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Thread started 04/22/21 12:10am

BartVanHemelen

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Origins of Prince's MadCat Hohner Telecaster guitar?

Has it ever been established where Prince bought his MadCat Hohner Telecaster guitar? Because I just saw this comment on a Kare11 Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/...8405580457

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Kaylin Faust

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My dad sold him his most famous guitar— the MadCat Hohner Telecaster. He sold it to him through a little music shop in Burnsville (now in Savage) before he was super famous. It’s been fun to see it pop up over the years on TV and in magazine photos and know it was my dad’s first!

.

© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
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Reply #1 posted 04/22/21 1:08am

mynameisnotsus
an

BartVanHemelen said:

Has it ever been established where Prince bought his MadCat Hohner Telecaster guitar? Because I just saw this comment on a Kare11 Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/...8405580457


.



Kaylin Faust


.


My dad sold him his most famous guitar— the MadCat Hohner Telecaster. He sold it to him through a little music shop in Burnsville (now in Savage) before he was super famous. It’s been fun to see it pop up over the years on TV and in magazine photos and know it was my dad’s first!



.




I remember reading that Prince said he bought it at a gas station. I think he mentioned it during an ONA soundcheck that was open to the npgmc. He might have mentioned it in print - I'm not sure but here's a source refering to it.


http://guitarcloud.org/eq...ner-madcat

Pretty great resource I've just come across.
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Reply #2 posted 04/22/21 1:17am

JorisE73

mynameisnotsusan said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Has it ever been established where Prince bought his MadCat Hohner Telecaster guitar? Because I just saw this comment on a Kare11 Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/...8405580457

.

.

I remember reading that Prince said he bought it at a gas station. I think he mentioned it during an ONA soundcheck that was open to the npgmc. He might have mentioned it in print - I'm not sure but here's a source refering to it. http://guitarcloud.org/eq...ner-madcat Pretty great resource I've just come across.


I thought he bought the Sardonyx 'cloud' bass guitar at a gas station.

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Reply #3 posted 04/22/21 1:27am

mynameisnotsus
an

JorisE73 said:



mynameisnotsusan said:


BartVanHemelen said:

Has it ever been established where Prince bought his MadCat Hohner Telecaster guitar? Because I just saw this comment on a Kare11 Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/...8405580457


.


.



I remember reading that Prince said he bought it at a gas station. I think he mentioned it during an ONA soundcheck that was open to the npgmc. He might have mentioned it in print - I'm not sure but here's a source refering to it. http://guitarcloud.org/eq...ner-madcat Pretty great resource I've just come across.


I thought he bought the Sardonyx 'cloud' bass guitar at a gas station.




He bought it at a store in San Rafael according to Andre Cymone.


http://guitarcloud.org/eq...donyx-bass
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Reply #4 posted 04/22/21 2:06am

BartVanHemelen

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mynameisnotsusan said:

JorisE73 said:


I thought he bought the Sardonyx 'cloud' bass guitar at a gas station.

He bought it at a store in San Rafael according to Andre Cymone. http://guitarcloud.org/eq...donyx-bass

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Seems unlikely IMHO. https://artfulliving.com/...-swensson/

© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #5 posted 04/22/21 8:48am

ufoclub

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BartVanHemelen said:

mynameisnotsusan said:

JorisE73 said: He bought it at a store in San Rafael according to Andre Cymone. http://guitarcloud.org/eq...donyx-bass

.

Seems unlikely IMHO. https://artfulliving.com/...-swensson/


That link confirms Andre's story at the end: https://artfulliving.com/...-swensson/

That night, just before falling asleep, I noticed a new email alert on my phone. It was from the new owner of Bananas at Large in San Rafael, who I’d decided to ping one final time in hopes of one last clue.

“Hi Andrea,” it read. “I believe this to be true. I’ve heard the story from multiple, credible people. The original founder, Fred Waxler, told me his version of the story. Prince was working at the Plant in late ’77 and would wander into the shop occasionally. I’m told he bought that bass, a keyboard, and a guitar plus accessories.”

I texted André immediately.

“That’s awesome. So I’m not crazy after all,” he responded, signing his text with a purple heart.



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Reply #6 posted 04/22/21 11:55am

RJOrion

of course Andre's story can be confirmed...and of course certain people at this site would be so quick to say Andre's "story seems unlikely"...now if the story would have been attributed to Wendy, Lisa, Suzannah or Susan Rogers", it would have been instantly accepted as the gospel truth...its a recurring theme with a certain segment of Prince's so called fanbase...and its so easily predictable..
[Edited 4/22/21 12:36pm]
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Reply #7 posted 04/22/21 12:26pm

nayroo2002

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"White Girls"!!!

"Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends"
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Reply #8 posted 04/22/21 1:43pm

BartVanHemelen

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RJOrion said:

of course Andre's story can be confirmed...and of course certain people at this site would be so quick to say Andre's "story seems unlikely"

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How did that one of a kind bass end up in a guitar store in San Rafael?

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See, that's the problem: either the story is pretty straightforward -- Prince was in NY and visited well-known guitar store and bought disctinctive bass -- or the alternative is that this bass somehow ended up in this random store which then coincidentally was visited by Prince and AC etc.

.

© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #9 posted 04/22/21 1:54pm

ufoclub

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BartVanHemelen said:

RJOrion said:

of course Andre's story can be confirmed...and of course certain people at this site would be so quick to say Andre's "story seems unlikely"

.

How did that one of a kind bass end up in a guitar store in San Rafael?

.

See, that's the problem: either the story is pretty straightforward -- Prince was in NY and visited well-known guitar store and bought disctinctive bass -- or the alternative is that this bass somehow ended up in this random store which then coincidentally was visited by Prince and AC etc.

.

The linked article you posted yourself confirms Andre's story at the end, doesn't it?

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Reply #10 posted 04/22/21 2:06pm

nayroo2002

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It was probably a "future Prince" who gave the "then Prince" these guitar "ideas".

"Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends"
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Reply #11 posted 04/22/21 2:56pm

mynameisnotsus
an

BartVanHemelen said:



RJOrion said:


of course Andre's story can be confirmed...and of course certain people at this site would be so quick to say Andre's "story seems unlikely"

.


How did that one of a kind bass end up in a guitar store in San Rafael?






Another (Bay Area?) musician bought it in NYC and got short of cash and sold it?


.


See, that's the problem: either the story is pretty straightforward -- Prince was in NY and visited well-known guitar store and bought disctinctive bass -- or the alternative is that this bass somehow ended up in this random store which then coincidentally was visited by Prince and AC etc.


.


It's not so straightforward though. Prince was hardly flush with cash when he was living with his sister in NYC without a record deal.

The way Andrea summarises in the article is really great.

...This wasn’t a story about a guitar at all. It was a story about who Prince was in that nascent period of his life, a story about his deep creative bond with his best friend, a story about who gets to tell the story about his life now that he’s gone.
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