The EdgePedalboard, 2018

The Edge toured eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE in 2018 with 22 devices: an onstage Whammy and a remote wah into a Bradshaw-controlled rack of three Axe-Fx II XLs, a Korg SDD-3000, three separately set Boss SD-1s, a TS9, a JHS Crayon, a B9 organ and more.

Board
eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE programmable rack
Context
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Board date
Evidence
Documented equipment · 2 cited sources
Order
Reconstructed
Scope
Touring-period rig
Routing
Switchable effects loops
Audited
Signal
22 units · Guitar to amplifier

eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE programmable rack

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Order evidence: No source publishes this sequence; the order is reconstructed

Inside the rig · 22 units

Pedal roles & evidence

How each unit fits The Edge's 2018 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.

Cited sources

Reconstructed orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.

Pitch & Synth

DigiTech WH-1 Whammy

External loop

Role in this rig

Provides foot-controlled octave and harmony shifts from the onstage board.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Filter & EQ

Custom Audio Electronics Remote Wah

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Keeps the audio path in the rack while Edge controls the sweep remotely from the stage.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Multi-effects & Modeling

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Three identical units provide redundant and parallel programmable processing for the 2018 show.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Multi-effects & Modeling

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Three identical units provide redundant and parallel programmable processing for the 2018 show.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Multi-effects & Modeling

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Three identical units provide redundant and parallel programmable processing for the 2018 show.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Custom Line 6 DM4 Pro

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Supplies repeatable modeled drive and fuzz programs inside the Bradshaw switching rack.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Multi-effects & Modeling

Line 6 POD Pro

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Retains legacy modeled amplifier and effect patches required by specific U2 songs.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Delay & Echo

Korg SDD-3000

Rack insert

Role in this rig

Delivers the bright preamp lift and rhythmic repeats that remain central to Edge's classic delay sound.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Dynamics

Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Evens picked arpeggios and increases sustain before selected drive and delay programs.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Boss FA-1 FET Amplifier

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Adds the clear FET level lift that has appeared in Edge's touring racks across multiple eras.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Adds a focused mid-forward overdrive voice as a switchable rack pedal.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Three separate units preserve distinct gain settings that the Bradshaw system can select per song.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Three separate units preserve distinct gain settings that the Bradshaw system can select per song.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Three separate units preserve distinct gain settings that the Bradshaw system can select per song.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

JHS Crayon

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Adds console-style preamp saturation ranging from open boost to ragged drive.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

sobbat DB-2 Drive Breaker

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Supplies a distinct Japanese drive voice carried forward from the earlier 360-degree touring rack.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Gain

Fender Prototype Distortion

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Provides a private drive voice whose exact circuit and settings were not disclosed in the rundown.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Pitch & Synth

Boss OC-3 Super Octave

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Adds sub-octave weight and polyphonic octave textures from a switchable rack loop.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Modulation

Diamond VIB1 Vibrato

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Adds true pitch vibrato and chorus-like movement to selected clean and delayed sounds.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Pitch & Synth

Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Transforms guitar into layered organ registrations for song-specific arrangement parts.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Filter & EQ

DigiTech Synth Wah

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Creates envelope-following filter and synthetic vowel textures retained from earlier touring rigs.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Multi-effects & Modeling

Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeler

Switched loop

Role in this rig

Provides one additional programmable effect model per preset without expanding the analog rack.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

Documented equipment · Reconstructed order · Switchable effects loops

Longtime tech Dallas Schoo opens and identifies the 2018 rack for Premier Guitar. His independent 2009 MusicRadar interview corroborates the continuing use of the WH-1, remote wah, Korg SDD delay, custom DM4, POD Pro, FA-1, Synth Wah and Drive Breaker families. The rack is a programmable network rather than a permanent serial chain; the displayed order groups pitch/filter, processors, dynamics, drives and specialty effects without claiming a universal preset route. Three Axe-Fx II XL units and three SD-1 pedals are shown as separate placements. Controllers, expression-only pedals, volume pedals, tuners, power supplies, mixers, splitters and interfaces are omitted.

No source publishes this sequence. The units are ordered by conventional signal-chain practice, and any documented routing zone is kept as recorded.

Cited sources

Methodology
  1. Premier GuitarRig Rundown: U2's The Edge
  2. MusicRadarClassic U2 interview: The Edge's rig with tech Dallas Schoo

Questions about The Edge's 2018 pedalboard

What pedals did The Edge use in 2018?
This dated entry lists 22 units: DigiTech WH-1 Whammy, Custom Audio Electronics Remote Wah, Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL, Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL, Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL, Custom Line 6 DM4 Pro, Line 6 POD Pro, Korg SDD-3000, Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer, Boss FA-1 FET Amplifier, Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive, Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive, Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive, JHS Crayon, sobbat DB-2 Drive Breaker, Fender Prototype Distortion, Boss OC-3 Super Octave, Diamond VIB1 Vibrato, Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine, DigiTech Synth Wah, Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeler. This is the recorded inventory, not a claim that every connection or model identification is confirmed; see the evidence and routing notes.
What order were The Edge's pedals in?
The complete order is reconstructed, not observed. The layout follows the cited routing constraints and the archive's signal-chain convention where the sources are silent. See the diagram and routing notes for the separate paths and any unconfirmed connections.
Is this The Edge's full guitar rig?
No. This dated entry covers 22 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear The Edge owned or used. Floor pedals, rack units and routing devices are included only where recorded; omitted equipment and uncertain connections are explained in the notes. It is not a complete or current rig inventory.
When and where was this pedalboard used?
eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE tour, June 2018. Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia. This is the rig documented for that touring period, not a career-wide gear list.
How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Premier Guitar, MusicRadar. Among them a rig rundown and an interview. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.