Prince

Serial number S1001276 to rear of headstock, the Vox HDC-77 with double-cutaway semi-hollow body comprising mahogany sides and figured maple-ply top and back, in blackburst finish; mahogany set-neck; Indian rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and parallelogram acrylic markers; with Vox tuners and two twin-coil Vox CoAxe pickups, each with 3-way tone switches for single, P-90 or humbucker tones, and 3-way selector switch; aluminium bridge, volume and control knobs; black pickguard with white trim.

Additional accessories include: original black studded leather strap, used by Prince; custom pearl celluloid guitar pick, featuring his iconic Prince Symbol in purple on front, and cursive “Prince” logo on back; lined contoured hardshell Vox case; an official 2014 HITnRUN tour programme; and a copy of 7^th February 2014 edition of The Times illustrating Prince with the present guitar.

Provenance

Purchased in 2013 and owned by Donna Grantis, guitarist in Prince’s bands 3RDEYEGIRL and New Power Generation; accompanied with a signed letter of provenance.

Dimensions

the guitar 40 3/4in (103.5cm) long

the case 43in (109.2cm) long; 17 1/4in (43.7cm) wide; 5in (12.8cm) high

Stage-Use by Prince of the Present Guitar

A prized guitar used in era-defining performances by Prince: one of the greatest musicians of all time. The seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning music icon played this blackburst Vox extensively throughout his 3RDEYEGIRL era (2013-2015), performing with bandmates Donna Grantis (guitar), Ida Nielsen (bass), and Hannah Welton (drums).

Documented performances with the guitar include the final night of his famed Montreux Jazz Festival appearance on 15th July 2013 (video published on Archive.org); throughout his legendary 3RDEYEGIRL HITnRUN Tours of 2014-2015 in the UK, including at London's KOKO Club (photographs published on BBC News), the Electric Ballroom (photographs published in The Times and The Quietus) and Shepherd’s Bush Empire (video published on YouTube), as well as venues across the United States and Canada, including at the Louisville Palace (photographs available on Getty Images), Detroit’s Fox Theatre (photographs available on Getty Images) and Toronto’s Sony Centre (photographs available on Getty Images); notably at the Baltimore ‘Rally 4 Peace’ on 10th May 2015 (photos/video published in Rolling Stone and YouTube), and Prince’s final band performance with 3RDEYEGIRL in Washington, DC on the 14th June 2015 (photographs available on Getty Images). Further believed to have been played by Prince at the White House for President Obama, family and invited guests, as part of the African-American Music Appreciation Month celebration on the 13^th June 2015 (per letter of provenance signed by Donna Grantis).

Montreux Jazz Festival 2013

15^th July 2013                  Montreux Jazz Festival, at the Auditorium Stravinski in Montreux, Switzerland.

HITnRUN Tour (UK)

5^th February 2014 HITnRUN Tour (Open Soundcheck), at the Electric Ballroom in London, UK.

5^th February 2014 HITnRUN Tour at the Electric Ballroom in London, UK.

9^th February 2014 HITnRUN Tour at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, UK.

14^th February 2014 HITnRUN Tour at King’s Place (Hall One) in London, UK.

16^th February 2014 HITnRUN Tour (Early Show), at KOKO in London, UK.

16^th February 2014 HITnRUN Tour (Late Show), at KOKO in London, UK.

21^st February 2014 HITnRUN Tour, at the Manchester Academy in Manchester, UK.

22^nd February 2014 HITnRUN Tour, at the Manchester Academy in Manchester, UK.

HITnRUN Part II Tour (UK)

17^th May 2014 HITnRUN Part II Tour, at Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, UK.

19^th May 2014 HITnRUN Part II Tour, at LG Arena in Birmingham, UK.

22^nd May 2014 HITnRUN Part II Tour, at SSE Hydro in Glasgow, UK.

HITnRUN Tour (US & Canada)                             

14^th March 2015 HITnRUN Tour (Early Show), at the Louisville Palace in Louisville, KY, USA.

14^th March 2015 HITnRUN Tour (Late Show), at the Louisville Palace in Louisville, KY, USA.

9^th April 2015 HITnRUN Tour, at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI, USA.

10^th May 2015 Baltimore ‘Rally 4 Peace’ Concert, at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD, USA.

19^th May 2015 HITnRUN Tour, at the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts in Toronto, ON, Canada.

13^th June 2015 Believed to have been used for African-American Music Appreciation Month at the White House, Washington, D.C., USA (by repute per letter of provenance signed by Donna Grantis)

14^th June 2015 HITnRUN Tour (Early Show), at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., USA.

14^th June 2015 HITnRUN Tour (Late Show), at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., USA.

Image Captions

Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for NPG Records 2015. Prince playing the present Lot at the HITnRUN tour opener at Louisville Palace, 14^th March 2015.

Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for NPG Records 2015. Prince playing the present Lot during the HITnRUN tour Detroit’s Fox Theatre, 9^th April 2015.

Detail from the official 2014 HITnRUN tour programme (included in the present Lot). Prince with the present Lot during the HITnRUN tour at London’s Electric Ballroom, 6^th February 2014.

Detail from the official 2014 HITnRUN tour programme (included in the present Lot). Prince with the present Lot during the HITnRUN tour at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 9^th February 2014.

Detail from The Times, 7^th February 2014 edition (included in the present Lot). Prince with the present Lot during the HITnRUN tour at London’s Electric Ballroom, 6^th February 2014.

This lot contains Dalbergia latifolia (Indian Rosewood), which is an endangered species. However, finished musical instruments, finished musical instrument parts, and finished musical instrument accessories of Dalbergia latifolia are exempt from CITES regulation. Sotheby’s recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid, as lots containing endangered species may be subject to import restrictions in certain countries or necessitate licenses and certificates for export from some and import into others.