Guitar World vs Guitar Player. Opinions please

[Post Toastie]

I subscribe to both magazines and am thinking of not renewing one.It seems like both mags will have articles on the same guitarists within a couple months of each other.The interviews seem to just rehash what the other mag covered before.The only real difference to me is Guitar World likes to start an interview then have you flip to page 120ish or so to finish the article.G P will just print the interview in full over the next few pages.
G P likes to do a 10 ways to play like some different great guitarist each month and has one page that Steve Lukather uses to rip the current state of affairs in the recording industry.(i love his opinions)
I just got the new Guitar World with Jimmy Page on the cover.Man they got hip on this issue.They include 3 D glasses and have a bunch of photos that are in 3 D mixed with the articles, WTF i just want to read the mag not keep taking these glasses on and off .

 

[picknfool]

In my opinion, Guitar World seems aimed at a younger demographic- Guitar Player is more diverse in its coverage, and more serious- or less frivolous, however you want to look at it. 3-D?! Gaahhh! (I've been a GP subscriber for 35 years!)

 

[Saxguitar]

I subscribe to Guitar World just for the free transcriptions, I never play them but when I am bored they give me something to look at. A man at my church somehow has a free subscription to Guitar Player even though he has never subscribed and doesn't play guitar, since he doesn't play he gives them to me. So in a since I have both subscriptions I just have to wait a while to get the Guitar Player one. I personally like Guitar Player a little bit better because it seems like they very their articles up more, Guitar World seems to be more Heavy Metal focused with a little Rock thrown in.

I agree the Jimmy Page issue was cool but like you I didn't care for the 3-D effect, I didn't even remove the glasses, if I want 3-D I will go to a movie not read a magazine.

Both magazines are great magazines but I personally care more for Guitar Player. It sounds like you do too, so if I were you I would renew Guitar Player and leave Guitar World for more of a "if I walk down the magazine aisle and see something which interests me I will pick it up."

 

[PennyCentury]

Cancel them both and get Twentieth Century Guitar and Vintage Guitar.

(and register for the free online edition of Premier Guitar.)

 

[chilipepper205]

Between the two, I would choose Guitar Player. I never really liked the fact that GW started including the cd and charging $3 more.

I really like Premier Guitar. It is a great magazine. I also really enjoy Vintage Guitar.

 

[nic'o'caster]

The fact is nowadays music magazines are 60% advertising and 40% real content.
GuitarPlayer will stand the test of time though.

 

[mike shaw]

Agree on VG! Is TCG still around?

 

[Post Toastie]

The fact is nowadays music magazines are 60% advertising and 40% real content.
GuitarPlayer will stand the test of time though.

I agree that these mags are 60% advertising. Gus G is the new King of advertising/endorsements.He is the new guitarist for Ozzy for anyone who does not know.He is on almost all the ads on both of these mags.He is the Blackstar amp guy , the whatever string company guy,the whatever guitar guy. I hope he can manage his career better than some other guitarist have because he has the keys to the bank vault right now.

 

[jas468]

Cancel them both and get Twentieth Century Guitar and Vintage Guitar.

(and register for the free online edition of Premier Guitar.)

Couldn't agree more, Penny, though I believe TCG is now defunct.

I went back to GP for some ridiculous low price offer they sent, but am letting it lapse.

 

[Mike Eskimo]

Neither.

"Guitar For The Practicing Musician" or "Frets".

Oh - they're both defunct.

Well, then "Fretboard Journal"

 

[studio1087]

Guitar Player is the one that I would keep.

Guitar player usually has a rocker, a country picker, a jazz player and an acoustic feature in every issue.

Guitar World is a bit narrow in focus...kind of a rocker/head banger publication.

I get Guitar Player and Acoustic Guitar.

 

[tweedtone]

GP, definitely.


I really miss Musician magazine.

 

[3 Chord Monte]

I agree that the content between the two is often redundant. I’m certain that in my own level of purgatory I will be sitting in a waiting room with nothing but magazines filled with interviews of Carlos Santana interspersed with PRS ads. That said, I give the edge to GW over GP.

Guitar World has the videos for the CD subscribers. This month they announced that the content is available online to all subscribers and they will quickly phase out the discs. There's some good content there. Andy Aledort gives some great Classic Rock and Blues lessons and I think his input is worth the price of admission most months. I’ll renew GW. My GP subscription lapsed a few months ago.

Neither magazine really interests me much anymore. The aforementioned Vintage Guitar is cool every now and then. Nothing’s perfect. I like having Guitar Aficionado lying around because it's the only guitar magazine that my guests will read and comment about. It's always nice getting a group of people talking about guitars at a cocktail/dinner party. GA is good for that.

 

[marshman]

I concur with the general assessment. I subscribed to both for a while, but GW is definitely focused more on the harder rock fields. I suppose they're good at it, just not my cup o' tea. But bear in mind: Every so often you can subscribe to GW without a CD and a discounted rate (like $2 an issue) at which point the subscription cost about the same as 2 issues off the newsstand...might just be cheaper to keep the sub. You can just about subscribe to 3 of 'em for what one mag would cost for a year off the stand.

As to the fact that most of them seem to cover a lot of the same ground, it's probably more a reflection of the music industry then the magazine industry. Jimmy Page/Brad Paisley/Al Dimeola doesn't just randomly accept invitations to be interviewed, but when he's got a new album comin' out, then he's all over place, every mag that'll talk to him.

 

[stantheman]

Store in bathroom for emergency!!!

 

[brookdalebill]

Keep the GP and add VG.
Guitar World is pretty metal oriented.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[telemnemonics]

I'm with Penny on the Vintage Guitar and Twentieth Century Guitar. Sadly, we're stuck with old issues of TCG. VG=Starbucks, GP=Dunkin Donuts, GW= Seven Eleven.
Sorry, I just can't bring myself to add smiley faces.

 

[Casey Cook]

I subscribe to GP and pick up a copy of GW occasionally, depending on the cover. I like the diversity of GP and it seems to have more emphasis on gear than GW. I also am not really into tabs or transcriptions, and GW seems to be heavier in that area. There's a nostalgia element too, I've had a GP sub on and off since I was a teenager.

 

[john kleeman]

Cancel them both and get Twentieth Century Guitar and Vintage Guitar.

(and register for the free online edition of Premier Guitar.)

+1. Acoustic Guitar is also a quality mag, though it is so deeply ingrained for me to thing of acoustics as not "real" guitars that my scrip has lapsed.

 

[markothefish]

I really like Premier Guitar it's like the Guitar Player magazine of years ago .