Do you find Rod & Custom Magazine Lacking ??

Sorry if this has been posted before,

I have been getting Rod & Custom like you guys "forever", but lately (and I know it's hard to keep a magazine fresh) the articles and coverage is lacking, its seems that more effort is being spent on the New Little Rod & Custom, is it just me ???

This is by no means a hack: at the Rod & Custom staff .......

Comments ???

 

I got my new issue in the other day, and It seemed like there were more ads in there than anything. Now I know that's what pay the bills but you have got to draw the line somewhere.

 

Seems to me they spend a lot of time fishing around on here. Topics in the magazine mirror posts and trends here on the H.A.M.B. Asking this question may be the way to help them out of the slump. Or gain insight on any problems they may have.

 

Exactly !!!!!!

 

Just my observation...R&C seems to lack in the department of connecting MORE to the past like HRD, RJ does. Maybe that's not their MO.

I agree....... too many ads as well

 

i noticed this to when i got it the other day. had the whole mag done in one bowel movement and even then it was kind of bland. seems to be alot of it lately, sounds bad but i kinda enjoy street rodder better, if it wasnt for dinamat. but i still got 2 years left, so we'll see

 

ROD & CUSTOM does indeed need some sort of boost. needs better paper for sure.

 

It's a great magazine with great people with a lot of heart and passion for our hobby. The guys working their tails off for R&C are doing the best they can with the little funds and back end support they have. Even if I thought it was lacking (which I don't) I would still buy the issues with the hope they get the support they need.


Sent from my POS phone.

 

I agree. And (sorry to thread jack) car kulture deluxe doesnt really go into the culture of things. Just seems to publish more photo coverage of car shows and such. Culture should be how the car enthisiasts live, work, and their beliefs. Like maybe find those hot rodders that live the vintage life. There are whole families that own a pre-war car, live in a house older than 1950, and dress in period clothing originating from the 40's and 50's. I wonder if that would be something people would read. What do you think? Maybe since the staff of r&c visit the hamb, maybe a list of possible new suggestions could suffice. What would you guys suggest?

Thanks,
Skrach
www.VividlyVintage.com

 

This may sound weird but I havent subscribed to a car mag in years with the exception of Rodders Journal for a year a while back.I have close to 2500 car mags that go back to the 1940's.While equipment and techniques have changed(and improved) over the years the concepts remain the same.A 1959 article about frenching headlights or building your own dropped axle still works today.Also makes it easier to nail down what is/was correct for a time period correct build.Thats traditional.

 

I probably buy as many or more car magazines every month as anyone else on the Hamb and have for years. Every magazine has good issues, great issues and then a boring issue or two.

As far as their not connecting with the past not everyone lives in that very little world where only the past counts. They do a pretty good job all around covering the whole spectrum while at this time favoring more traditional cars.
You guy probably weren't around for all the phases that the magazine went through since I started reading the little books in the late 50's when you could get them for a quarter. It's a hell of a lot better now than it was at certain times fifteen or twenty years ago. We could have a Rod and Custom magazine with limited advertising if we were willing to pay 12 to 15 bucks each month for the privilege. As for myself I'd just as soon thumb through a few pages of adds every month.

 

it does seem to have gotten a little.... "watered down" i guess is how i'd descibe it. i still like the mag tho and when they do a feature the pics are always top notch, i hate reading a mag and feeling like i could have shot the photos better myself. the ads pay the bills so i cant really knock them on that.

 

Rod & Custom & Hoffman Group?

 

Its lacking rods and customs!

 

Its been lacking for years, painfully short and inadequate articles and the paper the mag is printed on? Its sad when the free weekly TV guide is printed on better quality paper!!
Also, like others have pointed out there is a ridiculous number of ADs. Yes they need to sell AD space but with the number they sell for fucks sake buy better paper!

Doc.

 

I've been glancing through a few old R & C from the seventies and the number of ads is on a par with the new mags. Maybe we are just noticing them more?

 

I was thinking that last nite---the latest edition is covering 3 feature cars and the rest of the mag is ads. I won't renew------------------

 

Great magazine, but I want more. They only feature 3 cars an issue. The problem is they can't compete with the HAMB. You can read this site all day and still not see everything!!!

