Reader Testimonials
The following represent unsolicited reader testimonials that we received from questionnaires returned by participants in an audience study conducted by Harvey Research in September of 2007. Complete survey findings are available upon request.
“Excellent.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I enjoy your magazine very much. Today it seems every magazine about guitars is always shredding. I really enjoy the lesson with the Online video.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“PREMIER GUITAR is a breath of fresh air. It really is one of a kind. Thank you for the lack of heavy-duty metal or whatever they want to label it. Keep up the great work. I have played guitar in a 12 piece R&B Funk band for the past 14 years.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I found ‘Builder Profile: Born to Boogie’ to be a very informative and fascinating article. When I read ‘Premier Modern Builder Vault: Magnum Opus: J-625CWC Jumbo Cutaway’ I thought, wow! I got the magazine as a gift for a friend and ended up getting it for myself. It’s really hard to put down. Thanks!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“In a word, great. Get ToadWorks back in the next magazine and it will be perfect. I like ToadWorks and their ads. Thanks for a great magazine.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Almost every issue is a visual orgasm of creation and beauty. There is always some piece of equipment that I see that I lust after.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“There are lots of ads. The reviews sometimes seem a little generic and the product spotlights often don’t tell me enough about the real-world playability and sound. Prices either aren’t shown or aren’t prominently displayed.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I think it’s great. It’s the only one I subscribe to anymore and I’ve had them all through the years.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“The reporting on upcoming shows is very poor. I traveled to Ohio for a show in your magazine and found out when I got there that it was the week before.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Very informative.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Love it. Also, love GUITAR WORLD, tabs, DVD lessons and gear reviews.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I’d love to see more articles and how-to’s on PC recording, digital processors—Fractal Audio’s Axe-Fx would be awesome! Insider-type articles on some of the guitar parts companies like Warmoth and USA Custom, especially.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“Your magazine is the best one I’ve read. I love the artist interviews, the how-to information, instructional lessons, and the photography is terrific. You have a beautiful magazine. It inspires and educates me.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Great magazine. I love the column on effects and guitar repair. I need an article on guitar painting for do-it-yourself.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I like it. Please don’t do what GUITAR PLAYER did and exclude country pickers. How about an article on Chet’s right-hand man, Paul Yandell? It’s all about the pickers who pioneered the craze known as guitar pickin’. Thanks.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I enjoy articles on tube amps and need more articles on vintage amps—Gibson and Fender. I enjoy this very much. I would like to see more how-to’s on amp rebuilding. Also, pickup comparisons. Thanks.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I would like to see more archtops!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Great. More on builders Tom Anderson and James Tyler! Suhr and the studio players interview are great!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I love it.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“Love it. I’ll not renew my subscription to GUITAR PLAYER.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“There is always something to learn about—new equipment, new ideas. I’ve been playing a long time and still find that there is plenty of innovative tech out there. Overall, it’s a very good magazine that’s well put together and well edited. Excellent choice of musician input as well.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I am very fond of the magazine. I only found it by chance and it rivals, if it isn’t the best of the other magazines out there. Keep rocking, guys!”
- Age Group: Younger than 25
“I really enjoy it. I think PREMIER GUITAR is one of the best guitar magazines available.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I like the magazine, obviously, but I wish my age group and skill level got more attention. I’m a fifteen-year-old metal head who has been obsessed with guitars for the last six to seven months. I like newer tech, gear, and bands—Nevermore, Schecters and LineGs. Where’s my attention?”
