First Custom Rodder, now Rod & Custom?

Anyways, Rob's into bikes now, he don't care about no 4 wheeled shit.

 

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I guess I must be one of the few guys on this board that can accept a magazine for what it is. I see 'em on the shelf . I pick 'em up and flip through 'em. If I like 'em I buy 'em, if I don't like 'em I put 'em back and keep walking. Then I go home and don't even think about 'em, and I especially don't bitch about 'em on a message board because I know it will never lead to a change. Of course, I have to read about it & I can't resist posting a reply.......

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With Broman on this one... since I found the HAMB, I don't have any truck with (false) print media. Got ALL I NEED in the HAMB.....all the answers tech and photos I always needed (and haven't got from the mags in years) and more drama than I ever dreamed of... thank you JESUS!!

 

Ha Ha Ha...being upset that CUSTOM RODDER doesn't feature solidly trad kustoms is like being pissed that there ain't enough rifles in AMERICAN HANDGUNNER!



I dig CR's current format for what it is...whic, to me, is just as the name suggests...CUSTOM RODS!

1949-64ish cars and trucks built as slick custom rods...old iron with new technology and techniques applied to 'em to make 'em into one-of-a-kind (custom!) performance vehicles (rods!)!!

I'm sure Rob will be a positive addition to whichever title he lands at next...and CUSTOM RODDER will continue to feature, well...CUSTOM RODS!

True, the HAMB provides us with an interactive, fast-moving automotive media tailored largely to our preference for traditional hot rods and kustoms...but printed mags also still serve a purpose...even if it's just something as simple as the ads!

(I'd hate to see advertising on the HAMB, but I often refer to current magazines to finds ads for products related to my automotive endeavors...and to re-read tech articles and feature car stories at lunch or wherever.)

 

man RF,good luck in the future! best wishes!
ive always dug your style! you are genuine.

as for the HATERS,,well,look at it this way...

the INTERNET is a bitch,.now any dumb fuck with an opinion(like me) can now express their opinion in a public domiain with absolutley no reprocusions, its that easy.

can you imagine how it would of been back in the 40's 50' or 60's if computers where avaliable in every household back then,,,man,shit would have been really fucked up back then!

anyways,just kepe doing your thing holmes!

 

i think that Rob has always done a good job and i have always bought the magazine...sure, it doesn't have alot of "traditional" customs in it, but i sure have learned alot and gotten hella lot of ideas.i see lots of folks with "traditional" blinders on...very hazardous..it's like only finishing elementary school.if you can' look and learn from anything other than a "trad" car, you are sunk.i wonder what would have happened if all the early guys never looked past what tthey did the day before?
best of luck Rob, i hope your new gig is better for and you won't have to put up with a bunch of fools

 

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The internet is a bitch, but it doesn't have to be... If I only did a better job and dedicated myself a little more to this place, there is no way in hell any magazine could compete with it. As it is, I still think it is better than most...

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I agree this site is better than most, whether you mean magazines or web sites.

But I also think you should give yourself a little more credit for doing a good job.

Consumer magazines are supported by advertising and have to provide content the advertisers believe will attract advertising dollars. And no matter how hard the editorial staff strives to stay independent, they all know advertising underwrites their paychecks. Its a vicious circle and I think explains why few magazines are really satisfying.

On the other hand I can drop in here everyday, learn something useful which generally won't require sending a pile of cash to some advertiser, plus I can enjoy hearing what others with similar interests are up too. And all that for free. And if that wasn't enough, some days I even get to share a little of what I know!

I read a bunch of magazines, but the two discussed above are sitting on the table waiting to be opened because this and a couple other web communities are much more compelling reading.

So what's my point? You're correct, the HAMB is already 'better than most' and I believe as long as it stays free of the constraints and pressures that come from the sale of advertising (disclaimer: my employer is an ad agency...) it will remain much 'better than most'.

