Edge's REAL first Stratocaster (1970;s tobacco finish)

[Edge_Orchestra]

Edge's REAL first Stratocaster (1970's tobacco finish)

I'd long suspected that the '70's era tobacco Stratocaster, that has shown up in some pre-Boy pics, was the same guitar the Dik Evans played (Virgin Prunes).

* Edge's brother Dik playing the 70's era Stratocaster in the video link below. You can see Dik Evans at about 0:56 second into the video) *
https://youtu.be/MHZo_b9hcWU

And another video of Dik Evans playing said Stratocaster with Virgin Prunes - 'Walls of Jericho'.
https://youtu.be/yGoFojoZ0To

So it seems that the latest issue of GW confirms my long time theory that Dik Evans took over with the 1970's Stratocaster.


As we'd long come to learn, Edge has said that he was looking for a guitar in NY while on family holiday in 1978. He was looking to replace a Stratocaster that he had but did not like. Various interviews had told two stories. One said he was looking for a Rickenbacker (due to Paul Weller of The Jam) and other accounts say he was looking for a Les Paul (like Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols). As we all know now, the replacement for the Stratocaster was the (at that time) two year old 1976 Limited Edition Explorer


From GUITAR WORLD magazine...
GUITAR WORLD: "Tell me about your first Strat. It was a sunburst model, right?"

EDGE: "That’s right. That was the first guitar I owned that you could say was kind of a professional-grade instrument. Actually, in those days I only owned 50 percent of it. My brother, Richard, and I used to pool our meager resources to acquire equipment. We had that Strat and we also invested in an amp and a couple of pedals, and that took care of us for a couple of years. Then I think we might have kept a pretty rough, beat-up traditional guitar that we used if we happened to be playing at the same time. That’s how things went for a while. After a while, it felt like we really had to invest in two complete sets of equipment, so we split things up. I took the amp and he took the Strat. He still has it, actually."

 

[Muad'zin]

Nice looking guitar. I think it's also on the Virgin Prunes wikipedia page.

But what utter....., trying to be nice here...., shite music. I wonder if any of their history would still be remembered if it weren't for the U2 connection.

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

I like Virgin Prunes music.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Muad'zin]

Well, would you have liked them and ever heard about them if it weren't for the U2 connection?

 

[Edge_Orchestra]

I first heard of Virgin Prunes when I went into a shop in San Diego called Berlin Wall. They had punk, goth, post-punk records. Punk clothes and shoes and such.

I heard 'Walls of Jericho' and 'Pagan Love Song' and was immediately won over.

I don't think the U2 association hurt them. And it probably gained them notice. But they did t gain notice by U2 alone.

I also get that they aren't everyone's cup of tea. Where some seem to go wrong is, due to the U2 connection, some expect they are a similar band with similar music. They aren't.

As Guggi would gladly admit, they weren't just a band. They were performance art.


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference

 

[Muad'zin]

Oh, I got that they were a different band alright. Never had any illusions other wise. It's just that reading about it and actually hearing/seeing it are two different things. And the youtube age most definitely allows you to hear and see things that previously you could only experience in a record store.

Mind you, based on those two clips alone, I do get the impression that Dik Evans' guitar playing does share some similarity with that of his brother. With a penchant for minimalist guitar lines.