I think Clapton had a Rangemaster in the studio during the Beano sessions. He plugged it in right as the picture was taken, played it for a minute, and then looked over at John Mayall and said,
“I’ve really gotten over pedals. I can’t keep up with this craze of boutique pedals that make you sound like everything but your guitar. I can’t get my head around it. So you don’t want to play a guitar [properly] so you buy a box that makes it sound like an algorithm, like you just fired up your computer and you can spend the night staring at your ****in’ shoes? C’mon man…
“I know I’ll get **** for saying this, but it’s ****ing lazy. It’s insulting to people who spent 35 years playing and learning, like a lot of players. And we continue to work at it! These guys can barely play a chord but call themselves soundscapists. Get the **** outta here! It’s ********. There’s so much masking and spin going on there. Can we get real for a minute? What do you actually play? Pick up an acoustic guitar… try that!”
