Prince, a name synonymous with musical innovation and electrifying stage presence, was never one to conform. This extended to his instruments, which were as unique and captivating as his music. While he was known for playing Hohner Mad Cats and his own distinctive designs like the ‘Symbol’ and ‘C-model’ guitars, one instrument stands out as truly iconic: the Cloud guitar. This custom creation, first seen in the legendary film Purple Rain, became inseparable from Prince’s image and sound as the movie and its soundtrack conquered the world.
The story of the Cloud guitar begins in Minneapolis, with a luthier named Dave Rusan. Rusan, a skilled craftsman, honed his expertise both at home and at Knut-Koupee music store, a local haunt Prince frequented in his early musical journey. Rusan vividly remembers Prince’s burgeoning talent even then, stating, “One day I remember I was upstairs watching him play. He was doing some hammer-on stuff with one hand and play a line on the keyboard with his right hand that would harmonise with it. So we knew he was good!”
Dave Rusan holding the original Cloud guitar he made for Prince
Minneapolis’s close-knit music community meant that Rusan and Prince’s paths crossed several times in those formative years. Rusan even auditioned for Prince’s band early on. “I tried out for his band a few years before, because I played guitar and I was pretty good,” Rusan recounts. He describes a rehearsal in a run-down building, a former tire warehouse, arranged by Bobby Z. Despite Prince already having released his debut album, the ambition was palpable. “Everyone in town wanted to try out for his band,” Rusan explained. The audition was unconventional, featuring one-chord jams and Prince switching between instruments. While Rusan played his customized Epiphone, Prince, focused and enigmatic, didn’t offer much feedback. Rusan recalls, “He didn’t say hello or goodbye, but he played drums for a bit and a little bass.” Ultimately, Bobby Z indicated the audition went well, but Prince was seeking a female guitarist, a role Rusan didn’t fit.
Prince using The Cloud on stage
From London to the Cloud: The Custom Build Begins
Rusan’s career took him to London where he gained further experience working on guitars for rock legends like Keith Richards, Gary Moore, Randy Rhoads, and bands like Def Leppard. Upon his return to Knut-Koupee, fate intervened. Prince approached the store owner with a request for a custom guitar for his upcoming film project.
This project would materialize as The Cloud guitar, and Rusan, with his refined skills, was the obvious choice for this unique commission. However, Prince’s brief was surprisingly minimal, primarily drawing inspiration from a bass guitar built by Jeff Levin that Prince owned since 1976. “He said to take the bass as a starting point,” Rusan remembers. The instructions were concise: the guitar had to be white with gold hardware, feature EMG pickups, and incorporate spade inlays on the fretboard, extending to the truss rod cover.
Despite limited direction, Rusan was given creative freedom. Communication with Prince directly proved challenging. “There were a few times when I thought I’d really like to talk to him about something, and I would contact his roadies and techs and they would try to get ahold of him, but they never got back to me,” Rusan stated. Undeterred, Rusan decided to build the guitar to his own high standards, trusting his craftsmanship. “So I just figured I’d make it so I’d like it, and if he doesn’t, I can’t help it.”
Over six weeks, Rusan meticulously shaped the Cloud guitar by hand, utilizing limited tools to create the distinctive spiral around the jack and the intricately carved upper horn. The guitar body was crafted from hard rock maple with a set neck and medium jumbo frets on a painted fretboard. Tommy Stinson, from the then-emerging boutique company Schecter, applied the white nitrocellulose finish. The specifications included a Gibson scale length (24.75 inch) with a 13-degree headstock angle, a 12-inch fretboard radius, a brass nut, a Schaller 457 Bridge, and as per Prince’s requirements, EMG pickups: an SA model in the neck and an 81 humbucker in the bridge.
Dave Rusan showcasing the craftsmanship of the Cloud guitar
From Movie Prop to Stage Icon: The Cloud’s Rise to Fame
The completed Cloud guitar was delivered to Prince and debuted in Purple Rain. However, it was destined for more than just being a movie prop. Prince envisioned Purple Rain as a multimedia phenomenon, and The Cloud became integral to this vision. It was not just visually striking; it was a working instrument that Prince used extensively on the platinum-selling Purple Rain soundtrack.
