An 1959 Gibson L model acoustic guitar that Prince used to sketch out some of his earliest songs is up for auction at Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Los Angeles. And for the truly devoted, you can snag Garcia’s lace and crystal-encrusted backless wedding gown, designed by Prince’s costumer Bonnie Flesland, a set of five handwritten love notes (written on pink heart-shaped paper), or even his ex-wife’s 2.2-karat engagement ring. It’s all yours for a minimum of $20,000. Check out the full catalog of auction items here.
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Dickerson describes the unreleased tracks are filled with “bouncy, upbeat choruses and risque lyrics”, and one that “features heavy guitar distortion and a chorus that includes very candid sexual pleas from Prince”.
Among the items on offer are an acoustic guitar used to write and record Prince’s early demos, a 1978 cassette demo tape, Gayte’s engagement ring and handwritten proposal note from Prince, customised crockery from their 1996 wedding, plus various items of clothing and jewellery.
Side B of “Prince Worktape ’78” boasts six working versions of songs, including three previously unheard tracks, plus early versions of So Blue, Gotta Broken Heart Again and Sometimes It Snows In April.
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The iconic musician’s guitarist and frequent collaborator Dez Dickerson is putting the item up for sale, and writes: “Prince originally gave me the cassette in late 1978 because he wanted me to listen to a record he had recorded on side A (a female-fronted funk band whose name I don’t remember now)”.
