Prince's Cloud 3 Guitar Highlights Julien's Auctions Music Icons

05-08-2024

(Homeage PR) Julien's Auctions announced today yet another extraordinary guitar from the chronicle of rock and roll history has been added to their highly anticipated MUSIC ICONS event taking place live Wednesday, May 29th, and Thursday, May 30th, 2024 at Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online at juliensauctions.com.

After nearly twenty years, Prince's legendary Cloud 3 returns to the auction podium, joining alongside some of rock's greatest guitars ever to come to auction, including the previously announced John Lennon's recently found Help! Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar and Randy Bachman's collection of over 200 of his most coveted guitars. Julien's re-discovery of the Cloud 3 guitar marks a pivotal moment in its remarkable history and reinstates its rightful status as an iconic symbol of the seven-time, GRAMMY-Award winning music artist's titanic career and rock 'n' roll heritage itself.

The yellow Cloud 3 stood as one of Prince's centerpiece instruments, gracing the stages of his iconic tours from the mid-80s to the early 90s, including, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy, and Diamonds & Pearls.

Julien's verified Cloud 3's provenance by conducting a CT scan and interviewing Dave Rusan, the luthier behind its creation. It remains fully playable and carries a Certificate of Authenticity from Paisley Park. Previously sold by Christie's, Cloud 3's journey took a remarkable turn under Julien's meticulous care to reclaim its true glory once again. Prince's Cloud 3 guitar is conservatively estimated to sell this May at auction $400,000 - $600,000.

Julien's successful sales of Prince's Cloud guitars include his yellow Cloud ($225,000), his "Blue Angel" Cloud 2 ($563,500), and his blue teal Cloud, which set the world record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction ($700,000).

"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," said David Goodman, CEO of Julien's Auctions. "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." He added, "With this guitar and our other exceptional offerings, Julien's has curated a spectacular collection of the greatest stage-played guitars and historical music artifacts that truly represent a pantheon of music royalty."

For this momentous occasion, it was also announced that Prince's Cloud 3 guitar will join the previously announced exhibition tour of the auction featuring other marquee axes played by the likes of Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, and Randy Bachman, at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, TN, from May 15th to May 18th then heading to New York for its week-long exhibition May 22nd to May 28th before its historic auction, both at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.

Joining Prince's iconic Cloud 3 on the auction podium will be a hall of fame of guitars from Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson's historic 1965 Fender Telecaster to Bono's U2 Gretsch Irish Falcon.

Find more details at the Music Icons auction page.