How to Sound like The Edge… On a Budget

On a previous post, I attempted to break down how The Edge and Paul Reynolds redefined the way we use the delay effect. For me, this was interesting because they did it in such an original and effective way that is still being imitated and cherished by guitar players all over the world (just listen to Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance”).

Bu to do so, they also had to rely on some equipment in order to reproduce the sounds or ideas they had in mind. I always wondered if there was a way to do so by not having to buy an expensive amp or a vintage delay pedal. That being said, after some research and experimentation, I’ve found there are some ways to emulate the sound characteristics that made them known.

The idea of this post is to cover the piece of gear you can use to achieve a similar sound to what The Edge has… without breaking the bank. For doing that, we will try to find pedals that can take us there in some way or another. In essence, we will need some overdrive pedals that can emulate a VOX AC30, and some delays capable of dotted eight functionality. Let’s go from easy to hard and see what we can achieve.

The Premise

You may be thinking right now that there’s something that should be clarified before going on. The Edge has a lot of gear, like a lot. The question thus stands: are we trying to get his more original early signature sound or shoot for his more current rig?

I personally believe it would be near impossible to get his more current gear on a budget. The other thing to remember is that his signature sound can be pretty much traced to the early days where he was using a couple of VOX’s AC30 and two EHX’s Memory Man (beginning of the 80’s to mid-80’s). He also used a couple of TC Electronics’ 2290 Delay Units (the late 80’s). So that’s what we’re aiming for.

The other thing we are going to keep on hold are the guitars. I know a guitar is a fundamental piece of gear, but for the sake of keeping everything simple, let’s leave that aside at least for this particular stage of the post.

In my experience, if you have a decent guitar, people will still notice you’re having the “U2” sound if you dial up your delays and your amps correctly. And to be honest, for most people, it’s the delays that make the sound recognizable. On the other hand, if you’re curious about what guitars The Edge used for the early stages, check this previous post here. There I go into a little more into detail about that.

But… so you have something to consider, I will recommend you to check Fender’s Player Series guitars. The Edge was known for using a Black Fender Stratocaster and these guitar series offer them for a reasonable price I would say. They are made in Mexico but the truth it’s, they have great Luthiers on this factory and rumor has it that a good bunch of the workers there actually play, so they put proper attention whenever they’re building guitars.

So… What’s the Budget Like?

Excellent question! I think it depends on what someone would like to achieve. Do you just need an overdrive pedal that sounds like a VOX AC30? You can get away with 30 bucks I would say.

Do you need an analog delay that sounds similar to a Memory Man? Then you will have to put a little more than $100 if you want something brand new. How about an actual amp that sounds like a VOX AC30? I have good news, you can have a 50Watt one for around 200 dollars!

I’m going to actually put at the end of the post the different options and combinations you can have, so keep reading and tell me your thoughts at the end.

With all that being clarified, let’s move on!

The Edge Sound Part 1: The Guitar Pick

Often times overlooked, but he uses a particular type of pick. It’s from a brand called Herdim and they are produced in Germany. This company has been producing these picks since the 60’s.

If you notice, it says West Germany (remember, the country was divided into two main regions up until 1989). Today West Germany doesn’t exist anymore, but they still keep producing these picks and still says West Germany, I find that curious, but cool!

These picks are particular because they have a raised dimple pattern that helps the player with the grip (this is a very important feature that will come to play on a moment). According to him, he uses the one that has a 0.88 mm gauge. On top of that, he always goes for the blue ones. This creates a small contradiction because the guys from Herdim make the picks on three different colors and gauges:

• Yellow: 0.63 mm
• Red: 0.87 mm
• Blue: 1.1 mm

So yes, the 1.1 mm picks are actually the blue ones and as you can see on this picture, he uses those:

But what makes his sound special is not just the pick, it’s the way he holds it. You see, The Edge holds the guitar pick backward. By doing so, the dimple pattern side of the pick makes contact with the guitar strings helping him create his chime-like signature sound. Simple, yet effective. If you want to actually see the difference between the sound waveform that’s created playing normally and the way he does it, I recommend that you go to this site.

He was not the first one to do this (and for sure won’t be the last), but because he does this intentionally it has become part of this signature sound.