 

I agree 100% with parts dawg. I WILL NOT renew any of the rags I get now. Most are paid for 2-3 years ahead. I know it's all about money,but subscibers want something more thn ads. I make it a point to never buy anything from their ads if there is an alternative. voting with your bucks.

 

I dropped my subscription a year ago .. Sad .

 

i havent bought a mag in years....i can go on here and see cooler cars and read amazing tech stuff without the adds and bullshit. internet is prob killing off most mags anyway.

 

I am an R & C subscriber and they are who brought me here to the H.A.M.B.!

 

the past few issues have had alot of tech articles on Miller welders.. kinda boring and it seems like its just another 6 pages of ads..

 

I would say it misses Rizzo's touch but most likely is a lack of funding by the publisher!

 

327-365hp, you are right on the money. I don't subcribe to anything right now other than I still have Hot Rod coming on a $10 for 36 issue special. Now you know that was a loss leader to get subscriber numbers to sell ads! I am an alliance member and that money gets me unlimited tech, pictures, humor and new friends along with a place to buy and sell parts. Geesh, what more could a guy want, eh? And of course you can get the same for free but it costs Ryan something to do all this and I can view it with my morning coffee in my pjs.

 

Just be happy we still have print available to ogle over and I always look forward to opening my mailbox and getting a new car magazine.
I`m sure it won`t be long before the Internet will be the only source.

I do prefer Street Rodder as it has more content and I like that the project actually get completed before you start having trouble remembering where they left off or disappeared to.

I did get to meet Rob Fortier last year and I can say without a doubt that he is a car guy and loves traditional & customs. I was hoping he would be the one to bring Rod & Custom back up but I`m sure it`s a struggle with budget and time restraints placed on him.
At least he is present at many of the larger shows and is very approachable. Jeff Smith was the same way when he ran Hot Rod years ago.


As far as the the ads you think there`s a reason a subscription can be had for less than $15.00? I`m fairly certain it`s to boost the subscriber numbers to sell ads to turn a profit on the magazine. There can`t be any profit in a $15.00 subscription with printing and mail cost involved.

 

No more than it costs, I still enjoy them.

 

I think they run a pretty thin line between not enough ads and too many ads. If you look at the print media in general, there is a real decline in the amount of print pages now. Many newspapers are going out of business because they cannot sell ads. Magazines are going in the same direction. I personnally don't mind the ads as they are kinda educational to let me know what is out on the market. You might not like the SR magazine because it has a lot of ads and blingy street rods, but apparently that is what it takes to keep a magazine in print now-a-days.....

 

i don't mind the ad's too much., I glance thru allot of them just to see whats there. I am grateful every month when my various mags come in. Being on computer all day at work, i enjoy kicking back in my recliner in the evening with one of the mags and actually having pages to thumb thru.

 

I have thousands of Magazines,hot rod,car craft,rod & custom,on and on but I just don't subscribe to anything except Rodder's Journal now.

The magazines days are numbered and I believe are on their way out,,The internet and sites like the Hamb are taking their place,,some may survive by whatever means they can and most likely that is advertisement dollars but the only way to circumvent that is to publish high quality,read that pricey slick publications much like the Rodders Journal.

Rod & Custom's stab at bringing back the little pages is a good effort but in my opinion it's over priced for the content,I bought the first one but probably won't buy another.

I realize we are a hard group to cater too and within our substantial numbers the interests is as varied probably more that any other car oriented organization.

To some of us if Rod & Custom devoted a entire issue to the 50-54 Chevy's at least 6 times a year they would have a loyal following for life,but there would be thousands of us that got mad because they didn't have a '32 Ford in sight,,or a '55 Chevy,,or a shoe box Ford.

Honestly,I believe the magazines do the best they can with what they have to work with,,some have a limited budget others have unlimited pie in the sky financial backing,,

I hope they survive,,but I remember Rodder's Digest from the old days when it was a cool magazine,Tex Smiths magazine,,how about Rod Action?

They can't all survive and compete in today's economy,,HRP