- Age Group: Younger than 25
“Great magazine with good articles. I would like to see more tech articles, product evaluations and more articles on guitarists.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I love your magazine! It’s a great alternative to GUITAR PLAYER and VINTAGE GUITAR. I would like to see more about the working guitar player, not just the ones who made it big. How about doing a section about a part-time musician? You could call it local guitar hero.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“The best, period—and I do read them all. I especially enjoy technical articles on guitars and amps, the more the better!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I like the magazine a lot, but I would like to see some jazz guitar interviews along with all the rock guitar stuff! Not everyone is 18 and into heavy metal!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I am beginning to enjoy it much more.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Nice magazine—keep up the great work.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I really enjoy the magazine. It seems to have something of interest to everyone who is a guitar buff. Good shelf life—I can always pick it up and find something I missed the last time I read it. Excellent photography and very enjoyable.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Best guitar magazine I’ve seen in a while. Love the columns on pedal board use and applications. I find a lot of very useful information.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Wow! The best! Thank you.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“So far I love it! If I ever have to flip through 12 pages of ads just to get to the contents, well, that’s not good.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“It is very informative and filled with interesting articles. I plan to be a customer for life! One thing you could do to improve your packaging is maybe to wrap the magazine in plastic to help protect it before it arrives, as the last two were damaged. Otherwise, keep up the good work!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“The magazine is awesome! Everything about it is perfect; from the art direction to the content. The genre-influenced lesson section is great—especially the jazz lessons! Please don’t change. Maybe you could add gear snapshots?”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Good—like the high-end gear information.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Great, so much more information than MUSICIANS HOTLINE. Keep up the good work.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“It is perfect. I love how all the columns are in one piece instead of reading the opening page and having to hunt for the next part on page 230 or something.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“More impartial reviews.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Excellent! Great source of information.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Nice magazine.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I really enjoy the magazine. Good information on amp and guitar tips. It’s nice to see articles on makers other than Fender, Gibson and Marshall. The G&L information was awesome. Hope to see more on G&L.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Good bargain and informative. I like it.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“This magazine is great reading, very informative and interesting. It provides a great variety of informative information.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Excellent publication. High-quality pictures printed on high-quality paper make it stand out. Almost all of the publication is about high-end and boutique gear. You need to blend in more material on some middle-value gear. This will appeal to an even broader sector of people.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I started subscribing when my wife got an issue of MUSICIANS HOTLINE. This is the finest magazine for gearheads. I’d like more contests like the Les Paul VO6 recently. Also, video and sound demos of gear on a CD, DVD or your Web site.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“My favorite guitar magazine.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I like bright, clear photos and articles written in plain English. It gives good insight into professional minds. I don’t like music tabs because they’re too small and hard to read.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Great source of information for guitar players, but it needs more information for the bass player, please. More information on speakers.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Great format, probably the best guitar magazine out there. I wish you would get Ed Roman as an article reviewer. He is the most informed, ranting, entertaining person I have ever read. I also have learned quite a lot about boutique guitars from his articles.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“More interviews with guitar and amp builders with pictures!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I thought, ‘Premier Modern Builder Vault: Magnum Opus: J-625CWC Jumbo Cutaway’ had a clean layout of a beautiful guitar. In ‘For Gearheads Only: Vintage Guitar Of The Month: 1959 Fender Telecaster’—it was nostalgia and heartache. My mom bought me the same year and model used in 1962 for $130, wish I still had it. It’s a pretty darn good magazine. I always wonder in any magazine like this if the ad money spent by a company has an influence on the review of their product. Keep up the good work.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“So far I like it a lot.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Absolutely the best guitar magazine available!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Love it—can’t wait to receive my monthly copy!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I enjoy your magazine very much. It feels of quality, beautiful photography—love the features. I look forward to it coming.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I enjoy all of the educational articles. I would like to see more country music players, education and equipment.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“It’s a very informative and well-edited publication. In my opinion, it’s miles ahead of all other guitar magazines currently in print with the exception of VINTAGE GUITAR. But in all fairness, VINTAGE GUITAR specializes in what its title indicates. Keep up the good work.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Between your publication, GUITAR PLAYER and VINTAGE GUITAR I would be one dumb son-of-a-bitch about our breed without them.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“There are many interesting articles and ads. I read most things.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Excellent! The best! Don’t recall any ads.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“The magazine is awesome! Keep up the great work.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Greatly improved over time—the writing has gotten better and more informative.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“It is a nice magazine. I am glad they include stuff that old guys like me are interested in.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I love the fact that this magazine is everything the others aren’t. Keep up the great work!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I enjoy your magazine and wish you had more articles on vintage guitars and amps. More how-to articles on simple amp modifications and simple guitar modifications would be great. Thank you very much!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I like your magazine. Can you continue to feature small builders like Moonstone? Could you also feature non-standard wiring and electronic modifications for guitars and include the wiring diagrams? Thanks!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Awesome!