The unit sale price of this pick is around .99 cents (maybe more) and you can get a pack of 12 for the yellow and red ones for about $13. The blue ones marked “West Germany” also come in a pack of twelve and they’re around 18 bucks. You can get them on Amazon here.

So, I think that with this our first stage is pretty much covered. You can actually get the same pick The Edge uses and while they’re not dirt cheap, they’re also pretty affordable.

The Edge Sound Part 2: Delays

Ok, now we’re covering the more interesting ground. As mentioned before, this is what people tend to recognize the most from the U2 sound. The Edge was known for using pretty much these delays:

• Electro Harmonix’s (EHX) Memory Man
• TC Electronic’s 2290
• Korg’s SD 3000

I’m gonna be honest with you and eliminate straight away the Korg from the list. They launched a pedal version of this rack unit around 2014 and yes, it has the heart and soul fo the original equipment. There are just two main problems with this unit: It’s a little hard to find and… it can cost more than 500 dollars. Yes, you’ve read that right, the pedal goes up to 500 dollars. Not exactly a budget stomp-box I would say…  I think he used the rack unit since 1984, especially for the album “The Unforgettable Fire”, so yes… it’s there and had to be mentioned.

This leaves us with the Memory Man and the TC 2290. Let’s go first with EXH’s pedal.

An Alternative to the Deluxe Memory Man

The Edge was known for having two Deluxe Memory Man (DMM). This masterpiece analog delay made his debut in 1977 replacing his older brother (the conventional Memory Man). It was a big deal because it had 5 knobs that allowed the user not just to control the classic delay parameters; it also had a chorus/vibrato effect switch that could be further fine-tuned with a designated knob.

EHX continued to produce this pedal and the newest version is a stomp-box with 6 knobs. The pure analog goodness is unmistakable, but this one costs around 270 dollars; not what we’re aiming here.

So, what is the alternative that we have for getting something similar as a DMM? That’s a tough one, not going to hide it. Whenever I want an alternative, I always go to the source. In this case, that means we should see if EHX has something to offer besides the DMM.

A quick search on the site will throw that they have a pedal called the “Memory Boy”. As you can imagine now, this pedal is a strip-down version of the DMM. It is actually based on both the MM and the DMM, with features that try to capture the best of both worlds.

For instance, it has a toggle switch that will allow you to choose between three modes: chorus, exp. pedal, and vibrato. They basically set the rate of the modulation (yep, this pedal has modulation on you can control it with a dedicated knob) and when an expression pedal is used, the middle position allows you to control the rate using the external device.

It also has a toggle switch for choosing between a triangle or square waveform. The first option gives the pedal a nice chorus sound and the second allows you to have some pitch-shifting.

As you can see, the little brother has a lot to offer and it makes for a great analog delay too. The magic of the DMM is there, you can notice it, but trying to compare both is something to be made with some fairness. It’s like trying to compare a Husky to a Wolf. For sure you see the resemblance and they both howl, but they’re different. The same logic applies here. They look similar, they both howl, they’re both analog, but different.

The Memory Boy is a great analog pedal and carries the flame of the DMM. In my opinion, is the best alternative out there for having a similar sound to what The Edge had. It used to cost around $112, but lately, the prices have increased in some online retailers. For what it has to offer (if you get it around the price mentioned before), it is not expensive. I have this pedal and I don’t regret it, you can get really nice sounds out of it and gives your overall a warmth that’s very recognizable. Finding this pedal online has become a little hard lately, but you can still get it on Amazon here.

With all that being said, let’s keep going.

An Alternative to the TC 2290

The Edge used two 2290 rack delays and according to amnesta.net, you can hear them throughout the song “Where The Streets Have No Name”.

Finding a pedal that can give us a similar sound to the 2290 it’s not that hard if we go to the source. Yes, we should head to TC Electronic’s website and see what they have to offer.

If you go there and check the guitar section and further down your search on the stompboxes navigation you will find two candidates that can give us what we’re looking for: the Alter Ego V2 and the Flashback 2 Delay. They are both great pedals so let’s see what we can achieve with them and which one we should go to.

