Is Edge actually playing guitar?

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stagman

stagman

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Is the Edge playing at the start of Elevation or is it just from the PA? Not very cool if he's not.
It's kinda like how Even Better Than The Real Thing from ZOOTV or Popmart where Edge never actually played the Intro.
 
Edge does play the intro to Elevation, as well as EBTTRT.

The intro to elevation is a very simple riff (I emphasize simple b/c it is only two notes). The sound is just really processed and goes through a phaser.

EBTTRT is similar. He's just hitting an double A note on the Rick 12 string, then using the whammy pedal (not the wah) to make the intro sounds.
 
Ok, fair enough...it just sounded too perfect and kinda unnatural to my ears, that's all.
As For EBTTRT i still don't believe you, I saw some footage from both tours(not the offical video's) and I did'nt like what i saw.... looked like it was'nt real. Ok, so maybe he was using a pedal but it looked and sounded crap. However when the Edge played the occasional suprise of EBTTRT on the Elevation tour he played the slide intro just like it sounds in the Album version and it totally rocked! The crowd going nuts over it...was just so damned cool!!!
 
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EBTTRT is not that tricky. He just plays the chord on the 12 string rick and uses the whammy pedal to raise the pitch an octave. It doesn't look like much, but it's all in that pedal.
 
stagman said:

As For EBTTRT i still don't believe you, I saw some footage from both tours(not the offical video's) and I did'nt like what i saw.... looked like it was'nt real. Ok, so maybe he was using a pedal but it looked and sounded crap.
Click to expand...

To add to what others have said, I have a whammy option on my multieffects pedal, so I'm talking from experience. You really don't look like you're doing much when you play the EBTTRT riff. You basically just strike the A string twice (I usually add a fretted big E string at the fifth fret to give it some substance because I don't have a 12 string) and then rock the pedal back and forth twice. That's it. If I can do it, then my goodness, The Edge can do it too. Which he does.

This is almost as bad as the Bono lip syncing thread. I'd hate to hear what you think about Edge playing Mofo live. :|
 
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Since this thread has gone to guitar nerd territory, I'd like to add that when played live EBTTRT is in D (so he plays a D octave) and has been since the 2nd night of ZooTV. It was in A opening night in Miami, but that made Bono's vocals too low to project live.
 
Ladera Heights said:
Since this thread has gone to guitar nerd territory, I'd like to add that when played live EBTTRT is in D (so he plays a D octave) and has been since the 2nd night of ZooTV. It was in A opening night in Miami, but that made Bono's vocals too low to project live.
Click to expand...

Yep. :up: When you play the live version, you just shift the lead bits up a string. I personally prefer the album version...if only low vocals weren't a problem. :(

(Guitar nerds unite!)
 
ultrraviolette said:
I wish I knew how to play guitar!
Click to expand...

Go for it! I started playing after I turned 40, and have been playing for almost four years, taking weekly lessons. I'm still not very good, but it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
 
Flying FuManchu said:
Looks like Edge is playing most of the stuff on tour without the backing tracks.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the only backing "guitar" track I heard was the squiggly part in One...

Edge was getting out of control for a while with those backing tracks. I'm glad they stripped it back to show what a great band they are and how good their songs hold up live.
 
stagman said:
Ok, fair enough...it just sounded too perfect and kinda unnatural to my ears, that's all.
As For EBTTRT i still don't believe you, I saw some footage from both tours(not the offical video's) and I did'nt like what i saw.... looked like it was'nt real. Ok, so maybe he was using a pedal but it looked and sounded crap. However when the Edge played the occasional suprise of EBTTRT on the Elevation tour he played the slide intro just like it sounds in the Album version and it totally rocked! The crowd going nuts over it...was just so damned cool!!!
Click to expand...

Don't want to patronize but your a little bit out of your depth here mate.

There is no slide in the intro. A slide is one of those little metal thingys Edge has for the SOLO of EBTTRT.

EBTTRT = Whammy pedal (1 octave up setting), D - octave chord, that's it.

It's actually the easiest thing in the world to play.

As for backing tracks, practically every song written since Joshua Tree uses them. Doesn't bother me as it only augments the sound.
 
Ladera Heights said:


Yeah, the only backing "guitar" track I heard was the squiggly part in One...

Edge was getting out of control for a while with those backing tracks. I'm glad they stripped it back to show what a great band they are and how good their songs hold up live.
Click to expand...

