Prince’s personally-owned and played Schecter ‘Diamond Series’ Cloud electric guitar, serial number 0033991, which features a blue metallic finish, golden hardware, and cloud-inspired design to body, horn, and headstock, with a unique series of 10 silver Prince symbols to the fretboard. The battery plate bears an affixed Schecter, U.S.A. label. In fine condition, with some light toning and fading to pickups and hardware. Includes a hardshell carrying case.
Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the original recipient, Raul Sandoval, which reads, in part: “This blue Cloud Guitar was gifted to me personally by the artist known as Prince Rogers Nelson (aka Prince). I was hired by Prince himself and worked as his bodyguard/personal assistant from 2001-2010. In 2005, Prince selected two (2) Schecter Cloud Guitars for himself—one in blue (noted here) and one in white. We would take them with us on tours or other engagements. The guitars would always be set up in Prince’s Green Room for him to warm up with before heading on stage—never taken on stage. I personally attest to the provenance and authenticity of this Schecter guitar and to its having been gifted directly to me by Prince.”
Luthier Dave Rusan was working at Knut-Koupée Music, a store owned by local guitarist Jeff Hill, when he was asked to create the iconic Cloud guitar in 1983. Prince, a regular customer at the South Minneapolis shop, was talking with Hill at the counter when Rusan arrived for work. Prince and Hill moved to the back office, and after some time, the latter returned with exciting news for Rusan: ‘Prince is going to make a movie. He needs a guitar, and you’re going to make it.’
The requested Purple Rain guitar was to feature a design inspired by the bass owned by Prince's childhood friend and former bass player, André Cymone. Other than the body style, Rusan was told that the guitar ‘had to be white, and it had to have gold hardware.’ In the end, Rusan made four Cloud-style guitars for Prince in the mid-1980s, the last of which was for a contest giveaway sponsored by Warner Bros. in 1985.
Prince had several other Cloud guitars commissioned over the years, including those from Schecter, who later produced a limited run to be sold to the public during the artist's 'Hit and Run' tour of 2014-15. According to the Schecter website: ‘We have never publicly sold guitars that we made for Prince. He has always custom ordered them from us exclusively for his own use. Only one time during the ‘Hit and Run Tour’ did he have Schecter create a production run of guitars that he sold exclusively at his shows…All guitars shown on our website are purely to commemorate the works that we created for him. We have always respected his wishes to not recreate the guitars and resell them.’ As one of Prince's own Schecter Clouds, the electric guitar offered here is a magnificent rarity, having been personally played by the artist any number of times before his record-breaking shows.
