U2 & Guitar Gear: Q & A

Originally posted by WojBhoy[..]
I Will Follow was retained in E for Vertigo too

Just to say (in case it's what you thought, if it isn't I apologise ), I didn't mean I don't understand the whole tuning lark (i.e. I know most guitars are in standard tuning - unless of course you meant most of Edge's guitars are in standard E), I myself tune all my guitars to Eb because I'm perfectly comfortable with sticking the capo on the 1st fret, but a lot of my friends seem to have trouble using capos lol!).

PS: since you brought it up lol, open E - is that as in where the strings are tuned to the chord of E, e.g. for slide guitar?

NB - In case we're getting in a kefuffle, I usually refer to songs in the actual key they're in rather than the tuning, which I'm guessing you're talking about because SBS was not played (key-wise) in Eb or Db lol...

I was interested to read about what you said re. ISHFWILF, I always wondered how they worked out the guitar part because I remember it was one of the songs I first tried to learn when I took up guitar (chords I mean, rather than the actual bit Edge plays live - I only worked out how to play that a couple of months ago!), but it irritated because I worked out the song itself was in Db, but at the time I hadn't encountered alternative tunings and capos etc.! As ever Jeff, you throw up some great bits of info!

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979

[..]

...I also used to tune my guitar to E-flat and simply capo at the first fret for anything in E. (being that I like play along to U2 DVDs and such...) That was how I did things when I only had one electric and an acoustic... now that I've a few more... I've had them set up to be tuning specific.

- My Explorer is in E-flat. (Most U2 songs with the Explorer were in E-flat. Although "I Will Follow was bumped to E and I am pretty sure that Miracle Drug was in standard E too.)
- My Clapton Strat is in E flat.
- My Tele Custom is in standard E
- Epiphone Music Rising is in standard E
- My 6-string Ric is tune (low to high) D-A-D-A-C-E, as I've wrote a few tunes in that tuning.
- My 6-string Danelectro is in Open D (which I can also capo at the 2nd fret for open E, ala many tunes on Bob Dylan's "Blood On The Tracks".
- My 12-string Danelectro is in E-flat.
- My 12-string Gibson J185 acoustic is in E-flat.
- I change the tuning of my Taylor Big Baby and Washburn EA20 all the time.

Originally posted by WojBhoy[..]
Ideally, I want to one day have something similar to that, but for the moment I leave everything in Eb. Well, I say everything, that's 2 electrics and a semi-acoustic lol. The Epi. LP Custom I just got, my Ridgewood Strat. (I like playing AIWIY and Streets on that, because neither song sounds right when played through humbuckers) and the Ridgewood semi-acoustic, which doesn't really sound great through an amp but I don't usually expect it to! I also steal my mum's acoustic (which is like a 3/4 size or something? There's some term for it, apparently, plays quite nicely though ) because she leaves that in standard tuning, or rather is not particularly interested in guitars, but she wanted to try and learn but apparently it does her neck in? So I play it the most out of all of us

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979[..]

The Edge has played "All I Want Is You" on one of the many Stratocasters, for the most part but there have been occasions where he's used a Gretsch Country Gentleman and it sounds great.

The Omagh Tribute show comes to mind.
[YouTube Video]

But I can see where you'd prefer the tone of a Strat-like guitar to a Les Paul.

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979Here's something cool that I have that I treasure...

[image]

Edge doesn't actually play with the purple ones. The blue one was Edge used, as can be seen by the wear.

Originally posted by WojBhoy[..]
Indeed, I just find the thinner tone of the singles suits the actual tone, i.e. the relatively clean delay effect. When I run it through the Epi., it crackles at random points and muffles up too much for my liking but I do remember watching that tribute show recently and noting that he used a Gretsch.
[..]
Does Edge play them back to front or something? I noticed on the blue pick you have that the "grip" area looks scratched up compared to the point which seems pristine. I think I read it somewhere else before, but do you know anymore about how he actually holds picks?

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979[..]

Yep, playing with the grip side striking the strings is THE "Secret of the Edge Ching".

Originally posted by WojBhoy[..]
Do you play the same way when playing U2 stuff then, per chance? Or do you just play however your technique goes?

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979[..]

I do play ala The Edge using the grip side of Herdim guitar picks. I don't for all things but certainly for U2 songs and for some other things.

Originally posted by WojBhoy[..]
Hmm, I need to get some Herdim picks lol. I have shitty thin Dunlop ones but I can't stand them, and then one un-identifiable red one which has worn down with age, but plays really well...wish I knew what make it was lol.

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979[..]

Some will insist that ONLY Herdim's will work. Sure it's best to use what Edge (and Adam) use but any picks with grips like the Herdim will get you there.

I sometimes use Herco 75's (Good enough for Mr. James Patrick Page of Led Zeppelin, good enough for me) The Herco 75's are a bit smaller than the Herdim blue teardrop picks but have the similar grip that works well played upside down to get that "ching".

Dunlop makes some that have similar grips that work. I don't know the size/model off the top of my head. Bono was using some red coloured Dunlop picks during Elevation and Vertigo but not upside down like Edge.