It's a great guitar with an oversized 70's headstock. The Edge has a signature Fender Stratocaster that will get the man on the street tonally in range. The albums of the 2000's really don't have a signature guitar, and coincidentally U2's sound didn't change much either. White 70's Les Paul Custom: Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Pop The Edge has an array of guitars but the iconic ones are from the three stages of U2's sound evolution:īlack 70's Strat: Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree They would create the ultimate tonal foundation for a tapestry of digital effects - which in theory detract from tone. Aside from being cool looking contrast, this is a matter of practicality. I've always like his penchant for vintage guitars and amplifiers - while using the cutting edge of digital effects. His rig now must be in the record books for containing the most pedal and rack effects. The Edge has been pushing the envelope of guitar effects since the late 70's. In this context The Edge is a sideman in the vein of Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Andy Summers of The Police. Again, memorable guitar solo on that song too. There's no greater example than Pride (In the name of Love). Rather, he deliberately finds interesting harmonic intervals from which to play. With the exception of Desire, rarely do you find The Edge, strumming cowboy chords (chords on the first three frets). If you're a fan, you can hum or mentally recall every guitar solo to your favorite U2 song. The Edge solos with right hand heaviness of a punk rock guitar player, but his note choice is as lyrical as Bono. Particularly (and excuse the lazy writing) his solo's just rocked. Especially with Achtung Baby and Zooropa, U2 and The Edge possessed a cool factor that no one else had. It was always out of left from anything I was listening too at the moment. Throughout it all, no one's guitar style excited me quite like The Edge. Everything has its nerd culture - including guitar.Īt different times in my teenage years I was wholly obsessed with: Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Seattle Grunge music, and finally Indie-rock as a rejection of all those at the beginning of the list.
Much like the proverbial psychology/philosophy graduate, snubbing his nose at the world from behind a coffee shop counter.
"The Edge is overrated" is typically a sentiment among snarky, elitist musicians that have nothing to show for their work. "Minimalist" is relative because I'm comparing The Edge to his haters: guys practicing sweep arpeggios that impress everybody but actual girls.Īlthough, as evidenced from his riffage on Until the End of the World - The Edge is modern day Jimi Hendrix. The Edge revolutionized guitar with his clever use of effect driven, minimalist playing. He chooses the band, the song, and the listener's emotion. He's clearly a capable guitar player that chooses restraint and innovation. U2's David Howell Evans (or The Edge) might be the greatest rock guitar player of the past 35 years. But I had to school this young man verbally, with the video above, and with this accompanying blog post. I was young once (I'm 39) and I get the brash assertions young men make. A young man, kind of metalhead, boldly exclaimed to me the other day that The Edge is the most overrated guitar player ever.
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