1992's Love Symbol album marked the dawn of a new era for Prince. The record's official name was an unpronounceable symbol that Prince would, the following year, adopt as a stage name to protest his treatment by Warner Bros. Records.
Love Symbol's second single was an ultra-funky, hip-hop-infused declaration of intent called "My Name Is Prince," and it was accompanied by a (literally) riotous music video that features, at one point, Prince smashing a Fender Stratocaster.
That very electric guitar, still in pieces to this day, is now being auctioned off by Gotta Have Rock and Roll.
Little information is available concerning the guitar itself, but from the looks of it, it appears to be a fairly standard hardtail sunburst Strat, complete with your usual trio of single-coils (unclear whether these are standard or custom), pair of tone knobs, master volume control, and five-way blade switch.
Of course, those sonically-inclined specs don't matter much on this particular instrument, which has seemingly remained in the same state of unplayable disarray for the last 29 years. There's no evidence to indicate Prince had previously used the guitar on stage or in the studio prior to his smashing it in the video shoot.
Playable or not, this Stratocaster carries with it a minimum bid of $60,000, and an estimated value of $80,000 - $120,000. Bidding for the guitar – which comes with a certificate of authenticity and a catalog from Barney's, another auction house that previously put the guitar under the hammer – opens on Wednesday, August 11.
For more info on the guitar, stop by gottahaverockandroll.com.
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