Ok, we’re looking for a way to emulate a 2290 rack unit. The good news is that both pedals have a dedicated option for this specific model! Also, both pedals allow you to effectively add the dotted eight repetitions, and that’s important as well.

So… what are the bad news? Well, there’s actually no bad news, but having to decide between two products is sometimes a little annoying :). To make things simpler let’s understand the main difference between the two.

The Alter Ego V2 is a digital delay that replicates vintage analog delays. The Flashback 2 Delay is a pure digital delay that aims to give you crystal clear repeats and some preset for analog delays. The Alter Ego V2 comes with the option to replicate a modulated 2290 unit; the Flashback 2 replicates a 2290 unit but the good thing is that you can still hear some modulation behind it!

Both pedals are super featured packaged and I do not intend to go great lengths on describing all the functions. The main goal is to find a suitable 2290 sound.

So, if I had to choose, I would go to the Flashback 2. First of all, the switch knob has something called “Mash Technology”. Basically, this allows you to control your on/off footswitch as an expression pedal.

All the 11 presets available, take advantage of this tech (for the 2290, you get a freeze effect) and also, you have the ability to connect your pedal through the TonePrint Editor to your preferred device and fine tune and tweak even more your favorite delay sounds. Just imagine what you could get out of this little beast.

The other thing to consider is the tap-tempo function. The Alter Ego V2 has something called “Audio Tapping”. This simply means that you hold the on/off switch and you strum to the rhythm of the song and you get your delays in-sync with that. It’s not bad, but I consider this method not 100% ideal.

The Flashback V2, on the other hand, has a stereo input jack that can be used to connect an external tap device and voilá, you can tap your way to the perfect repetitions even in the middle of a song. That’s a winner right there for me. Nonetheless, it should be mention there’s no “internal tap tempo” feature. You will need an external tap device, but those are usually cheap.

The price for the Flashback 2 is around $160. It seems a little bit pricey but still way cheaper as other alternatives or rack units (trust me, I’ve looked like crazy for them). You also need to remember you’re getting not just the 2290 sounds, you also end up with an awesome digital delay -with small foot print-, capable of doing great analog emulation and the ability to tweak your sounds to your desire with TonePrint Editor. I think this pedal is great and you can get it on Amazon here.

Let’s move on now to the last part, the amp!

The Edge Sound Part 3: The Amp

Finally, we got to the amps! This is going to be interesting because he normally has like 7 amps on stage! One more time, we’re aiming for simplicity here so with that in mind let’s go for it.

One Thing to be Mentioned

The Edge is primarily known for using two VOX AC30 amps. But his current rig also consists of various Fender amps, specifically 3 Fender Tweed Deluxe from the 50’s and one Fender Harvard from the 50’s as well.

We’re going to focus on the VOX AC30 alternatives, but I also have in mind one very interesting and cheap piece of gear that can help emulate to some extent a Fender Tweed type of amp. I’ve done a post where I talk more in depth about this pedal, so I encourage you to read it to find the answer.

An Alternative to the VOX AC30

If this company is known for something, it has to be this amp. It was introduced in 1959 to replace the AC15 because it wasn’t loud enough for countering the screaming fans sounds at concerts (presumably Cliff Richards concerts, you know, the guy from “We Don’t Talk Anymore”).

The models from the 50’s had a more conservative TV look, but the ones we tend to recognize are the models being introduced on the 60’s and they haven’t changed that much since that. One of the models The Edge uses is actually from 1964 and it was the earliest amp he used to record much of U2’s albums.

Luckily, there are interesting ways to emulate this amazing piece of gear, so let’s see what there’s on the market starting from the cheapest option to the most expensive one.

Alternative 1: the JOYO AC Tone.

Your cheapest option would be to have an overdrive pedal that somehow gives you an AC type of tone. This is what the people normally call a pre-amp pedal. If you’re happy with your amp but you would like to add to it some of the flavors of this legendary equipment then your way to go would be JOYO’s AC Tone (this one is a copy of the Liverpool from Tech 21, a pedal we are going to check out later).

