independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Prince: Music and More > The Cloud Guitar, as a bass, dates to 1979?
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Page 2 of 2 <12
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Reply #30 posted 06/12/16 7:41pm

Cloreen

avatar

mrfog said:

.

Those are beautiful, especially the blue 330...

.

Thanks. Rics are not only works of art to the eye, they also sound pretty darn good to the ear.

.

You know a guy above says that Prince's cloud was a 3/4 short scale guitar. I, too, have to question that. Never read anything about that guitar that mentioned the short scale, and that black Rickenbacker above in my picture is a short scale guitar. Look how truly small it is. The thing is tiny as tiny can be. Prince's cloud guitar never conveyed that small size. Yes, I know Prince was very tiny himself and the cloud looked like a normal scale guitar in his hand, but I still would like to have definitive proof that that guitar was a 3/4 one. And another thing. Short scale guitars can be really great for rhythm playing (thus John Lennon used one), but for lead playing they are a dog...and Prince played a ton of lead. A short scale guitar would certainly not be a lead player's choice.

.

Here's a really good article about Prince's guitars. It gives the specs for The Cloud guitar and notes its scale at 24 3/4 inch scale...short scale models come in at 20 and 3/4 inches.

.

[ur]http://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2011/09/princes-guitars.html[/url]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #31 posted 06/13/16 7:01am

mrfog

Cloreen said:



mrfog said:



.



Those are beautiful, especially the blue 330...

.


Thanks. Rics are not only works of art to the eye, they also sound pretty darn good to the ear.


.


You know a guy above says that Prince's cloud was a 3/4 short scale guitar. I, too, have to question that. Never read anything about that guitar that mentioned the short scale, and that black Rickenbacker above in my picture is a short scale guitar. Look how truly small it is. The thing is tiny as tiny can be. Prince's cloud guitar never conveyed that small size. Yes, I know Prince was very tiny himself and the cloud looked like a normal scale guitar in his hand, but I still would like to have definitive proof that that guitar was a 3/4 one. And another thing. Short scale guitars can be really great for rhythm playing (thus John Lennon used one), but for lead playing they are a dog...and Prince played a ton of lead. A short scale guitar would certainly not be a lead player's choice.


.


Here's a really good article about Prince's guitars. It gives the specs for The Cloud guitar and notes its scale at 24 3/4 inch scale...short scale models come in at 20 and 3/4 inches.


.


[ur]http://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2011/09/princes-guitars.html[/url]


That's a great article, thanks for posting.

On the subject of Wendy's Ric, I really like it - including the modifications. Shame to hear it was stolen. I wonder how the thief or later owners might have changed it, and if it would still be recognisable today...

I don't know if you saw any stories about Marc Bolans stolen Les Paul resurfacing after decades, but I think that shows how one should never give up hope!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #32 posted 06/13/16 6:08pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

So, just a follow up: I just watched the vid for "Rock N Roll Love Affair" and noticed Andy Allo is playing some heart shaped purple guitar. Anyone have an idea what the one is?

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #33 posted 06/13/16 6:38pm

SPYZFAN1

I could be wrong, but it looks like a Daisy Rock guitar. Andy said she woke up one morning and found herself lying next to a vintage Fender Stratocaster.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #34 posted 06/13/16 8:41pm

Funklov

TrivialPursuit said:

Andre Cymone told a story about how he saw a bass in a music shop, and loved it, but didn't have the cash to buy it. So he asked Prince to, and he did. He was enamored with it. Cymone can be seen playing it in the video for "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad". I never really noted that before.

Sonny T. played what looks to be the same bass in the video for "My Name Is Prince".

There's a good article about it here.



Sonny T is also playing it in The Most Beautiful Girl in the World video
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #35 posted 06/13/16 8:45pm

Funklov

KoolEaze said:

I just read that article a few minutes ago and then I come here and see your post. What a coincidence.


I wonder who created that original Cloud bass guitar. It´s strange that even that luthier from Minneapolis wasn´t able to figure it out.


What´s also strange is that he talks about the Hohner as if there was only one Hohner but as far as I know there have always been several. I remember seeing at least two of them in the tour book for the Nude tour.


That article you´ve linked to is a great read but what bothered me a little bit is that the luthier says that the Cloud was used for those live tracks that were then used for the album but that is not the case because, as most of us know, Prince used the Hohner during that 08/03/1983 show at First Ave.



