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A Study of The Edge’s (U2) Guitar Delay

What’s so interesting about The Edge’s guitar delay?

Most of us won’t ever play in a U2 tribute band or try to cover a U2 song in the studio, but discovering how The Edge uses his ‘trademark’ guitar delay is not limited to that. How his delay sounds and how he uses them are a great resource for any serious guitar player. The most common question posted about U2’s sound on websites and chatrooms devoted to that subject is “what is The Edge’s delay setting on Where the Streets Have No Name?”. The usual answer is “set it to 3/16 tempo, about 340-350ms”. (The same answer is roughly given for questions about any of their songs actually).

What is this site all about? Here is a clip of the main guitar riffs from U2’s songs “Bad” and “Where the Streets Have No Name”. Each riff starts with the exact thing Edge is playing on his guitar during the song and then the delay/echo is turned on half way through, resulting in the sound you know: Clip from “Bad”           Clip from “Streets”

Edge splits his guitar signal (after his effects chain) and sends them into 2 separate amps: Edge often uses the Korg SDD-3000 delay units; the TC-2290s, as used on ‘Streets’, are pictured above. Sending the different delays to separate amps allows more control when mixing the songs -- you can vary the levels, or send 1 delay to the left and another to the right. Edge/U2 do this in a few songs. There’s more info below about the stereo mixing for some songs. I believe that usually, the initial (dry) signal is sent into both amps by both delay units. However, in some cases, one amps may be used for the initial signal only (ie no delay) and the other may just have the delays (ie no dry signal). Anytime where the delay is clearly panned separately from the main signal, this would be the case (such as ‘An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart’).

• The ‘real’ delays (150ms-550ms, almost always set in tempo with the song)
  
  Delays make up a big part of Edge’s sound. He uses modulated delays which add a vibrato/chorus effect to the delay repeats. In most songs, he uses 2 long delays in parallel set to different tempos and sends them to different amps, as in the diagram above.
  
  His Korg SDD-3000s are mostly used for the long delays. Though the SDD-3000 is a digital delay (it allows you to exactly dial in the delay length which is crucial), the modulation section of it adds a nice warmth. He splits usually his signal at the end of his other effects chains and runs it into 2 SDD-3000s. Those feed directly into his amps (usually Vox AC30s). One reason he does this is to make use of the +10dB output on the SDD-3000s, as Daniel Lanois explained in the quote below.
  
  

Side notes:

• Edge’s guitar picks (and holding them correctly) are the key component of his chime-y guitar sound. Edge’s guitar picks (Herdims) have a dimpled half and a flat half. The dimpled half is supposed to be where you hold the pick (it gives it a better grip). Apparently Edge holds the pick either backwards or sideways so that the dimpled part of the pick grates the strings to sharpen the sound and give it a slightly grating punch - what some people call a ‘chime’ sound. I studied the effect of the Herdim dimpled picks on a guitar signal and I posted the results here. Incidentally, people have emailed me saying that Edge started holding his guitar pick backwards because he never had any formal training and had been doing that incorrectly from early on. He was using the Herdims at least by the Unforgettable Fire, and perhaps earlier.
• Edge uses the open strings a lot as ‘drone’ notes, often the low A and D strings. This technique is often used in traditional Irish music. Incidentally, it is probably why many of the songs are in the key of D and many of the riffs are around a D chord - the D and A strings work best in that key. ‘Bad’ is an obvious example.
• Palm muting is also a needed technique if you use a lot of delay. I think he uses a very slight palm mute in the main riff of ‘Streets’ and obviously in ‘Bad’. To keep the notes sharp and not droning into each other as the delays echo, you don’t want a lot of sustain. Try resting your palm just behind the bridge so that part of your palm slightly touches the strings. You get a more staccato feel and almost a harmonic quality to the notes too. This technique was used by many of the punk bands which were early influences on Edge, although they would use it with distortion instead of delay.
• Left-hand muting (as in the verses in ‘Streets’) work well to add some breathing room if you’re using a lot of delay in a song.
• Compression? Actually, you don’t need to use it. In most cases, if you’re using a lot of delay, you probably want rhythmic, staccato-y notes -- the very opposite of what compression gives you (compressors give you more sustained, legato-y notes). Edge uses a strong compressor (the MXR Dyna Comp pedal, with high output and low senstivity) whenever he uses a slide (‘Gloria’ solo, ‘Bullet’). There’s some compression added to the overall guitar track during mixing - doing this on the mixing board is probably the best place to do it since you have better control over how much to use.
• Backing vocals behind guitar solos. Often discordant and turned down in the mix just enough so you can’t hear them without explicitly listening for them. They color and add depth to his solos not too disimilarly from the guitar delay. Some examples include:
  • Bullet the Blue Sky: 3:46-4:00
  • In God’s Country: 2:10-2:25 (see here for more info.)
  • Until the End of the World: 2:00-2:03

Quotes about Edge’s delay:

• “Yeah. I started using them [SDD-3000s] shortly after first working with Edge on The Unforgettable Fire. Basically, I stole his sound. It wasn’t a complicated rig: just a guitar he liked through a Korg SDD-3000 digital delay into a Vox. Three components, mono - that’s it. The great thing about the Korgs is its three-position level switch, which lets you hit the amp with about 10 extra dB. It’s more overdriven than if you just plugged the guitar straight into the amp, even when it’s on bypass. But a lot of the guitar sounds on Achtung Baby were recorded through a Korg A3 effects processor.” - Daniel Lanois, ‘Guitar Player’, 1993 (‘U2 Producer & 6-String Wizard Daniel Lanois Says You Don’t Need Big Money To Make Big Music’)
  
  
• “I’ve found so many guitar parts from using the echo - it’s limitless. The biggest difference between me and other players is that I don’t use effects to color my parts. I create guitar parts using effects. They’re a crucial element of what I do so I don’t consider them a crutch... They’re a part of the art.” - Edge, ‘Total Guitar’, 2005
  
  
• “GW: Onstage you use a short delay and a long delay together. What’s the story behind that combination?
  The Edge: They work together to become a part of one delay sound. When I use two delays, I like to mess with the pitch modulation of the delay signal. It increases the depth of the sound and gives it a tremendous 3-D sensation. But straight slapback echo with no modulation isn’t very inspiring; the shape of the sound doesn’t change” - ‘Guitar World’, September, 2005 [Incidentally, I think the ‘Guitar World’ interviewer visited this site to get material for his questions..]
  
  
• “Everybody’s going to remember your songs, it’s just that nobody’s gonna be able to play them” - Bob Dylan (in reference to Edge’s delay-ridden riffs)
  
  
• “... I became the timekeeper with the band for a while, and Larry would play to me, because everything had to sync with my echo- you can hear that in “Pride,” for example. Eventually we made a decision to leave out the echo on War, and the guitar became much more dry and forceful. That sound reappeared, in a sense, on Unforgettable Fire, because of the Hawaiian guitar [a 1939 Epiphone Electar lap steel, as heard on ‘Surrender’], but in any case, the guitar treatments almost always came out of things that I was doing.” - The Edge, ‘Musician’ magazine, 1986.