This pedal was designed to reproduce the classic VOX tones and delivers a wide range of great sounding overdrives that you can tweak with the 6 knobs included. The Voice control, for instance, will allow you to dial up the perfect sound and fine tune for the perfect tone (the idea behind this parameter is that you can dial up different types of VOX amps). You can get a lot of nice warm sounds as well as killer lead tones from this guy.

But for me, the best thing is that this pedal has a built-in cabinet simulator. This means that basically, you can use this pedal instead of your amp for a gig, playing in church or for an emergency situation! You can place it at the end of your chain with a clean set-up (you can experiment for sure with this) and from there you can go straight to your mixing desk, your DAW, your computer, etc. Just for that, I give this pedal two thumbs up. My only complaint is that it doesn’t have a dedicated button for turning off the cabinet simulation. It’s not a big deal I guess and it shouldn’t do any wrongdoings to your overall rig.

Now you may we wondering, how much does this pedal cost? You’ll be surprised. It’s only around 30$, yes just 30$. I don’t think you can get some much stuff for such less monetary value somewhere else. The reviews it’s been having on Amazon and the Gear Page are really good and the fact it’s so affordable it’s ridiculous. If you’re looking to get that VOX sound or just to experiment with it, then this deal is a no-brainer. Check the current price on Amazon here.

Now to the second alternative.

Alternative 2: MOOER Pre Amp 004 Day Tripper

Mooer has been for some time now making this pre-amp line of pedals. They a lot of models from where to choose from, but the one we’re going to see here is the 004 Day Tripper.

Similar to what we’ve seen before, this little pre-amp pedal will give the classic tones of an AC30. The main advantage here is that pedalboard footprint is really small and it comes packed with interesting features. For instance, this pedal allows you to select between two channels: one channel has a more clean sound and other offers you more gain. Also, they’re both switchable so you can change channels on the fly, even in the middle of a song.

The best part is that the pedal will remember your channel settings even if you tweak the knobs. Say you have a nice clean sound on the first channel but you’ll want to have a more powerful overdrive on the second one. You simply set-up first the clean channel and then you go to the other and tweak the parameters to your preference for a more powerful sound. When you go back to the clean channel, it will remember the settings previously made even though the knobs will reflect what you’ve made on the other channel. I think this is really great and really a clever move from the Mooer guys.

Another great feature of this pedal is that it allows you to select whether or not you would like the cabinet simulation. Yes, this pedal has also a cabinet simulation option and you can enable/disable that with just a button. This is great because if you want to use the pedal as some sort of tone shaping overdrive, you will get more pedal like sound by removing the simulation.

On the other hand, you can place this little guy at the end of your pedalboard, enable the speaker sim and boom! You can go straight to the mixing board or connect your output to your computer and start recording. Again, this would be a great solution for replacing your amp on a gig.

Because of the features, this pedal has to offer, it is a little bit more pricey than the one offered by JOYO. You can get this pedal for a little more than 90$. I think the price is justified for the additional features like the ability to have two channels to play with and the option to enable/disable the speaker simulation. You can see how much it costs on Amazon here.

Let’s check alternative number 3.

Alternative 3: Tech21 Liverpool

It’s time to check the Liverpool from Tech21. Pretty much like some other companies, these guys have a complete line of pedals that aim to emulate the most sought after amps.

The Liverpool as it should be obvious by now goes after the tones of a VOX amp. It should be mentioned that Tech21 is a company famous for doing this. from day one they had the goal to make amp simulation a tangible possibility and to offer the world the direct recording experience.

The founder, Andrew Barta, was actually interested in selling the technology to other manufacturers but he didn’t succeed mainly because the other companies were not interested in this emerging technology. Boy, they were wrong! Anyway, let’s leave history aside and focus on the product.

As we mentioned before the JOYO AC Tone was pretty much a copy of this pedal, so let’s see what the original has to offer.

Well, first and foremost the controls are pretty much identical. You also have 6 knobs and the ability to tweak the tone with the “Character” knob. The more you go to the right, the more overdrive it adds to the mix, it also gives you a bigger, fuller tone. The more you go to the left, the quieter and “emptier” you’ll sound. The other knobs are also affected somehow to this parameter so you have plenty of room to experiment and dial up the perfect sound.

