The Edge Rig Rundown
- Thread starter Chad
- Start date
Chad
Slender Hobbit
OGG
Master of the Meh
To a degree, the ridiculous number of guitars The Edge takes on the road has to do with Bono...
His vocal range simply isn't even close to what it once was, and the rigors of touring and performing 2.5-3 hour shows is a singer's worst enemy. "Most" U2 stuff was recorded with The Edge and Adam tuned a half step down. There's a sprinkling of original recordings done in standard "E" tuning, as well as a few songs (From The Unforgettable Fire) that were recorded in a lower tuning and then "sped up" to sound as if they are in standard. Both "Pride" and "Bad" are examples of that trickery. Even then, he (Bono) was pushing his range to the very limits in the studio. There are lots of clips from documentaries about the making of their records where you can clearly hear him falling well short of the mark.
Anyway, their live sets have been modified around Bono's comfort range. When I saw them last year, some of the songs were tuned down as much as 2.5 steps (Dallas mentions a C# tuning in the video). Basically, each song has been transposed to some extent in order to save Bono's voice.
I noticed immediately last year when they started playing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" that it had been dropped WAY down. I'm not sure how Edge managed any string tension at such a tuning.
Anyway, moral of the story:
Thanks Obono!
His vocal range simply isn't even close to what it once was, and the rigors of touring and performing 2.5-3 hour shows is a singer's worst enemy. "Most" U2 stuff was recorded with The Edge and Adam tuned a half step down. There's a sprinkling of original recordings done in standard "E" tuning, as well as a few songs (From The Unforgettable Fire) that were recorded in a lower tuning and then "sped up" to sound as if they are in standard. Both "Pride" and "Bad" are examples of that trickery. Even then, he (Bono) was pushing his range to the very limits in the studio. There are lots of clips from documentaries about the making of their records where you can clearly hear him falling well short of the mark.
Anyway, their live sets have been modified around Bono's comfort range. When I saw them last year, some of the songs were tuned down as much as 2.5 steps (Dallas mentions a C# tuning in the video). Basically, each song has been transposed to some extent in order to save Bono's voice.
I noticed immediately last year when they started playing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" that it had been dropped WAY down. I'm not sure how Edge managed any string tension at such a tuning.
Anyway, moral of the story:
Thanks Obono!
Modern Saint
Starve your Fear, Feed your Dream!
Sold my Memory Man but wanted the TC2290 for so many years. Closest that I got to owning one is the older TC Chorus and the 2 TC Flashback's on the 2290 setting..
FWIW, in the 80's I could accomplish Edge's sound using an Roland SDE1000 (he used the SDE3000), a Roland SRV2000 Reverb and a Yamaha SPX90
OGG
Master of the Meh
Craigslist Los Angeles is flooded with old Roland and Korg Rackmount Delays SDE/SDD etc, and they're mostly being sold for dirt (~$100). Only the "3000" units are fetching real coin.
If I didn't loathe using a rack system with my guitars, I'd be ALL OVER that stuff. Think I saw a Korg 1000 for $40!
Not worth driving to L.A. for, but if some pop up down here in San Diego I might bite just for shits and giggles.
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/d/korg-sdd-2000/6651197970.html
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/msg/d/roland-sde-330-dimesional/6650545257.html
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/d/roland-sde-2500-mdi-digital/6642745322.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/msg/d/80s-roland-sde-1000-digital/6608065193.html
If I didn't loathe using a rack system with my guitars, I'd be ALL OVER that stuff. Think I saw a Korg 1000 for $40!
Not worth driving to L.A. for, but if some pop up down here in San Diego I might bite just for shits and giggles.
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/d/korg-sdd-2000/6651197970.html
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/msg/d/roland-sde-330-dimesional/6650545257.html
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/d/roland-sde-2500-mdi-digital/6642745322.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/msg/d/80s-roland-sde-1000-digital/6608065193.html
bsman
b00b
Here's a Roland SDE 2500 in the Bay Area for $125: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/msg/d/roland-sde-2500-professional/6647133070.html
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
I was at the show in DC, front row. A surprise gift from a buddy of mine. I got even luckier, as I was stage left and Edge put on a show just a few feet away. I got there early and watched them haul in his rig, and the number of boxes was amazing. I'll track down the pics and post them...
Chad
Slender Hobbit
I need to become friends with your buddy.
Knox in Box
Rustbelt refugee.
The lack of Rebecca Dirks makes that an impossibility.
Guitar Heel
Demented Trick
Chad
Slender Hobbit
So the Edge is as crazy as Eric Johnson.
That's not that crazy. Cables have capacitance and knock off some treble. A wireless doesn't have that capacitance naturally. He should just switch to Line6 G90 wireless units since they actually have a configurable capacitance that simulates cables at different lengths. I tend to leave mine at about 20ft on my G50.