The Songs and their Delay Settings

Boy (1980) / October (1981) Edge used a 225ms delay (1-2 repeats, slightly audible) for all songs on the ‘Boy’ tour. During this time, he used an EH Memory Man Deluxe, which has a range of 5ms-550ms. The Memory Man units vary by model and year, but for what it’s worth, here is a rough outline of its settings: 225ms (used most of the time) is at the 3rd ‘mark’ out of 8 total on the delay knob, clockwise from the bottom (40% of the knob’s full turn). 140ms (used for the album version of An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart) is at the 2nd mark (25%). 280ms (used for the album version of The Electric Co.) is at the 4th mark (50%). 360ms (used for Stranger in a Strange Land) is at the 5th mark (65%). War (1983) Edge’s delay wasn’t used much on this album (see the above quote) The Unforgettable Fire (1984) Pride Wire Bad The Joshua Tree (1987) Where the Streets Have No Name I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For With Or Without You In God’s Country Rattle And Hum (1989) Silver and Gold Heartland All I Want Is You Achtung Baby (1991) One Until the End of the World Zooropa (1993) Zooropa Pop (1997) Discotheque All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000) Walk On Songs that use 3/16 delay *:   What type of songs work well with this setting? 3/16th delay adds depth and rhythm to a guitar part, especially when you play in even time: straight 1/8th or 1/16th notes. Looking at the key riffs for the songs in this group, they are almost all played in even time (from ‘Electric Co’ to ‘Walk On’). Arpeggios are effective. String bends don’t usually work well. If you use the delay heavily (as in ‘Bad’ or ‘Streets’), keep your playing very simple: for example, ‘Bad’ is 2 sets of 3 notes repeated over and over. ‘Streets’ is a 4-note arpeggio. Use left-hand string mutes to add breathing room. You’ll almost never use more than 1-2 repeats and it is usually present throughout the song. This delay setting has a strong influence on the character and sound of a song! Electric Co (275ms)   Stranger in a Strange Land main riff (360ms)   Surrender slide solo (400 ms) A Sort of Homecoming (375ms) Pride (418ms - panned right)   Wire (317ms)   - Bad (467ms) See the '2 delay' section below   Streets (350ms) See the '2 delay' section below   Still Haven’t Found (450ms) See the '2 delay' section below   With or Without You (410ms)   - In God’s Country intro and solo (360ms) One Tree Hill (360ms) Spanish Eyes (310ms) Heartland (420ms) Silver and Gold (360ms) Even Better TTRT (345ms - louder during slide solo) One solo/outro (500ms) Until the End of the World (420ms, softly) The Fly intro/solo (415ms) Mysterious Ways (450ms, very softly) Ultraviolet (Light My Way) (400ms, panned right) Discotheque - main riff and bridge (372ms)   Please outro 4:01-end (440ms, 6-7 repeats) (there's 2 guitars, only one has delay) Walk On (420ms) See the '2 delay' section below   Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (475ms) City of Blinding Lights rhythm guitar (320ms) Songs that use 4/16 (1/4) delay:   What type of songs work well with this setting? 4/16th delay works well with simple, sparse riffs, such as the 1 chord going into the ‘New Year’s Day’ chorus, or a couple of notes played slowly, as in the ‘Miracle Drug’ intro. Typically used sparingly in certain sections of a song. Works well with 2 or more repeats. A Day Without Me intro/outro (380ms - 155 bpm) Stranger in a Strange Land fills (480ms - panned left - 125 bpm) New Year’s Day chorus (450ms - 4-5 repeats) Promenade (580ms - panned right / song is in 6/8 @ 97 bpm) Acrobat (450ms) Do You Feel Loved? (520ms) Gone Whammy-outro 3:52-end (660ms) Beautiful Day guitar (440ms) (intro is on piano; see below) Miracle Drug intro (480ms)   - New! (5/06) Songs that use 2/16 (1/8) delay:   + Tap 1/8th notes What type of songs work well with this setting? 1/8th delay adds a slight urgency to a guitar track. It works well with multiple repeats. While audible as a delay, it fades into the background and does not affect the character of a song - this is a ‘boring’ delay. Edge uses it rarely, probably when a song is already becoming too busy and a delay with more character (like the 3/16th) would clutter it up too much. ‘I Will Follow’ is a good example. When he does use it, it's often only during a guitar solo, background fills, or a bridge. I Will Follow (200ms)   This is louder during the harmonic bridge, but you can also hear that   he’s using this delay during the verse at 41.5s. Gloria solo (205ms) ‘40’ background fills (385ms - 4-5 repeats) Bullet the Blue Sky - slides parts + solo - live version (400ms - softly, panned right) Trip Through Your Wires solo (410ms) Exit - main delay (250ms, panned right)   '- See the ‘chain together 2 delays’ section below All I Want Is You acoustic/rhythm guitar (325ms) Unchained Melody (440ms, panned left; capo 4, key: G) Zoo Station outro solo (G---11--9-7-) (230ms, 6-8 repeats) Beautiful Day piano (220ms) Original of the Species piano and guitar (340ms - panned right) Additional delay times and settings: Songs that use a 1/3 of a ‘quarter note triplet’ = 1/6 * delay: What type of songs work well with this setting? Edge uses this delay rarely and usually very soft in the mix and panned to the right. It has an unsettling and distressing feel - the ‘delay’ equivalent of a Major 7th chord. I doubt if Edge uses this setting purposely, he probably dials it in for these couple of songs based on feel. This delay feels somewhat ‘off’ and that’s probably what he was looking for. After all, for most of ‘Bullet’, Adam’s playing an ‘E’ in the bass while Edge plays a ‘G’ chord - discordant indeed. For the ‘All I Want Is You’ solo, he also plays a discordant and out-of-key note (a high ‘C’ over a D chord/key of D). This delay setting is between an 1/8th and 3/16th delays (slightly closer to 3/16). Bullet the Blue Sky - slide parts + solo - album version (533ms - softly, panned right)   Bullet the Blue Sky is at 75bpm. He used about 400ms during the Joshua Tree tour   (Rattle and Hum version) and at the Slane Castle show (including the wah-wah solo section,   where he turned it up), which is a 1/8th delay. Usually 2-3 repeats, mixed softly.   The delay on the album is very soft. You can hear it best in the slight feedback   note at 34.25 seconds if you slow the track down 2x or 4x.)   He turns the delay off during the slide-free rhythmic verse/chorus sections. All I Want Is You solo (425ms) (*) There are 2 ‘quarter note triplets’ per bar, both with 3 notes each. So this is delay time is equivalent to 1/6 of the length of a bar. See the AIWIY page for more info. See the What Is.. section below for information on calculating this delay time in your own songs. Songs that use 1/16 delay: An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart (140ms - panned right) (See note on left side) J. Swallow lead guitar (150ms - panned left) Still Haven’t Found (150ms) See the ‘2 delay’ section   Songs that use 5/16 delay: God Part II- live, during solo (690ms @ 110bpm) Songs that use a 3/32 delay: Crumbs From Your Table (260ms @ 86 bpm) Since ‘Crumbs’ is so slow, Edge chose to use a delay that is twice as fast as his usual 3/16 delay - it has a similar effect. If you use the Line 6 pedal (see below), set it to the above setting and tap 1/8th notes instead of 1/4 notes - in other words, tap twice as fast as usual to set the tempo. Songs that use a 3/8 delay: The Unforgettable Fire (666ms @ 135 bpm) Same as above (for 3/32), but twice as slow as the 3/16. There is very little guitar in the song, and this delay mostly affects occassional fills. Songs that use 2 separate delays (signal split to 2 amps):  Bad (note: see this page for more info):     '- 3/16 (467ms)  and  3/32 (221ms)  Indian Summer Sky:     '- 2/16 (215ms - panned right)  and  3/16 (320ms - panned left)  Streets:     '- 3/16 (350ms - panned right)  and  9/32 (525ms - panned left)  I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For:     '- 1/16 (150ms - panned right)  and  3/16 (450ms - panned left)  Walk On (note: see this page for more info):     '- 2/16 (290ms - panned right)  and  3/16 (420ms - panned right)  Walk On - Live from Slane Castle:     '- 3/16 (420ms)  and  1/4 (560ms) (~107 bpm)     The live version has the same 3/16 delay, but the 1/4 delay is louder, interestingly.. Songs that chain together 2 delays: Exit: 1/8 (250ms) with 3-4 repeats panned right is the main delay on all guitars.     However, on the guitar track that you hear during the fade out (and on that     track throughout the song, the track has this delay first and the track is then fed     into another delay at 3/4 (1650 ms = 1.65 secs!) with 1-2 repeats. Both delays are     soft, both are panned right. The 1.65 sec delay was probably added during mixing     to the entire guitar track. (Similar to the ‘End of the World’ solo (see below). Zooropa: 1/8 (320ms) with 6-7 later repeats at 1/16 (160ms) Earlier songs with a generic 225ms ‘slapback’ echo: 11 O’Clock Tick Tock Out of Control Rejoice With a Shout (See note on left side) Songs with ‘random’ delay times: The Ocean (10ms, 4-5 repeats, softly) Fire (260ms, 1-2 repeats, ~146 bpm = 5/32) 4th of July (440ms, 6-7 repeats, ~115 bpm) Until the End of the World solo (500ms, 1 repeat, 102 bpm)

* What is a ‘3/16’ delay (or 1/16) -- and how can I use it in my own songs? Edge almost always has his delay times in tempo with the song. His favorite setting is ‘3/16’, which is where the delay length is equal to 3 1/16th notes. This setting works very well if you’re playing straight 1/8th notes, which Edge does often (such as ‘Streets’) since the 3/16th delay will fall in between the notes you play. It also adds depth to straight 1/16th note riffs (such as ‘Pride’). If the song is 100 beats per minute (bpm), that means that there are 100 quarter (1/4) notes per minute. For example, at 100 bpm: Each 1/4 note lasts exactly 600 milliseconds (600ms = 60 seconds / 100 bpm). Each 1/16th note would last 150ms (150ms = 600ms / 4). And a 3/16th note would last 450 ms (450ms = 150ms * 3). Here’s the simple ‘shortcut’ formulas for calculating the delay time when you know the tempo of the song: 1/16 = 15,000 / # of bpm. 3/16 = 45,000 / # of bpm <--- Edge’s favorite setting!   (Testing with the example above: 45,000 / 100 bpm = 450ms which matches the above calculation). 1/4 = 60,000 / # of bpm. (Edge rarely uses this) These settings have only been used on one or two songs each: 1/3 of a quarter note triplet (= 1/6) = 40,000 / # of bpm (‘Bullet’, ‘All I Want Is You’ solo) <- this delay time sounds ‘tense’ and unsettling. 3/32 (‘Crumbs from your table’) = 22,500 / bpm (or half of 3/16).

What are the best delay effects units available now? Edge has historically always used the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe (Boy and October albums) or the Korg SDD-3000s which were made in the mid-1980s and are occassionally available on eBay (though at high prices often). Since the Joshua Tree, he’s also used two TC Electronic 2290 delay racks since they have more user presets than the SDD-3000s. Today, the Line 6 Delay Modeler units are among the best delay available. (Edge has been seen using one of them in 2004.) The 3 models are: Studio / Rack version: Hard to find, I’m not sure if they are still available. $700 US. Sometimes available on eBay. This lets you dial in specific delay times, has 99 user presets, and is MIDI-controllable (if that’s helpful). DL4 stompbox: Has a Loop option and 3 presets. $250 US. Echo Park stompbox (see photo at left): No presets, but has the same sound (I believe) as the other 2. $150 US. In any of the units, you should use the ‘Digital’ delay setting for long delays. And most important - use just enough ‘Mod’ so that it’s audible but not overpowering. The Echo Park stompbox has a nice option, the ‘Dotted 8th note Tap’ (3rd option up from the bottom left - see the circled knob in the photo at left). This is the 3/16th note delay that Edge so often uses. In this setting, tap the stombox to the beat/tempo of a song and then the delay repeats will be at 3/16. "How do I play Streets using the Echo Park pedal"? I’m emailed this question occassionally, so here’s a starting point: Choose ‘Digital’ in the switch at the bottom left. Trails on (or off, doesn’t matter). Mix at about 10-11 o’clock. Repeat should be set so you get a clear repeat and 1 soft one. (Don’t use the Time knob, it can be set anywhere.) Mod should be about 12-3 o’clock, use your ear. Set the main knob to the dotted 8th note setting (3rd one up from bottom left). Then tap the tempo of speed you’re playing at (it’s 1 tap for every other note you play in the main riff). What about Boss’s DD-20 pedal? I don’t know - if you’ve tried its modulated delay, leave a comment below.

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Hi...and thanks for all your precious study about edge's delay effects. I've been very involved to learn how edge create his own special delay set-up. I've tried on my set-up and ...wow sounds great!! I'm trying to focus my attention during these years on the EQ that Edge always use on his sounds...a sort of mid boost type I guess... Did you try to study also the EQ'ing in the future? I hope so ... Thanks again for all your work. Regards Fabrizio from Italy

-- Landini Fabrizio, Oct 26, 2004

You have done incredible job studying Edge's sound! Thank you very much for this interesting article!

-- Karppinen, Finland, Nov 14, 2004

Like the rest, i'm very pleased with your work and the fact that you have made an effort to share it. Your work has been very helpful! Regards from jonathan in spain.

-- Jonathan Chhugani Mena, Nov 22, 2004

This is the website ive been waiting for. This site has helped me get just the right delay and sound i needed. awsome job thanks alot!

-- Austin Hinegardner, Nov 27, 2004

very impressive. must say i never expected this to be so complex. good work. it seems to me though, that in, i suppose what you'd call the "solo" of "one" at the very end (from about 3:35 to the end), there seems to be the 3/16's delay. its also very noticeable on the slane castle dvd.

-- joel, Dec 1, 2004

i recently began work to recreate edges delay similar to the one heard in 'where the streets have no name." Im using a boss DD3 delay with the 3/16 temp at 340- 550ms. Iv notices that some is just missing. maybe its the panning split (A/B split of the 2 AC30's) or maybe the DD3 just isnt sutable.

-- Gabe martine, Dec 6, 2004

This is a Great piece of research on the edge, his delay effects really are brilliant, but I was wondering if anyone knows what effect he is using when he plays the solo part on Discotheque with that odd distortion.thanks.

-- Jesse, Jan 2, 2005

This is the most thought out explanation I have ever seen. What a great job you have done in defining Dave Evans sound. Also curious what modulation pedals and eq "The Edge uses with this type setup. Regards.

-- Tim, Jan 4, 2005

Thanks for your study of "The edge" guitar tone. I have been working on this for some time but limited by proper equipment and not enough time on my hands. There something about that tone that makes me want to play my guitar. Just got my copy of "vertigo" keep up the good work work.

-- Donald stringer, Jan 15, 2005

In musical terms, 3/16 is said "dotted eight" (1/8+ 1/2*1/8=3/16), and this feature is now more frequently implemented in digital delay units that have a tap tempo function.

-- Carlo Veronelli, Jan 26, 2005

Awesome study...I can't tell you how many guitar players I've asked to help me figure out how to create "the edge's" sound...and none of them had an answer. Of love the delay...there are so many cool things you can do with it. 'The Edge' has obviously capitalized on this one effect.

-- Paul Daigle, Jan 28, 2005

Thanks to your website, I've strung together some effects that are getting me very close to Edge's sound. If you don't have analog delay w/modulation, you can't really get there. I have run a Boss digital delay for the short delay, into a Boss DD20 Gigadelay (use the setting for modulation), into a Line 6 DL4 (analog w/modulation setting) and am getting some great Edge- like sounds. Adding compression really helps. Keep posting songs to the site - keeps us guitar players motivated out here!

-- Jeff , Jan 31, 2005

Thats an amazing study about edge's sound! I'd like to know what delay's brand he uses. I think thats a rack..

