H.S. Anderson Mad Cat Moridaira (1973)

Besides his undeniable musical genius Prince always had an eye for style. And as any connoisseur knows, this wasn't limited to his extravagant suits. Above all, he will probably always be associated with his comparatively understated Hohner T-Style, designed by H.S. Anderson, which he played on albums like "1999" and "Purple Rain." ...but actually, Prince's guitar was the later Hohner version of the legendary H.S. Anderson Mad Cat, which was released by Morris in 1973 and of which only slightly more than 500 specimens were originally produced at the Moridaira factory in Japan. We are delighted to offer you one of these 500. Since the guitar doesn't have a serial number this is actually one of the first 100. And what an awesome instrument it is! The legendary look alone screams "Let's Go Crazy" when you see the leopard-print pickguard on the highly figured maple top. But the playing characteristics are also first-rate. The neck with its slightly flatter C-profile and comfortable fretboard radius (a bit larger than a Fender 7.25") fits perfectly in the hand and combined with a swingmighty ideal weight of just 3530 grams and the medium frets is extremely comfortable to play. Acoustically the Mad Cat is a lively and resonant guitar and when amplified, the singlecoil pickups reveal their full potential. The tone is exceptionally warm with shimmering tones galore, especially in the middle position. All pickup positions sound superb – excellent sustain and individual melodies are powerful and clear. The output is remarkably consistent and even with the bridge pickup engaged and the tone control fully turned up the sound remains refined and never harsh. The Mad Cat truly shines with overdrive. It displays an authoritative and cheeky, yet refined smoothness reminiscent of Prince's "Little Red Corvette" or the powerful intro of "When Doves Cry." Everything here is just right – from the characteristically smaller backplate to the slightly thicker pickguard and the familiar octagonal tuners. The previous owner inserted plastic dowels into the screw holes of the neck to improve stability. Apart from that it should be particularly emphasized that despite its age of 53 year, this specimen is including the frets in top condition except for a repair to the neck pocket and a few slight signs of use and aging.

• Includes gig bag
• Weight: 3530 grams