Gloria amp settings
U2
Solo guitar tone
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The recording
Gloria is the opening track of U2's second studio album October, recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin in July-August 1981 and produced by Steve Lillywhite. The sessions were chaotic and rushed after Bono lost a briefcase of in-progress lyrics during the Boy Tour, forcing the band to improvise and write songs in the studio. The Edge has said the guitar parts in Gloria were born from the slapback echo sound he created with his Memory Man, and that the song was one of the few they were happy about when they entered the studio. The track features The Edge on both rhythm and lead guitar, with the echo-drenched riff and solo passages creating the song's distinctive, layered character.
Tuning Standard tuning (E A D G B E)
Signal chain · Solo
Original gear
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar · The Edge · Riff & solo
The Edge's main electric guitar for the October sessions; he stated he used the Strat heavily on Gloria, and the same instrument carried both the slapback-echo riff ideas and the solo passages on the studio recording.
Vox AC30
Amp · The Edge · Riff & solo
The Edge stated in a 2021 Guitar World retrospective that all effects, echoes, and distortions on October were put through the amplifier with no outboard treatment, and that the guitar parts in Gloria were born from the slapback echo sound he created through that amp; he described himself as 'wedded' to his amp and refused to change it, while the 1987 Guitar World interview identifies his long-time studio and touring amp as a vintage Vox AC30, and a 2018 Italian gear article confirms he used a Vox AC30 in the pre-Boy and early U2 era.
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man
Delay · The Edge · Riff & solo
The slapback echo unit that generated the signature guitar sound on Gloria; The Edge stated the guitar parts in Gloria were born from the sound he created with that echo, and the Memory Man was his primary delay/echo pedal during the October recording era.
MXR Dyna Comp
Compressor · The Edge · Solo
A strong compressor used by The Edge whenever he plays slide, which includes the Gloria solo; the amnesta.net study specifically identifies the MXR Dyna Comp as the compressor used for the Gloria solo slide passages.
Alternatives
Practical playing approach
Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.
- 1.Use a tight slapback echo setting to lock in with the driving rhythm.
- 2.Utilize bridge pickup settings on your Stratocaster for biting top-end presence.
- 3.Incorporate slide techniques cleanly during the lead solo sections with compression engaged.
Frequently asked questions
What gear was used for the Gloria guitar tone?
The available research points to Fender Stratocaster into Vox AC30. The full reported signal chain and evidence links are listed on this page.
Are the original Gloria amp settings documented?
Exact historical knob positions are not reliably documented for most recordings. ToneTwin does not publish generated values as studio fact; it creates playable settings only for the amp and pedals a player selects.
What tuning is Gloria in?
The current research record lists Standard tuning (E A D G B E). ToneTwin keeps corrections open when reliable accounts disagree.
How do I recreate the Gloria tone on my own gear?
Use the reported pickup, gain character, effects and signal-chain order as the target, then translate that target to your equipment. The matcher models controls for your selected rig rather than copying undocumented studio numbers.
Researched and reviewed by the ToneTwin Research Team.
Sources