-- Dud, Feb 8, 2005

Tim, an impressive discussion into an obvious area of interest to many guitar players. Now I know why you want to play "Pride" at the Ri Ra!

-- Joe, Feb 17, 2005

Hi my name is carlos . You are missing some very important tips on how The edge uses his delays.
I looked at your site and i think it is impressive but the key to edges delay's regardless of wether he is using digital korgs or the memory man is not entirelly on the units mod settings . as you recentely hear all the new u2 songs are not using any analog delays at all they are using digital delays and i dont hear any korgs in there at all Here is the secret on how edge has fooled everyone, even if you had his entire delay racks you still would not sound like him. i can take any delay box and set it to 409 ms and play 2 different sounds on the same guitar with nothing being changed, and i do this while playing live i have been asked how it is being done i dont tell anyone.(we play with the lights low lol ;o) ) there is no switching at all and this is how the edge has been so good with his effects

If you want to sound like the edge then it is not just his delays you need also his Parametric eq's also he uses Eventide hardware. Now this sounds crazy but how come it is easier to play new u2 songs? well simple the units are more cheaper now and more people can afford them but in the 80's it was different i mean call Korg up and they will deny that they used to sell the Korg SDD -2000 and 3000 units lol funny the roland space echo is what made u2's sound. in the beginning the edge did not use tape delay as most people believe. he started out using a roland space echo like unit.later on he started using tape delay then later on came the EH memory man wich he ran :

Live at red rocks concert

                                   delay 1
                              =memory man  = vox ac30( 2 x 12 celestion speakers)
guitar = a/b switch =
                              =memory man =  vox ac30 (2 x 12" celestion speakers)
                                  delay 2

boss od pedals and pam eq's not very complicated.. But boy that was an impressive guitar tone he had that night awesome.. lets just face it in the 80's edge was the best guitar player around he had playing skills cause there werent many effects on his rig yet.Up untill 1985 edge didnt change much his setup until the korgs(sdd-2000 and 3000) came in .. Digital delay but with mod section i am planning to get one from my buddy in new zealand.
Edge does not like to muddy his sound with too much delay period!!!!!!. delay is to be used properly to get a clean tone.

Now a mistery that i want to know what was edge's delay unit for Live aid 1985 when he played "Bad" even today i still couldnt get his delay time cause, before he starts playing he does a sound check and he hits the high 12'th fret B and E harmonics and you hear only one echo.. but if you add your time to your delay unit You can not get one echo like that sound he had it is impossible , strangely if you play the song the delay matches his , the thing that is strange here is why is his test check sound different than the delay time that he then uses to play the song?? he had 2 delay units and switched to his second that is the only thing i could come up with.

he was using the memory man and another delay unit maybe the korg sdd-2000 at this time i think. now he did play "bad" with the EH memory man i am 100% sure of that.. Now what confuses people about Edge is that they think he uses Delay units.. that is false he used to use 2 different units an ECHO/TAPE unit and a DELAY unit.Well he used to up untill the joshua tree album. this is where it gets crazy this is where edge goes nuts with effects, great songs came out of it but their live performances suffer big time.and i think this is where u2 had to stop for a bit cause their sound had been lost now enter the 90's and u2 brought back their old hard rock delayed sounds .after achtung baby u2 ditched their anthem delay sounds. and since then till now(only on POP tour "if you wear that velvet dress " "Please" have i heard their old signature delays.

Now onto edges secrets
this is really how edge made THAT U2 SOUND that everyone will never forget!!!!!!..his guitars have always been the secret to his sounds, i wonder why they are guarded in secrecy.His old "blackie" fender strat (cbs) era was his main guitar . and he had seymor pickups on them put in ..So edge dont follow the rules he modifies his guitars a lot but in the end it is what i always said you must play like him NOT SOUND LIKE HIM!!!!!!! and that is really his main secret you have to know how he holds his guitar and how he strums the strings, and how he uses up and down strokes in sinch with his delay or allows the delay to catch up to him. this is very important

lets take a look at the song "bad" album version.. now i made a simple patch on my digitech 2112 sgs processor ( long delay at 409 ms and some reverb ) and predelay and PEQ3 so not very complicated now u say so how did it sound? well it sounds 97% like the album version of "bad" as it is a clean delay sound with almost no chorus or any mod on it. but i took the same sound and did my guitar techniques and there it was "Bad" live at live aid sound . all from playing the guitar differently !!!!!!!! before you get to effects and units you need to know how edge plays his guitar and what kind of mods has he done to his guitars.

But "Bad" was the best song i ever heard been played live.The live version is 100 times better than the studio albium version ..Only at Live Aid of course every version live since then ijust plain sucks

My little audio work area
Digitech 2112 SGS processor
Edirol Fa-101 firewire interface 24 bit 192 khz 10 in / 10 out was preety cheap
kaysound midi controller keyboard (to play the VST/DX synths)
Cakewalk Sonar 4 Producer Edition ( what can i say supports OLDER HARDWARE midi) unlike other apps wich are cutting back hardware support like it is candy ......hate that lol
Electro harmonix Memory man Deluxe. delay unit ( i guard this thing with a gun serious !!! well just kidding lol
MidiOverlan midi app and FX Teleport to have different pc's do diferent tasks like effects or virtual synths
and my main VST effect is Amplitube plugin and Native instruments Guitar rig .
Guitars : Fender stratocaster took some old gibson epyphone body strat style.. lol now it is a strat neck with a gibson strat like body..

see ya lata man and keep up the good work!!!!

-- Carlos, Feb 28, 2005

Quote from the best U2 book out there, "U2 At the End of the World" from the Edge on his guitar tone and influence: "Unfortunately when something is distilled down to a simple style, those who copy the style basically are copying something very flat. you take what I do, bring it down to a little, short formula and try to apply it in another context, another guitar player, another song - it's going to sound terrible." No one will ever sound like the Edge. He happened to come across the coolest guitar sound EVER, and now we are all left to settle for second best. . . Fortunately we can take elements of The Edge's tone, and combine it with our own ideas to make something unique.

-- Jim, Mar 2, 2005

I'd Like to start off by saying excellent work to the writer of this site and i'm glad it exists to help guitarists (like myself) try to capture the edge's sound. Now, i'm just confused as to everything in terms of the gear he used. I totally understand the bpm stuff and the whole explanaation. What i don't understand and what i need SIMPLIFIED is exactly what effects he used and the quantity of them the maker of these effects and how to set it up in a live setting. Now say you cannot find these same effects that the edge used what is a good replacement and setup that will help recreate his sound. Thanks and God Bless. PS. i like simple diagrams they help alot

-- Leo, Mar 3, 2005

Great job.. and nice pics, too, btw. I remember seeing a guitar mag a long time ago with an explanation and example of his delay settings and I thought at the time "I need to remember that". naturally I didn't. Anyway,a apecial thanks for your demos of the licks with and without delay. I hope someday Henry Rollins will come around to understanding what Edge was up to. Has anyone run across something from Edge about not how he played this way, but why? I wonder how and when he came across it, or if the delay sound just was a match for him.

-- James, Mar 3, 2005

I think this is a great site by the way, I have not been playing guitar for long but I recently bought my self a Vox valvetronix AD120VTX modeling combo and a Fender 1970's Stratocaster, Streets is probabley my most favourite song I thought I had the riff nailed until I picked up on these coments and now you mention it the delay does sound more warmer, than when I play it, I did experiment with the different delay on my rig but I guess Im going to have to go for a Line 6 pod pro XT rack mounted version which is about 399 thats the cheapest Ive seen it for, if you go on the official Line 6 web site theres a demo of streets that they recreated with the pod pro rack, which is the main riff, its created with stereo delay by the way, well thats the way they have done it, Im just thinking is it right sounds okay, but could be a better mix, anyway I will leave that up to you, when you visit the site. I have seen edge using plenty of line 6 products, he recently! had a rack mounted distortion unit made for him for the how to dismantle an atomic bomb album because he was using DM4 distortion modeler to program his tones in. Of course the distortion units can only hold four preset locations, so he went to line 6 and they made him his very own rack mounted version with 99 preset programs, I hope they decide to make it available to the general public. But im definatley going to get a pod xt and a echo pro to go with my vox, great demo of the intro on streets by the way, but you definatley also need to take into account edge's playing style, just as one other person on this page commented on. Now I will go and dance! dance! in the poison rain.

-- Dave here, Mar 5, 2005

This sure is a fine site. Thanks for all your hardwork Tim and making it available, I salute you U2 started playing there own songs because they couldn't play anyone elses, how different it would be if they formed a year later when they were a bit more trained and started doing shit covers. The Edge through his lack of knowing has created a sound that noone can ever fully reconstruct, making this man a genius.

-- Neal, Mar 22, 2005

Holding a pick sideways puts more pick on the string, making a slightly thicker sound. That was the apparent purpose of Edge with holding the pick that way. He's been doing that since at least 1978/79. See the picture on page 83 in the book 'U2, The Early Days'. A clean amp cranked 3/4 on or more to get the right amp tone, with the Electro-Harmonix Memory Deluxe at proper settings gives the classic Boy era sound. Delay and chorus are used together generally. Electric Co. from live examples, doesn't seem to use chorus. I Will Follow, Gloria, Rejoice seem to have the same delay speed - they're the fastest. Stories for Boys and Out of Control, faintly slower. Twilight, An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart slightly slightly slower, 11 O'clock Tick Tock sounds good at both of the last two speeds - either Out of Control speed or Twilight speed. If you don't get the natural, more or less, slightly overdriven sound of a clean channel amp - the nourishing volume level, that ! is, when it goes into a somewhat physical body realm - you'll be somewhat missing out. 3/4 on or more with your amp volume. Other things to consider are having an additional delay pedal(for songs with different delay parts, such as 'Gloria', and, just to have another setting for another song at the ready), a super phaser pedal(at least for 'A Day without Me' guitar parts, he also played with it live during the early part of the Boy tour, plus, I guess, an analog phaser for the bridge of Boy/Girl - fucking rad sound), an equalizer pedal for volume/tone boosts for parts of a song( such as the guitar slide on 'Gloria', and possible metal mute-crunch parts with 11 O'clock Tick Tock renditions, and other songs where that might sound good), and reverb possibly, and a tuner. 11 O'clock Tick Tock is a Silver Lining I Will Follow and Touch...Into the Heart of Another Time, Another Place.

-- scott, Mar 28, 2005

I must admit that this site sent me out of my mind. I have been studying Edge's sounds and delay for about 15 years. It is just amazing what I found here. I am completely fixed on edge's sound on Where the streets... One big question: at each main delay (350-380ms) repetition you hear that peculiar 'twang' at the end of each ringing... HOW CAN I REPRODUCE THAT SOUND NOT OWNING A SDD3000??? Is it the modulation feature of the SDD3000 or a particular effect setup? Please somebody reply!!!

