independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Prince: Music and More > Prince's Unique Instrument Designs
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Page 1 of 2 12>
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 01/29/11 7:05am

0ne0n0ne

avatar

Prince's Unique Instrument Designs

Does Prince design the "Cloud" and "Arrow," guitars by himself? I realize another person builds them but did Prince have anything to do with the concept?

Did Prince design the Black Piano that Prince has in the "Rave," show?

Didn't Prince also design some kind of keyboard?

Here's a strange question for any Piano experts out there...Are Piano's ever beveled? Can piano's be designed in a crescent form? If not, is it because of the way the pianist would have to reach to play the keys or because the keys would have to be shaped differently?

Can we get 2gether
To talk about everything?
We can talk about all of our dreams
Better yet darling...
We can talk about sleeping in.~0ne
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 01/29/11 8:15am

ravein2thejoy

hmm im sure he comissioned the making of the symbol guiter

however im not sure but i think he just started the using the cloud, honer and cloud mk 2 i dont think he designed them. I may be wrong though

The piano however he didnt design as quite a few artists have them but im he he asked specially for the symbol to be put on top

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 01/29/11 8:26am

Bulldog

Prince's pianos are just hollow shells with a midi keyboard built in to make it look like a grand piano. The shells are reinforced with steel and other material to withstand weight and dancing, while on tour.

You know how he likes to dance on top of them! lol

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 01/29/11 9:00am

jpnyc

The cloud guitar was designed by David Husain, a Luthier in Minneapolis. I’ve alternately read that Prince bought the guitar and that he commissioned the design. But given that he was selling the design through NPGMC I suspect he owns the design.

The love symbol guitar is named “Habibe”. According to Guitar Player magazine it was custom built for Prince by the Schecter custom shop, although Ed Roman claims to have built replicas for Prince cover band.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 01/29/11 3:23pm

0ne0n0ne

avatar

ravein2thejoy said:

hmm im sure he comissioned the making of the symbol guiter

however im not sure but i think he just started the using the cloud, honer and cloud mk 2 i dont think he designed them. I may be wrong though

The piano however he didnt design as quite a few artists have them but im he he asked specially for the symbol to be put on top

Thank you for responding. For some reason I tend to call the symbol shaped guitar and arrow. When Prince is holding the guitar it looks like a bow&arrow to me.

I guess it doesn't matter what we call it when Prince is playing. The guitars are beautiful.

Can we get 2gether
To talk about everything?
We can talk about all of our dreams
Better yet darling...
We can talk about sleeping in.~0ne
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 01/29/11 3:24pm

0ne0n0ne

avatar

Bulldog said:

Prince's pianos are just hollow shells with a midi keyboard built in to make it look like a grand piano. The shells are reinforced with steel and other material to withstand weight and dancing, while on tour.

You know how he likes to dance on top of them! lol

I didn't know that, that makes sense. When Prince turns 70 we should all chip in and buy him a yellow shag carpeted piano.

Can we get 2gether
To talk about everything?
We can talk about all of our dreams
Better yet darling...
We can talk about sleeping in.~0ne
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 01/29/11 3:27pm

0ne0n0ne

avatar

jpnyc said:

The cloud guitar was designed by David Husain, a Luthier in Minneapolis. I’ve alternately read that Prince bought the guitar and that he commissioned the design. But given that he was selling the design through NPGMC I suspect he owns the design.

The love symbol guitar is named “Habibe”. According to Guitar Player magazine it was custom built for Prince by the Schecter custom shop, although Ed Roman claims to have built replicas for Prince cover band.

Thank you. These designers deserve great admiration and respect. These are beautiful instruments.

Can we get 2gether
To talk about everything?
We can talk about all of our dreams
Better yet darling...
We can talk about sleeping in.~0ne
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 01/29/11 3:30pm

TheDigitalGard
ener

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 01/29/11 4:15pm

toejam

avatar

Bulldog said:

Prince's pianos are just hollow shells with a midi keyboard built in to make it look like a grand piano. The shells are reinforced with steel and other material to withstand weight and dancing, while on tour.

