Custom Rodder after 03/07 RIP ???

As far as the title, I agree, it's definately the problem...Isn't this the 3rd time there's been a magazine called Custom Rodder (2 just from Mcmullen)?! Three strikes and your out!

 

I had e-mailed Brian Brennan the editorial director at Custom Rodder earlier this evening & he was kind enough to reply very quickly. It looks like all of us with subscriptions that would have been left outstanding will instead be rolled into R & C which is fine with me as I subscribe to that already.So it not's like anybody is going to lose out on anything. Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy

 

Sad indeed... I'll miss the mag for a number of reasons... Damon was the first editor to publish my doodles, and for that I am indebted... It's just a shame that there isn't enough money in passion for a company like Primedia (it IS a business, after all)... and while not everyone may have been "into" the cars featured, ya gotta admit, any loss of a publication related to our hobby is a sad thing indeed...

 

its sad...but ever since it went to the way of the "Gold Chainer", I lost interest, and canceled.

They had some good Tech Articles though.

 

Your right, it is sad......No more kool concept drawings. Over the years I've
see a lot of drawings that need to be on street. Did you see this months
concept drawing. The Caddy SHHWWIIINNGG!!!

I did have a problem when they started hitting us with 60's Impalas with
stock bodies & big wheels and calling them customs. I still bought it because
they would have a kool feature or somthing else that I liked. Kustoms to me
is all about body changes and improving the lines of the car. I love the art
side of the Kustom cars & trucks have to offer. Your imagination is the only
limit and I enjoy seeing guys that are not afraid to try something new.
Everyone is slamming the big wheel thing and I guess I just don't get it. I
run wide whites on my Merc because I like the 50's style. If I was to put
20's on, that would not make the car considered a kustom. Stock
bodied cars with big wheels with a nasty stance are Street Machines and not
Custom Rodders.

The Riveria on the cover is just bad, chopped and smoothed. The big
wheels do not hurt it at all. If I owned it, it would have to have skinny
whites and Supremes. Again this is why I love kustoms.


Happy Trails,

Mick

 

What I wish for is a magazine for novice customizers. I buy books but a lot of the custom books were written in the 80's. Some of the content is still relevant but they were written in a time when customs were getting really ugly.

 

OK, since customs are, well, customs (or kustoms), thay aren't made of bolt-on parts. Ads hawk bolt-ons... that pretty much works well if you're trying to make your car faster by buying carbs or intakes or something...

So you need some ads to keep the thing going, but what do you advertise to people who modify existing parts or make their own?

Seems like this would be a better place for ads from Miller or Lincoln Electric or PPG or DuPont. Especially the consumables companies... 3M or Mirka for grinding discs & sandpaper. This is where the customs guys spend their cash (other than swaps & junkyards). Those that sell ads ought to be pushing into these areas at least as much, if not more, than the bolt-on stuff.

What few bolt-on items that are really popular for the custom crowd are usually sold by smaller companies that don't have the ad budget avvailable for a 2-page color spread every [other] month. Companies like Night Prowlers and Wirth's, for instance.

Yeah, you're always gonna have the crate engine page and the MustangII-based stuff page... but these are not enough to keep a custom rag in perpetual motion.

I do agree that this (if it's really true... and it seems it is) will leave an open hole in the market for custom magazines. Hopefully either Kustoms Illustrated can get the distribution to fill that void, or someone can step up and do it right.

I wish I had the know-how to do it myself. I can do page layouts that actually print correctly, but I'd be lost on the distribution and business aspects.

 

Primemedia killed Open Wheel magazine about 3 or so years ago and we lost a damn fine magazine. The silver lining though was that 2 magazines rose from it's ashes and both are of similar quality to Open Wheel. They are Sprint & Midget and Flat Out.

 

Yes Slide its true, I like Gary 4t950, I just got a e-mail form Damon Lee saying its so, for me I'll miss it. Didn't care for all the cars but they had some good articles. Its ashame big business has to runion everything.

 

The truth is that CR was the first magazine that showed the talents of The Salinas Boys and Cole, Dennis McPhail as well legends like Bill Hines and others that had been pretty much ignored by everyone else, and for that the magazine must be commended.
It is purely nostalgia that fills me with sadness over its demise, but I'm not mourning the loss of what it had become.
There are times that you see people doing things and you wish they would just hang it up and not ruin our fond memories, perhaps it was time to let my old friend go.
I've got my old issues to pore over.

