Having just finished a 36-date autumn tour across the UK, blues pioneer and hugely influential bandleader John Mayall spoke with Music Radar in an article titled ‘5 Minutes Alone: John Mayall.”

For someone who’s influenced so much of today’s rock and roll, as the band leader of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers where legends like Clapton, Peter Green, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Taylor and more passed through, Mayall’s not that hung up on gear: “I don’t collect gear, I just stick to what I am using at the time. I think over the years I have only had about half-a-dozen guitars. The one I am using now is a semi-acoustic. It’s a 1957 Gibson hollowbody.”

Talking about his time with Clapton, Mayall said, “Eric is fantastic, he and I got on so well and I think it showed in the music. But, he’s a restless person and he was finding his own roots back then. When he left the Bluesbreakers he wanted to explore his own potential, which he has done ever since.”

The secret of finding the best talent in the business? “All of the guitar players that I have chosen to work with have something that sets them apart from each other. I think that the individuality of the performer is the most important thing.”

Read the full interview here.