See U2’s the Edge ‘Geek Out’ About New Custom Guitar

You’ve also played a Gibson Explorer since the early days.
As our music developed and my songwriting and playing developed, I tried to find something that was a little different, like, a step away from that tone that I loved. So we went for the first album with the Explorer. But I really missed the Strat, so when we got a little money together – when we got our record deal – the first chance I got I bought my black Strat, which I still have.

That was a Stratocaster built in 1973. Was it a standard-issue Fender?
It has some interesting features: the bridge is a brass bridge, not like the standard Fender bridge, and again that adds some resonance. It has a little more sustain, a little more girth to the tone. And I put a DeMarzio pickup in, which gets that tone. In addition to my Fender amp, I play to a Vox, which is a very bright amp, so it gives a little more substance.

“I rely on sound to get inspired.”

You’ve said that certain instruments drive your creativity. Was that true in this case?
Yeah. I’m not a theoretical musician or a theoretical writer. I’m a hands-on guy who pursues music in a naïve way. I just love when I’m carried away by the sounds that are happening. And I draw inspiration so much from sonics, I’m a much better guitar player when shit is sounding good. If the sound isn’t great, I’m only operating on 50 percent of potential. It’s just something that raises my game. So when I’m working with a great sound, I’ll find I’m doing stuff I could never imagine otherwise to fill up the sound. It’s, like, a way for me to get free and get lost in the music. So I rely on sound, really in that sense, to get inspired.

When I think of you playing a Stratocaster, the first thing that comes to mind is The Joshua Tree.
Yeah, I absolutely was loving the flexibility of the instrument at the time. From “Bullet the Blue Sky,” which is just so intense and heavy-sounding, to the delicacies of “Where the Streets Have No Name,” it’s so versatile. I think of all electric guitars it probably has the most versatility.

I noticed you played the opening arpeggio of “Streets” in the video above.
Yeah. And when you try that with a different instrument, those notes just don’t ring out in that way. That is just the way the Strat responds.

You bought your first Strat nearly 40 years ago, and now you’ve made your first custom guitar. Why now?
Well, I started this relationship with Fender, and for the first time I guess it felt like a natural thing to do. It was just born out of my enthusiasm for the instrument and for the company. They made it a lot of fun to collaborate with them and explore ideas. It just seemed like a really natural thing to take all the knowledge that I’ve amassed over years about the Strat and refine that into an instrument that they could produce. Selfishly, it just really helps me because I don’t have to be so paranoid about my Seventies Strat getting damaged or going missing. Now I can literally take one off the shelf and be confident it’s going to work for me.