The Liverpool pedal is also made with better components and I think they’re still manufactured in the USA. The other great thing is that this pedal comes with a switch for enabling or disabling the cabinet simulator. Yes, that’s right, this one also has this ability and again, you can put it at the end of your board and go straight from there to the mixing desk, your computer, a DAW, etc. In fact, lots of users mentioned this pedal really shines when you use it this way. So again, it could be a lifesaver whenever you have to play on a gig, church or small venue and you don’t want to carry your amp.

It’s also worth mentioning that the cabinet simulator is modded after the Alnico Bulldog style speakers  (the world famous Celestion Blue speakers if I’m not mistaken). Essentially, this was the speakers used by Marshall and VOX amps on the 60’s.

The Liverpool offers you a great tone and if you’re planning to go direct, I think it’s one of your best options. The switch for controlling the simulation is also a nice touch and allows you to use this pedal as an overdrive as well in case that’s what you’re looking for. But as mentioned earlier, this guy is really useful going straight from the back of your board to a PA or a mixing desk. It has to be mentioned it is also more expensive. It costs around 160$.  Again, if this the only missing piece of equipment for having the Vox type of sound, I think it’s worth it. You can check the price on Reverb here.

Let’s go to alternative number 4!

Alternative 4: VOX MV50 AC

So far we’ve been discussing how we can achieve a VOX tone mainly through pedals. But… what about actually using a real amp? After all, I think we all know the sound of a real amp is hard to beat. Enter the MV50 AC from VOX.

Last year VOX brought to the market this new amp series which consisted of 5 models. Obviously, the AC30 type was one of them. This little guy just weights around 400 grams (like 1 pound) but has 50 watts of power!

Adding more to the hype, the pre-amp circuitry contains analog components which help to reinforce the classic dynamics of a tube amp. Speaking of that,  it also uses a new technology called the “Nutube”. Basically, it’s a new type of vacuum tube that’s really small -30% smaller than a regular one-, and really power efficient, requiring just 2% the power of a normal vacuum tube. Even though it’s pretty small, it’s still capable of producing the same warm and rich tones of his traditional counterpart.

It’s been a little more than a year now for this product on the market and the reviews keep coming and they are pretty good. Some people complained that it would have been perfect if the amp had an effects loop. I get it, a lot of guitar players run their effects through that. Me personally, I’ve never used them and I actually like how everything sounds going straight to the main input of the amp. But that’s just me.

Can this amp replace an AC30? Again, I think that’s like comparing a Husky to a Wolf. This amp definitely delivers the classic VOX sounds and you can hear the AC30 there, but you shouldn’t expect an exact replica of it.

Also, this is not a combo amp. The MV50 AC is a head amp, this means you can connect it to a guitar cabinet (the one you prefer actually, that’s up to you) and because it’s a 50-watt mini-monster, it won’t have any issues making a loud sound. VOX does offer a combo package with a 1×8” guitar cabinet (around 20,30 cm.) but as you can imagine, that makes the product more expensive.

With that being said, this little piece of equipment does offer a lot of versatility. It’s small, it’s powerful and it has a direct out with speaker simulation. That’s right, this guy has speaker simulation and that means one more time that you can go to your gig and go straight to the board and there you have it; no more big amp plus guitar cabinet weightlifting. You can also use a pair of headphones and suddenly you have a full sounding amp through your ears without being an inconvenience for the rest of your neighbors :).

The MV50 AC can be the perfect practice amp or can also completely replace a regular amp especially if you gig a lot on small venues (well I mean, with 50 watts has enough power for a regular venue too!); often times the amp is the piece of equipment that gets beat-up the most in commute, so keeping your regular amp safe and using this one instead can save you a lot of frustration and money along the way. You will definitely get the AC30 vibes out of it and the best part is that it’s pretty affordable. It only costs around 200$. You can check the price on Amazon here.

Ok, now let’s try to put everything together and see how our budget would look like.

Putting Everything Together

Here I will try to examine more closely the combinations of all the gear mentioned before and how we can make a budget for it. The idea again is to start from the simplest option and from there go to the more complicated combinations. It’s time to group everything and get some numbers, so let’s move on!

OPTION 1: Just the Guitar Pick

This is your cheapest scenario:

• Herdim Guitar Picks – around 18$.

