

Hello there. Allow me to introduce myself as the new editor of Bass Guitar Magazine. My predecessor Ben Cooper has moved on to pastures new and I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing him all the best, as well as to thank him for the great work he has put in on Britain’s best (and only!) magazine dedicated to the bass.
I’ve been a contributor to Bass Guitar Magazine since 2003, when its founder and original editor Adrian Ashton asked me to interview the great Jack Bruce. Like all of you I’m obsessed with the bass guitar, and have been fortunate enough to write about the subject in a couple of bestselling books, not least biographies of the late Cliff Burton of Metallica and the equally great (but thankfully not late) Glenn Hughes, sometime of Deep Purple. Editing this amazing magazine is going to be a hell of a lot of fun.
It’s been busy around here lately, and not just because of our switch in editors. Keen-eyed readers will notice that Wes Stanton, owner of Blaze Publishing Limited, has purchased Bass Guitar Magazine and its intellectual property. Blaze Publishing is a specialist, niche magazine publisher based in the Midlands with a portfolio of titles across the hobby and enthusiast market. All subscribers will remain unaffected and continue to receive their copy of the magazine. I look forward to working closely with Wes and his team at Blaze during this transitional period, taking the magazine to new heights.
Blaze Publishing is a Warwickshire-based publishing company formed by Wes over 10 years ago. Starting with a single quarterly shooting magazine, over the past decade Blaze has become the UK’s largest independently owned publisher for the shooting sector, and has more recently branched out to develop a portfolio of niche magazine titles, as well as a number of print and online directories. An early adopter of digital app technology for magazines, Blaze has also recently invested in equipment and expertise to do in-house video production, something owner Wes Stanton sees as an important part of today’s publishing mix.
Blaze’s magazine titles include Sporting Rifle, Clay Shooting, Bow International, Airgun Shooter, Modern Gamekeeping, Airsoft Action, Diesel Car, Morris Minor Magazine, Hair Fashion and Art of England, and the team are very excited to be taking on Acoustic, Bass Guitar and Drummer magazines from Oyster House Media.
I’ll be in touch with more news as it happens. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for our next issue and remember, life is best at the low end.
Joel McIver
Editor