You know how he likes to dance on top of them! lol

Haha. Yeah, it's true. I remember feeling slightly cheated when I first noticed that... Not sure why exactly, he's still playing the thing lol

Toejam @ Peach & Black Podcast: http://peachandblack.podbean.com
Toejam's band "Cheap Fakes": http://cheapfakes.com.au, http://www.facebook.com/cheapfakes
Toejam the solo artist: http://www.youtube.com/scottbignell
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 01/30/11 12:31am

Spinlight

avatar

jpnyc said:

The cloud guitar was designed by David Husain, a Luthier in Minneapolis. I’ve alternately read that Prince bought the guitar and that he commissioned the design. But given that he was selling the design through NPGMC I suspect he owns the design.

The love symbol guitar is named “Habibe”. According to Guitar Player magazine it was custom built for Prince by the Schecter custom shop, although Ed Roman claims to have built replicas for Prince cover band.

Is Habibi really the name of -all- the symbol guitars? I thought it was just the name of the one guitar he used to record the song Habibi.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 01/30/11 3:55am

jazzz

This one was designed and patented by Prince:

http://www.freepatentsonl...349127.pdf

[Edited 1/30/11 3:56am]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 01/30/11 6:04am

falcolombadi81
996

I don't know which guitar I like better! The arrow is just awesome, but so is the cloud! I want both of them! Yesterday! B4 breakfast! B4 eggs!

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 01/30/11 6:16am

Lammastide

avatar

jazzz said:

This one was designed and patented by Prince:

http://www.freepatentsonl...349127.pdf

[Edited 1/30/11 3:56am]

That's the Purpleaxxe, right?

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 01/30/11 6:19am

Lammastide

avatar

We often mention the cloud and symbol guitars, but what's this one called?:

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 01/30/11 9:15am

0ne0n0ne

avatar

I don't know.

It looks like some type of a "hip-grip."

Can we get 2gether
To talk about everything?
We can talk about all of our dreams
Better yet darling...
We can talk about sleeping in.~0ne
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #15 posted 01/30/11 9:34am

jpnyc

Lammastide said:

We often mention the cloud and symbol guitars, but what's this one called?:

I’m not sure that they all have names. That one looks like a variation on Ed Roman’s “sustain bow” guitars, which Prince used a lot in the early 1990s. The idea is that the bow coming out of the body and into the neck adds mass and thus sustain. But they’re expensive and heavy, so most people will just spend a few hundred bucks for an electronic sustainer system instead. But Prince loves them all!

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #16 posted 01/30/11 11:02am

mblevels

Lammastide said:

We often mention the cloud and symbol guitars, but what's this one called?:

I mistook it for "Model C" at first, but it isn't. When did Prince play that?

You mean you're gonna actually hear what we play tonight? You're not gonna make up the notes in your mind?
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #17 posted 01/30/11 11:05am

Spinlight

avatar

mblevels said:

Lammastide said:

We often mention the cloud and symbol guitars, but what's this one called?:

I mistook it for "Model C" at first, but it isn't. When did Prince play that?

Its a Model C knock off.

http://prince.org/msg/7/323146

[Edited 1/30/11 11:06am]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #18 posted 01/30/11 11:13am

mblevels

Spinlight said:

mblevels said:

I mistook it for "Model C" at first, but it isn't. When did Prince play that?

Its a Model C knock off.

http://prince.org/msg/7/323146

[Edited 1/30/11 11:06am]

Did you notice the guitar posted doesn't have the "Model C" notch at the end of the fretboard and has a different body?

If so, please post a date Prince played this Model C variant, as I've never seen it before.

You mean you're gonna actually hear what we play tonight? You're not gonna make up the notes in your mind?
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #19 posted 01/30/11 11:23am

Spinlight

avatar

mblevels said:

Spinlight said:

Its a Model C knock off.

http://prince.org/msg/7/323146

[Edited 1/30/11 11:06am]

Did you notice the guitar posted doesn't have the "Model C" notch at the end of the fretboard and has a different body?

