“A time capsule from Prince’s most recognizable era”: Prince’s Cloud 3, which went for less than $10,000 in 2005, sells at auction for $900,000 more – and breaks a world record

Earlier this month, Julien's announced that it would be selling Prince's Cloud 3 electric guitar. Originally boasting an estimated value of between $400,000 and $600,000, the guitar has now sold for a whopping $910,000.

It's a remarkable increase in value for a guitar that was sold, in 2005, by Christie’s for just £4,200 (around $8,114 at the time), and is the third guitar to be auctioned off by Julien's for north of $500,000 this week, following Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson's 1965 Fender Telecaster – which fetched $650,000 – and John Lennon’s long-lost Help! Framus 12-string guitar, which sold for an incredible $2,857,000.

Built – like other Prince-used Cloud models – by Minneapolis luthier Dave Rusan, the guitar comfortably became the most expensive Prince guitar to ever sell at auction, eclipsing his “Blue Angel” Cloud 2 (which sold for $563,500 in 2020), and his blue teal Cloud, which fetched a then-record for a Prince guitar, $700,000, in 2017. 

According to Julien's, the Cloud 3 guitar's more than 100-fold jump in value can be chalked up to the firm's painstaking authenticity verification process, which, the company says, involved CT Scans taken of the guitar at Westside Medical Imaging in New York City. 

Described by Julien's as “a time capsule from what many consider to be Prince’s most recognizable era,” the Cloud 3 model was used by Prince on his Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy, Nude, and Diamonds & Pearls tours. 

Featuring a 22-fret painted fretboard with dry transfer “Love Symbol” position markers, a mix of brass and gold-plated hardware, EMG pickups, a Schaller 457 wraparound bridge, Schaller tuners, and a brass nut, the guitar was used by Prince from 1985 through 1993, before it was given away in March of the latter year as part of a promotion with the New York radio station Z100.

A letter from Z100 congratulating the winner of the contest was included with the guitar as part of the sale.

Reflecting on the guitar's journey, Julien’s CEO David Goodman said, “Julien’s Auctions has laid the groundwork for the return of Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar, exemplified by our longstanding commitment to honoring his legacy. 

“Our company proudly stands by our proven track record in sourcing and presenting instruments of unparalleled historical significance, and Prince’s Cloud 3 now joins this esteemed category.”

For more info on the Cloud 3, and the numerous other guitars that went under the hammer as part of Julien's' recent multi-day mega-auction, visit the company's website.