The worst offender is Bono, Check out Walk On from the Boston DVD, he just pretends to play Edge's main high riff which is on a backing track.
 
edge SORT of plays the whole intro to elevation but SORT of doesn't. He is using an electrix filter factory that captures the loop when he plays the two notes. Once the filter factory captures the loop, the edge can pretty much not have to play anything until the next set of loops comes up, at that point he plays the notes again and captures the loop again with the filter factory. He can vary the frequency of the sweep using his expression pedal and start and stop the loop with a simple foot switch. The filter factory is the green and grey rack on the bottom right of his rack setup.
 
ultrraviolette said:
I wish I knew how to play guitar!
Click to expand...


I just saw a mag tonight in Barnes & Nobles "Play Gutair"w an article....tips & 12 great deals on your first electric gutair!

I had a beat up one that my dad found for me in a burnt out apartment in our building {yrs ago}, eventually it had to go. :( I tried playing melodies from Televsion, THe Who.. I could pick out certain parts....

I reccently passed some non-big name electric gutairs on sale at our J&R Close-out store {a gigantic CD/DVD/ Electronic Entertainment/Cam corders etc set of stores in lower Manhattan for all you non-nyc;ers}.

:love: Wow did my heart beat faster...! I'm STILL in love with the EG! I'm gonna buy that mag and save it for furture reference!!!:D

and :up: thanks to the rest of you who are explaining the playing & processing thechniques he is using. I'm taking notes! :D
 
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the intro to Elevation doens't go through a phaser, Edge just rocks a wah pedal up and down with some FuzzFace distortion stuck in between the guitar and the amp.
 
discothequeLP said:
the intro to Elevation doens't go through a phaser, Edge just rocks a wah pedal up and down with some FuzzFace distortion stuck in between the guitar and the amp.
Click to expand...

I believe cainz is correct about this one. Sorry :hmm:
 
TC2290 said:


The worst offender is Bono, Check out Walk On from the Boston DVD, he just pretends to play Edge's main high riff which is on a backing track.
Click to expand...

This isn't true. Bono did play that lead. I was in the heart for all the first leg Elevation shows in my area and watched him pick out that arpeggio from 10 feet away. Bono is a crappy guitar player...but not THAT bad. He could do that little riff. He got a good, dirty overdriven sound, that, IMO sounded better than the Edge chimey sound.

Guitar nerds unite!
 
discothequeLP said:




if i remember the SNL performance correctly, Edge was rocking that wah pedal during the intro to Elevation
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yeah, Edge is rockin it, but "it" is an expression pedal. Not all pedals are wah pedals.
 
Ladera Heights said:


yeah, Edge is rockin it, but "it" is an expression pedal. Not all pedals are wah pedals.
Click to expand...


it sounds like a wah pedal to me. . . and it would make sense because it is a lot easier to control than a filter factory
 
You use an expression pedal to control the sweep of the frequency of the filter factory. You can also set the sweep parameters so it sweeps automatically withing a given time frame. On SNL, edge was using the expression pedal to manually sweep, on this tour I think he uses the auto sweep function of the Filter Factory. The expression pedal sweep does sort of work the way a wah pedal does, so whomever suggested that they though it was a wah pedal isn't too far off. It essentially does the same thing, but with the filter factory, it weeds out different tones and has a more nasal bass tone to is, hence you'll notice it sounds a different than a normal wah pedal.

The electrix filter factory was orignally designed for DJs and later a lot of cutting edge type of folks picked it up for vocals as well. Leave it to the edge to implement it for a guitar, he was the first to do that!
 
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Ladera Heights said:


This isn't true. Bono did play that lead. I was in the heart for all the first leg Elevation shows in my area and watched him pick out that arpeggio from 10 feet away. Bono is a crappy guitar player...but not THAT bad. He could do that little riff. He got a good, dirty overdriven sound, that, IMO sounded better than the Edge chimey sound.

Guitar nerds unite!
Click to expand...

Listen to the sound, it's a modulated delay sound, Edge's sound, Bono couldn't play that part perfectly in time whilst jumping about like on the DVD, plus it's the wrong guitar, the riff is played on a Les Paul. Plus who is switching the sound for him when the verse starts?

It's too perfect to be played by Bono.

No offence Bono, LOL.
 
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