00:00La story behind Prince's $900,000 Purple Cloud guitar
00:05When Prince's Cloud guitar sold for nearly $900,000 at auction, it confirmed that Prince's
00:10confirmed what music fans already knew.
00:12Some instruments transcend their function to become
00:15cultural artifacts.
00:17The sculptural white guitar now sits in the Smithsonian.
00:20Transform from a stage weapon into a religious relic.
00:23But the Cloud's real revolution
00:25happened decades earlier when it rewrote the rules of what electric guitars could represent.
00:30Prince's 1983 commission created a three-dimensional symbol that rejected tradition.
00:35He hired Minneapolis luthier Dave Rusan to attempt the un-
00:40in-precedented, even though Rusan had never completed a full guitar.
00:45It curves in a spiral horn, inspired by the Sardonyx F-Bass and the Gibson F-Style mandolin.
00:50formed a glyph that rejected Stratocasters and Les Pauls.
00:54Neck 3
00:55The new construction ensured long-sustained, hand-carved contours fit Prince's frame.
01:0024.75-inch scale eased passages.
01:03Four original clouds foreshadowed the
01:05love symbol era and his defiance of industry conventions.
01:08Active EMG pickups
01:10and precision hardware created the Cloud's legendary unearthly tone.
01:14An EMG
01:15G-S-A at the neck and an 81 humbucker at the bridge.
01:18Powered by a 9-volt battery,
01:20cut through arena mixes and defined Prince's guitar voice from 1984 to 1990.
01:25A Schaller bridge and brass nut enhance sustain,
01:30brightness and tuning stability.
01:32The Cloud endured being thrown and spun.
01:35Abuse that would destroy most instruments.
01:37Although Schecter later produced retail versions
01:40Roussin's originals remain Prince's stage favorites.
01:43Since his death in 2006,
01:45the Cloud's mythic status has soared,
01:47with auction prices rivaling vintage Picasso
01:50and museum displays cementing its legacy.
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