The actual Taylor 655 Artist Series used by Prince.
The Taylor 655 Artist Series is a 12-string acoustic guitar built for Prince in the mid 1980s. He plays it in the “4 The Tears in Your Eyes” video, and it is also played by Wendy in the “Raspberry Beret” video. It is assumed that Prince plays this guitar on the Around The World In A Day and Parade albums.
The guitar was commissioned by Glenn Wetterlund of Podium Music on behalf of Prince who was looking for an acoustic guitar. Taylor built a version of the 655 model, with a custom purple finish (although Prince covered the company’s logo on the headstock). At this point, acoustic guitar sales were slow and Taylor credit Prince’s endorsement with reversing the fortunes of the company, with the use of custom finishes allowing the company to compete with the electric guitar manufacturers and get noticed on MTV. This would lead to a long association between Prince and Taylor guitars.
The guitar appears in the booklet of The Truth album, and it is possible that it appears on the album itself. The guitar is currently in the collection at collection at Paisley Park and appears in the Prince - Guitar & Bass book.