 

This is the first I've heard of either Rob or Riz leaving their posts......I was enjoying R&C again with Riz at the helm...... But Rob leaving CR?...... that's the end of an era.......I have no idea where I'd be without Rob Fortier or Jerry Weesner or Custom Rodder......Rob, I salute you and ALL you have done for this hobby......I find it almost unbearable that people are bitching about the content of CR when , if it wasn't FOR this magazine, there would BE NO current trend of traditional. that's an arguable point I know, But I don't think that anyone can argue that the scene would have taken a lot longer to get momentum......If you weren't into customs or traditional rides before 1981,the year of the first KKOA Leadsled Spectacular, you need to shut the fuck up because you don't have a say in the matter.............

 

Remember guys - sometimes change is good.

Not to say RF and Riz did a bad job. I love how R&C has been this last year.

 

I subscribe to both, R&C and CR.
HAVE FOR YEARS, WILL CONTINUE.
I liked Burnham, Weesner, and I like Riz and Rob.
Whether I agreed with every word they typed is oot the point.
Their editorials kept me informed of the intent of the issue, and what was going on in the hobby.
Sure, advertizing dollars direct the mag flow.
Our subscriptions amount to the candy and cig machines in the gas station. They just help pay some of the bills.

I've lived through the 40's and all the decades since.
Trends come and go, some come around agian, now and then.

Customs have been there all along, maybe not so prevalent is times, but there, none the less.
Even customs are not easy to define.
For my part, I've come to believe any car modified to the owners personal taste can be counted as a custom, whether mild, radical, sled or rod.
I am sure there are many differing opinions, but that is good. Black Model T's are not for every one, are they?


Bashing editors over the internet is doing none of us any good. A bunch of magazine types are among the bretheren here.
If you got a gripe, send it in to the magazines, where it may do some good, nothing will be acomplished here, except making folks mad, or hurting pride and feelings.
No one likes that. What if the tables were turned and it was you getting your balls busted for everything you do?

This place rules because it is a labor of love and is not dependent on fees or advertizing.

Ryan does a good job, but I like the place because for the most part, it polices itself.
There were not many written rules and still are not too many, only a few that "WE" let become necessary.

Rob, Riz, good luck to you in all that you do and best wishes in what ever career paths you chose.
Jim

 

I am glad that I am irretarded so I can just enjoy the photos and the tech articles.

 

I must say I like the Bobby Alloway car the new issue and the calender's pretty cool.
I spend too much money on magazines because as much as I like the HAMB, I need to have real life pictures to look at.
A magazine is eternal, the HAMB changes every few seconds.

 

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The internet is a bitch, but it doesn't have to be... If I only did a better job and dedicated myself a little more to this place, there is no way in hell any magazine could compete with it. As it is, I still think it is better than most...

JUST LIKE RYAN, TO BUST HIS OWN BALLS HAHA!


Hop Up and TRJ are still the heroes of the industry. They have both done a wonderful job in my opinion.

AMEN BROTHER!














I'm a convert to the computer, it has replaced my lust for printed matter, I still buy a few mags at the stand (don't have a computer in the bathroom......YET!)
the public is a fickle lot. I've always bought Street Rodder for all the ads and I can't bring myself to buy any Buckeroo stuff because of the ads! go figure!
I read posts like this and find that my Grammar is being critiqued by the literary giants on the board. I think I should be ashamed that I'm an American with little grasp of the English language. Maybe if I spent a few years in England I could have a better understanding.
Or on the other hand I could just go along with the rest on the board and say Fuck'em!

 

One last thing? My true inspirations in life, well sorta: McPhail (who doesn't really suck, but it's nice to think so) and Cochran. Why? Well, anybody who can make a living doing what they love with nobody telling them what to do (other than Bunny) with the ability to "stay" in Kansas doing it, is king. And, anybody who can put in their daily 9-5 and still find time to run a place like this, full of windbags and knowitalls (myself included), has more patience and determination than I could ever imagine.

That's it...no more talk about CR, unless you've really got to get something out...

Oh, and thanks for all the kind words...even the unkind words (means you're paying attention). Much appreciated!

 

Since the HAMB - I have dropped off the magazine bandwagon for the following reasons.
I do a search here and find out the tech info that I need or post a question and get an answer.