-- Alessandro Busetto, Apr 8, 2005

Alright again everyong, like I said before I decided to treat myself to a Pod xt pro rack mount version, with stereo delay which apparentley is what The Edge uses, I wired the rig up to my vox stereo amplifier and began to read the manual, this is what the manual says under the heading STEREO DELAY. Ever asked yourself, "How did The Edge ( U2 ) get that groovy sound on Where The Streets Have No Name" ? Stereo Delays, my friend. It's the secret to many a U2 song, as well as the "Big L.A. Solo" sound of the late '80's. Set one side as a fast echo with many repeats, and the other as a slow delay with just a few repeats. Viola, you're famous! Run this effect post in order to hear it in stereo, with one delay on the left, and another on the right. The Time parameter sets the left delay time, while offset sets the right delay time as a percentage of the left. So, if you set TIME to 500ms, and OFFSET to 50%,your right delay time will be 50% off 500ms-in other words, 250ms. Ig! noring the particular value of the left delay time, 50% just means that your right delay happens in half the time. So if you think of the left delay as a quarter note, the right delay is an eighth note. The second page of parameters for this model gives you independent left and right FEEDBACK controls, so for instance you can have your left delay feedback set low for a small number of repeats, while the right feedback is set high to give you a large number of repeats. You can also dial in the tempo in one of the digital pages on the pod xt pro, It was easier to dial the bpm in for streets, you can also use note values which I have done, by selecting an eighth dotted note, so that my delay falls inbetween the notes im playing, if you have ever seen U2 GO HOME LIVE FROM SLANE CASTLE ILAND, I surgest you buy the DVD. By the way the set up I'm using is a VOX Valvetronix AD120VTX, Pod XT pro and a 1970 Stratocaster, black with a white scratch plate. The Pod XT already come! s loaded with the patch STREETS HAVE NO NAME, but the delay was set at 120 and the note value was not right either, so you will need to adjust them. Alessandro Busetto, Its possibley the delay your talking about or the actual guitar hes playing which is a 1970's stratocaster like mine, when I play my stratocaster it does have a certain jangley ring to it, when the tone control lever is set to the fourth position, I would invest in a pod, you could go for the smaller version if you want to, like the pod xt, the little bean shaped effects unit, GO TO www.line6.com and check the site out and listen to some of there demo's wich they have recorded there selves. good luck!

-- Dave, Apr 9, 2005

My little offering here is to back up the guy who said Edge used Roland Space Echos at first, I saw him in Nottingham Boat Club on the very first Boy tour in England. Thre were about fifty people in the room that night. And there were no digital delays on the market in 1980 as far as I know. Another contributor to the site was a wee bit coy about the secret of The Edge's technique. First of all do use a dimpled pick like a nylon Dunlop upside down. Use upstrokes for certain sounds, notably the guitar solo in "One" There is another useful skill to master. Much of the Edge's technique is in his right hand, as you will find if you watch Irish folk guitarists accompanying a tune. Well put simply, you need to practice your triplets. A good staring point is an Irish jig rhythm,(6/8) Strke: down, down, up, down, down, up, to the rhythm of the saying, "rashers and sausages". ONE two three FOUR five six. "RA-shers-and-SAU-sa-ges." Honest,I do not kid you. Then add your! delays. Bingo!

-- Aidan, Apr 22, 2005

hello again, if any of you are looking for the picks Edge uses, they are called 'Herdim' picks made in west germany. i get them for about .75 cents a piece. they are a must for that crisp cut sound. Edge uses the blue "heavy" ones they are also available in medium "red". hope this helps. i love them.

-- Austin Hinegardner, Apr 22, 2005

THE EDGE...THE BEST... SOY DE COLOMBIA Y HE SEGUIDO A U2 DESDE HACE 6 A OS APROXIMADAMENTE..EL PODER DEL SONIDO DE LAS DIFERNTES GUITARRAS Y EL LARGO TRABAJO QUE ES SENTARSE FRENTE A UN AMPLI Y UNOS EFECTOS A CONSTRUIR LA IDENTIDAD DE UNO COMO GUITARRISTA, MERECE EL RECONOCIMIENTO DEL MUNDO DE LA MUSICA Y SU ALREDEDOR. GRACIAS POR ESTAR..........DL

-- Camilo Sanchez, Apr 23, 2005

Awesome! Keep up the good work!

-- U2 Fan, Apr 23, 2005

Alright again, I ordered some herdim picks from a company called http://www.hobgoblin.com/local/contfram.htm you will find them if you go to this link, they are about 60p each, I got 20 of them for 12 pound, they except cards such as visa, switch, solo. Let me tell you they are great, really bring out the chimey sound on the strings and gives them more of a higher pitch keep up the good work on this site, its really cool and another thing what would be good is to find out how the organ intro for where the streets have no name is played, I have tryed researching it my self but Im no keyboard player, I ve been told that hes probabley using intervals of the chords for strreets, but I cant seem to get my head around what an interval is and Ive tryed the chords from the tab for the guitar but they dont really sound correct, so it would be really great if someone some where had mastered this technique and could post there comments on here explaining to us how the organ int! ro is played. thanks!

-- Dave, Apr 23, 2005

Whoah...i knew this existed *somewhere*!!! The Edge is the best! Who else can dress like a 14 year old and still look cool? Who else can wear beanies in the summer, be the anti-rockstar, and play "Streets" like the Edge? NO ONE!!!!

-- Guitar player and fan, Apr 27, 2005

Hey... this is very useful information. I'd like to thank you for this investigation. I would also like to add that the Edge has been getting into a lot of the new Line 6 stuff thats out now. They also use live sequences that can send midi sync signals to his rig. I myself use the edge's sound for a lot of non- U2 music and I use a lot of diffrent resorces to get his sound. I've used the Lin 6 POD xt, a Digitech rp20 and NI's Guitar rig and its not too hard to get his sound. I don't use amps because we all have in ear monitoring and we don't like stage noise very much. Thanks for the info!!!! Anthony

-- Anthony, May 5, 2005

one of the greatest guitarists of alltimee....noo doubt about it..hes amazing...but the new u2 album really sucks...great info...i find it really hard getting his sound though

-- david, May 10, 2005

Heya, Thanks for the great info on his echos!!! Will keep intouch with your site. Take care! JB http://www.johnnybeane.com

-- Johnny Beane, May 11, 2005

I have found this to be a wonderful source of Info into Edge's "unique" style. This by far is the most in-depth I have found and he has definately done his investigation... keep up the good work! You have answered alot of my questions. Thanks!

-- Jason, May 16, 2005

Hi, Great site. I appreciate your enthusiasm and research. This is what's great about the Web.... keep it up!

-- The Hitmaker, May 25, 2005

The sample mp3 are just horrible!!

-- captain, May 26, 2005

Hey, Nice work. I'm not sure you're spot on in most areas, but you're on the right track. If ever any of you want help recreating Edge's sound, stop by www.u2sound-forum.com. You'll be amazed at all the information the guys there can hook you up with. Edge's gear and technique are all we talk about 24/7. So stop by sometime. =)

-- Eric, May 26, 2005

Absolutely love this site....glad I came across it. I don't care if it's spot on but it's a GREAT resource and a great place to get started picking apart those tricky delays he uses. And to the guy that said the mp3s suck....I would take a shit in your mouth. Where is your website?? Where are your mp3s?? They are examples....not absolute studio takes. I hope wherever you are posting from smells like farts. Kind regards, Charles

-- Charles, May 27, 2005

I cannot stand The "U2" sound. It is annoying and muddled sounding - not to mention it all sounds the same. Turn off the effects and you've got a guy beating the stew out of 2 strings on his guitar. To say "The Edge" is the greatest guitar player of all time is simply laughable.

-- Just My Opinion, May 29, 2005

I wish I played the guitar like You...

-- OneLazyBastard, May 30, 2005

Can You send me Your tabs for Where The Streets Have No Name (You played it so great..)? This song got mysterious power. I try to play it for about... half of a year - and still nothing.. still sounds suck. Pleaaaaaaase! You'll be my Jedi Master (Well, actually You are) if You 'learn' me Streets. Just tabs.. and how i should tune my guitar? Half-a-step, i know... but to Bb? Best wishes Bartek Nawrotek P.S. Walk On played by You is sooooooo greaaaat! I'm listening it now for about 50th time . P.S.2. Sorry for my bad english.

-- OneLazyBastard, May 30, 2005

Edge's delay in fast way for any song? Look for Boss dd5 (out of production!): MODE 9 and insert tap tempo. Easy! Bye...

-- Amoniaka, June 2, 2005

Hi Tim this is very interesting indeed. I have been emulating Edge's sound for twenty years. I am now in a U2 tribute band in the UK and getting a good sound, however, the ultimate Edge sound is so elusive. I am excited by your ideas here and will try them out. I use SDD3000 and TC 2290 delays. I will report back

-- Steve, June 3, 2005

Pwned!!

-- The Edge, June 3, 2005

Just to add- i went to see U2 many years between 1980 to date and was lucky enough to get a look backstage and on stage in 1987! now............dont shoot me but ill try and help with another idea on how he gets that bell like tone to the likes of Pride, still havent found, streets and bad (from looking at his rig!) PS This is for Live work only- his studio sound has a lot of double and even triple tracking as our site host says- especially Pride which has 6 guitar parts- Im happy to tell you how to do that one! Well how about Mr Evans live for the above mentioned tracks: He uses his black strat with seymours and a 1975 original depending on his mood for still havent found , He was still using the MXR dynacomp as a compressor/booster set at half ( 30) on Ebay! through his eventide EQ with the mid bosted slightly. It then seems to run through one of his Delays (AND yes he does still use the Electro harmonix for some songs).

NOW the next bit is crucial-! Then ...! the set up enters one of his AC30's THIS IS THE TOP BOOST VERSION MADE BY JENNNINGS AND HAD (IN 1987) THE ORIGINAL BLUE SPEAKERS. He has it set using the brilliant channel with the volume set at 3/4. basically the combination of his compression (to boost the gain going into the ac30) actually drives the valves into compressing themselves slightly. Normally this produces nice overtones anyway but if you have the 'Streets' Delay set up and upstroke the first note (d) played on the top e string you get that note a little louder and consequently that gives the bell type tone in each bar, its subtle but it IS there. You will never produce that without an AC30 top boost- why do you think he doesnt use more modern amp with the tonelab- cos its not quite right maybe? So, if you wanna get close or those clean sounds of bad etc my suggestion is to use a dynacomp to overdrive your db going into the amp post delay. Failing this a Vox amp/peaker simulator with top tweaked EQ.!

Heres TIP 1: Most multi FX pedals chain via the overdrive and then have the delay at the END of the chain to keep the signal clean. This is the critical point- you want THE OPPOSITE-to delay the sound and THEN slightly clip it at the amp end for Edge type sounds. this is 25 years of listening to Edge watching and playing U2 songs. if you ave a Boss GT3/5 ect you can change where the delay sits. You will notice that with the AC30 clipping slightly you can turn the feedack control (repeats) DOWN a little as the amp enters into its natural distortion with the MXR compressor TIP 2: use 011 gauge strings- a strat with 9's WILL NOT ring with a bell like tone at all! Edge only uses 11s and 12's as some of his tunings are dropped a semi tone or more (sunday bloody sunday live has a Japanese telecaster dropped a full tone and played open as the record so Bono can get the high notes. if you try that with 009's it will sound like your playing a comb and paper! So: picture ! this Strat with 011's and lace sensors if you cant get seymour duncans-MXR Dynacomp-EQ with mid boosted slightly-SDD3000 delay or replicate this by using a little high cut on the delays settings if you have a Boss GT3/6- AC30TB at 3/4 in brilliant channel. Anyway guys- I hope some of this helps as i know many of us have tried and I take my hat off to anyone offering advice here . Ive just been lucky enough to get close enough to see the rig! I havent begun to talk about his overdriven sounds sorry. Feel free to email me and tell me how you get on if you try the set up as described. PS. In 1981 he run his basic EHM MM and MXR rig through an AC30TB and a marshall 4x12 extension cab for the early tours - See the old Whistle test clips of I will follow and youll see him manually move the delay time at the start of each song

-- neil, June 17, 2005

Thanks for all your hard work and effort you've put into this web site. The Edge is not only an awesome guitar player but he's a true musician. He has obviously explored and experimented every possible sound the guitar is capable of producing - suppose thats why so many guitar players are intrigued with his sound. This site has given me some technical insights to his guitar playing thats helped me finally get close to playing "Pride" - the correct way. Keep up the good work and hope to see some updates. For those of you who don't appreciate the genius behind Edge's technique and sound, you should stick with your three- chord bands and go buy another Green Day album. Peace out.

