THE LAST guitar Prince ever played was made in Sussex.
Simon Farmer, 47, owner of Gus Guitars, created the Purple Special guitar and sent it out to the iconic popstar earlier this year and was set to tour with it before his untimely death.
In a photo taken five days before his death, Prince - who died last Thursday – is seen holding the guitar aloft in what is believed to be the final photo taken of him performing.
Mr Farmer said: “It’s both very satisfying to think that he finally got the guitar and I saw it in his hands – he’s holding it aloft and showing it off.
“When I saw that I shouted because it was proof, but then when I found out he’d died, I was just overcome with sadness."
A few weeks earlier, Prince’s management had contacted Mr Farmer and asked him to create the guitar from his workshop in Heathfield.
Having liked the instrument, he asked for a bass guitar to be made up, which is still in the process of being made.
The guitar maker said: “When you think of his family and those who knew him well then it’s obviously incredibly sad.
“Then when you think of your own situation and what it could have meant for you - it was just massively shocking and really disappointing.
“You can just imagine how it would have proceeded and he would have been playing my guitar.”
News of the pop legend’s death filtered through to Mr Farmer via a man that had first put him in touch with Prince in the 80s.
He said: “I was on the computer going through some emails and the guy who initially had put me in touch with him back in the Purple Rain days sent me a little memo which read, 'I’m speechless'.
“Then I got another saying, “If it’s true about Prince, I’m really sorry”.
“It’s just massively shocking and I was in a state of disbelief, I can’t remember being that shocked for quite some time.”
Mr Farmer started making guitars as a 14-year-old, and set up his business in 1994.
A number of guitarists including Bill Nelson, Seal, Pendulum’s Pere ap Gwynedd, Apollo 440’s Rej ap Gwynedd and lots of session musicians including Natalie Imbruglia’s guitarists.
He has vowed to finish the bass guitar, but has no plans yet as of what he will do with it.
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