Remember that 1984 Prince Cloud Guitar that's going up for auction? As it turns out, there's a lot more history to that well-worn guitar than was first thought.
From the start, it was known that the guitar - one of only a handful of existing, Prince-used Cloud models - had been used onstage extensively by Prince, given the heavy signs of wear and tear on its neck near the headstock.
However, Julien's - the company auctioning the guitar next month - has now revealed that the guitar is in fact Prince's long-lost "Blue Angel," his main stage guitar from 1984 - 1993.
Prince used the guitar during his Purple Rain, Parade, Sign o’ the Times, Lovesexy and Diamonds and Pearls tours, and for the "Cream" and "Get Off" music videos.
Additionally, The Purple One used the guitar during his appearances on Saturday Night Live’s 15th Anniversary Special in 1989, the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards and for his legendary set on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1991.
This particular Cloud model has undergone several refinishes, having originally sported a white coat of paint. It has been refinished in peach, light blue and yellow, and currently features an electric blue finish.
It features Prince's trademark love symbols on the neck and gold hardware, and was built by the O’Hagan Guitar Company, Tommy Stinson, Dave Rusan, Mark Sampson and Barry Haugen. The guitar's strings are no longer attached.
The discovery was made when, following its announcement of the auction, Julien's was contacted by John Woodland, who performs conservation work on Prince’s guitars at his former home, Paisley Park, and had been searching for the long-lost "Blue Angel."
Following this inquiry, Julien’s contacted Westside Medical Imaging in Beverly Hills, who conducted a series of CT scans on the guitar to learn more about its history and construction.
Though originally valued at $100,000 - $200,000, the "Blue Angel" is now valued at $400,000 - $600,000. It will be auctioned - with an oversized Calzone purple guitar road case included - as part of Julien's upcoming Music Icons auction, set to take place June 19 – June 20.
For more info on the auction, step right on over to juliensauctions.com.
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