Prince & The Mad Cat
Prince & The Mad Cat
The guitar that became part of the Prince sound
Few guitars are as closely associated with an artist as the Mad Cat is with Prince.
With its distinctive tortoiseshell and leopard-like pickguard, unusual construction and unmistakable silhouette, the H.S. Anderson Mad Cat became one of the defining instruments of Prince’s career.
But the story of Prince’s Mad Cat begins in Japan — long before Purple Rain, Paisley Park or global superstardom.
A Japanese original
The H.S. Anderson Mad Cat was created in Japan in the 1970s by Moridaira, the company behind the Morris guitar brand.
H.S. Anderson was one of Moridaira’s brands, and the Mad Cat was one of its most distinctive designs. Rather than simply copying a traditional American guitar, its designers created something genuinely unusual.
The body combined a walnut centre section with sen ash and figured maple. Its bridge and pickup arrangement differed from a conventional Telecaster, while the distinctive tortoiseshell-style pickguard gave the instrument its instantly recognisable appearance.
Only around 500 original Mad Cats were produced during the 1970s, making surviving examples exceptionally rare today.
Prince discovers the Mad Cat
Somewhere around the late 1970s, a young Prince acquired a Mad Cat.
There are several versions of the story surrounding how he obtained it, including the famous story that he bought it for around $30 at a gas station. The exact circumstances are difficult to verify, but what is certain is that the guitar became an extraordinarily important part of his musical life.
Prince’s guitar carried the Hohner name rather than H.S. Anderson.
That sometimes creates confusion about the instrument’s origins.
Hohner did not originally design the Mad Cat. The guitar was designed and manufactured in Japan by Moridaira/H.S. Anderson, with Hohner subsequently becoming associated with the model through its distribution and branding arrangements.
The result is that Prince’s famous instrument is commonly called the Hohner Mad Cat, while the original Japanese design is the H.S. Anderson Mad Cat.
The guitar behind the sound
The Mad Cat wasn’t simply a stage prop.
Prince used it extensively in the studio and on stage, and it became one of the guitars most closely associated with his sound.
The instrument can be heard throughout the extraordinary run of music that established Prince as one of the most important musicians of his generation.
The Mad Cat became associated with albums including:
- Dirty Mind
- Controversy
- 1999
- Purple Rain
- and many subsequent recordings and performances
It remained an important instrument throughout Prince’s career.
The guitar was particularly significant because it wasn’t one of Prince’s elaborate custom Cloud or Symbol guitars.
It was a relatively conventional-looking instrument — but in Prince’s hands it became unmistakable.
Why Prince’s Mad Cat looked different
Prince’s Mad Cat was not completely stock.
Over the years, his guitar was maintained and modified by his guitar technicians.
The pickups were replaced, first with Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups and later with Kinman Traditional pickups. A third pickup was also installed beneath the pickguard for noise-cancellation purposes before later being removed.
During the Purple Rain era, a wireless receiver was also installed inside the guitar.
These modifications were part of keeping an instrument that Prince relied upon night after night functioning at the highest possible level.
The Mad Cat becomes an icon
As Prince’s fame exploded in the 1980s, so did the visibility of the Mad Cat.
It appeared on stage, in photographs and in Prince’s increasingly famous performances.
The guitar’s unusual appearance also fitted perfectly with Prince’s visual identity.
The tortoiseshell/leopard-style pickguard, the distinctive body and the guitar’s relationship to Prince’s flamboyant stage wardrobe made it instantly recognisable.
It became something more than an instrument.
It became Prince’s Mad Cat.
The guitar that survived the years
One of the remarkable things about Prince’s Mad Cat is that it remained part of his working arsenal for decades.
Rather than being retired as Prince acquired increasingly elaborate custom instruments, the Mad Cat continued to appear.
Prince’s longtime guitar technician Takumi Suetsugu was closely involved in maintaining the instrument.
Suetsugu has reportedly described the Mad Cat as the best Telecaster he has ever played — a remarkable endorsement considering the many instruments he encountered during his career with Prince.
The Mad Cat and Purple Rain
For many people, Prince’s Mad Cat is inseparable from the Purple Rain era.
By this point Prince had become one of the biggest stars in the world, and his guitars had become part of his visual language.
The Mad Cat stood alongside the Cloud guitar as one of the instantly recognisable instruments of the era.
While the Cloud became synonymous with Prince’s image, the Mad Cat represented something different:
the working guitar.
The instrument Prince could pick up and play.
The guitar that had already been with him before global superstardom.
And the guitar that remained with him as that superstardom grew.
Prince’s Mad Cat wasn’t really a Telecaster
The Mad Cat is often described simply as a Telecaster because of its general silhouette.
But technically, it is considerably more interesting.
The original design uses a walnut centre section, sen ash sides and a figured maple top and back.
Its bridge is closer in concept to a hardtail Stratocaster bridge, while the pickup configuration and switching are also distinct from a conventional Telecaster.
That combination helped give the Mad Cat its own character.
It looked familiar.
But it didn’t sound or feel quite like anything else.
The mystery surrounding the original
The scarcity of the original Mad Cat adds another layer to the story.
Only a little over 500 original examples are believed to have been produced during the 1970s.
