Guitar delay effects used for “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2

Getting the guitar tone that Edge uses on U2’s epic track “Where The Streets Have No Name” isn’t as complicated as the average guitarist might think. Basically, what Edge is doing in this song is that he is using a modulated delay effect (or echoes), his signature feature (which can be heard in almost every U2 song). The delay unit used is a TC-2290, but obviously any type of delay unit will work since delay is delay. The delay setting is a dotted eighth note (3/16 of a bar) at 125 bpm or 360 ms in technical terms, repeated about 3 times and fading away. An interesting fact about this song is that it is in 6/8 time during the intro riff (6 beats per bar), and then changes to 4/4 when the band comes in. The riff played is a simple Darpeggio:

|-10————————————|

|—-10————-10-|

|——-12-11-12—–|

|————————|

|————————|

|————————|

The Edge also adds some modulation, making it a “modulated delay effect”. The guitar used is a 1980s Fender Stratocaster that employs the half bridge pickup (with the pickup switch positioned all the way to the floor, move the switch up one notch). The amp Edges uses is his vintage 1964 Vox AC-30 with Top Boost, used in about 90% of U2’s music.

One more interesting and important thing to note about the guitar tone in this song is that the Edge uses the textured grip part of a Herdim pick to pluck the strings, thus generating a “scratched” sound. This simple technique really helps bring out the late notes and can really get you a lot closer to sounding exactly like the guitar part on the recording.

-Doug Penta