Posted by An exceptionally rare guitar played by Prince has been found in Somerset.
The Purple One picked the guitar from American producer Sylvia Massy, who engineered Prince’s 1991 album ‘Diamonds And Pearls’.
Invited to pick a guitar from Massy’s studio arrangement, Prince instead picked the producer’s own cheap-aspcFender Gemini II instrument, and used it throughout the album.
The guitar found its way to Somerset, where it resided in the collection of two brothers in the town of Frome.
The siblings – who have not been named – honoured the guitar by displaying it in their house, as part of a huge collection of Prince memorabilia.
They comment: “In the six months since we bought the guitar, it’s been displayed in my brother’s living room – in what we call his Prince Corner. Lots of our friends have seen it but we’ve not let anyone play it. But now I’ve moved to Spain, it’s not practical for us to share the guitar so we’ve decided to put it up for sale.”
Music auctioneers Gardiner Houlgate will now auction the guitar, with auctioneer Luke Hobbs commenting: “The story of how Prince selected Sylvia Massy’s old guitar and used it on the album is the stuff of music industry legend. What no one knew was that the guitar has been sitting in a living room in Frome since last year. You couldn’t make it up.”
“While these guitars are relatively cheap to buy new, interest in Prince from both collectors and fans is very high. We’re certainly expecting lots of interest from America but frankly we could have a buyer from virtually anywhere in the world. Lockdown has also increased interest in music instrument sales.”
The auction will take place at Gardiner Houlgate, 9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire on March 10th.
Related: These Late-Era Prince Classics Show His Magic Remained Undimmed