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U2 Bass

57pbass

57pbass

Supporting Member
Aug 1, 2004
6,046
13,717
68
Bayside, New York
#1
I’m working on a bunch of U2 songs for an upcoming show we’re playing.
After listening closely to a few of these tunes it seems like Adam Clayton is a Fender bass purist and it sounds like he uses a pick on many of the tunes. I love charting tunes from different bands and am digging in to these tunes.

Any other information you can share about his gear would be great.

Thank you.
 
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#3
He plays a lot of different shaped basses. He has a few go to’s, but he can be seen playing a wide variety of basses. But a precision or Jazz will get you a lot of his tones.

Definitely lots of pick playing. Watch the movie “Rattle and Hum.” Many up close shots of him. The Vertigo Tour live in Chicago is good reference too.

My band did a U2 tribute show last Halloween in addition to playing a ton of U2 on the regular. Very fun parts to learn and perform.
 
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#5
I remember him on the Ibanez.



adam_clayton.jpg
 
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#9
51 U2 shows attended....and four times on stage with the band.... yes I'm a superfan. He plays most songs with a pick. He's has Ashdown, Ampeg, and Aguilar endorsements. I own his Fender Purple Sparkle Jazz and his Fender Gold Sparkle Precision. I play Adam in a tribute band and sadly, I am not good with the pick, but play with fingers. I am friends with a few other Adam tribute dudes that do his lines justice with a pick. Some also some tributes use the Moog Pedals. Adam is one of the nicest, kindest, and friendliest people you'd ever meet.

My gear onstage is simple. Ampeg CL-SVT, Ampeg 410 HLF. Boss Chorus, Boss Overdrive..... Boss Noise Suppressor, Boss Limiter/Enhancer.
 
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#11
I remember hearing that U2 lost a ton of equipment in a storage warehouse flood including a ton of Adam’s basses. His tech went on a vintage Jazz and P bass buying spree and stocked up. Apparently, Adam prefers maple fingerboards on dark stages so he had the vintage necks replaced with maple Lakland necks for touring. I don’t recall the story’s source, but interesting none the less.
 
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#12
u2brothr said:
51 U2 shows attended....and four times on stage with the band.... yes I'm a superfan. He plays most songs with a pick. He's has Ashdown, Ampeg, and Aguilar endorsements. I own his Fender Purple Sparkle Jazz and his Fender Gold Sparkle Precision. I play Adam in a tribute band and sadly, I am not good with the pick, but play with fingers. I am friends with a few other Adam tribute dudes that do his lines justice with a pick. Some also some tributes use the Moog Pedals. Adam is one of the nicest, kindest, and friendliest people you'd ever meet.

My gear onstage is simple. Ampeg CL-SVT, Ampeg 410 HLF. Boss Chorus, Boss Overdrive..... Boss Noise Suppressor, Boss Limiter/Enhancer.
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That’s amazing. I’ve never seen them live. I did have the good pleasure of meeting Dallas a few times through a mutual friend. Super nice guy and we would always chat about gear. It seems like they’re gear-heads too.
Since the show we’re doing is Labor Day Friday at a casino with a huge PA I think I’ll bring my Tone Hammer and a single 15 cab and crank the Drive control..
Thank you for the reply .
 
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#16
oranje said:
I remember hearing that U2 lost a ton of equipment in a storage warehouse flood including a ton of Adam’s basses. His tech went on a vintage Jazz and P bass buying spree and stocked up. Apparently, Adam prefers maple fingerboards on dark stages so he had the vintage necks replaced with maple Lakland necks for touring. I don’t recall the story’s source, but interesting none the less.
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i recall it was a warehouse fire
 
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#19
With the amount of sh*t talk about Adam, you would think he was at the level of Sid Vicious!

The first 3 U2 records are faves of mine and have some good, fun basslines to play. (After Unforgettable Fire, I lost interest in U2.) He plays what the songs need as the instrumentation was sparse in those early days. A shredder bassist like Billy Sheehan (for example) would be completely out of place on those songs.

Anyway that’s my .02 cents worth…..:D
 
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#20
ERIC31 said:
With the amount of sh*t talk about Adam, you would think he was at the level of Sid Vicious!

The first 3 U2 records are faves of mine and have some good, fun basslines to play. (After Unforgettable Fire, I lost interest in U2.) He plays what the songs need as the instrumentation was sparse in those early days. A shredder bassist like Billy Sheehan (for example) would be completely out of place on those songs.

Anyway that’s my .02 cents worth…..:D
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To be honest, I never realized there was bass hate for the dude. There are times he meanders and confuses me with his choices, like “streets have no name” but overall he writes some catchy basslines that help the song move forward. The guitar is so ethereal and rhythmic that there needs to be a solid bottom. I always felt like there was dance music influence in the way the basslines would repeat without variation. I have definitely been influenced by him and his style even though I don’t really look up to him as a bass hero.
 
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