The Edge Rig

The Edge (David Howell Evans) built U2’s guitar language around delay as a rhythmic instrument, not a wash. On Boy and October the core was a 1976 Gibson Explorer bought in New York in 1978, a black 1973 Fender Stratocaster, and a 1964 Vox AC30TB, with an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man supplying analog repeats. From the War tour through The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree he moved the echo engine to dual Korg SDD-3000 digital delays so dotted-eighth and straight-eighth repeats could lock to tempo, with a Boss FA-1 boosting the AC30.

From Achtung Baby and Zoo TV he kept the AC30s but blended in 1950s Fender Tweed Deluxes, made the TC Electronic 2290 the main MIDI live delay, and used a 1975 Alpine White Les Paul Custom for heavier parts. Fender issued The Edge Stratocaster and The Edge Deluxe amp in 2016; those Strats (Fat ’50s plus a DiMarzio FS-1 bridge) became the touring workhorses. For U2’s 2023–24 Sphere residency he retired the tube backline, running Universal Audio UAFX Ruby ’63, Woodrow ’55 and Dream ’65 pedals with Fractal Axe-Fx units for extra amp models and effects.