Prince Cloud Guitar

The Cloud Guitar is a custom instrument built by Minneapolis luthier Dave Rusan for Prince's Purple Rain film and tour. Its distinctive cloud-shaped body, painted white with gold hardware, became as iconic as Prince himself. The original featured a single EMG humbucker in the bridge position, though later versions incorporated neck pickups. Its alder body and bolt-on maple neck produce a bright, focused tone that cuts through Prince's dense funk arrangements. The Cloud Guitar transcended its role as an instrument to become a symbol — of Prince's creativity, his Minneapolis sound, and his refusal to conform to anyone's expectations.