U2’s Guitar Player The Edge about His Approach to Guitar Playing, Gear, Guitars and Making Music

I had not planned to do a special about U2 or the Edge, mainly mentioned him as one of the main users of the Memory Man. Originally wanted just to describe how the Edge uses his Memory Man to get some of those sounds. This was all before I started trawling YouTube…………….
I came across some videos, and there there was this documentary: “It Might Get Loud”. I remembered the name from a few years ago, there was a student who had mentioned this at some point, but I had forgotten about it, not seen it, not interested at the time, anyway.
After having found some really good videos which explain a lot about U2, the Edge, The Music and his approach to playing the guitar and making music, I felt like I should start off with this article first. It will explain a lot to readers who do not use many effects, are not that technically minded etc. What I found was not new to me. I can hear these things going on on the actual recordings. In fact I can go into some details of particular sounds which have not been featured yet in videos, but that is the material for future articles about U2 and the Edge. For today I want to put up five videos which will explain some of those U2 guitarsounds, where they come from and how they were being made.

Okay first video, where the Edge talks about his first guitar, the accident he had with it ( I love how casual he is about it, after all it is just a plank of wood and anything materially in this world can be repaired ) the different type of guitar players and more about his gear.

Part two which is about more gear

Now some snippets of the documentary “It Might Get Loud”, this part deals with some of the early years of U2

Fourth video with more about  the early years of U2, Ireland, the Edge,sounds and what playing with effects  means for your guitar playing. He says it all here, can’t say it any better.

Last video, The Edge’s guitar tech soundchecking Edge’s rig before Cardiff gig:

Next time I will go into detail about some of those early U2 songs and the Memory Man in particular and how you get close to some of those sounds yourself.
See you soon,
Eddie