-- Kevin, June 17, 2005

Great site, excellent work -- obviously I am a fan of the man, and I have to say that using my Korg SDD2000 in conjunction with an old Ibanez DUE400 creates pretty accurate renditions. I had searched for the Korg for about 5 years before one cropped up - and would never part with it. It's the mainstay of my setup for many reasons, though that also now includes various EQ's and miscellaneous other effects. One person mentioned that all versions of Bad suck after Live Aid. I beg to differ: Rattle & Hum, the movie that is, has an excellent version of Bad as far as listening to the nuances of the delay is concerned. Same goes for the version contained on the "Wide Awake in America" EP. That has a really thick sound to it, partly in respect of the pick action and muting. In fact when learning that song years ago I had changed the way I hold my pick - and have stayed that way for the last 10 years. Excellent work, keep it up.

-- Alan, June 18, 2005

You state that 425ms isn't "in time" for All I Want Is You, as it doesn't match a dotted eighth note (483ms). However, it almost exactly matches a quarter note triplet (430ms at 93bpm). And 425ms exactly matches a quarter note triplet at 94bpm. So you might want to update the file on AIWIY.

-- Lyle Caldwell, Jun 20, 2005

You're amazing! This is great stuff. Only thing that i'd add is that the ticka-ticka in Pride can be reasonably well emulated by left-hand muting the high e string (in Pride it would be C# at the 9th fret). It's a big tricky to get it clean, but once you lock in on it, you end up obviating the need for the second guitar overdub (i've heard rumor that the Edge uses Scotch tape on that string, but i doubt it -- no cheating is required). Btw, i owe this little trick to Scott Woodward who turned me on to your site.

-- Graham Edwards, June 20, 2005

Great site, i just bought the line 6 D4 Delay modulator.It is excellent..It has many settings and a good manual explaining the edges' sounds.It has a "Boy" setting and a newer "Streets have no name setting. Its not perfect but its close.I think I need a good compressor to go with it though just for some balls for the solos..Check it out...

-- Kevin Mc, June 30, 2005

Hi Nice research however if you watch any footage i.e. elevation or Pop you will see that Streets only uses TC2290 B, TC2290 A and SDD's have no signal indicator. You are Way over complicating things. Yes Edge does use two delays sometimes but that is normally for the big outros or soaring solos!!! Streets live has always been played with one TC2290 and Bad has always beenplayed using one SDD3K!! Check out any live footage and you can clearly see this!!! He has a long signal path all these components add up to his sound especially his 60's Vox PS - have you ever played or owned a SDD or TC2290????

-- Paul, June 30, 2005

Anyone tell me what Fender vintage amp the Edge is using on the Vertigo tour, looks like an old Fender Twin or Vibrolux?

-- Dermot, July 6, 2005

no i can'T but i can raccomend you the book "Play guitar with the Best Of U2" good book, 2 cds, tab, notes, chords and delay times (30 )

-- Remo, July 7, 2005

Ye, play the best of U2 is a great book special the one with the two CD's, there are others, but this one has the most songs in it, here's a list of the songs. Great backing track, the only backing track I was slightly disapointed with was streets, as there is not much of the organ at the beginning, and 0 organ at the end, as for the rest of the tracks where pretty great. All I want is you Beautiful Day Desire Elevation Even Better than the Real Thing Hold Me Thrill me Kiss Me Kill Me I Still Haven't Found What Im Looking For New Years Day One Pride ( In The Name Of Love) Sunday Bloody Sunday Where The Streets Have No Name I paid 19.95 you could obviously get it cheeper than that on the net.

-- David Bentick, July 9, 2005

thankx for the great info on U2's guitar sound. It helped me a lot. I have a simple request that if you could add some more info on the EQ Settings.

-- Hinti, July 19, 2005

Great site....blew my mind...we do a U2 tribute (montreal, canada) and asside from playing the tunes tightly, we look to emulate the U2 sound..the content of you study will be very useful to me in the near future as I am the 6 string guy...for now, I use the line 6 stereo delay unit...it does a fantastic job..from emulating the memory man sound on early U2 tunes to the full stereo delay on streets...obviously the standard settings with taps is not the exact pure edge sound but I find it's close enough considering the investment (300$) (and most of the audiences musical memory of the tune). I run the left and right out's to 2 fender deluxe or twin reverb amps set at left and right extremeties of the stage placing the sweet spot right in the crowd (a little of PA presence is also good)...the rest is all in the kick ass energy and stage presence of U2 rock an roll.. Thanks for you study...will learn and apply for next practice.. See ya ! PS came accross a great Ed! ge/tech/rig atricle this month (august or september issue) of guitar player or guitar magazine...they compare Edge's rig to the NASA control centre...

-- claude moureaux, July 21, 2005

Hi Tim and everyone; Very Goood job with edge'delay study!!! About the boss dd-20 i confirm that it has a mod delay, and play so cool (try to believe...) also this pedal has a lot of functions like reverse, looping, stereo etc....not good like sdd 3000/2000, but less expensive and finally a pretty delay unit! Hallo hallo everyone.......

-- doctorpride, July 25, 2005

hello to tim and all the great people here at this website i stumbled onto this site sunday morning july 31st 2004 it is awesome and of huge importance to people who love u2 the bands songs...and dave (the edge ) evans ..heavenly guitar tones ! i started following u2 back in 1983 and i was fully aware of them since i believe 1981 when boy came out ..i was a sophmore in high school...i was so in love with the live at red rocks guitar tone and ..also brian may of queen and rory gallagher's guitar tone i had to buy a vox ac30....well i have 3 of them now..an ac 30 is very important..to get the old and new sounds of ..the edge ..other things like a parametric eq and a korg delay unit are extremely important as i see it...compressors are a good idea..mxr..dyna comps are good...for a u2 type tone...line 6 gear is also a good idea to have when trying to get the edge's tones...but now something new has emerged in the edge's tone arsenal..and im quite happy to chase this! tone...also..! i hear he is using old tweed deluxes from the 1950's is this true..? does anybody know anything about this plz help me..?? i have owned a 1957 tweed deluxe fender amp....in the past but im thinking of getting 2 replica deluxe amps off of ebay...my question is this ...does anybody know what tubes the edge is using inside his deluxe amps..? what speakers he is using inside the deluxe amps..? and are they tweeked out to produce more watts..?i hear if u push a deluxe they can go as high as 21 watts is it true..?? if u tweak the circuit..? ok folks if anybody wants to know more about my band and my songs feel free to go to my website and listen to my vox ac 30s...full blast...ha ha hope u like it ..drop me a line @ www.vallesflyingmachinemusic.com i always love to hear from serious guitar tone people...! have a great day everybody and what pedals and effects he is using on his deluxe amps..plz advise somebody out there has got to know this stuf! f plz advise...

-- texas joe valles jr , July 31, 2005

Congratulation for your job. Very exaustive. I appriciate it very much.

-- fab_lupo, Aug 1, 2005

i have no idea what your talking about. i really dont. i wish i did. but i dont.

-- srv, Aug 3, 2005

BOSS DD20 GIGADELAY. I have the Line 6 DL4 that I use for long Edge delays. For the second shorter delay, I use the Boss DD20. I have a third cheap delay unit I use for the 5ms-20ms. The modulated setting on the Boss DD20 sounds great to me although maybe not as deep as the DL4. You can even adjust the level of modulation on the DD20 if you read the manual. The greatest thing about the Boss DD20 is the display for exact speed of the delay, and it has 4 presets (5 theoretically when you have manual mode set to a specific setting). If you need 225ms, you simply dial in 225ms. With other delays without the display, it's a guessing game. So if Tim suggests a 410ms and a 290ms (Walk On for example), I use the Boss DD20 to find the 410ms speed, apply that speed to my DL4, and then dial in the 290ms on the DD20. I mean, who can find 410ms out of thin air without a little help?

-- JK, Aug 11, 2005

WHAT KIND OF GUITAR DOES THE EDGE USE!?!?!?!?!

-- Taylor, Sep 8, 2005

Edge uses such guitars as telecasters, one in particular which is white in colour but I have no idea what year its from probabley 70, Ive seen him use this guitar live for sunday bloody sunday, he also has a yellow telecaster for vertigo. He uses a 1970s stratocaster with the large head stock for where the streets have no name, Bad, all I want is you, Bullet the blue sky he has a few of these strats one with a white scratch plate and his old one with the black scratch plate which hes started using again for playing streets for the vertigo tour. last time I saw him playing pride was with a fender stratocaster, somthing similar to the 50th aniversary model that fender brought out which is sunburst colour. he uses, a gold top gibson les paul for Until the end of the world, and a ivory coloured gibson les paul with twin pick-ups for the fly. he has a rickenbacker 350 guiter 12 string for mysterious ways, he uses a fernandes native x with the built in sustainer circuit! for with or with out you, I seen him with two models, one can be seen on the elevation video and the other he used at the vertigo tour which is silver and is available, the other which he used on the elevation tour was green sparkle with a mint green scratch plate, this had been modified by the looks of it with a fernandes retro rocket neck and headstock in maple, thats the light coloured wood, it also had white coloured pick-ups single coil which look like a type called hot rail made by dimearez, I think thats how you spell it, theres plenty of web sites where you can purchase these pick-ups, instead of there being 6 rounded magnets on the pic ups, they have two rails going from top to bottom, thats why they are called hot rails. My surgetion is get one of there dvds of them playing live, elevation or u2 go home live from slane, they have got a new dvd coming out in october, apperentley I guess its from the vertigo tour, so if ya wanna wait for that you can but Im n! ot sure if its true, in any case youle get some great footage of edge his great instruments which you can study and research them. like many people have commented on his his bell like tone, which is a combination of pick-ups, strings and his vox amp and like many people say he modifies his guitars, I modified mine recentley, with Lace Holy Grail pick-ups, and when my amps cranked correctley and the guitar is fitted with 11 guage strings, and Ive dialed in a bit of EQ, its sounds big and beefy.

-- Dave, Sep 9, 2005

Thanks for all your hard work, I've really enjoyed reading ALL OF IT !!! As a big fan of U2 since 1984, I've always loved the melodic chimes of The Edge's guitar, and I listened to your MP3"s and I really liked them, Thanks again for all your hard work and sharing it with all of us !!

-- Mario Herrera, Sep 11, 2005

Line6 POD Xt Live - effect: analog delay w/mod

-- Tomek, Sep 21, 2005

Another Edge secret that I did not see mentioned above- He uses RotoSound strings (12 or 13 gauge)- They give that longer ringing sound which you will not get from thin strings.

-- Kevin, Sep 21, 2005

LOOOOOOOOL, you are kind of freaks

-- Anonymus, Oct 5, 2005

rock on

-- yav, Oct 10, 2005

Very interresting site even if i don't agree some of your comments However i m looking for the delay time of Hold me and also the bmp thanks again

-- Didy, Oct 11, 2005

I play Christian music and we use the Edge's sound a lot..Thanks so much for helping us get it right..Great detail. I've been using and old Line 6 and you can't decide in which order the effects are in..BR

-- Bruce Raybourn, Oct 22, 2005

hi, this is the edge here - all you lot fob off and stop taking my bag of tricks alright! or Ill set the short singer on you all.,.,. bugger, hes off talking to tony blair.,.

