November 2010 Letters

Kudos from a Soundman to the Stars
I found the Slash/replica article [“The Legend of Slash’s Appetite for Destruction Les Paul,” October 2010] to be very interesting. I own a couple replicas myself. I think the reaction will be interesting to see. Great mag—I even subscribed. Out on tour with the Dukes of September (featuring Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, and Boz Scaggs, backed by the Steely Dan band).
- Nitebob [soundman for Iggy and the Stooges, New York Dolls, and Aerosmith] New York City (via Facebook)

More Bass Stuff, Por Favor!
I am writing to let you guys know how much I like your publication. First off, I’d like to say that I’m a bass player and am very grateful for the articles that deal with bass. I regrettably stopped playing for a couple years in high school, but in the last year have picked up the bass again. When I went to grab [name redacted], a bass magazine that I also read, I noticed the size of the publication had been cut in half since last time I read it! To my dismay, in the two years I was out of the music world it had shrunk greatly in size. So I’m really glad that you guys are able to put out such a high-quality mag with TONS of content! I thoroughly enjoy reading each issue. You guys have some really great articles. I love “Trash or Treasure,” “Vintage Vault,” the builder profiles, and the lessons. There is so much great content! I love your publication and I wish you the best of luck. I hope you can continue to produce such a great magazine and make it through these tough economic times. My only gripe is that you could do a couple more bass reviews each month. Other than that, great job.
- Chance Sanford
Madison, Wisconsin

Thanks for your letter, Chance. We’ve been pretty surprised to see so much of the competition dry up, too. And, while our hearts go out to them, all we can do is make sure we keep doing what we do best. As you’ve already noticed, our content just continues to grow, so that should tell you how things are for us: We’re doing fantastic. As for bass coverage, you’ll be happy to hear that not only are we planning to increase our bass-related reviews but also our features on bass players, bass gear, and bass trends. Stay tuned!

Who Says Nothing Good Is Free?
I never would’ve predicted, when I started with a free subscription years ago, that reading my (now paid) subscription issue would be a highlight of every month. There’s always something I want to read immediately, and always a lot that I get to later that is fascinating and expands my guitar horizons.
- Ed Hannifin
Littleton, Massachusetts (via Facebook)

Thank you, Ed. And thanks for sticking with us over the years! We’re proud of our past and stoked about the future. We hope you’ll hang on for the exhilarating ride!

Thanks, Amp Man!
Many thanks for your help. With the information that [Ask Amp Man columnist Jeff Bober] passed on, I was able to find that the problem with my Bassman was an output tube [see “Battling a Bassman Reissue” on p. 56]. Being able to deal with the problem myself saved me time without my amp and the extra cost of sending it out. If I ever run into this problem again, I’ll be able to fix my amp or pass this information on. Thanks again!
- Mark Bailey
Manchester, New Hampshire

Slap Happy
As an avid reader of [name redacted] magazine since 1980, I must confess that while I still peruse its covers and articles, Premier Guitar just bitch-slaps that mag every month! How you guys can provide so much breadth and depth of coverage every month is beyond me! Premier Guitar is my new Bible for all things guitar!!
- Prince Ricker
Midland, Texas

Raise your hands, stomp your feet, and give us a “Hallelujah,” Prince! And don’t miss our new service—for only $19.99 we’ll even supplicate the Gods of Tone on your behalf!* (*Results may vary. No refunds. Offer has no actual gigging value.)

Defying the Odds
I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE! Whoever thinks mags will go out of business just ain’t thinkin’. Premier Guitar is too well done to lose out to online mags. You folks got it down!
- Cathy Edstrom Grochowski
Crystal Lake, Illinois (via Facebook)

Thanks for your faith in us, Cathy! We’re big fans of print, too, but we’re also happy to say we’ve got you and all the other guitar nuts out there covered regardless of how the print-vs.-web battle turns out. We wholeheartedly embrace both approaches and plan to keep amazing reviews, artist features, lessons, columns, and more coming your way on both platforms.

Correction
In last month’s “The Legend of Slash’s Appetite for Destruction Les Paul” feature, we left off a photo credit on p. 140-141. The photo of the three LP replicas was taken by Rick Gould. Sorry, Rick!

Keep those comments coming!
Please send your suggestions, gripes, comments, and good words directly to info@premierguitar.com.
You can also send snail mail to Premier Guitar, Three Research Center, Marion, IA 52302.
Please remember to include your full name. Selected letters may be edited for clarity.