If you ever wanted to get your hands on one of Prince 's iconic cloud guitars, you'd have to make the trek up to Chanhassen, Minnesota and buy one in person at Paisley Park. That's in the past though.
Prince's estate has made the Schecter model Cloud guitars available to the public for the first time ever. The guitar is available in both white and blue and features the Prince logo as the inlay on the fretboard. Additionally, the guitar ships in a purple hard case with a custom purple plus interior.
Check out the back story behind the guitar and purchase one for yourself here . The guitars are expected to be ready for shipping in November, 2019.
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Of all the instruments that Prince played throughout his career, the iconic Cloud Guitar has one of the most alluring and mysterious backstories. 🔸 The Cloud first entered the public’s consciousness as the object of The Kid’s affection in Purple Rain, and the way Prince’s character in the film pines after the distinctive satin curves of the guitar as it sits in a display window speaks to just how mesmerized he was by this instrument. 🔸 Prince first came across the model for the Cloud while browsing in a guitar shop with his childhood friend and first bassist, André Cymone, in the late 1970s when Prince was at the very beginning of his solo career. The two musicians were intrigued by the custom bass guitar with hand-carved curves and swirls, which resembled a classical instrument more than one you would see in the hands of a rock or funk musician. 🔸 In 1983, when it came time for Prince to choose an instrument to play in his first film, he brought the Cloud bass to a young Minneapolis luthier named Dave Rusan, who worked at Prince’s favorite local guitar shop, Knut Koupee Music. Recreating the bass as a prop to use in the film took months, and only four copies of the original white Cloud Guitar were made by Rusan — but his Cloud Guitars laid the groundwork for one of the most intriguing stage instruments of the 1980s. 🔸 Dave Rusan understood the significance of a well-crafted guitar to an artist like Prince. “It’s so much more than just part of a costume. It’s a means of expression, power, identity,” he told Premier Guitar. 🔸 Prince had the Cloud Guitar remade many times throughout his career in different colors and finishes, and the instrument re-emerged at several key points in his artistic evolution. Prince would call on the company @schecterguitarsofficial to repair his Clouds and manufacture new replicas for his use, including a run that was sold to fans on Prince’s HitnRun Tour. 🔸 In recent years, the Schecter replicas of the iconic Cloud Guitar have only been available to purchase in-person at Paisley Park. But starting today, players around the world can purchase these exclusive, authentic Cloud Guitars from the Official Prince Store.
A post shared by Prince (@prince) on Jun 27, 2019 at 12:55pm PDT
Here are the specs on the blue guitar as outlined on Prince's website.
Model Name: Prince Cloud
Color: Blue
Construction: Set-Neck
Body Material: Mahogany
Top Contour: Flat Top
Neck Material: 3pc Maple
Fretboard Material: Maple
Inlays: Black Prince Love Symbols
Scale: 24.75” (628.65mm)
Frets: 22
Fretboard Radius: 14” (355mm)
Neck Shape: Vintage ‘C’
Nut Material: Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL
Nut Width: 1.65” (42mm)
Truss Rod: 2-Way Adjustable
Bridge Pickup: EMG 81
Neck Pickup: EMG SA
Controls: Volume/Tone/3-Way Toggle
Hardware Color: Gold
Bridge: Wraparound
Strings: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky #2221
Knobs: Metal Dome w/ Set Screw