The event coverage here has multiple photo takers so you dont get one individuals bias, and the main bonus is you can ask a question to the car owner about something you want to know about.

The only problem is, the HAMB is hard to read on the toilet.

 

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The only problem is, the HAMB is hard to read on the toilet.

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Well Microsoft was rumored to be working on the "iLoo", a porta-potty that is connected to the internet! Gives a whole new meaning to "downloading", don't it?

 

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One last thing? That's it...no more talk about CR, unless you've really got to get something out...

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RF..."irregardless" of what I said previously, I know how tuff being an editor of a mag is...I've been there (not with Primedia tho).

One thing about the HAMB is that it is "instant"...if you don't happen to agree with a post, it doesn't take anything but a few keystrokes to let that poster know...simply can't do that with a magazine, especially with three-month lead times.

If Ryan (or anyone else for that matter) figures out how to build, maintain, put out and change monthly a true interactive electronic "magazine"...print will truly be dead (or fast on the way to a death). Every one of us has an opinion...and every one of us thinks our opinions are the only ones that really matter...right now I'm thinking every one of us on this board now realizes we're just a small cog in the gear of life and arguing about a magazine is ludicrous (or should that be lewdicris?).

RF, I sincerely hope your new position is something you can enjoy.

That's it from me on the subject!

R-

 

Just to let you know, I´m not a guy with blinders, even if my heart belongs to traditional customs (since the age of ten in 1974, before the first KKOA meet). I do like styles of cars too! Custom building and Hot Rodding changes and develops trough the years, what was popular in the 80´s is a joke today and I guess in 15 years the stance with 21" wheels will be though of in the same way as we look at fibreglass fender flares and white lettered pos-a-traction tires and airbrush murals today (help! I just read that the later is coming back). In the early days of custom building the fads did also come and go fast, most of them did fade away fast, some of them for the better. The ones built with good taste will remain popular; the others will vanish sooner or later, no matter of when it was built. The magazines do catch up with what is the latest and that is to get a great number of readers and advertisers, may it be tuning Japanese cars or custom building old American cars in a modern way. I do understand that 100%! And magazines are trendsetters. All customs are not built in California but the trends do almost always start there.

Here in Sweden the magazine situation are a bit different, we have many magazines that covers custom now and then (at least 5-6 magazines) and the influence from the advertisers or publishers are minimal. The reader input develops the magazines, and the editors are often the founders of the magazines. The magazines are not advertised driven but formed by the editors enthusiasm and the readers’ demands. I know that some of you American magazine guys are well aware of the situation over here as you have at least a few Swedes that contribute now and then... So maybe I have a wrong input if I gives an American magazine what I thought was constructive critic when it was obvious, from what I read now, that the editor had more rules to follow than I could imagine. Sorry for that.
Another thing that is very different is the amount of cars from other countries; over here it does not matter if the car or the featured event is in Japan or USA, even though it seems as we have nearly as many traditional customs and rods here as in California. As I understand, in USA it’s more important that the cars are in the States, from experience I know how hard it is get a Swedish car or event featured overseas.
But never the less, the number of circulation here is impressive.
Custom Rodders number of circulation about 33.000 R&C 119.000 (Primedia figures). Here in Sweden we have Wheels magazine about 30.000 and Power Magazine with 27.000, (they are not strictly custom magazines but all about older American cars and mostly rods and customs) Over 300.000 copies of car magazines with some American cars are sold in Sweden each month, that is impressive figures as we are only 9 million Swedes, now you may understand how big the US car hobby is in Sweden. Another difference is the average age of the reader; here it is 20-40. The Primedia magazines with rods & customs seems to reach most older readers, for instance R&C´s greatest percentage of readers are in the range between 45-64.
Of course, even I wish RF all of the best luck he can get in his new position. I don’t know much about the magazine life overseas, but from what I’ve read in this post the life in the magazine world seems rougher over seas then here…

 

As much as I always liked reading Rob Fortiers,Ganahls and many other writers articles lets not forget the extraordinary efforts Luke Carosi who is now doing CUSTOMS ILLUSTRATED! This guy does fabulous work and gets his obscure stuff from the best sources.