Riff Tone

Where the Streets Have No Name

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (1980s, likely 1973 model with maple neck)

AmpVox AC30 (Brilliant channel, 1964 Top Boost, studio recording)

PickupsStock Fender single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain4

bass5

mid6.5

treble7.5

reverb3.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayKorg Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay

Notes

Studio recording, 1986-1987 (The Joshua Tree sessions). The Edge used a Stratocaster into a Vox AC30, with signal split to two amps for stereo delay. No evidence of distortion/overdrive pedals for the riff; gain comes from amp pushed to edge of breakup. Settings and effects are for the main riff/chorus (driven, ambient section), not the clean intro.

Tone Character(9)

chiming and ambientbright and glassy top enddynamic, touch-sensitive attackslightly gritty edge-of-breakup drivepercussive, rhythmic strummingwide stereo image from dual delaysarticulate, clear note separationmodulated, swirling repeatsopen, spacious soundscape

Difficulty

The riff requires precise timing to synchronize with dual delays, dynamic control to maintain clarity at the amp's edge of breakup, and consistent muting/strumming for the percussive, ambient sound.

Sources

Amp Settings for "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 A Study of The Edge's Guitar Delay (U2) -- Where the Streets Have No Name (The Joshua Tree)“Streets have no name” U2 setting on dd-500? - The Gear Page

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