-- , Nov 2, 2005

Excuse me but, i think that the best possibility to aproximate to edge sound is to configure the gear. I have a pod xt live and a v-amp2. I suggest to put your patch for all the people. If you want, you can send me it to my email, and I send you my presets. Thanks to all.

-- mou, Nov 4, 2005

I think it was the Smooth setting on the boss dd20 that gave alittle reverb in the signal and added delay on top. Very Edgeesque.

-- SteveR, Nov 6, 2005

good site congrats

-- deltagoodremrox, Nov 27, 2005

I play in a band called "The Interference". We play alot of U2 stuff. I have played guitar for over 15 years, and have always been frustrated with trying to nail The Edge's sound is several sounds. The delay explainations, pick info, and tempos are right on the money. Thanks so much for putting all your hard work into this site. Mod Delays Rule! (Especially through my AC30!)

-- J. Bagwell, Nov 27, 2005

Hi There. What an awesome site! I really thought I was an Anorak all by myself until I discovered this site! I have been trying for years (about 15) to get some of The Edges sounds and it looks like I finally get to go closer to The Edge! A forum on here would be nice. Thanks, Smo in the UK.

-- Gary Smallman AKA SMO, Dec 4, 2005

What setting should I use on a digitech whami peddle to sound like the edge? Can you give me some aprox setting for my deluxe memory man I'm getting one soon and there are only knobs no numbers on them! How do you get that electric sound at the begining of elevation? That wha wha wha wha sound at the start. I think it's a digitech, gain peddle, and a whaw peddle?

-- edge wanabe, Dec 4, 2005

Thanks!! this was exactly what i was looking for:-) mike from switzerland

-- Mike, Dec 7, 2005

Hi great site, just got a Boss dd-20 giga delay and it does work very well, especially on the modulated delay setting. The nice thing is you can adjust the level of modulation, so on Pride I kick it up heavy and on others, like Streets I do a more subtle modulation. Amazing how important adding a little, or a lot, of modulation is for the Edge sound, didn't realize this until I found your site, now I'm much closer to capturing it.

-- Mike, Dec 9, 2005

Was alson wondering if someone would put all of this great info. on a spreadsheet i.e., columns labeled Song, Delay 1, Delay 2, Modulation etc... Would be a great tool in lieu of hunting each song and related setting down in the site.

-- Mike, Dec 9, 2005

This is freaking unbelievable. Thanks for all your work on this. I appreciate its accuracy (and so do my audiences)!

-- Ryan, Dec 9, 2005

Forgive the simple question as I am a novice....today's delay pedals have a feedback and mix setting....does anyone know what edge's settings for "feedback" and "mix" are for his delay? It seems these settings are so important....thx....great site. Phil

-- , Dec 10, 2005

Can somone please tell me what pedal effect the edge uses right BEFORE the LIVE version of City of Blinding Lights. It seems so smooth sound.... thank you

-- bob, Dec 10, 2005

OK. your internet site is wonderful! thank you for all the edge's fans and the guitar players. just for the edge fan's, just remember = fender strat->0.13 strings-> dimarzio bridge pickup Fs-1 and fender stock pickup in //-> mxr dynacomp -> delays (1 echo with modulation) (see this nice site) -> vox ac30. ( pride, where the streets... etc..) thank you and best regards. denis

-- denis, Dec 13, 2005

respect to all you edge wannabees, to try an imatate such a ledgend requires such a lot of time and money that none off us could afford, i own a vox ac30 amp plus a memory man the vox which inheareted from my father and an dodgy memory man i picked up on ebay which iv re- solderd for the third time last wednesday before i new off these kind off effects i used to bore myself to tears playing straight through the amp but i must say i picked up a zoom 707 about 3 years ago and for all you guitarists that dont have the money needed for a sdd3000 and korg a3 it just about did the trick to all none edge ears but u will find such tracks like bad and all i want is you off the zoom patch data abase you can pick up a 707 which has every effect your looking for if not the best but cheap and easy to use. i was in new york resently and picked up a boss gt8 and would be happy if any body knows some kick ass edge patches i can use, great site but what happened to the u2 sound site! every time i log on all i get is a black screen anyway keep up the good work, respect!!

-- michael mackintosh, Dec 17, 2005

This was a grand read. Very helpful, too, with such technicality over the delay settings. Thank you for doing all the homewrok for us other guitarists!

-- Kate, Dec 19, 2005

Hi. I have a Behringer V-amp 2, which has a massive section on delay settings in it's editor, but the problem is they're all in BPM. Can anyone convert 320ms (city of blinding lights) to BPM for me? I can NEVER get it right with tapping...

-- Patrick FitzGerald, Dec 23, 2005

Thanks man, I was looking for site about The Edge's sound and your site helped me a lot!!! Merry Christmas!

-- Giannis_K, Dec 24, 2005

I found this to be quite resourceful, thanks for your time and effort on this. Also I own the Line6 Echo Park if any one has any information or advice on some edge related delay times or anything like that please email me... da_trippa_on_trance@hotmail.com, cheers.

-- Adrian Calderaro, Dec 25, 2005

Does anyone know if the edge uses Ducking delay live? Jake

-- Jacob Blount, Dec 26, 2005

I am a beginner guitarist (from the standpoint I started when I was eight and didn't keep up with it) and saw U2 twice for the first time live on the Vertigo tour. Was astounded by the amount of processing power The Edge uses. This site is excellent - obviously a lot of time and effort went into it. I purchased the Vertigo DVD (filmed in Chicago) and there are some close-ups of The Edge's effects - both the control switching box on the floor and the effect boxes on top of his rack in the back. Does anyone have any comments on what the effects are on the top of the rack and on what songs does he use them? The colors, shapes and knobs should help identify them. For example I noticed a Big Muff distortion box (basic metal box with red and black markings, three plastic knobs and a basic on/off switch) and an Ibanez Tube Screamer (bright green peddle) because I used to have these back in highschool. Also, what are the rack mounted units in the box behind him with! all the blinking lights? Also, see this old snapshot of The Edge's old set-up. I noticed some of the same effects on the Vertigo DVD. Ibanez Tube Screamer seems to be a new addition since then. http://www.customaudioelectronics.com/photo_gallery.htm Finally, can someone recommend the basic effects, etc. that a beginner like me should purchase to get the U2 sound? The information on this site is excellent, but a little overwhelming. Also, anyone have the distortion type and settings, and other effect settings for Vertigo? Thanks to everyone for posting the great information. I will try to contribute going forward. Hopefully the link above and the Vertigo DVD reference helps. Michael O'Hare - NYC

-- Michael O'Hare, Dec 26, 2005

Just found this also (but a little dated).... http://www.guitarraonline.com.ar/set%20the%20edge.htm EDGE'S RACK SYSTEM(S): Juice Goose Power Rack 200, Custom Audio Electronics Dual Stereo Line Mixer, Rocktron Patchmate, TC Electronics 2290 Digital Delay (para "Streets" y "Bullet the blue sky"), Rocktron DVC Dynamic Volume Controller (para el pedal de volumen), Korg A3, Korg Delay SDD3000, Yamaha SPX100, Electrix FilterFactory (para "Elevation"), AMS 1580S Digital Delay Line Pitch Changer (para "All I want is You"), Roland VG8, Eventide Ultra Harmonizer H3000 (para "Lemon" y "Beautiful day"), Infinte Guitar Sustain ("With or Without You"), Line 6 Pod Pro (reemplazan a los equipos Randall en la gira Elevation). EDGE'S EFFECTS: Boss Equalizer GE-7, Boss Super Overdrive SD-1, Boss Turbo Overdrive OD-2, Boss Compression Sustainer CS-2, Dunlop Dallas Fuzz Face, TC Electronics Preamp, afinador Boss TU12H, TC Electronics Dual Parametric Equalizer, Pearl Graphic EQ GE-09, ! Boss Overdrive OD-2, Electro Harmonix Big Muff, Lovetone Doppelganger ("Discotheque/Staring at the sun"), Lovetone Big Cheese ("Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me"), Lovetone Meatball ("Please"), Digitech Whammy, pedal de volumen Boss, inal mbrico Sony UHF WRR37.

-- Michael O'Hare, Dec 26, 2005

One more of interest.... CLOSE TO THE EDGE by Chris Gill; published in Guitar World, September 1997 U2 Guitar Tech Dallas Schoo on the Edge's Mofo Rig Piled high on the left side of the PopMart tour stage is a stack of equipment so imposing that it makes NASA's Mission Control look like an amateur ham radio station. This impressive array of gear may seem like overkill, but according to the Edge's guitar tech, Dallas Schoo, who has worked with the guitarist since 1985 and who previously worked with Prince and The Police, it's a collection of essential items that enables the Edge to reproduce the many sounds he's concocted on U2's albums. "This is the same setup that the Edge uses in the studio," says Schoo. "When the band plays songs form the old albums, the Edge wants his old sounds. We have everything from a bunch of stomp boxes that were used on Boy, War and The Joshua Tree to a number of rack effects and Lovetone pedals that were added for the Pop album." On! e irreplaceable effect is the Edge's Korg SDD-3000 digital delay. "That's one of his favorites because it has so much warmth," says Schoo. "Most of the albums were made with that delay." Other processors in the Edge's rack include a Roland SDE-3000 digital delay and Yamaha SPX90, Korg A3, Rocktron Replifex, DigiTech 2112 and Eventide H3000 multi-effectors. He also carries a full array of pedals, including Dunlop Fuzz Face, Dunlop and Bradshaw multiple-wah systems, several Boss distortion units, an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, and Lovetone's Big Cheese distortion Doppelganger phaser and Meatball envelope follower. The Edge's favorite stomp box is the DigiTech Whammy. "He uses that a lot," says Schoo. "He's starting to use it on songs that didn't originally feature it. We tried the newer models, but the Edge kept hitting the large bypass button and shutting the effect off. I ran an ad in Vintage Guitar magazine for old WH1 Whammy pedals, and we got such great response ! that we now have eight of them." According to Schoo, there are 48 different effects and seven different amplifiers in the Edge's rig. To control all this equipment he uses four custom Bradshaw controllers-two on stage and another two off stage which are controlled by Schoo while the Edge ventures onto the satellite stage or away from his setup. "One of the controllers lets him engage any amp he pleases, which keeps the sound man real busy," laughs Schoo. "It's amazing what he'll experiment with in the show. He'll take chances turning on a high output amp that might be too much for the song, but he'll control it with his volume pedal. And while he's experimenting, he's storing programs. I'll be looking down at my controller while I'm tuning his guitars, and I'll see these lights flashing on and off. He's quite an amazing artist." Since day one, the Edge has relied almost exclusively on Vox amps, and he carries a variety of vintage models dating from 1964 to 1969 o! n the road with him. "The Voxes have a wonderful, soft tone from being broken in," says Schoo. "I have spares up there, but they don't have the mileage that the other six Voxes do. It really upsets him when he has to use a spare because the tone and the reaction to all the different guitars is incredibly different. But those old Voxes are really undependable. Sometimes the wires catch fire." The Edge also has a pair of Randall RG80 combos that he uses for his "crunch" tones. Besides flaming amplifiers and constantly changing effects programs, one of the biggest challenges of Schoo's tour routine is maintaining the 32 guitars that travel along with the Edge. "He only uses nine of them during the show," notes Schoo, "but I have to come in at about 9 o'clock the night before the show to put strings on all 32 guitars. I leave at about two in the morning. Edge is always the first one in for soundcheck. He comes in anytime between 11 and 1 o'clock, and he wants fresh st! rings on every guitar for every show. He'll always ask me, 'Are these strings fresh?' He demands a lot from me, but he also demands a lot from himself. While the rest of the band goes off to eat he's still up there dialing his sounds in." The Edge's current on stage axes include a '76 Rickenbacker 330-12, a cream '72 Les Paul Custom, a '68 goldtop Les Paul reissue, a Fernandes solidbody with a built-in Sustainer pickup, a Taylor dread nought acoustic and two Gretsch Country Gentlemen-a '65 and a '67. Schoo is involved with every aspect of the Edge's performance except for his solo karaoke spotlight. "I don't want to have anything to do with that," jokes Schoo. "He's out there on his own. So many of my guitar friends who have seen him over the years talk about how he always projected this deep, dark image, and then they see this guy out there in a cowboy hat singing these Monkees songs! They can't fathom it. But it's the only time that there's levity, and it reall! y helps me. If l'm having a tough show, I get a lot of nasty stares from him, but once he comes back from his karaoke moment he's all happy and off we go. I get another chance at life."

