Guitar Player vs Guitar World

[MTM105]

I like Guitar World because it is geared probably more towards the amateur. Every year I struggle which subscription. The CDs in Guitar World never worked on my PC, I guess until recently.

Guitar Player has some rather credible articles and reviews. Objective.

Guitar World kinda sells out to whoever is willing to endorse their product. Subjective. But sometimes entertaining.

If it endorses Hamer, its instant kudos.

[mattb]

Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar fan here.

[Stike]

GW seems to be geared more toward rock/metal types. GP's coverage is more diverse.

[Brewmaster]

I have a freebee subscription to Premiere Guitar. Seems as good as any.

[MTM105]

I have a freebee subscription to Premiere Guitar. Seems as good as any.

But do you get to read for the 3rd time about EVH's latest endorsement????

[zorrow]

Neither! Guitar Techniques from the UK, that's the mag!

[Brooks]

hustler.

[zorrow]

hustler.

[frank_c]

Guitar World.

never read GP much, depended who was on the cover.

Guitar for the Practicing Musician was always full of spelling mistakes and it would drive me nuts.

[m chops]

I used to do GuitarOne and Vintage Guitar.

Like Hi Flagston, I just do Vintage Guitar.

[MTM105]

Tiger Beat?

[Matt Mattson]

hustler.

I passed by Larry Flint's original Hustler Club on my latest trip west and was surprised at how tiny it was. Not even the size of a mid-level Hollywood exec's garage and a real dive from hell. Anyway, for a guy they made so much over, the "elites" could have just ignored him and he probably would have just dried up.

As for the magazines -- none. If I see something in one (on the stand) I'm interested in I'll buy it, but most of the time there isn't anything there for me. Some of the DVD issues I've bought and picked up quite a bit from those. Andy (somebody).

[Steve Haynie]

In junior high I became aware of Guitar Player and started buying it in high school in the next town over because I could not get it where I live. GP had all kinds of articles-- Craig Anderton's electronic projects, Dan Erlewine's guitar repair columns, and plenty of interviews and useful articles.

Guitar World came out when I was in high school and came across more like a rock magazine. Every issue was dedicated to Eddie Van Halen. I think that if Noe the G had a chance to interview Andres Segovia he would have asked Segovia about how he was influenced by Van Halen's playing.

Both magazines have changed over the years. The one magazine worth reading today is Vintage Guitar, but I do not buy it as often as I once did.

Guitar for the Practicing Musician lost me within its first year when it had a pin-up section featuring Huey Lewis and Boy George among a bunch of guitar players. Someone should have been much more careful about which magazine insert was chosen.

A useful magazine was Gig. It was aimed at the small time player, but it had some good advice and how-too information.

[BadgerDave]

I agree with Steve.

I've subscribed to Guitar Player for almost 30 years and I'm seriously considering passing the next time my subscription expires.

I enjoy Vintage Guitar. For gear reviews, I think the class of the field is Guitarist Magazine from the UK.

[jerseydrew]

Vintage Guitar is my favorite mag right now. If I had to choose between Guitar World or Guitar Player, it would be Guitar World.

In addition, Guitar One just went out of business.

[MCChris]

I don't think I've even looked at a guitar magazine since I became addicted to guitar nerd message boards.

[elduave]

Remember Guitar Shop (IIRC) mag? 90% gear reviews. I liked that one...

[Guest Mike Lee]

Guitar shop was fraught with errors, both grammatical and content. And they liked everything - no bad reviews ever.

I've been getting GP for 20 years. I also wonder if I should bother getting it anymore. GP was best in the early 90's when they did critical gear shootouts and said it like it is. Now I barely read the thing. Among the US mags, it's still the best though.

I like to read the Guitarist (UK) magazine at Barnes & Noble or Border's when I see it. Lots of cool stuff in there.

[elduave]

Guitar shop was fraught with errors, both grammatical and content. And they liked everything - no bad reviews ever.

Meh. I still liked it.

[Craig S]

Guitar World.

never read GP much, depended who was on the cover.

Isn't that usually Satriani or Vai???? It seem like one of those two is always in every issue of GP somewhere.

[kizanski]

I don't think I've even looked at a guitar magazine since I became addicted to guitar nerd message boards.

That about sums it up for me, the exception being the issue of Vintage Guitar which sported Willie G's story and my photos.

[Steve Haynie]

Looks like I should check out an issue of Guitarist. I have only seen it at Barnes & Nobles, and I have not been there in a year or two.

[Zoner]

I have also been reading GP for decades and am wondering if I should re-up. They seem to be getting lamer by the issue and with such edgy new features as "Fight Club" (comparing similar gear side-by-side, like a Les Paul unobtainium vs. the Epi. Hmm, is this a fair fight?) and finding ways to evaluate motor vehicles (Scions and VW's in GP?? yeah, I know you can get a guitar with your Jetta and plug it right in but please - at least some cool TV ads were born from this stunt). GP is getting more and varied educational content on board (good) but the GPTV venture is a bit cumbersome. Check out any of their video gear reviews for an example of wasted bandwidth. "So, here's this amp, and there are some knobs. It has some tubes and a loop thingy, and it sounds like this (plink, weedle)" I think the editor doing the video stuff just like to see himself on his screen or something but I guess they are trying to modernize. I, too, love VG and would subscribe if I didn't get a few mags already, but if i throw over GP that's what I'll get in its stead. Z

[licksville]

20+ year subscriber to GP. Some good issues here, some so-so issues there, but it ain't a huge $ investment so I keep getting it. Z, I disagree on the guitarplayertv.com thing. Can't speak to the online equipment reviews but having the lesson content available on video is a big plus for me and I have gotten a lot of mileage out of their stuff recently. They tend to lag behind by a couple issues though. Just my .02.

[Willie G. Moseley]

Subscribed to GP in 1974; the first issue I saw in a store had Wishbone Ash on the cover so I was immediately intrigued. Stopped subscribing when I got divorced in '77. When I got back into music, I tried Guitar World for one year on accounta the icon instruments (Brian Jones' Vox etc.) as centerfolds. Subscribed to Bass Player for a number of years when I started playing again in the mid-'80s (wrote a few articles for 'em as well).

The demographic of Vintage Guitar includes an average age of 44, much higher than GP or GW. Validates the name of the magazine AFAIC, which also validates how almost any guitar would probably be considered "vintage" once it got to a certain age.

This means that most modern players who only handle an Ibanez w/ a Floyd probably won't fit VG's format...but maybe they will a couple of decades down the road. In fact, I've wisecracked that the more tattoos and/or body piercings a player has, the less likely he/she would be appropriate interview material for VG.