YAMAHA // AE2000 // 19xx // tobacco sunburst finish
- Details:
Most U2 fans might recognize this guitar from The Edge using it for "When Love Comes To Town" from the film,
Rattle And Hum.
I first remember seeing this guitar used during the 1986 Self Aid show in Dublin, at Croke Park, when
they played "Pride (In The Name Of Love)".
The is also the guitar seen in The Edge's hands in the "With Or Without You" video.
It's next mass appearance was in Bono's hands on the cover of the March 1987 Rolling Stone magazine. It was soon followed
up in the hands of The Edge on the cover of the July 1987 issue Guitar World magazine.
This - from the above mentioned Guitar World (July 1987) article): Page 57
"I also use a new Yamaha guitar that I've recently been given called an AE2000, which is a big, almost jazz-like
guitar in style, the big cello-wide body, single cutaway and F-holes. It uses really tough big gauge flatwound strings and
it sounds sort of classical. I fell in love with it."
also -
"The solo for "In God's Country" is a pretty tricky one to talk about. The Sergio Leone reference is a fascination
one because I am a fan. The end of the song has a new kind of rhythm solo guitar thing mixed with a new technique I'm working
on. So maybe the solo comes through because it's so Duane Eddy-ized. Again, it's the AE2000 sound, sort of country, early
rock and roll."
Being a large hollow body jazz-style guitar, The Edge seemed to take a liking to it, particularly as U2 were experimenting
with early American blues, country and `50's style rock and roll during The Joshua Tree / Rattle And Hum era.
Use:
- Live: "When Love Comes To Town"
- Studio: "In God's Country" (solo).
- Video: "When Love Comes To Town" (Rattle And Hum" film), "With or Without You" (promo
video).
