One of Prince’s guitars used by the late musician on stage at the height of his stardom in the 80s and 90s is being auctioned later this month.
The Cloud 3 guitar, which Prince wielded during tours such as Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy, and Diamonds and Pearls, is estimated to fetch between $400,000 (£320,000) and $600,000 but could beat this estimate to become the most expensive Prince guitar sold at auction.
The current highest-selling guitar belonging to the seven-time Grammy-winning artist is a blue teal Cloud that sold for $700,000 in 2017.
The yellow Cloud 3 was last sold nearly 20 years ago for £4,200 by Christie’s – significantly lower than its original listing of £59,000, because it had not then been verified that it was one of the original Clouds Prince played at the peak of his fame.
Now the auction house Julien’s, in California, has verified the guitar’s provenance by conducting a CT scan and interviewing Dave Rusan, the luthier behind its creation. It remains fully playable and carries a certificate of authenticity.
“Julien’s Auctions has laid the groundwork for the return of Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar, exemplified by our longstanding commitment to honoring his legacy,” said David Goodman, the auction house’s chief executive.
“Our company proudly stands by our proven track record in sourcing and presenting instruments of unparalleled historical significance, and Prince’s Cloud 3 now joins this esteemed category.”
The Cloud 3 is being sold alongside other marquee axes from some of rock’s greatest artists. They include John Lennon’s recently found Help! Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar and more than 200 of Randy Bachman’s guitars.
Also on the podium will be Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson’s 1965 Fender Telecaster, Bono’s 2005 Gretsch Irish Falcon, Sex Pistol Steve Jones’s 1974 Gibson Les Paul, Heart’s Nancy Wilson’s 1984 Duncan Quattro electric guitar, and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead’s 1975 Travis Bean.
Prince’s Cloud 3 will join the previously announced exhibition tour of the auction at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville from 15-18 May.
The exhibition will then head to New York for a week from 22-28 May before the auction on 29-30 May, both at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.