-- Michael O'Hare, Dec 26, 2005

does anyone know how to simulate all of the edge's sounds on a line 6 pod? i saw them on 60 minutes and saw his floorboard. is there a way to get all those sounds? i'm not sure how to get the settings to sound like them?

-- dc, Dec 28, 2005

Great page and great information. Currently attempting to play some U2 tabs with my Fender setup and RP80 effects processor (soon to be reviewed by me on www.net-reviews.com. This page has some valuable info! Keep up the good work!

-- Deano, Dec 29, 2005

hey there... the edge is awsum! he plays the guitar really really exquisitly...he is like no other. i am inspired by the edge in the way that i play my guitar. thankyou to all you u2ers out there... y'all keep on rocking out to the sound of the edge!

-- Eliza "Edge" Jnr, Dec 29, 2005

I recently purchased the boss dd-20 and I must say it's probably the only delay you need.....it has a dual mode that you can set to two delay times just ike The Edge. I know he has two seperate delays to 2 amps but thos os just as good if you don't have the recources....I have to tweak the modulation mode and fool with it a bit so i'll get back to that one.

-- Fred, Dec 30, 2005

Thanks for all this info, i believed it is a little bit hard to get any edge's sound but the good thing is that everyone trying to get it, is listening a great music whit a lot of quality dont u think,what i used is the vg88 roland if you work on it you can get a very similar sound, also I used the line 6 POD pro in fact the edge use this processor and other line6 delay processors, I play in a band and we play a lot a u2 songs and sound very good,they have to, because I am a real u2 fan and the songs need to sound so convincent, you know.

-- junior mirless, Jan 2, 2006

GREAT SITE!!!! Thanks for sharings those info with all of us... I WILL continue to FOLLOW you !

-- Fabrizio, Jan 4, 2006

First, I want to say this is a great site. I love your scientific approach to the Edge's sound, it has been very helpful in my own approach to delay settings. I hope one day, my tones will be as highly analyzed as his. In reference to the Boss DD-20, I have to say that dialing in an "Edge-y" type tone is infinitely easier than with the Line 6 products, and the sound is better too. The modulation delay is great and for a single delay unit, it is very powerful. Thank you again for your analysis and contribution to the never ending search for the perfect "tone."

-- Maverick Freilinger, Jan 5, 2006

I'm about to Buy a Flextone 3, In the manual they say you can recreate the "Edge Sound" using The Ping Pong Delay Feature, is this right, cause I don't exactly understand the difference between Ping Pong en Stereo Delay? Great Site BTW, it has already been very helpful

-- Zors, Jan 5, 2006

BIg fan of the edge's sound. i havent tried to mimic any of it on my music but am going to start emulating some of it live. at times i hv already done so but i mostly play acoustic solo songwirter so i am working hard to make it work and not insult the Edge in anyway. i am going to try a lot of these out live and see how it goes. i did once in a AnR conference in LA. just me and acoustic guitar and for some reason it worked. the osund guy was a huge U2 fan so he knew what i was going after and not sure what he did but it was great. it was my original song but very U2 Edge in nature. i was very thrilled and pleased... thnks a million ...best site i hv ever come across so far...wicked... - F the August Story band fm NY www.theauguststory.com

-- the August Story.com, Jan 15, 2006

Hello Big Tim, I got an Echo Park unit for Christmas so I have been happily flipping between Elvis "Slap" settings and of course The U2 constantly! Is there any chance, Timbo, that you could post photos or diagrams for settings like you did above for Echo Park? It would be totally sweet if you had that for individual songs or albums and would make life even better than you have already! Cheers, Timmy Boy

-- Andrew Bennett, Jan 17, 2006

Great site Tim..if a bit mind-boggling at times! And all the other posters giving their views only adds to the site but has also had me lol a few times. I used to own a Boss GT-6 and found using a modulated delay of around 400ms got me close enough...I know I'm never going to get it perfect! Also, to the guy who was asking about the "wa,wa, wa,wa" sound at the begining of "Elevation" , I think (and this is only MY guess) that Edge is using a Digitech Whammy pedal. Don't know what he's using for the overdriven sound, but it sounds like the high-end has been rolled off... "Hold me, Thrill me" has a similar begining and I could get close to that with my GT-6 ....which I've now upgraded to the GT-8. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface with this thing. Anyone else who has one may be interested in the site "www.bossgtcentral.com" which is where i found the link for this site.Thanks again...and keep the posts comin' guys!

-- Gerry, Glasgow, Jan 18, 2006

Hello All! I have a small question, I hope i'm too much off topic. I'm thinking of getting a compressor, ILike you guys i like the EGDEs sound very much, Any good recomandstions? My budget is human( not 1000$) stomp box style, a pedal. I would be glad for any reccomdations! Thanks Terje

-- Terje, Jan 18, 2006

Impressive Study! I just wish i could afford all the gear to try it

-- bassetrox, Jan 18, 2006

To Terje, on the subject of compressors, you can pick up a new Boss CS-3 for around 45 ...dont know where you are mate or I'd try convert it for you....but I think Edge has used a CS-2 before... hope this is of some help.

-- Gerry, Jan 20, 2006

The edge uses the red mxr Dyna comp! It's like 100 bucks

-- edge wanabe, Jan 21, 2006

Hi, my name is humberto, i live in mexico. Just want to say thank you for all this info, im starting to play guitar and my first motivation is to learn U2 songs so thats why I loved this site (THE SECRET IS LETTING GO). Also im really happy because U2 is coming to mexico on february and im going to the show, its going to be my first u2 live experience. WE'LL TEACH BONO SOME SPANISH !!!

-- humberto garc a de celis angel, Jan 22, 2006

POD XT Live: Hi! I uploaded two patches that I made for Streets using the XT Live to the customtone.com website. The first uses stereo delay and the second uses the ping-pong delay. I prefer the ping-pong because it lets you adjust the stereo separation. Anyways, I have used the settings that were suggested on this website and I think it's a pretty top notch reproduction of the effect. If you want to check it out, search the site for the preset called "U2 Streets". Have fun!

-- Daniel Zigman, Jan 25, 2006

help me understand. If I have the ability to dial in the exact ms, is that all I do? Or, do I also need to know if it's dotted eight etc.. My delay has both settings, I can select a dotted eigth and other notes and use a tap tempo. Or, I can dial in the exact ms. If I see a song and it says (270ms) is that all I need?

-- curious guitar player, Jan 30, 2006

Tim, Just want to congratulate you on your brilliant site. I have been playing in a U2 tribute for a few years now and regularly refer to your studies when I am stuck! Keep up the good work. I'd love to hear more of your views on his set up:- amps, pedals, guitars etc. Thanks, Nic www.u2ii.com

-- Nic, Feb 7, 2006

Hey, just wondering does anyone know what kind of pickups the edge has in he's cream Gibson Les Paul Custom, apparently according to he's guitar tech. Dallas Schoo they are Dimarzio pickups, not sure which type but, anyone know?

-- LBJ, Feb 11, 2006

Hello everybody, i've just created a new community about The Edge and about his guitar and his sound. If you want to join, we can discuss there about him The registration is free. The URL is http://edge88.altervista.org/phpBB2/index.php There are only a few users now but you can help the community to grew up! Thanks Bye

-- Fabrizio, Feb 19, 2006

Wow! Thank you so much for the helpful resource, and I just wanted to give some info of my own Just picked up a Boss DD-20 after playing on a DL4 for over a year, and I have to say its infinitely better than the DL4. From the digital display (You want 360ms, you get 360ms) to 4 presets, to the Soound-on-Sound mode, to the modulate delay effect, I just can't get enough of it. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking to learn how to play using delay or is learning the styles of the Edge or Brian May.

-- Matt, Feb 22, 2006

Hi, great site and amazing analysis. Just one question, does anybody now for sure what kind of speakers do the Edege's Vox AC30 amplifiers have (are they silver bulldogs, blue alnico bulldogs, green speakers, ... a mixture of them in the same amp?) and if they are hand wired ones (HW series) or what year of production are his favourite? By the way, in the last vertigo tour, was he using one Vox AC30+Fender in stereo or they were two Vox AC30 in stereo + the Fender in another location (which?) and are you sure that it was a Fender Tweed Deluxe and not a Fender Bassman (and from what year of production)?

-- Miguel , Feb 22, 2006

Great job!! Congratulations for your effort of studying Edge's sound and sharing it with us, regards from all guitar players!! you're amazing

-- Cesar, Brazil, Feb 23, 2006

I have a question...Does any one know what the edge's guitar effects on Zoo Station? Thank you

-- Zach, Feb 26, 2006

Tone rules! I love my Boss DM2 Analog with the Tube Screamer (tso8) for dirty or MXR Phaser (turned way way down) or CE2 Chorus (analog) Do any younger player notice anything? Tone comes from analog it is the true spirit of the digital sample. Get it?

-- Mr.Ed, Feb 26, 2006

Hey guys i've got some questions I don't know anything about this delays, but i bought a DD-6 Boss, and i want to know, if its possible to put this things ''3/16'' on my pedal, it's on the time button?. Please someone answer and help Thanks

-- Joshua, Mar 1, 2006

Does anyone have any thoughts on how Edge got his sound on the song, "Elevation?' I heard it was a custom effect, but curious if anyone has tried to replicate it.

-- John , Mar 4, 2006

Great site, dammit, great site. Anyone have any review of the BOSS ME-50? I was looking for a "user Friendly" multi-effects pedal and I wanted to know what the delay is like on it.

-- Mofo, Mar 5, 2006

Thank you for this amzing site. It is true gift to any guitarist wondering how to incorporate the edge its their playing. It can be a bit of a mystery as to how the genius creates his great art. But, the wool is no longer over our eyes. Thank you very much!

