The Edge's new Fenders thread

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The Edge15

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Obviously, we all know that Edge must be pulling a few strings (no pun intended) at Fender now that he is on the BOD. He has got new strats and a telecaster, all likely from the Custom Shop. So, I have decided to start THE NEW FENDER COUNT.

1. Blonde Tele with Black pickguard.
0

This guitar first appeared when Edge used it for 'California' on the Jools Holland Show last October. It has been used live for 'California' also.


2. Silver Sustainer Strat

525027643ll004_times_square900_640.jpg


Having first been used when U2 played WOWY with Chris Martin in Times Square last December. It seems to have taken over sustainer duties from the Fernandes Retrorocket.

So far, I have not been able to find a video of WOWY with good shots of Edge and his guitar from the shows at Vancouver or San Jose. Edge used a strat alright, but the question is, which one?

3. The silver strat used for 'I Still Haven't Found...' in Times Square.

u2-bruce-sprinsteen.jpg



As far as I can tell, this is this guitars only appearance. I do not think that this guitar has been used live on the I and E tour.

4. The 'Blackie' strat with the Rosewood fingerboard.
2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-18%20-%20San%20Jose%2Fimage.jpg


Used live on the I and E tour for 'Bullet' and ISHFWILF, this guitar is one of the few strats that Edge uses with a Rosewood fingerboard.

This was the guitar that Edge was using when he fell off the stage in Vancouver on the opening night.
 
I am sorta surprised that he only uses a few of custom-made Fenders and the fact that he still uses his LPs: as I said in the other thread, he would've used some Fender guitars or related brands (Gretsch, Guild (not anymore, but still), and some superstrat companies like Charvel and Jackson) for that humbucker guitars.
 
In San Jose II he uses this blk/rosewood strat for Bad and a silver/white strat for With or Without you.
 
There is another Black/Black Strat with rosewood fingerboard and white pickups. Edge used it for Sunday Bloody Sunday (San Jose # 2). I think for Pride, also - Both are played with the guitar tuned down a whole step to D.



Looks to have tape on the headstock, notating the tuning
 
Looks like Edge might be playing Pride lower down the neck, on a standard tuned Strat?

Interesting to see if he used the same Strat last night. I will have to look for a clip.



Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference
 
Well, I have just found this...

Edge has ANOTHER new sustainer strat. These pics are from the LA shows. In some pics, the strat appears white, but in others it appears silver. The lighting could be playing tricks on us,though. This is either a brand new sustainer strat, or it is the silver one with the black pickguard used for WOWY in December at the gig in Times Square, but with a white pickguard now, not a black one.

This is the guitar being used for WOWY on the I and E tour.

Take a look:

2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-27%20-%20Inglewood%20%28Photos%20by%20Jason%20Brice%29%2FDSC_0906_Edit.jpg


2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-27%20-%20Inglewood%20%28Photos%20by%20Jason%20Brice%29%2FDSC_0943_Edit_Star.jpg
2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-27%20-%20Inglewood%20%28Photos%20by%20Jason%20Brice%29%2FDSC_0923_Edit.jpg
2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-27%20-%20Inglewood%20%28Photos%20by%20Jason%20Brice%29%2FDSC_0932_Edit.jpg
2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-27%20-%20Inglewood%20%28Photos%20by%20Jason%20Brice%29%2FDSC_0873_eDIT.jpg
2015%20-%20Innocence%20%26%20Experience%20Tour%2F2015-05-27%20-%20Inglewood%20%28Photos%20by%20Jason%20Brice%29%2FDSC_0914_Edit.jpg
 
it looks like the Silver one and at the end of the headstock theres
seems to be a white label.he may have two sustainer strats as the
recent CBS interview mentioned there is a back up for every guitar
 
I feel like Custom Shop stuff is definitely made so much better than the 70s strats in CBS era?


Sent from my iPad using U2 Interference
 
Shouldn't be that surprising. Those are master craftsman, whereas even the Strats that everybody wants from the 50's and 60's were basically created by regular factory workers. The only thing that those old guitars have that Custom Shop guitars don't have is that they're old. The wood has aged and sounds better because of it. New guitars don't have that richness, although you can build a new guitar using old wood.But that's going to be really expensive though. Or creative. I've heard of a luthier who always goes to old homes that are being renovated to get his hands on some old wood.
 
As far as I can see, all I see is very standard strats based on 70s spec, so is it safe to assume that there aren't that many crazy specs for those guitars?


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Plus, do you guys know about what those two switches do for the Sustainer? I guessed one is on-off, but other could be something I don't know so much of. Maybe


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The interesting bit would be to find out:


  • What pickups is Edge using in the Fenders.
  • Are they stock or not.
  • If not stock, has Dallas had them wind them in any specific way. Perhaps they got some of the pickups that were wound by Abby (Abigail Ybarra) - The Queen of Fender pickup winders. (I know that Fender has a stock of them that they had her make before her retirement)

 
Edge used a silver strat with a black pick guard for streets during LA4. Was very confused on whether or not they were going to play streets when Dallas handed it to him. Don't have a good picture of it.
 
Plus, do you guys know about what those two switches do for the Sustainer? I guessed one is on-off, but other could be something I don't know so much of. Maybe


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One is on-off, the other is an on-on-on switch that selects between a standard tone, a harmonic above more reminiscent of classic feedback, and the middle does a mix of them both.

Both switches once broke down on me (not at the same time though), that's what you get for transporting the guitar in a softcover case. The on/off was easily fixed, on/on dpdt switches for pcb's are readily available everywhere. on/on/on dpdt switches however are rare as dirt thoug, even more so for pcb's. :sad:
 
Does Edge ever use high-gain after-market pickups? If no, then probably his strats should have pretty standard pups


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Does Edge ever use high-gain after-market pickups? If no, then probably his strats should have pretty standard pups


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Standard pickups? Not necessarily. I don't know that they'd be stock Strat pickups.

There are other pickups that are 1950's to 1970's inspired out there, that are not high gain. I would think it is more likely they are 1969's Abby wound custom shop pickups (or something similar).

And as Edge is on the board and Dallas has a good relationship with Fender CS *having them build guitars for Adam and Bono), he could probably get the Abby wound 69's or have them wind some to his/Edge's specifications.
 
I'd like to ask again, but is it safe to assume that all the strats Edge has been using in I&E tour is the new ones (possibly made in fender CS) rather than vintage ones?
 
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