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“It just keeps getting better all the time. I’ve been a reader since the MUSICIANS HOTLINE days. Trent Salter does a great job—very personable. I would love to meet him in person.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I enjoy the variety of coverage. The product reviews are very good. I also enjoy the artist interviews.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Refreshing—the best I’ve seen in a while. I really like it.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Some months there is nothing of interest for me. Other times I read it from cover-to-cover for the most part. This is the magazine that best caters to my interests in music gear.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“Good work! More, or add Online audio and video.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I love your Web site, but not as much as your magazine. I’m a computer freak but need the feel of glossy paper during breakfast and lunch breaks. The magazine is first.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“The best part of the magazine is the artist interview. I’m always very interested in reading established artists’ stories and what gear and guitars they use. Great magazine!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I like it.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“All-in-all I like it, but the text is too small. Lesson music is also way too small. I have trouble reading it, even with bifocals.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I enjoy the new format and magazine style.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Very informative!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I like most of the ads. I like it!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I enjoy PREMIER GUITAR more than my other favorite GUITAR PLAYER for better gear ads, columns about gear and interviews. All of them are more interesting and the lessons are better reading—more straight-talking information without any goofy jargon about how hip this next turnaround can sound. However, gear reviews done by PREMIER GUITAR fall way short of GUITAR PLAYER’s experts. Set up some standards of measure that we can all relate to! Otherwise, great job!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I read each issue cover-to-cover and anxiously wait for the next issue. It’s a great magazine aimed at serious pros.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I’m into more old things than new, so I noticed ‘For Gearheads Only: Vintage Guitar Of The Month: 1959 Fender Telecaster’. This is a very nice magazine.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I like it better than GUITAR PLAYER—much more informative and interesting. It’s not geared so much toward heavy metal and all that bullshit!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I originally ordered MUSICIANS HOTLINE through my daughter’s school magazine band booster sale, and honestly, it’s my favorite magazine to date. I really look forward to each issue! Keep up the great job!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I’ve already turned a few people onto your magazine. I think it’s the best informational magazine on the market. I really enjoy reading it. I also wish GUITAR ONE would come back—GUITAR WORLD sucks.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“It’s one of, if not the best. Each issue leaves me wishing the next one would hurry up and get here. I really enjoy the heck out of this magazine.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I enjoy reading all my magazines over and over. I would like to read more about Dimebag and Head from Korn. Thank you.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Great and enjoy reading it.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Thumbs up!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I have been subscribing now for ten years. It’s really neat to see it evolve—great articles.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“It’s a great magazine—a nice change from the other ones. Although the guitars and boutique stuff reviewed are quite expensive, it’s nice to get some information on them. I like the ads, too!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Great magazine!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Great!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I enjoy it. Keep up the good job!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Nice job.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I’m dropping my subscription to GUITAR PLAYER and keeping yours. It is more relevant to my playing.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“In all honesty, there is very little meat to it. The magazine appears to be saturated with advertisements and very little articles or meaningful guitar news.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Good balance between interviews, product reviews, and technical advice. A little too obsessed with vintage gear, but I understand. Thanks!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“PREMIER GUITAR is a great magazine. I really like the columns, interviews and ads. I can’t imagine how you might make it better, but I appreciate that you keep trying. Keep up the good work.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I like the fact most articles are directed at real-world playing situations and learning. I would like to see more gear reviews or links to such at the Web site. I’m a gearaholic!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Overall, it’s pretty good.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I dig. More meat than fluff.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“Excellent—would like to see some tabs.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I think you have a wonderful magazine! I love the product reviews and the artist interviews and manufacturer interviews. I like the Mesa Boogie article from this issue—‘Builder Profile: Born to Boogie’.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“This is my first issue and I am a new subscriber. I am very pleased with the content of the magazine.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I love this magazine. I read it cover-to-cover. I love the interviews, product reviews and advertisements. Keep up the good work, thanks.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I read ‘Premier Feature: BSM: Her Majesty’s Tone Request’ and I was pleased to find there are other pedals—I’ve been using an MXR Blue Box—that beef up the single coil sound. It’s a great magazine. I love the product reviews, both new and vintage, as well as all the information about pickup wiring and such. You guys should do a section on how to build a class A tube amp. Thanks for a great magazine at a great price.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“Great magazine! I’d like to see even more articles on great artists’ techniques and tone. Also, please be careful with cheap language. I know everyone does it, but it’s really unnecessary. Please, proof read! As you can see I’m no English major, but I can often find mistakes. Thanks!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I thought ‘Premier Modern Builder Vault: Magnum Opus: J-625CWC Jumbo Cutaway’ was a real beauty. I’m no way remotely close to being a proficient player, but PREMIER GUITAR has far more insight on technical playing than others I’ve looked at.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“The photography is great. The articles are not for me. For once I would like a product review to be honest, not say the products are great because they advertise.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“For the most part, I think it’s awesome. It’s really got some key figures writing for it—I almost soiled my pants when I saw Analog Tom’s first article—and lots of interesting and useful tech information. I like Dick Farley’s ‘Signal Chain’ articles, Jeff Bober’s ‘Ask Amp Man’ articles and more.”
