The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

[dealmaker]

Guys,

I am looking to build a replica of the Edge's All Black with Maple 1973 Strat - does anyone have any idea on which pick-ups he uses - I'd heard they may be Seymour Duncan's. They appear to have regular style Black Covers fitted?

Anyone got any ideas? (Or any other info about that guitar also - such as what type of wood it is?)

Thanks!

 

[Rich_S]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

Well, if it's a '73, you probably want the heaviest piece of alder you can find. Failing that, try granite. Gotta love the CBS era.

Sorry, no idea about the pickups, but with all those effects, I doubt it matters much. I say that with utmost respect - I love the Edge's playing, and especially Under a Blood Red Sky, which was really that guitar's debut, IIRC.

 

[RockStarNick]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

I remember reading that the bridge pickup was a dimarzio FS1...

 

[J.C.R.W]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

I remember reading that the bridge pickup was a dimarzio FS1...

The Edge definitely had the Dimarzio FS1 in the bridge position of his black strat during the 'War/Under A Blood Red Sky' period. I am guessing he has swapped pickups around in that guitar over the years as I also heard he had a SD 1/4 pounder in the bridge at one point. I think middle and neck position are both stock.

Either way, The Edge's sound relies more on his effects rack and the many amps he has in his arsenal. You could probably get away with replicating his sound using stock fender pickups, and if you want to change up the bridge look at the two choices mentioned above as they are a higher output option.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

3 x DiMarzio FS-1.

When I first got my Squier JV Strat, it had the same model pickups in it. I was able to make an exact immitation of that half-muted raking sound that Edge does on "Sunday Bloody Sunday". It probably would have done a good immitation of "Where The Streets Have No Name" except that the stupid Squier Strat could not remember the riff!

 

[DonP]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

Any pics of said Strat? I'm curious as to what it looks like.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

It is on the cover of "Under A Blood Red Sky" (album and video). Looks like a stock CBS-era Stratocaster. Large headstock one-piece maple neck, black body, black plastic parts, vibrato may have been modified slightly, suspected "graphite" nut and string trees.

 

[dealmaker]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

Any pics of said Strat? I'm curious as to what it looks like.

 

[bagouser]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

Get yourself an Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man or a Visual Sound H20 for starters.
The guy uses rhythmic multi tap delays and a touch of chorus and reverb most of the time. As for the pickups, I don't think it would matter......as long as theyre true single coils......

 

[RockStarNick]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

Looks like he put on some big-ass brass saddles there.

Anyone else notice that in that picture, his action looks high as hell????

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

The brass saddles are probably DiMarzio. The apparently high action could be an optical illusion caused by a combination of the camera angle and the curvature of the fingerboard radius. I remember a photograph of SRV from a similar angle in which his strings appear equally high off the fingerboard.

 

[DonP]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

Thanks for the photos. I have a Black Classic 50s with a black pearl guard Texas Specials. Small headstock of course.

 

[LReese]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

One of my favorite color combos...

I got a Suhr with similar saddles, except steel. Feels a lot smoother on the hand than the stamped vintage type. IIRC, 73 was about the time Fender went with those awful die cast saddles.

I'm really not a fan of brass at all, though it can work well in the right instrument.

BTW - I seem to remember that Strat having Quarter Pounders (or Schecters) at one time.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The Edge's Black '73 Strat - which pick-ups?

The story repeated by Edge in several guitar magazines is that the black Stratocaster already had the DiMarzios fitted when he bought it. This makes sense in several respects. Edge's other main guitar at the time was a mid-Seventies Gibson Explorer. The hot DiMarzio single coils would have produced similar levels of drive and output to the regular humbuckers in the Gibson. Hence, little or no need for amplifier Gain setting adjustments on stage.