What was edges old set up? A memory man and AC30 right? Does the memory man have overdrive? If it does that would mean all the early songs like out of control,I will fallow ,new years day ect......would edge only use delay and overdrive on those songs?
(2) Deluxe Memory Man (delay) and MXR DynaComp (Compressor).
A lot of what Edge did was getting some drive from the EH Dlx Memory Man and also by using the volume on the guitar.
If you set your amp/effect to where when your guitar is at... say 6-7 and clean, when you roll the volume up, you will get it to push the amp/effects and overdrive.
Keep in mind there is a difference between a Memory Man and Deluxe Memory Man; Vibrato / Chorus on the Deluxe.
And yes, much of the live sound of U2 up through War was overdrive from the amps (pushed by drive in the EH DMM and/or guitar volume) and EH Deluxe Memory Man using the modulation from the Vibrato setting.
For the WAR tour, add the Korg SDD-3000, Furman Parametric EQ.
Seems, from looking at the Red Rocks video, that there might have been a yellow Boss pedal being used. It could have been a Boss OD-1. Couldn't have been a Boss OD-2 (As that wasn't first made until 1985). It also could have been a Boss SD-1.
2 memory man and a dunlop comp and a guyatone dist i think
The Guyatone Zoom distortions was 'rumoured' to have been used during the 'October' tour. I've not heard that confirmed from any official sources. And the rumours seem to place it there during the October tour only. That said, as it was red in color, it might have been that someone had mistaken the red MXR Dyna Comp as being the Guyatone Zoom.
OCTOBER ERA GEAR:
* per U2 Magazine. Vol 2. February 1982 *
U2 are a very hard-working band, having played some 217 shows in 11 countries in the last 12 months. They're always on the lookout for the old Vox AC30's with the original Rola G12 'Blue' loudspeakers still intact. The Edge plays a superb black Fender Strat, which, unusually these days, is complete with tremolo arm, as his main instrument, but also has a Gibson Explorer which is used on certain numbers and also serves as a spare. Both these are tuned a semitone down to E flat so as to suit the natural pitch of Bono's singing. The guitar is fed via a change-over switchbox to two Memory Man echo units, the output of each being fed into a separate Vox AC30 combo. The two echo units and the two Vox are set up to give different sounds, and by simply stamping on the switch, he can select either or both as required. The AC30's are stood down on the floor, tilted forward, and with a piece of carpet laid on the floor in front of the amps so as to minimise the throw of sound onto the stage. Each Vox is separately miked, one with a Shure SM58 the other with an AKG D1200 - the latter being due to availability rather than to any specific performance considerations.
The Edge also use Shure SM58 vocal mikes and a Yamaha CP70 electric grand piano on stage.
WAR ERA GEAR:
Per Musician magazine (1983) and U2 magazine (Vol 7 / May 1983)
The Edge uses a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Explorer through a vintage Vox AC30 amp with a Memory Man echo "which is a real budget echo, but it works really well; it's functional and uncomplicated." He likes "very heavy" strings, ranging from .011 or .012 gauge up to .056. "My Explorer isn't one of the vintage '58s, it's more like a '76, but it's great in that it has a nice top end without that extra raunch and distortion that a lot of players like in a Les Paul; it's like a compromise between a Les Paul and a Strat." He admits to occasionally using a Les Paul in the studio, as well as an Epiphone steel guitar he picked up at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. "It helps give an 'American' feel to "Surrender",' on the new album. The Vox amps are like the original Beatles amps, with the original box speakers -- little 12-inchers with a very gutsy middle sound." The Edge is partial to Roland's Chorus 120 amps, because of their "tough, clean sound."
Per "U2 by U2" (published in September of 2006):
... when it came to 1983's "War" album, The Edge wanted more direct sounds and backed off on the Echo. 'U2 by U2' book also mentions The Edge using a Fender Amp to get the tones on "Sunday Bloody Sunday".
During the War tour, Edge can be seen using a Vox AC30 and a Roland JC120. Another JC 120 was used for the piano.
Also, Edge began using the Korg SDD-3000 during the WAR tour. (per: Guitar Player / June 1985 article)
Guitar Player:
Early in your career, you used an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Deluxe for the echo effects. Is that still part of your setup?
The Edge: That's been put out to pasture at this stage. It was getting so old and battered that our stage manager was having to dismantle it every night to try to get it to work. It was on a life-support system, the poor thing, by the time we stopped using it. Now I've got two Korg SDD-3000 digital echoes. They have the same sort of features as the Electro-Harmonix, but with a digital clarity. At first, I couldn't get used to digital because it is so clean. There were all these frequencies that I hadn't heard for years coming out of my amplifier. And the definition of the repeats was so clear that it was off-putting. What was an atmospheric thing from the old analog suddenly became a very scientific, precise repeat. I never find myself using the far reaches of the Korg's echo potential; I tend to stay within the mid-area, between the parameters of about 50 and 400 milliseconds. I began using the Korg at the start of the War tour.
Whats your .02 on the Vox Valvotronix? I think its a pretty good amp for the price.....I want to get a AC30 and a M13 (That first) Next mouth i am getting a boss gt8 (if you know anything about the quality let me know) I found it for a cheap price for my b-day....so i thought i could use that until i get my M13.
