Is it wrong to like The Edge?

The Edge

  • Under rated guitar player

    Votes: 106 53.8%

  • not impressed

    Votes: 91 46.2%
  • Total voters
    197
HogansHiro

HogansHiro

Now with 25% more sarcasm
I hate to say it..but damnit...I love U2s The Edge. The guy does so much with one damn guitar and makes it look so easy. He doesn't shred..hardly solos at all. It kinda makes me wonder why I suck so bad after playing for so many years and he just plugs along with his droning chords and sounds like a freakin orchestra.....

besides that..... I can't stand U2, mainly because of that singer guy.

Edges amp setup......got enough amps mic'd?
http://www.guitarraonline.com.ar/set-ups/the%20edge/Edge01.jpg
 
Take away his delay unit and he'd be nothing.

Any guitarist here could learn to do what the Edge does in about half an hour given a DD3 or a Roland Space Echo.

I love the comedy sketch Bill Bailey does on this theme. It's funny 'cos it's true ;)
 
I put him in the same class as Pete Townsend and Curt Cobain. Neither of them are/were very technical players, yet they had the ability to write riffs that were extremely moving; well at least to me. That's really what it's all about isn't it?

There is no good or bad - music either moves you or it doesn't.
 
I went to a U2 concert during the Pop tour with an ex-GF, and about the only thing I remember about it is that I was surpisingly impressed with the Edge as both a guitarist and backing vocalist. He's solid and his guitar parts fit perfectly with the style of music they play. I'm not big on the band, but I can respect them. And I do think there is a little more to his sound than having the right fx box. That's a pretty narrowminded notion.

But, good lord, "The Edge"??!!! Is there a more stupid nickname out there?
 
Considering how often his name comes up in BBS's talking about whether he is overrated or not..... I would say he has done well. I love his style, and if he was so easy to imitate, name a U2 ripoff band? Come on, just one......
 
c7sus said:
Yes it's wrong.

Edge doesn't even exist without digital delay.
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Yeah it would be quite interesting to take all those crutches away and see what he comes up with. :eek:
 
Ive always been a big fan of U2 and Mr The Edge. I like his style, I like his sound, I like his performances. I have been heavily influenced in my own writing and performance style by he and Bono. Edge is actually the last living person I haven't met yet that I care to.

There's alot more to being a musician and performer than being able to play a jillion notes a second in the key of blah.

H2H
 
I hated Edge in the '80s for all the same reasons listed above. Now I realize he's a brilliant guitarist. Sure, you could do the same thing with a digital delay--but you didn't, he did. Edge understands tension and resolution; these are musical concepts. Wanking is not.
 
The thing I like the most is that his playing serves the song. There's no unneccesary showmanship for the sake of showing off. I like apeter Buck for the same reason.
 
He has been out there so long doing what he has been doing, it does not matter. I think he works with the band and people seem to buy his albums and concert tickets.

What is wrong with that? The fans paint the picture.

People said the same thing about Dave Gilmour. But, he took away all effects and played stunningly on Paul McArtney's album of oldies. All straight to an amp.
 
therage! said:
Yeah it would be quite interesting to take all those crutches away and see what he comes up with. :eek:
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Therein is the key flaw in your reasoning. You see them as crutches...he sees them as tools to accomplish a creative goal. You say take away the tools and see what's left. Well what you'll see is a guitarist who can probably play pretty much anything better than most anyone here, simply by virtue of his experience.

Are we assuming that simply because he uses delays and whatnot that he can't REALLY play? If so, then it is just that...nothing more than an assumption, and a pretty baseless one at that.

Another problem is that people rate Edge solely as a guitarist, when really he is much more than that. Have you looked at the man's effects rack? There's enough there to send someone to an insane assylum if they tried to figure it out. But he knows exactly what each piece does, exactly how to tweak it, and exactly how it affects his sound and signal chain. The man is a fusion a guitarist and a synth keyboardist, who refuses to allow the "effects are crutches" misconception to limit his creativity.

I agree that some effects are crutches...like distortion so over-the-top heavy that it masks flaws in playing. Same with delays when used to blur over sloppiness. But those categories can hardly be applied to Edge...for him they most certainly are tools.
 
I've heard that Townsend's style is somewhat derived from learning on guitars with missing strings; he found ways to work with two or three notes and set up good rhythms.

Similarly, I've heard that TE didn't really know guitar at all when they started the band, and so his parts are very simplified.

Two great examples of the less is more school.
 
sile2001 said:
Therein is the key flaw in your reasoning. You see them as crutches...he sees them as tools to accomplish a creative goal. You say take away the tools and see what's left. Well what you'll see is a guitarist who can probably play pretty much anything better than most anyone here, simply by virtue of his experience.

Are we assuming that simply because he uses delays and whatnot that he can't REALLY play? If so, then it is just that...nothing more than an assumption, and a pretty baseless one at that.

Another problem is that people rate Edge solely as a guitarist, when really he is much more than that. Have you looked at the man's effects rack? There's enough there to send someone to an insane assylum if they tried to figure it out. But he knows exactly what each piece does, exactly how to tweak it, and exactly how it affects his sound and signal chain. The man is a fusion a guitarist and a synth keyboardist, who refuses to allow the "effects are crutches" misconception to limit his creativity.

I agree that some effects are crutches...like distortion so over-the-top heavy that it masks flaws in playing. Same with delays when used to blur over sloppiness. But those categories can hardly be applied to Edge...for him they most certainly are tools.
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I'm not going to say that he would most definitely 100% without a doubt sound like crap without effects, but logically theres a pretty good chance of that since when someone relies on(crutch)/uses(tool) something for such a long time they'll have a hard time getting by without it. I haven't seen a ton of diversity in his use of effects either especially considering how long hes been around. Now Tom Morello on the other hand, thats some crazy use of effects that fit the song.
 
ibanezrocks said:
I'm not going to say that he would most definitely 100% without a doubt sound like crap without effects, but logically theres a pretty good chance of that since when someone relies on(crutch)/uses(tool) something for such a long time they'll have a hard time getting by without it. I haven't seen a ton of diversity in his use of effects either especially considering how long hes been around. Now Tom Morello on the other hand, thats some crazy use of effects that fit the song.
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Also keep in mind that guitarists/drummers/bassists frequently have chops that are rarely ever shown to the public. Take Mark Tremonti for example. I'm not hailing him as this super-great guitarist btw. But while he was playing in Creed, he never got to do much more than power-riffing through each song. Now that he is freed up (now in Alter Bridge) to have a little more fun, he's starting to show some skill that wasn't evident before. Now we see that the guy can really play, and can come up with some pretty damn decent riffs and lead lines.
 
You are right but still.............

Codmate said:
Take away his delay unit and he'd be nothing.

Any guitarist here could learn to do what the Edge does in about half an hour given a DD3 or a Roland Space Echo.

I love the comedy sketch Bill Bailey does on this theme. It's funny 'cos it's true ;)
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Oh don't you love the "Hamburger" effect: People agreeing with you but also adding a bit of critism as well.

So yes I agree but the Edge came up with a sound [or the whole band did really] and throughout all there albums from the first one to the very last one, throughout all those years and musical changes, you can still here that sound, now I think that is great.

Eddie
 
Why not give him and anologue one.............

c7sus said:
Yes it's wrong.

Edge doesn't even exist without digital delay.
Click to expand...


Let us see if he could do his mojo with an anologue one? :D :D

Any suggestions about what he should get for the next U2 album .............or even better...............for their NEXT show............. :D :D

Eddie
 
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