As the movie became a blockbuster and the album dominated the Billboard charts for an astounding 24 weeks, Prince prepared for the massive 98-date Purple Rain Tour. For such an extensive tour, one Cloud guitar wasn’t enough. He commissioned Rusan to build two more. Remarkably, Rusan crafted these additional guitars from scratch, without the original for direct reference. The result was three Cloud guitars so similar that the differences were almost imperceptible.
Years later, after Purple Rain‘s phenomenal success, Prince visited the store. Dave Rusan recalls, “One day Prince came into the store after the movie had been successful. I had already made the next two guitars he had requested, and Jeff Hill asked him about how he liked the guitars and if he wanted any changes.” Prince, ever reserved, subtly requested a slightly narrower neck on one of them. “Prince just said he wished one of them had a bit narrower neck.” Rusan noted Prince’s quiet demeanor, observing, “He was so quiet and shy, even John Hill had a hard time trying to get him to say that he wanted a smaller neck on that one.” Despite his shyness, Prince’s talent and work ethic enabled him to overcome communication barriers and achieve extraordinary success.
The three Rusan-built Cloud guitars endured heavy use during Prince’s performances, often requiring repairs due to his energetic stage presence, which included throwing guitars at the end of songs. Over the years, they were repainted multiple times. Of these original three, one Cloud, repainted yellow, is now preserved in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Another was auctioned in 2020 for $563,500, though Rusan notes it had a damaged neck and is currently unplayable. The third Cloud, the one with the narrower neck Prince requested, is now missing.
Rusan reflects on Prince’s relationship with these unique instruments: “Prince was a guy who had to have guitars that would perform well for him, but it was all part of his big plan – his image was a big deal,” he explains. “He’s not a guy who would sit around and polish his guitars or even think that much about them – they were tools. He was so multi-faceted – he was much more than just a guitar hero.”
Dave Rusan Guitar Works – Prince Cloud Guitar Replicas
The Cloud’s Enduring Legacy and Rusan’s Recreations
In the late 1980s, demand surged from Prince fans for replicas of the iconic Cloud guitar. While Prince later commissioned replicas from Andy Beech and other luthiers, many fans desired a Cloud built by the original creator, Dave Rusan. This led to the establishment of Rusan Originals. To date, Rusan has handcrafted approximately 40 Cloud replicas, each requiring around 100 hours of meticulous work. These replicas are renowned for their authenticity, built entirely by hand and using new old stock parts to faithfully recreate the original instruments.
Following Prince’s untimely death in 2016, the legacy of The Cloud became entangled in legal complexities. Demand for Rusan’s $8,000 replicas increased dramatically, prompting him to trademark the Cloud guitar body shape in 2018. However, in 2019, the Prince estate began selling Schecter-made Cloud replicas and issued a cease-and-desist letter to Rusan, demanding he relinquish his trademark. These legal disputes remain unresolved. Despite the challenges, Rusan remains hopeful for a resolution that will allow him to continue building replicas of the guitar he created decades ago.
Dave Rusan Guitar Works – Prince Cloud Guitar Detail
Rusan’s life and work are now inextricably linked to the once-shy musician he witnessed playing at Knut-Koupee Music. He shares a final insightful memory of Prince, revealing a contrasting side to his personality. After delivering the second and third Cloud guitars for the Purple Rain Tour, Rusan was invited to observe some rehearsals. He witnessed a transformation in Prince. “It was pretty eye-opening in some ways because Prince, who was normally so shy you could barely get him to talk, yet he was sitting at the soundboard directing the rehearsals,” Rusan explains. He was struck by Prince’s commanding presence and clear direction. “He sounded like a theatre director – I remember him saying, ‘Wendy [Melvoin], now I know you can get that part right, don’t get frustrated, I know you can do it.’ When I saw him doing that, I was wondering who that guy was. I was like someone else took over his body. He could do whatever it took to make things happen.”
Explore Dave Rusan’s exceptional guitars further at facebook.com/RusanGuitarworks.
