One of Prince’s customized Thinline Teles has gone up for sale on Reverb

A Telecaster that once belonged to Prince has come up for sale via online retail platform Reverb.com. 

While Prince is best known for his use of custom-made Cloud guitars (originally built by Minneapolis luthier Dave Rusan), he would also often use considerably less flamboyant T-style models in the studio and onstage.

The butterscotch Thinline Telecaster in question is on sale via UK dealer Gear Emporium, and was customized by Prince’s first go-to luthier, Charley (Chuck) Orr. 

It features Orr’s signature on the neck and the words ‘Prince 1982’ on the body. It also comes with a hard case that has been tagged with an early Prince logo, a document with the Paisley Park logo and a copy of a signed photo of Prince, with a dedication to Orr, reading: “To Chuck Orr, the greatest guitar maker in the world.” Orr’s name also features on the headstock and heel plate. 

The luthier is also known as the builder of the custom guitar that features in the music video for Prince’s 1979 song, Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?. Orr’s estate has confirmed the inscriptions on the guitar match the luthier’s handwriting. 

There’s no word on the current owner, but the asking price is approximately $50,000 (£39,500), which seems steep but is relatively good value when you consider the asking price of previous Prince instruments.

For instance, his Yellow Cloud Guitar sold for $225,000 in April 2020, while his ‘Blue Angel’ six-string – Prince’s main live electric guitar throughout the decade that followed the release of Purple Rain – fetched $563,500, also in 2020.

Admittedly, Prince’s Fenders seem to demand lower prices, but his gold-leaf ‘Goldfinger' Strat carried an estimate of $200,000 - $300,000, though Guitar World has not been able to confirm a final sale price. 

Head to Gear Emporium’s Reverb listing for more information on Prince’s Thinline Butterscotch Telecaster.