U2's With or Without You and the origin of the infinite guitar

Originally published on April 6, 2017

Michael Brook never received the EBow he ordered. So instead, he created his own electronic way to play a guitar. 

Brook is the inventor of the infinite guitar, the instrument that can famously be heard in the U2 hit, With or Without You. Initially a joke name (which has now become the official name), the infinite guitar allows a person to play a note for an extended period of time.

"I never really thought of myself as driven to invent," Brook admits. "But I was interested in learning to build electronics just because I thought, maybe, I could build some things that I'd like to use." 

There are only three infinite guitars in the world and they belong to Brooks, producer Daniel Lanois and U2's The Edge. 

Find out more about how the infinite guitar ended up in the U2 song on today's show. 

— Produced by Ty Callender