00:00The story behind Prince's $900,000 Purple Cloud guitar
00:05When Prince's Cloud guitar sold for nearly $900,000 at auction, it can be worth $900,000
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
00:35His original guitar design
00:36He hired Minneapolis luthier Dave Rusan to attempt the un-
00:40Unprecedented
00:41Even though Rusan had never completed a full guitar
00:44Sweeping
00:45Curves 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
00:55Through 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
01:06And his defiance of industry conventions
01:08Active EMG pickups
01:10And precision hardware created the Cloud's legendary unearthly tone
01:13An EMG
01:15GSA at the neck and an 81 humbucker at the bridge
01:18Powered by a 9-volt battery
01:20Cut through arena mixes
01:21And define 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 Schechter later produced retail versions
01:40As Rusin'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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