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Thread started 05/26/16 8:12am

Tikimonron

White Cloud "Spade Fret Markers" pictures? links?

I saw a post on here from Scott, a huge fan, about the different guitars that Prince has played over the years. I have a question about the white cloud (the one that was supposidly destroyed at the end of the Purple Rain/Revolution tour where according to Scott, he says it features ‘spade’ symbol fret markers". I am trying to find a close up picture of the "spade" symbols on the frets of that white cloud guitar and I cannot find a close up anywhere. Does anyone have a photo available, or is there a website link for me that shows that clearly? I am asking due to it seems that Scott has not posted on this forum for a long time and may not be on here anymore. I did email him, but have not heard from him as of yet. Thanks for your help. Ronnie

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Reply #1 posted 06/04/16 3:49pm

jazzz

The white cloud guitar was used in the Raspberry Beret video, which was (according to Princevault) filmed on june 5, 1985 (today 31 years ago!).

So that means that the guitar was not destroyed (directly) after the PR tour (that tour ended april 7, 1985)...

Could it be the white cloud guitar was re-sprayed, for example in peach color?

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Reply #2 posted 06/04/16 3:51pm

jazzz

BTW, here is a still shot from the movie PR:

Dot markers...

-

Edit: right link to pic

[Edited 6/4/16 15:52pm]

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Reply #3 posted 06/04/16 3:55pm

jazzz

Another nice pic:

-

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Reply #4 posted 06/04/16 4:09pm

Mindbells9

avatar

As far as I know (and I could be wrong) but only the Sign O The Times Peach cloud had the spade fret markers, not the white one.

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Reply #5 posted 06/04/16 4:24pm

PRNelson

Was the cloud guitar named after flying cloud drive where he rehearsed leading up to the purple rain era?
You'll never know a girl called Nikki and you'll never find Erotic City
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Reply #6 posted 06/04/16 7:31pm

Funklov

Yes the peach cloud guitars that had the spade fret markers (there were two of them). The white cloud also had spade fret markers so it is likely they are the same ones repainted peach. It can be seen best on the back cover of the single "If I was your girlfriend" where Cat is holding it (commonly mistaken for Prince in drag at the time).
[Edited 1/16/20 21:29pm]
[Edited 1/16/20 21:29pm]
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Reply #7 posted 06/04/16 7:38pm

Funklov

PRNelson said:

Was the cloud guitar named after flying cloud drive where he rehearsed leading up to the purple rain era?

Not sure that Prince ever officially called it the "cloud" guitar. I believe it got the nickname because of the shape and that at least at first, it was white. It had been around long before Purple Rain as Andre can be seen playing a bass version in the video to either "I want to be your lover" or "why you wanna treat me so bad."
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Reply #8 posted 06/04/16 7:42pm

mtlfan

In Matt Thorne's book, Prince, he says Prince destroyed this cloud at the end of the Parade tour in Japan, perhaps as a symbol that he was dissolving The Revolution.

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Reply #9 posted 06/12/16 5:28am

mrfog

Tikimonron said:

I saw a post on here from Scott, a huge fan, about the different guitars that Prince has played over the years. I have a question about the white cloud (the one that was supposidly destroyed at the end of the Purple Rain/Revolution tour where according to Scott, he says it features ‘spade’ symbol fret markers". I am trying to find a close up picture of the "spade" symbols on the frets of that white cloud guitar and I cannot find a close up anywhere. Does anyone have a photo available, or is there a website link for me that shows that clearly? I am asking due to it seems that Scott has not posted on this forum for a long time and may not be on here anymore. I did email him, but have not heard from him as of yet. Thanks for your help. Ronnie



If you zoom in on the first photo in this article you can make out the spade markers on the cloud David Rusan is holding:

http://www.premierguitar....oud-guitar

The article itself is really great! In it he talks about how the first paint job didn't work out because it was done with easily worn and discoloured nitrocellulose, and how he switched to something more hard wearing. This refinish could account for the disapearence of the spades maybe, unless the original nitro paint version had the dots as seen in PR, and Rusan added spades later when he did the second paint job...

On a side note, I've noticed that the all-white clouds from the Purple Rain to Parade eras have a variety of different markers. In most pics they look to be dots, but at the 12th fret you can see that the double markers there are located closer or further together in different shots, and some seem bigger than others. There seems to be three variations, which could correspond to the three cloud guitars David Rusan made for Prince, or it could be that the markers simply changed a lot during successive repaints/touch ups/repairs...
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Reply #10 posted 06/12/16 9:36am

jazzz

jazzz said:

BTW, here is a still shot from the movie PR:

Dot markers...

-

Edit: right link to pic

[Edited 6/4/16 15:52pm]

On second thought: this might be spade markers instead of dots. The rsolution of the photo is not so good...

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Reply #11 posted 06/12/16 12:19pm

mrfog

jazzz said:



jazzz said:


BTW, here is a still shot from the movie PR:



Dot markers...


-


Edit: right link to pic


[Edited 6/4/16 15:52pm]




On second thought: this might be spade markers instead of dots. The rsolution of the photo is not so good...




Really hard to tell, isn't it?
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Reply #12 posted 06/12/16 12:28pm

terrywastecake

PRNelson said:

Was the cloud guitar named after flying cloud drive where he rehearsed leading up to the purple rain era?

According to the Rusan article it was called the cloud because of Princes blue cloud suit on the atwiad cover and the raspberry beret video.

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Reply #13 posted 06/12/16 4:52pm

PRNelson

terrywastecake said:



PRNelson said:


Was the cloud guitar named after flying cloud drive where he rehearsed leading up to the purple rain era?

According to the Rusan article it was called the cloud because of Princes blue cloud suit on the atwiad cover and the raspberry beret video.



Hi. I read that article yesterday. I wonder if the warehouse influenced the suit?!

Does anybody know the first instance that it was reffered to as the cloud guitar?
You'll never know a girl called Nikki and you'll never find Erotic City
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