That makes an original Mad Cat a serious vintage collectible.
Prince’s own instrument is therefore not simply an old guitar.
It is one of the most recognisable surviving examples of a very limited Japanese production run — and one that was played by one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.
Bringing the Mad Cat back
After Prince made the instrument famous, demand for the Mad Cat continued.
Hohner produced later versions, including models such as the The Prinz and TE Prinz, while other manufacturers and builders produced their own interpretations.
But the original Japanese H.S. Anderson design remained the benchmark.
In 2009, an H.S. Anderson Mad Cat was reissued for the Japanese market, helping bring the name back into the spotlight.
Then came a more ambitious project to recreate the character of the original vintage instruments.
From Belgium to Japan
The modern revival of the Mad Cat has its own remarkable story.
In 2010, Belgian musician and Mad Cat enthusiast Dany Meeuwissen saw Prince perform at Werchter during the 20Tentour.
He had already been fascinated by the guitar’s sound.
Seeing Prince play the Mad Cat live confirmed something important:
the sound really was coming from that guitar.
Meeuwissen subsequently tracked down an original 1979 H.S. Anderson Mad Cat in Germany.
He then contacted Moridaira, the Japanese company behind H.S. Anderson.
That relationship eventually led to the development and worldwide distribution of a vintage-inspired H.S. Anderson Mad Cat reissue.
The Vintage Re-Issue
The modern H.S. Anderson Vintage Re-Issue was designed to capture the details of the original guitars rather than simply produce another guitar with a similar appearance.
This distinction matters.
The objective wasn’t to make a generic “Prince guitar.”
It was to return to the Japanese instrument that started the story.
The result is a Mad Cat produced in Japan, using the original design philosophy and vintage details that made the instrument special in the first place.
The first modern Vintage Re-Issue was announced in 2012, after roughly three decades in which the original model had been absent from international production.
The V3 — refining the legend
The story continues with the H.S. Anderson Mad Cat V3.
The V3 represents the latest development of the Japanese Mad Cat rather than simply another cosmetic reissue.
Its development involved detailed examination of original vintage Mad Cats and input from Takumi Suetsugu, Prince’s longtime guitar technician.
The aim was to get even closer to the feel and characteristics of the original instruments.
Among the refinements was the neck profile, developed around measurements and characteristics found on original 1970s examples.
The result is a modern Mad Cat that retains the character of the original while benefiting from contemporary Japanese craftsmanship and carefully selected components.
From Prince’s hands to a new generation
Prince died in 2016, but his music and instruments continue to influence generations of musicians.
The Mad Cat occupies a unique position in that legacy.
It isn’t simply a replica of a famous guitar.
It is an instrument that existed before Prince became famous, became part of his musical identity, and ultimately became famous because of what he did with it.
That’s what makes the Mad Cat so interesting.
The guitar didn’t make Prince.
Prince made the Mad Cat famous.
And now, the H.S. Anderson Mad Cat gives a new generation of players the opportunity to experience the instrument that became part of that story.
The Mad Cat Today
Today, the H.S. Anderson Mad Cat continues to be handcrafted in Japan in limited quantities.
The current V3 represents the latest chapter in the story of a guitar that began in Japan in the 1970s, travelled into the hands of a young Prince, became one of the most recognisable guitars in popular music and ultimately returned to its Japanese roots.
From Moridaira…
To H.S. Anderson…
To Hohner…
To Prince…
To Paisley Park…
And back to Japan.
The Mad Cat’s story is still being written.
Explore the Mad Cat
The H.S. Anderson Mad Cat V3
Handcrafted in Japan and developed from the original Mad Cat design.
The Complete History of the Mad Cat
Discover the story of the original 1970s H.S. Anderson, the Hohner connection and the evolution of the instrument.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Prince play an H.S. Anderson Mad Cat?
Yes, but Prince’s famous guitar carried the Hohner name. The instrument itself originated from the Japanese H.S. Anderson/Moridaira design. Hohner-branded examples were produced through the Japanese manufacturing arrangement. (Madcat Guitars)
What guitar did Prince use for Purple Rain?
Prince used his Hohner-branded H.S. Anderson Mad Cat extensively during his career, including the period surrounding Purple Rain. The Mad Cat was one of his principal guitars.
How many original Mad Cats were made?
Sources generally place production of the original 1970s Mad Cat at around 500 instruments. (Madcat Guitars)
Is the Mad Cat a Telecaster?
It is often described as a Telecaster-style guitar, but it is not simply a Fender Telecaster copy. Its construction, bridge, pickups and electronics differ from a conventional Telecaster. (Guitarcloud)
Where is the H.S. Anderson Mad Cat made?
The current H.S. Anderson Mad Cat is handcrafted in Japan by Moridaira, the company behind the original instrument. (H.S. Anderson Guitars)
Who is Takumi Suetsugu?
Takumi Suetsugu was Prince’s longtime guitar technician and was closely involved with maintaining Prince’s instruments. His knowledge of Prince’s original Mad Cat also contributed to the development of the modern instrument. (Guitarcloud)
The guitar made famous by Prince.
The H.S. Anderson Mad Cat.
Handcrafted in Japan.
Available from Mad Cat Guitar.