how does Edge decide what guitar goes with what song?

[europop2005]

i'm curious....how does edge decide what guitar to use on what song? example picking an explorer for beautiful day or switching around a guitar on different tours to use on the same song...are there guitars meant for harder songs and softer songs...same question with adam.

 

[phillyfan26]

It's about the song. If you notice, the songs he plays with the Explorer all have a certain sound for them (I Will Follow, Beautiful Day, Miracle Drug, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock). He uses the Les Paul for songs with a bit more of an edge (Electric Co., Until the End, Zoo Station), etc.

 

[the tourist]

The guitars make less difference in the sound; the amp and effects make more of a difference. Les Paul's usually have more sustain (hollow-body guitars have even more, such as the guitars Bono plays). Telecasters have a little more spank to them. Using a Telecaster, a delay pedal, and a Vox AC30, you could get Edge's exact guitar sound from the mid-to-late 80s.

 

[Carek1230]

I've often wondered this same question.

 

[J_NP]

i'm curious....how does edge decide what guitar to use on what song? example picking an explorer for beautiful day or switching around a guitar on different tours to use on the same song...are there guitars meant for harder songs and softer songs...same question with adam.

It's all about the tunes , sure the AMPs do have a big role , and there's some wizardness that can make some crazy changes , but still u gotta respect some things , like U won't be seeing Edge play Streets with a Les Paul .

Some examples , using the effects on the songs , and particular tunes of the songs :

Shimmer / Songs with "keyboard" sound

Songs like WOWY , AIWIY , Running .... all classics of 80's , are normally played with Stratocasters , coz these guitars natural sounds hold this sort of softness , compared with like a Les paul

Distortion Songs

More Rock'n roll songs , like End of the world , Zoo station , Last Night and all , need something more agressive , which would good ol Les Paul or the explorer itself .

Altough one may come and say , One of U2's harder songs Bullet is done normally with a Strat , that's right , but u have to look that it come from Joshua from 80's a sort of album filled with Stratocaster .

 

[Zoocoustic]

It's very simple.

Edge probably has only one or two guitars that he really enjoys playing. Given the choice, he'd stick with those for the entire show. Anybody that's ever played in a band knows that you'd much rather stick with only a couple of different guitars and that given the right effects pedals, you can make almost any sound come out of any decent guitar.

But Gibson, Fender, and others are not idiots. They know U2 are megastars and will gladly pay for Edge to swap out and rotate through several different guitars during a show. They probably even give him the guitars for free to do so. More publicity for the companies that make the guitars.

It's by no means an uncommon thing for bands as big as U2 to do this.

 

[J_NP]

It's very simple.

Edge probably has only one or two guitars that he really enjoys playing. Given the choice, he'd stick with those for the entire show. Anybody that's ever played in a band knows that you'd much rather stick with only a couple of different guitars and that given the right effects pedals, you can make almost any sound come out of any decent guitar.

It's by no means an uncommon thing for bands as big as U2 to do this.

Dude u made good points , thought I strongly believe for all I know , it's not the case , why is that :

1- Edge's not sponsored by any guitar brand
2- He has stated more than several times , and knowing his character , u knows he means it , he needs different guitars to get the songs right the way should be

This is not like "Fuck I'll do it with the les paul goldtop , It'll do it . "

If was the case , Grestch which has great relation with u2 , would definitely complain that he DID NOT use a single Gretsch Guitar on the Elevation tour

Or what about Fernandez complaining bput the Vertigo Tour

I put a lot of money this is not the case by no means

Besides just coz most of the bands do that , it's so hard to believe that a guy does care that much for the sound ? Besides it's very pleasant and fresh use different instruments

 

[Clawgrabber]

besides, all his guitars are vintage for a reason. if he was being paid by the guitar companies he'd be using the newest models. he doesn't.

the reason he picks vintage specific guitars: the sound. pure and simple

 

[liamcool]

He uses a roulette to determine which guitar is used for which song...

 

[MattyUK]

The edge seems to do the bulk of his work on a Les Paul and Strat, for this reason I want both these gutairs! As a newbie to playing, I have had a hard time deciding between the two, hell I might even get both!

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

Dallas decides. Edge just plays what Dallas brings him

I've always wondered this, too. I've already given up on learning to play guitar, but I'd like to learn more about guitars and effects and how changing them changes the sound.

 

[ntalwar]

Re: Re: how does Edge decide what guitar goes with what song?

It's all about the tunes , sure the AMPs do have a big role , and there's some wizardness that can make some crazy changes , but still u gotta respect some things , like U won't be seeing Edge play Streets with a Les Paul .

It's all about tonal quality, and Edge is a tone freak (in a good way). Each guitar(even of the same model) has its unique sound, and he likely demos scores or hundreds of guitars to find the right one.

 

[ahittle]

It's a very subtle thing, but it's all about tone and the type of song.

There are also some "symbolic" gestures. The Explorer is a clue-in that the song is somewhat a nod to the band's ealier days ala "Beautiful Day."

The Joshua Tree stuff was primarily played with a Strat, and "Streets" still bears that mark.

The hollowbody adds a certain resonance, which is nice on songs like "SYCMIOYO."

The Rickenbacker's jangle is a nod toward Brit 60's stuff. Also, his 12 string Rick adds another layer.

Each choice really makes perfect sense.

 

[rudybay]

but during popmart he played bullet the blue sky with the goldtop, and i also think that in zoo tv he played WOWY with his cream les paul, so that means it depend on wht approach he wishes to use, ´cos song develop, meaning the way they´re played live according to the edge, i mean he used a strat for the fly on Zoo TV, a les paul during elevation, and now a variax electroacoustic guitar on the vertigo shows

it depends on how edge wants the song to evolve in a live mode

PS¨during the free show in NYC, he played miracle drug with one of his teles, the nice blue one, then during the vertigo tour he chose the explorer

 

[silvrlvr]

I'd be willing to guess that except for the Music Rising guitars, these are primaily instruments he chose, not swag guitars.

 

[DignityPassesBy]

its just about tone different guitars have a different type of wood that they are made of that create different tones and resonate different textures in the sound

 

[t8thgr8]

I wouldn't justify much of what they do by watching ZOO TV.