Riff Tone

With or Without You

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (modified for Infinite Guitar system)

AmpVox AC30 (studio recording, 1987)

PickupsDiMarzio FS-1 (bridge), Fender Fat 50s (middle and neck), Infinite Guitar sustainer system

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble7.5

reverb5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayKorg Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay

otherCustom (Michael Brook) Infinite Guitar sustainer system

Notes

Studio recording, 1987, The Joshua Tree sessions. The Edge used a modified Stratocaster with the Infinite Guitar sustainer system for the sustained riff. The amp was a Vox AC30, a staple of The Edge's studio rig at the time. Delay was provided by a rackmount Korg SDD-3000 digital delay. No evidence of overdrive/distortion pedals for the main riff; the tone is clean and ambient. Pickup selection likely position 2 (bridge + middle) for chime and clarity.

Tone Character(10)

ethereal and sustainedbright and glassychimey cleanlush ambient delayclear articulationminimal amp breakupspacious and atmosphericsmooth sustainno audible overdrivemodulated digital delay repeats

Difficulty

The riff is technically simple but requires careful timing with delay repeats and smooth, sustained notes using the Infinite Guitar system. Clean playing and dynamic control are essential for the atmospheric sound.

Sources

U2 guitarist The Edge on his game-changing guitar approach on The Joshua Tree | Guitar World Classic U2 interview: 'Edge is very guitar-specific – last night he used 21 different guitars for 24 songs' | MusicRadar [GEAR] The Edge's guitar sound - Reddit

This tone has been researched 8 times by the community

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