Custom Rodder and Iron Horse were truly like friends to me.

 

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a new issue all day long everyday!

 

Have you ever tried to shit with a computer in your lap.

 

Ryan, the old Iron Horse under David Snow and Fritz, not The Horse.
CR and IH were the only two mags I used to buy without fail.

I do like Rod and Custom a lot these days.

 

I've read all these posts and they echo my feelings, but as a 'Brit' Kustom-iser ANY magazine that has Kustoms, even Bling-Bling -Billet rides is better than none.
If it goes then just move on and subscribe to Luke's EXCELLENT little pages mag, Kustoms Illustrated, he is an ENTHUSIAST after all, not some big faceless corporate money maker.

Just keep Kustoms alive !

 

I got into kustoms when it came back in,when was it ..89 or 90? And had been buying it ever since until it seemed to be going into it`s pro touring /dub direction. I always enjoyed the artist`s sketches and the tech articles but never understood a car with no body mods whatsoever in a "Custom" magazine Maybe Rod & Custom can help fill the void by featuring more customs in it. I like Kustoms Illustrated also..just wish it was bigger

 

You better get a hold of subscriptions NOW and confirm that it's going to be ADDED to your EXISTING R & C subscription because otherwise you may be getting two of them each month.
This happened to me a few decades ago when Petersen pulled the plug on R & C and I started getting two HOTRODs

 

Who needs a mag when U got the HAMB!

 

Just got a offer to renew Custom Rodder for one year, what gives are they trying to keep it alive, I like it.

 

NO, they are not...they'll simply send you a different mag after CR is gone...don't fall for it.

R-

 

I didn't. mine is good till May 08, or what happens next.

 

You will be moved over to Rod & Custom. I am in the same boat - but - I already subscribe to R & C so the credit will just roll into it. That's fine with me as they are not leaving anyone hanging. Also, I just recieved my Jan. issue of Custom Rodder a few days ago. That means the next issue is the March issue which should be the end of the line. Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy

 

The old Iron Horse was always a good read, and they showed a lot of non-harley chops and lots of old school stuff.

You ever read that AWOL magazine with the road warrior gull wings and crazy stuff? That was a good mag.

Custom Rodder always struck me as a magazine with an identity crisis. Custom Rods, back in the day, were coupes and roadsters with custom touches. I have magazines from the 60's calling the "custom rod" the new trend and having tuck-n-rolled fender wells and frenched license plates and stuff like that.

These days, the dude was saying that any 60's car modified for performance with big wheels and an updated suspension was a custom rod. Then, they put a full on classic car or flat out old school custom on the pages. I think they fell into some gray area and couldn't find their way out.... That being said, the current issue looks great....they should go down swinging.

R&C should pick up the slack, they've been doing a lot of old stuff these days and the mag is looking good...

 

You know what, despite all the controversy and debate CR created here--and elsewhere--I'll have to admit, that was a fun mag to work on. Not only did it introduce me to a world of new people, it allowed me to integrate my personal interests in customs, lowriders, etc. in a unique printed forum. Before the corporate entity started to wring it like a shamois, Weez and I were able to do some pretty cool stuff every other month. I was actually pretty damn honored to finally become editor. It's just too bad there were so many elements working against it from the get go, most importantly its name.

 

I alway's enjoyed your work in Custom Rodder, Rob.
I think if people go to a GG event and look around, there's ALOT of what people don't like about Custom Rodder sitting at those events, and winning the top awards.
I'm sure there is alot more pressure from management to please advertisers, shareholders, etc. more than what each of us want the magazine to contain far more than the regular person will ever understand.
I thought it contained a nice mix, even though I would have like to see more old style customs. People need to build magazine quality rides to get featured in a magazine that isn't primer oriented. It's alot easier to "restore" a 60's whatever and put 22" wheels on it than to chop and tastefully customize a Merc. IMO that's why we're seeing more late models with the big wheels.

 

I just bought the latest issue that has the calender in it. One of my customers was telling me about his bosses car that he was doing these past couple of years. Well, there it is on the cover! Steve Frediani' '51 'vert. Just a bitchin car is all I can say. The thing is, I don't really like the high dollar custom's but, I still bought the magazine to see the creativity and Ideas that people came out with. I myself, will miss CR and RF, I see your '53 made it on the calender. Great month by the way....MARCH! KNUX!