
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Bo Borland
Rittenberry SD10 , Derby D-10, Quilter TT12, Peavey Session 400 w/ JBL, NV112, Fender Blues Jr. , 1974 Dobro 60N squareneck, Rickenbacher NS lapsteel, 1973 Telecaster Thinline, 1979 blonde/black Frankenstrat
Currently picking with
Mason Dixon Band masondixonband.net |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 11 Nov 2007 5:32 am
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Hi guys,When Bud Eastman was publisher and started Guitar Player, there were always articles re: steel guitar and it's players. Bud was a fine steel player himself and since he no longer has any connection with GP, there is nothing on steel guitar.He was a good friend as well.
Thanx
Jody. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 11 Nov 2007 7:26 am
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When I see a copy of Guitar Player on the newsstand, just the cover is enough to scare me away!  |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 11 Nov 2007 5:33 pm
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I started buying GP around '71 I think, anyway it was when they put out their 2nd issue... didn't know about them in time for the first... as Jody says, they had articles about steel then, one on Curly Chalker... I don't remember now but I think he was even on the cover...I gave my copy to Curly, who didn't even have a copy of it.
Haven't bought a GP in years. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 11 Nov 2007 11:43 pm
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Ah, yes... Guitar Player. I read that mag from when I was fifteen up until I turned 21 (1976-1982). I liked to read about rock stars and what they used for gear, and I learned all about vintage guitars and amps and why they were so much better than the stuff that was currently in production.
I learned a few things, and I also learned a little bit about steel guitar even though I had no desire to play one at the time. But even if Guitar Player still had steel guitar articles today, I would not read it. I don't read any magazines now that I have access to the Internet. |
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Jason Odd
From:
Stawell, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 1:45 am
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good lord.. the internet, although a resource without comparison, is full of amateurs who at very best get an average of 5% of facts wrong, mags have employees who have a career and reputation to correct.
The amount of mis-information online is at times, simply staggering, I'd reccommend books, mags and periodicals read in conjuction with online content as much as possible for a decent overview on most topics.
..of course, if you're interested in steel guitar.. this is about the best place to start. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 7:38 am
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"mags have employees who have a career and reputation to protect."
I have some ocean front property in Arizona for sale if you are interested. |
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Kevin Macneil Brown
From:
Montpelier, VT, USA
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 8:51 am
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| Just to offer another perspective: GUITAR PLAYER has run pieces about Lucky Oceans and Jon Rauhouse in the past half-year or so. Of course, more would be nice, and the steel coverage isn't what it was in the 1970s--but it does seem like somebody there might be trying. |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 9:33 am
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| If they won't show up at an ISGC, they're not trying very hard... |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 1:53 pm
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| Jason Odd wrote: |
| good lord.. the internet, although a resource without comparison, is full of amateurs who at very best get an average of 5% of facts wrong, mags have employees who have a career and reputation to correct. |
I learned quite a few things about steel on this web site. |
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Mat Rhodes
From:
Lexington, KY, USA
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 2:20 pm
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Most of what I learned on PSG came not from what I read in GP, which is pretty elementary material to begin with, but what I learned on my own from buying instructional materials via Scotty's and Jeff Newman, seeking good teachers, long practice hours, and listening to great musicians of all kinds (steelers and non steelers).
It really shouldn't matter what the staff at GP thinks, prints, or doesn't know about the steel guitar community's activities. We all do what we want to anyway - that's what keeps it going. |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 2:22 pm
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| I learned quite a few things about steel on this web site. |
Me too. In fact I just learned today, after playing in working bands for 35 years, and never having used a Steel King or Session/Nashville Whatever, that if you don't play a Peavey steel amp or Fender Steel King, you've got the "wrong amp" and can't expect to have a good tone. I don't know how we all managed, and the great players had such fantastic tones in the years before. 
Personally I think "5% of facts wrong" is being much too lenient.
Last edited by Jim Phelps on 12 Nov 2007 10:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Earl Foote
From:
Houston, Tx, USA
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 2:58 pm Guitar Mags
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| I was looking thru the guitar mags at the book store a few weeks ago, and one caught my eye. I noticed an absence of any tattoos or metal protrusions on the guy on the cover (not that there's anything wrong with that) and so I figured I would give it a try. In fact it was Earl Scruggs on the cover. It's called The Fretboard Journal. As long as I'm not reading about steel guitar I think this mag is as good as it gets. It comes out quarterly and is a pleasure to read. |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 9:52 pm
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I have about 350 issues of GP, but I gave up on the mag about 4 years ago. I much more like and appreciate Vintage Guitar magazine. They even did a short feature on me once... by mistake, of course  . But they write about older instruments, older players, and older styles of music, and that's what interests me most, if anything musical does lately.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Jason Odd
From:
Stawell, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 13 Nov 2007 5:25 am
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Jason Odd also wrote:
"..of course, if you're interested in steel guitar.. this is about the best place to start."
Erv, ... you never know, a couple of good quakes and Phoenix might be part of one heck of a coastline. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 13 Nov 2007 7:01 am
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Jason,
That could very well be. I think maybe I'll just hold onto that ocean front property for a while.  |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 13 Nov 2007 10:46 am
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| Jason Odd wrote: |
Jason Odd also wrote:
"..of course, if you're interested in steel guitar.. this is about the best place to start." |
I do agree... despite the handful of noisy know-it-alls posting so much misinformation, there are indeed many bona fide experts in many fields here, from whom I've learned a great deal... the only problem is that you can't blindly accept everything you're told, sometimes you have to weigh it carefully against further research, others' advice, experience, common sense, etc., and then you can separate the misinfo from good info.
The reason the info in GP and some other mags was more reliable was that most of the time you were reading interviews or articles with known pros, and although we have several here too, they don't post that often so most of the advice comes from amateurs or semi-pros, some of whom really know their stuff and some don't. Same can be said of many of the "big guys" too, they're wrong on some things too now and then...although if Buddy Emmons or Eric Johnson told me something about an instrument or amp, I'd have more faith in the info than what Joe Amateur Poster says, until further checking into it.
Not meaning to insult forumites (which includes myself too!), it's just the way it is... IMHO  |
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