-- Dan K., Mar 6, 2006

Nice article. I have not read ALL of the many great comments, but have enjoyed many of them. I have a few thoughts for someone trying to get up to speed on Edge type delay settings on a budget. You can read more of this at PLAYLIKEAPRO.com 1) Definitely refer to 3/16 delay as dotted 8th as an early poster suggested 2) Think in terms of tempo (the speed of the song), feedback (how many times the delay repeats), and effect level (how loud the delay is in relation to the dry guitar sound) 3) Always use a tap tempo. That way, the setting is always constant and you just tap the tempo in. Trying to figure out the math on a manual calc is ridiculous. Just tap. And furthermore, If the drummer starts to speed up, and they always do, you keep playing and do a corrective tap. You will always be in sync! 4) Try combinations of 1/4 notes and dotted 8th note delays. 5) Play less and let the delay do the work. Frequently Edge is playing simple 1/4 notes --- 1/2/3/4 an! d the delays are doing all the cool rhythms. 6) Use combinations of level and repeats to experiment. Somtimes the Edge uses a dotted 8th note delay with lots of delay volume, but very little repeats. SOmetimes he uses dotted 8th, not so, wet, pumped into a quarter note delay. 7) This is my top-secrect trick for ulimate delay satisfaction...or something like that. I do this with two Boss DD5s. I have not seen a lot of guys do this, so i thought I would pass it on. Here's how I do it: Here's my simplified mono signal chain: guitar >compressor>modulation>volume>delay1>delay2>amp -- ps the volume pedal comes before the delay because when I kill the volume the delays trail off and more importantly the volume swell effect with delays AFTER the volume is the best. Try it you - will never go back. Anyway, I am using two Boss DD5s in a row. The first one is set to the dotted 8th setting, preset 9 or 11 or something, low number of repeats, medium level. It pumps! straight into the second delay pedal, still mono, set to a 1/4 note delay. There I have more repeats and less level. The secret is this USE ONE TAP TEMPO FOR BOTH PEDALS! You can use the regular boss tap tempo with a 1/4" jack splitter from Radio Shack. In other words the output of the tap tempo pedal is connected to the splitter. The splitter is connected to two 1/4" cables. One cable goes to delay 1's tap tempo input, the other to delay 2's tap tempo input. You tap and both pedals are syncd to the beat. Experiment with level and repeats on each pedal (using them in line, mono, causes them to affect each other). Thanks for reading. U2 rocks. Jim

-- Jim, Mar 6, 2006

Hi folks, yes, the secret is the delay with modulation (vibrato). I have an EHX Memory Man unit, when it's properly set you get clearly the U2 guitar sound. The setup is : guitar => compressor (MXR dyna comp or other) => amp => in effect loop EHX Memory Man (delay + vibrato) You can put also the Memory Man before the amp, but as I am using the amp distortion for it's better to put the unit in the effect loop for better distortion sound clality. set your amp with more higher and medium frequencies, less low frequencies or use an equalizer. You can get a real good U2 sound with a Strato. Using 009 strings is ok but 011 should be better to get more harmonics and bell sound. Strike the strings with the flat side of the pick even the dimpled side, and you will hear the difference ... Modulation delay can be found with other system, Line6 DL4 unit and probably other recent digital units. I will try with VST plugins in Sonar 5 .... to see if I can reproduce this great sound.! Rgds.

-- talweg71, Mar 7, 2006

Hi. I love this site. I just wanted to comment that I figured out how to immitate the Pride stereo delay setup (i.e. one channel only the dry signal and the other channel with only the delayed signal) using the POD XT Live. Use the "Stereo Delay" setting and set the tempo to 3/8. Set offset to 0%, FBK L to 0%, FBK R to 30% and MIX to 60%. Alternatively, you can download my patch called "U2 Pride MKII" from customtones.com Have fun!

-- Daniel Zigman, Mar 17, 2006

Thanx for this incredible site! just like some other guy mentioned here earlier the main secret is really about the way Mr Evans play, not which effects he uses. I think we all know theres some delay, some reverb and some chorus to get his special trade mark sound, but his attitude and his sharpness is the reason why we have so much to talk about on this great site. regards

-- Staffan the finn, Mar 20, 2006

hi, just a couple of points i would like to make.this is a great site as it gives people like me who are students of edge delay settings some great info so thanks for that.on the official tour programme for the joshua tree there is a list of the gear all the band use.interestingly it says that edge was using a boss dd-3 delay back then but i havnt seen any comments on this.i myself play in a u2 tribute band based in ireland so i find your delay settings intresting as we use click tempo driven backing tracks when playing live i set all the songs with my tempo settings on a boss gt-8 processor unit played through an ac 30 on one side and a hiwatt custom 100 stack with 4 x 10 cab on the other.the vox is great for the classic u2 tones but the hiwatt gives me more to my drive settings but overall it gives me a lovely balance.on the gt-8 there are i think 14 preset tempo settings for each bpm so it makes light work once you determine what tempo you decide to play at.i fi! nd one of the biggest problems with playing u2 songs is deciding which version to play eg.when we do bad its the wide awake in america version but played at a tempo of 105bpm as it is done on the elevation dvd live from boston.but i think you will find that most of the songs are sped up slightly when played live anyway so if you find yor delay repeats are a bit fast or slow dont worry its down to what tempo you decide to play yourself.everyone keep up the good work and keep the faith!my bands name is mysterious ways and you can see us at www.mysteriouswaysonline.com if it takes your fancy.

-- mysterious dave, Mar 26, 2006

Like all of you, I have been absolutely fascinated and mezmerized with what The Edge can do with his guitar, not to mention what U2 can do and has been doing with music since they began. As for your site, it is absolutely amazing how in depth your analysis is and it is very evident how much work and devotion you have put into gathering all of this information. Thank you! Couple of questions, to closely replicate Edge's sound, without spending too much money, what would you recommend in terms of equipment for someone who is just starting out? Would the Line 6 Echo Park do the trick for most songs? Also, would it be possible for you to post the tabs for all of the MP3 samples you provide or could someone please direct me to the best resource for U2 tabs, whether it be the Internet or books that you can buy. I notice you provide them for a few of the MP3's but it would be nice to have the others as well. I find the MP3 samples you provide extremely helpful, are you planning on including anymore for other U2 classics? It's a great way to learn, I find it much easier to follow your "isolated" riffs than listening to the song on CD. Please keep up the great work. Judging by some of the posts, your work and effort is greatly appreciated. I wonder if the Edge has ever visited your site???? A U2 fan from the very beginning, Tony

-- Tony, Apr 4, 2006

This is extremely useful site, I have been looking for information about The Edge and this is the place. As for a useful web site that has all the U2 tabs try www.ultimate- guitar.com/tabs/u2_tabs.htm. The great thing about this web site is a program Power Tab Editor 1.7. This program plays the tabs back to you so you can hear the sound, slow it down or loop it. The possibilities are endless. All you have to do is down load it, then pick a song like Bad in power tab format. Then open power tab and the last thing you need to do is open the file that you downloaded while in Power Tab and hit play. The only thing that I can see is; it does not exactly sound the same as some of the great mp3 on this website. If someone that was a better player than I, I would like to know it this helps. I hope it does

-- brian, Apr 4, 2006

Hello again! I bought myself PODxt Live yesterday and I'm looking for some great U2 tones, especially for the songs from HTDAAB. I downloaded almost everything from customtones.com but there are no tones for songs from HTDAAB - only for Vertigo and it, actually, sucks. Can anyone make new ones for songs like City of Blinding Lights, All Because of You and Original of the Species? Oh, and people all over the iternet would be grateful if somebody tabbed out songs from DVD: Live from Chicago. Take care, mates. Peace out!

-- Bartek, Apr 7, 2006

First of all let me say thanks for a excellent site, The Edge is the reason i started to play guitar many years ago, for me he is the most original player since Mr Hendrix both are true inovators.We all like to have a go at getting the sounds right but you have made it a lot easier. I have put together my own little collection of bits and bats (dyna-comp-memoryman-big muff-vox-amp-whammypedal)but lately have been using a podxt and it sounds pretty good. I do think that one day one of the big companies will try and get Edge to put his name to a all singing/dancing Edge in a pedal/rack, but he has said he will only put his name to a product if it was really special and he believed in it, plus i think he likes to keep us all scratching our heads trying to figure his magic out. (but i secretly wish there was a edge box) thanks for a very cool site chris nichols england.

-- chris nichols, Apr 9, 2006

Found this interesting quote from Dallas Schoo, The Edge's guitar assistant... Korg SDD-3000 Notes: "...his (The Edge) oldest delay is the Korg SDD-3000 that has it's own character but is unfortunately no longer in production. It is analogue and because I can not address it with MIDI commands I have to make those moves myself to bump up the various preset delay time programmes. That was a bit of a thorn in my side but it has the most pleasant delay tone for Edge, and if he could do the whole show with that one unit he would. However, the range of material now played by the band demands a variety of effects sources." [Dallas Schoo] Source: "Alive and Kicking" by Mark Cunningham [p.179]

-- Michael, Apr 13, 2006

First congrats for the page is great and it help me a lot to understand edge s sound and delay, but the one I wasn t sure was the first part of with or without you (not the main riff written above)

e-----10--10-10--10----
b----7--7------7----8--  

Above you mention a usual delay but it is not explain how he gets such an extended sustain at the beggining of the song. I always thought it was a "sustain Pedal" but someone on a comment said that it is the "sustain system" incorporate on his guitar.... could you or someone explain this more depply, also the bending of the note/signal is because of a bending pedal or just a change of fret...THIS SONG ROCKS AND I AM NOT ABLE TO PLAY IT!!!!! I NEED HELP Thanks, and this page rock! BY THE WAY WOULD THIS BE THE CORRECT PATERN???

 ****MEANS THE SUSTAIN OF THE NOTE
e---14******15**17***********19****17***15-14**********15-14****17*****14*****26**
B---------------------------------------------------------------15*****15********* 

   AND BASS DOING THIS

D-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------------------------------------------------
A-----------------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-----------------
E-------------------------------------------------3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3- 

THANKS IN ADVANCE! SALU2 FROM ARGENTINA

-- Tintinvox, April 15, 2006

I've just started learning about delay in the last few days. This site has SO much useful info, thanks, seriously, for illuminating the subject so clearly. Cheers!

-- Astral Rabbit, April 18, 2006

Please keep up the good work. the Edge is hard to figure out but very worthy of such a site. As such a huge fan of U2 this site is very inspirational for my guitar playing. thank you a ton!

-- Mark (NYC), April 19, 2006

This site is absolutely ridiculous because of the amount to information on it. I can't even fathom the amount of time it must have taken to compile this. I created my own delay settings using my Rocktron Intellifex and thought it was pretty accurate but it wasn't close to being as clean since reviewing this page. My hat is off to you and keep up the amazing work. I'm sure that along with myslef, everyone will appreciate it if you can post some more songs.

-- Rick, April 22, 2006

I use a vox ac30CC 1x12, a boss DD20 delay, vintage TS9, lonestar strat and a les paul custom...and I must say, the DD20 is miles and miles ahead of the line 6 tonepark pedals. The DL4 is nice, but the DD20 is a perfect challenge to the DL4. The modulation delays are gorgeous and shimmering, and the LED screen showing delay times, tempos, BPM is unchallenged in a great compact stomp box. GREAT SITE!!! Just wanted to let you know its an amazing resource of U2 Guitar playing. Your site is great! Keep up the amazing work!

-- David MacVicar, May 2, 2006

I've owned both the DL4 and DD20 and the DD20 is by far the best of the two. The DD20 is easier to dial in and gives an almost epic sound compared to the DL4.

-- Jonathon Hammonds, May 5, 2006

Great site, thank you. I don't get to use my fav delays settings often with my band but here is what works for me. -ESP w/EMGS--> Tube Screamer-->MXR P90 at minimal settings--> AMP -->> effects loop into LS-2-- >DL4 and the Holy Grail reverb. I use Marhsall clean and grit settings on a TSL JCM for delay stuff. It sounds AMAZING for the cost of the set-up. It blows my buddies Mode 4, schecter, dd-20, set up away anyday.