The event takes place at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC and online in May
Julien’s Auctions has added another extraordinary guitar from the chronicle of rock and roll history to their highly anticipated Music Icons event taking place live on Wednesday, May 29th, and Thursday, May 30th at Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online.
After nearly 20 years, Prince’s legendary Cloud 3 returns to the auction podium, joining alongside some of rock’s greatest guitars ever to come to auction, including the previously announced John Lennon’s recently found Help! Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar and Randy Bachman’s collection of over 200 of his most coveted guitars. Julien’s rediscovery of the Cloud 3 guitar marks a pivotal moment in its remarkable history and reinstates its rightful status as an iconic symbol of the seven-time, Grammy Award-winning music artist’s titanic career and rock ‘n’ roll heritage itself.
The yellow Cloud 3 stood as one of Prince’s centerpiece instruments, gracing the stages of his iconic tours from the mid-80s to the early 90s, including, Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy, and Diamonds & Pearls.
Julien’s verified Cloud 3’s provenance by conducting a CT scan and interviewing Dave Rusan, the luthier behind its creation. It remains fully playable and carries a Certificate of Authenticity from Paisley Park. Previously sold by Christie’s for £4,200 in 2005 and on eBay for a price less than its original listing of £59,000, Cloud 3’s journey took a remarkable turn under Julien’s meticulous care to reclaim its true glory again. Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar is conservatively estimated to sell this May at auction for $400,000-$600,000.
Julien’s successful sales of Prince’s Cloud guitars include his yellow Cloud ($225,000), his “Blue Angel” Cloud 2 ($563,500), and his blue teal Cloud, which set the world record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction ($700,000).
For this momentous occasion, it was also announced that Prince’s Cloud 3 guitar will join the previously announced exhibition tour of the auction featuring other marquee axes played by the likes of Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, and Randy Bachman, at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville from May 15th to May 18th then heading to New York for its week-long exhibition May 22nd to May 28th before its historic auction, both at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.
Joining Prince’s iconic Cloud 3 on the auction podium will be a hall of fame of guitars from Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson’s historic 1965 Fender Telecaster to Bono’s U2 Gretsch Irish Falcon.
Memorabilia, instruments and artifacts from Elvis Presley, Neil Young, Amy Winehouse, Tina Turner, Taylor Swift, Joan Jett, Eddie Van Halen, AC/DC, Taylor Hawkins, Freddie Mercury, Slash, Johnny Cash, The Eagles, Kiss, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and others will also be offered during the Music Icons auction.