He also seems to suggest that he used the cloud on Lets Go Crazy. Maybe he's right.. The live solo on that one was not used on the final version, plus there were obvious overdubs on the live tracks so maybe the cloud was on the album.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #36 posted 06/13/16 8:49pm

Funklov

SPYZFAN1 said:

"a big giant poster of Jimi Hendrix on the wall"...Cool!!! Thank you for posting that..Never knew that there was a contest for the other guitar. I wonder if the winner still has it?....Great interview. Hopefully the other guitar magazines and sites will do the same. My buddy who works at Guitar World told me they plan on doing something for P in a upcoming issue. What the details are and how big (or small) it will be was unsaid, but I'll be looking for it.



Looks like the August issue of Guitar World will have a full Prince cover. It's on ebay already
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #37 posted 06/13/16 10:37pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

Funklov said:


He also seems to suggest that he used the cloud on Lets Go Crazy. Maybe he's right.. The live solo on that one was not used on the final version, plus there were obvious overdubs on the live tracks so maybe the cloud was on the album.

What live solo? They didn't record it at First Avenue for the album. They just premiered the song in general. If that's what you're referring to. LGC was recorded at a different time.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #38 posted 06/13/16 11:11pm

FunkyStrange

avatar

TrivialPursuit said:

So, just a follow up: I just watched the vid for "Rock N Roll Love Affair" and noticed Andy Allo is playing some heart shaped purple guitar. Anyone have an idea what the one is?

Prince bought that purple heart guitar 24th November 2002, in Tokyo smile

Never even noticed it was in that video until you made me look for it haha

Hard to believe I've been on the org for over 25 years now!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #39 posted 06/13/16 11:35pm

LovesexyIsThe1

avatar

Lovesexy Funkateer
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #40 posted 06/14/16 12:22pm

KoolEaze

avatar

TrivialPursuit said:

Funklov said:


He also seems to suggest that he used the cloud on Lets Go Crazy. Maybe he's right.. The live solo on that one was not used on the final version, plus there were obvious overdubs on the live tracks so maybe the cloud was on the album.

What live solo? They didn't record it at First Avenue for the album. They just premiered the song in general. If that's what you're referring to. LGC was recorded at a different time.

At the warehouse, if memory serves me right.

" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?"
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #41 posted 06/15/16 12:27am

TrivialPursuit

avatar

Funklov said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Andre Cymone told a story about how he saw a bass in a music shop, and loved it, but didn't have the cash to buy it. So he asked Prince to, and he did. He was enamored with it. Cymone can be seen playing it in the video for "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad". I never really noted that before.

Sonny T. played what looks to be the same bass in the video for "My Name Is Prince".

There's a good article about it here.

Sonny T is also playing it in The Most Beautiful Girl in the World video


Indeed he is!

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #42 posted 06/17/16 11:47am

TXfan

Too bad there's no official blueprint out there for the original Prince cloud. The article with the guy who made them for Prince didn't mention if it was 3/4 size or not. The pic of him holding it looks full size but he's pretty small looking too. The yellow cloud in the cream video looks small but the pic of Prince hugging a yellow cloud looks regular sized. It's confusing but I really would like to know the truth about these guitars. I want one really bad
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #43 posted 06/17/16 5:05pm

mrfog

TXfan said:

Too bad there's no official blueprint out there for the original Prince cloud. The article with the guy who made them for Prince didn't mention if it was 3/4 size or not. The pic of him holding it looks full size but he's pretty small looking too. The yellow cloud in the cream video looks small but the pic of Prince hugging a yellow cloud looks regular sized. It's confusing but I really would like to know the truth about these guitars. I want one really bad

Hello TXfan, it's known that the clouds are 24 3/4” scale length, same as the Gibson Les Paul, SG, etc - the article has a box out on the second page, confirming this along with other specs:

http://www.premierguitar....tar?page=2

A "3/4" size guitar would have a scale around 22.5 inches or shorter.

The physical size of the cloud can be extrapolated from knowledge of the scale length in comparison to good face-on photos. It's a fairly thin, compact guitar but it's 'full size' in all technical respects; made for an adult.

There's a pretty accurate looking plan for building one out there on the net if you image search for it. Let me know if you can't find it and I will PM a link...
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #44 posted 06/17/16 7:36pm

TXfan

Thanks for the link, I haven't read that before.There was another article that was almost the same but didn't include the side box with those specs. I did see the drawings that are online and they differ in the headstock/neck angles. The article did clarify where the shorter headstock point came from, interesting. I can see from pics of both original vs. replica that the horn's scroll is centered at about the 8th fret. I guess the scale is going to determine the length of the neck so the only difference would be the shape/length of the headstock and the size of the guitars body. Would like those diminsions so the mystery can be solved. It's funny but what else would we expect? It's Prince
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Page 2 of 2 <12
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Prince: Music and More > The Cloud Guitar, as a bass, dates to 1979?