U2 Echo Delay Sound

N

Newbie-Doo

Member
I want to get that U2\Edge echo-delay guitar thang going. Any recommendations on an echo or delay pedal? I would like to stay under a $100 if I can.

Thanks
 
Nope, the memory man is not the only way. In fact, the only way to really duplicate his signature delay sound (I'm using where the streets have no name as my reference) you're going to need not one, but two memory man units, two VOX AC-30s, a Gibson Explorer, and a calculator.

The edge uses an A/B/Y setup to create his sound using two different delay patterns. One is a shorter pattern used to thicken and add sustain to the sound. The other is the one that creates the chiming arp sort of delay effect. Both of these run into completely separate amp setups.

Now, that's not to say you can't get close with any other setup ;)

My groups guitarist can get pretty close to that sound with his boss digital delay and an american telecaster through a hotrod deville, but how close it is to the real thing depends on how big of a U2 fan you are!

Kyle.
 
Pleaser is right about the two delays.

You can get pretty close with any digital delay where you have some precise control of the delay time.

I wish I had one of those 'tap' set delays...I have an older Boss DD-3 and it works fine but its a pain to try to set up precise Edge like on beat-repeats for different tempos between songs.
 
If you're looking to cover lots of delay types, including "U2 style", I would suggest saving up for the Line6 DL-4. 16 different delays, including... [drumroll]... the stereo delay. It has dual integrated delays, and you can set each of them to an individual time and decay. You can run it mono and you'll sound enough like the Edge to make people say, "Hey, that sounds kinda like U2." But, use the stereo outs and run to two different amps, and you're there.

I've had great luck with mine. Use it live for the loop sampler, and there's a ton of great, warm delays on there. On top of that, you've got three user presets so you can get away with a few different tones at the drop of a hat. $250 street, and you can usually find a deal or two on ebay. I've heard of a few QC issues on early ones, so if you can get it from someone with a good return policy its nice to have that backing. Good luck!

Danny
 
am i the only one kinda creeped out by some of the people on that u2 forum? i mean, you see the same thing with other famous guitarists... but whoa.
 
Im not too sure the RP 100 will give you what you want. I used to have an RP 200 that wasnt that great. I wasnt impressed by the delay. But, maybe youll have better luck.
 
It's pretty simple. Any multi-tap stereo delay will do the trick. Set the first delay to 370ms and the second to 500ms. Set the feedback medium-low so that you get one clear note from each delay.

For full effect, pan the first delay hard left and the second hard right. Keep the dry signal centered in the mix, same volume as the delays.

Just about every effects box comes with a similar setting. The Line 6 Pod does a decent impersonation. I had an old DigiTech guitar processor with a 6-tap delay that would do it (took hours to get it right). The Nomad Factory BT Long Delay does it perfectly.

The delay times are critical. You can play with them a bit to suit the song tempo but you can't vary too much before The Edge is lost. :p
 
The poor man's way is to just take any decent delay unit (i've used a Boss DD-6 and currently a Line6 DL4) and just set the delay to what i believe is a dotted eighth (of all things) tempo. It takes a long time to get used to tapping that rhythm in, especially while playing other things. Play around with delay timings in the 340-420 range and have fun!
 
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