Jeff Beck was an atypical guitar hero — a guitar hero’s guitar hero, even. He didn't align himself with the showmanship of many of his peers, and even turned down a spot in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, a band well-known for launching the careers of players like Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor.
While that may have earned him the respect of his peers, it nearly cost him his career on two occasions. The first was when Jimi Hendrix arrived on British soil and Eric Clapton simultaneously began his meteoric rise, leaving Beck in the dirt.
“Next thing you know, Eric was moving ahead with Cream, and it was kicking off in big chunks. But me, I was left with nothing,” he told Guitar World in 2010.
Beck survived and found his groove with 1975’s Blow by Blow, and a whole new generation of guitar players began to admire him.
That includes Slash, a true heavyweight of the next generation of shredders. And it was with the Guns N' Roses guitarist that Beck once again saw his career nearly come to a crashing halt.
Guns N’ Roses were at the height of their powers in the early ‘90s and were supporting the release of 1991's Use Your Illusion by journeying across South America with Aerosmith and Beck in tow. Naturally, such a star-studded guitar lineup provided scope for some off-the-cuff jams, but they nearly came at a huge cost for Beck, as Slash revealed to Guitar World later that year.
“I finally got to jam with Jeff Beck,” he told the magazine, "and we blew his ears out — literally.
“That night, he woke up with this insane screaming in his ears. He had to go to the hospital and everything. Later, he called me up to say he was pissed and that he might not be able to play live anymore because my amp gave him tinnitus.”
Beck was used to his own measured onstage setup. Slash and his “dangerous” cohorts played far louder and proved too hot for Beck to handle.
“I don't think it was really my fault,” Slash explained, “but my rig was the straw that broke the camel's back.
“I wanted to pack it up that day, send the amps home, and find a nice little job selling life insurance or something,” he added with a laugh.
Slash also recalled how Beck's virtuosity allowed the guitarist to perform elaborate riffs, licks and techniques almost subconsciously. "I was in a jam session with him, Joe Perry, Lenny Kravitz, and Gilby [Clarke]," Slash recalled, "and Jeff was playing all this amazing shit while simultaneously talking to me.”
In related news, Beck's Yardbirds legacy was celebrated earlier this year with a replica of his 1959 Les Paul Standard. Meanwhile, Joe Perry, who featured on that near-fated tour, ended up owning one of Beck's ultra-rare early Klon Centaurs.