TOTAL BUDGET: around 18$

OPTION 2: Just the Amp Pedals

Here you have 3 options:

• JOYO AC Tone – around 30$.
• Mooer Pre Amp 004 Day Tripper – around 98$.
• Tech21 Liverpool – around 160$

If you go for the cheapest option…

TOTAL BUDGET: around 30$

OPTION 3: Just the Delays

Two options here:

• EHX Memory Boy – Around 112$ (Remember, the Memory Boy doesn’t have a tap-tempo function!)
• TC Electronic Flashback 2 –  Around 160$.

If you go for the cheapest option…

TOTAL BUDGET: around112$ (with some luck!).

OPTION 4: Just the Amp

You have one option here:

• VOX MV50 AC – Around 200$.

TOTAL BUDGET: around 200$.

Some Scenarios…

• If you already have a delay and would like to experiment a little more with the AC type of sounds, your cheapest option would be to go to the JOYO AC Tone. You can also add the picks and keep building from there :). In total, you would spend around 48$.
• Assuming you have everything else but you need a delay, I would suggest going with the Flashback 2. I love the Memory Boy, but the Flashback has a decent analog delay function plus the ability to tweak your sound with TonePrint and tap-tempo. You will have to spend around 160$ for one but it’s worth it.
• Providing that you are happy with your board but are looking for a backup amp in form of a pedal then your cheapest option is the Mooer Day Tripper. I would pick this instead of the JOYO because of the on/off amp simulation switch. You’ll spend around 98$.
• If you like what you get from the JOYO AC Tone but would like the ability to enable/disable the amp simulation the Liverpool is the way to go. You’ll spend around 160$.
• What about a real amp? Your best way to go is with the MV50 AC. It will give you the classic AC tone. It’s light, powerful, comes with cabinet simulation and for a 50-watt amp is affordable. You’ll spend around 200$.
• Help me! I need everything! Ok, ok, your cheapest combination would be like this (around 160$):
  • Herdim Guitar Picks.
  • JOYO AC Tone.
  • Memory Boy.

I hope this helps you to get the idea on how you can keep making scenarios. I’ll keep updating this post whenever I find the new alternatives to get the sounds of The Edge providing they convenient and affordable.

One Last Thought

It’s been a long post. If you’ve reached to the end, thanks for reading! I hope you’ve found the information here really useful. I did have a lot of fun researching and checking the different options here and there.

It took lots of hours though… But it was totally worth it! The whole idea behind this was to show people it is possible to find your way around in a sea of expensive gear and still somehow emulate the sounds of the guitar players we all love.

What do you think of the list? Is it cheap enough? Is it still expensive? What would you change or recommend? I’d love to hear your thoughts on these topics. Please leave a comment and give your 2 cents!

Until the next time,

M.M

Gear Mentioned:

• Herdim Guitar Picks.
• EHX Memory Boy.
• TC Electronic Alter Ego V2.
• TC Electronic Flashback 2 Delay.
• JOYO AC Tone.
• Mooer Day Tripper.
• Tech21 Liverpool.
• VOX MV50 AC.

Credits:

• Image 1: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/315392780150528740/
• Image 2: https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/herdim-standard.html
• Image 3: https://www.flickr.com/photos/xrayspx/
• Image 4: https://equipboard.com/pros/the-edge/electro-harmonix-deluxe-memory-man
• Image 5 and feature image: Screenshot from the video review by shnobel, go watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFbuiRVkQc
• Image 6: http://www.amnesta.net/edge_delay/
• Image 7: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cheesyfeet/
• Image 8: en.wikipedia a Commons. Source: Zachary Gillman [1] (Image accessed, January 2010, at: [2]), CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2565984
• Image 9: Screenshot from the video review by Anthony Brown – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlM3DgLnTOM
• Image 10: Screenshot from the video review by Justin Chan. Awesome review, check it out here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gox39N0EAsM
• Image 11: Screenshot from the video review by Evert Zeevalkink. Great video, go watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHHoGjd5Rf4
• Image 12: Screenshot from the video review by PMTVUK, check the awesome MV50 AC review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzvbt-RZceU