- Age Group: Younger than 25
“Good magazine! I especially like the gear reviews, but the article on Reggie Young—‘Artist Interview: Forever Young’—was cool, too. He’s been one of my favorite players for years. Good Mesa Boogie article—‘Builder Profile: Born to Boogie’. I’ve known Randy since he was the amp repair guy at Prune Music almost 40 years ago!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I read, ‘Product Review: SPG Guitars Vintage TL Chambered Guitar’ and thought, good wood and good tone. Amalfitano pickups—yummy! It’s good to try different guitar amps’ effects in searching for that ultimate tone! The magazine is very informative. I just recently subscribed to your magazine. As a musician, I’m always looking and trying different applications to make me play better. That’s because the better you sound the better you play. Thanks.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I read, ‘Builder Profile: Born to Boogie’ because I own a couple of Mesas and really wanted more information about new things on the horizon. I really think this is the most informative, best laid out and easy to follow guitar magazine out there. I have had a subscription to GUITAR PLAYER and that magazine has gone straight downhill. I’m glad I found PREMIER GUITAR. Now if I can keep my wife from throwing my PREMIER GUITAR magazines away, I could actually read the whole thing. Thanks.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“The magazine is great. Keep the advice columns going. I’m learning a lot about getting better tone. Thanks.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Sorry, I had to throw away the copy with Mesa Boogie on the cover. Believe it or not, my dog threw up on it while it was in the back floor of the car. I am always interested in any pedal and amp technologies, especially associated with new products I see in the ads in your magazine. I am very impressed. I was lucky enough to become a subscriber at the change of your title to PREMIER GUITAR. I know you can’t please everyone all the time—an insight I picked up from my father who is in human resources—but you guys really seem to try to appeal to everyone. Keep trying.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“I love it for the most part. I’m not interested in tablature, that is one reason I like your magazine better than most.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“It’s great! Keep up the good work.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“It seems to be geared toward more mature and serious guitarists—less hype and bullshit—and I like that. The subscription rate is very reasonable. The free issue I received in the mail made me aware of and prompted my subscription to this fine magazine. My 13-year-old daughter subscribes to GUITAR WORLD, what’s that say?”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I am very impressed with a magazine that has the right balance of gear reviews, product updates and personal interviews—but my main job in music in the Orlando, Florida area is that of band promotions/guitar and amp collector. Show productions, small-scale concerts and weekend gigs! The tech and gear reviews are very interesting. Thanks!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I like it!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Great magazine. Keep it up! The ads with the half-naked girls are a bit distasteful to me.”
- Age Group: Younger than 25
“A fine magazine! I look forward to receiving it. I would appreciate more pricing of products.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Best guitar publication out there. Keep up the great work. You guys rock!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I enjoy the articles of historic content. The paper and print are very good. Thank you.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Great magazine! PREMIER GUITAR is my husband’s Victoria Secret catalog!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Too many ads, but nice photos. Some of the lessons require more content.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“Super magazine. I would like to see more on guitar and amp restoration.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I love it! I hope you are around for a very long time to come!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“I love your magazine. I would like to see some articles on getting the youth back into music.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“I like it, however, I never heard of it until you sent me a copy and I subscribed. I am quite diligent about guitar magazines at Barnes & Noble and Borders, especially the UK publications, GUITAR TECHNIQUES and GUITARIST, due to getting a CD to hear examples.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I love it! I’m 51 and it’s nice to know I can read this without feeling I should have a tongue stud, tattoos and a knit cap. I wish the lesson diagrams were larger or in a different sort of print.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“First off, I like the fact that you feature other musicians—not just rock stars—and other equipment than the same you see everywhere else. Your magazine is cutting-edge and I hope it stays that way. Thanks!”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“First, thanks. This magazine has all the information I need and more, from pickups to speakers and vintage instrument reviews. I found this magazine at Barnes & Noble. I had to order it. Again thanks.”
- Age Group: 35 - 44
“Groovy baby!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“It has great content. Some of the contributing artists are great, such as Peter Stroud. I find Tom Hughes ‘Stomp School’ to be nothing but filler. I personally do not like R.G. Keen and I find it extremely difficult to take anything written by a guy who looks like that picture of Andy Anderson seriously. Yet, those are some serious shades.”
- Age Group: 25 - 34
“I thought ‘New Products’ was a great introduction to some of what’s out there. No one does it better than GUITAR WORLD with their cable TV ads for new equipment. When you go through magazines you see a lot of gear advertised. Someone should educate us better on what it is and how it’s used. Don’t assume that I plug my guitar into a pedal and know how to set the amp. Fender does it on their Web site.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I noticed, ‘Product Review: SPG Guitars Vintage TL Chambered Guitar’. I thought it was a nice guitar—good description. I like your magazine. I like gear rather than glamour. I read it cover-to-cover but remember little besides what’s specific to my own taste. I enjoy it or I wouldn’t have subscribed. I’m interested in what’s new. I’m interested in Divided By 13 amps. Thanks!”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“It is easily the most premier of the guitar magazines. I love it!”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“I went on the gear search Web site and had a blast. At age 55 I just received my very first computer four months ago. Wow, have my eyes been opened.”
- Age Group: 55 or older
“Collectors need more places to look at equipment prices.”
- Age Group: 45 - 54
“Keep the festivals coming.”
- Age Group: 55 or older