If so, please post a date Prince played this Model C variant, as I've never seen it before.

Yeah, that is why i said it is a knock off. As in a replica, not a Prince variant.

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/squirrelgrease2009/Guitar/edroman_pm.jpg

The one they show above in the other post is not a Prince guitar, its a replica.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #20 posted 01/30/11 3:14pm

Lammastide

avatar

OK, so it looks like Prince first played the Model C during the Lovesexy era, and its reverse sillhouette is actually featured on the Grafitti Bridge album cover. I'm not sure when/if he quit them, but he played them well into the '90s.

The one I posted above is definitely not one of Prince's. It's just the first image I came across -- sorry. redface The body and neck are slightly difference than Prince's, and it's even left-handed, you'll notice.

[Edited 1/30/11 15:27pm]

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #21 posted 01/30/11 3:29pm

TheDigitalGard
ener

^^ Indeed, and was used again last year in NY.

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/PrinceTime100.jpg[/img:$uid]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #22 posted 01/30/11 3:33pm

rubymoon53

avatar

TheDigitalGardener said:

^^ Indeed, and was used again last year in NY.

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/PrinceTime100.jpg[/img:$uid]

Nice. Glad to see he's been recently playing guitars other than just the Hohner. The Hohner has been getting a lot of play the last few years though.

No matter your age, pursue your dreams so that you will LIVE.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #23 posted 01/30/11 3:38pm

Lammastide

avatar

rubymoon53 said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

^^ Indeed, and was used again last year in NY.

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/PrinceTime100.jpg[/img:$uid]

Nice. Glad to see he's been recently playing guitars other than just the Hohner. The Hohner has been getting a lot of play the last few years though.

I agree. I think the Model C is pretty tacky, actually. lol But I loved the wild sound of it! The Hohner, I guess, is better given to the more crisp playing he's been doing for the past couple years.

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #24 posted 01/30/11 3:40pm

0ne0n0ne

avatar

Nice Photo's.

Can we get 2gether
To talk about everything?
We can talk about all of our dreams
Better yet darling...
We can talk about sleeping in.~0ne
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #25 posted 01/30/11 3:42pm

TheDigitalGard
ener

Lammastide said:

rubymoon53 said:

Nice. Glad to see he's been recently playing guitars other than just the Hohner. The Hohner has been getting a lot of play the last few years though.

I agree. I think the Model C is pretty tacky, actually. lol But I loved the wild sound of it! The Hohner, I guess, is better given to the more crisp playing he's been doing for the past couple years.

Do you happen to know the name of the similar looking bass guitar used in the W2A promotion?

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #26 posted 01/30/11 3:46pm

Lammastide

avatar

TheDigitalGardener said:

Lammastide said:

I agree. I think the Model C is pretty tacky, actually. lol But I loved the wild sound of it! The Hohner, I guess, is better given to the more crisp playing he's been doing for the past couple years.

Do you happen to know the name of the similar looking bass guitar used in the W2A promotion?

I am SO not the one to ask, sorry. lol I'm a total ignoramus here. Are there photos?

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #27 posted 01/30/11 3:52pm

TheDigitalGard
ener

Lammastide said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

Do you happen to know the name of the similar looking bass guitar used in the W2A promotion?

I am SO not the one to ask, sorry. lol I'm a total ignoramus here. Are there photos?

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/prince-welcom-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #28 posted 01/30/11 3:56pm

rubymoon53

avatar

TheDigitalGardener said:

Lammastide said:

I am SO not the one to ask, sorry. lol I'm a total ignoramus here. Are there photos?

[img:$uid]http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/xx218/MMikeyBee/Prince%20and%20related/prince-welcom-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

Beautiful Instrument.

Isn't this bass the one that was played in Grafitti Bridge?

No matter your age, pursue your dreams so that you will LIVE.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #29 posted 01/30/11 3:58pm

TheDigitalGard
ener

^^ Not sure Ruby, it's been a long time since i watched. lol

It is a fantastic looking instrument.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Page 1 of 2 12>
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Prince: Music and More > Prince's Unique Instrument Designs