What basses did Prince use?

Prince used a number of basses live and in the studio.

On his earliest records he used an Orr Bass. He also bought the Sardonyx bass for Andre Cymone, but it is unknown whether he used the bass himself. This bass was the inspiration for the Dave Rusan Cloud Guitar.

At some point in the early 1980s, Prince switched to the Fender Jazz bass, as did Andre Cymone and later Brownmark. From the Purple Rain tour, Brownmark switched to an Alembic Spoiler, which was then used by Levi Seacer Jr in the late 1980s. It is assumed Prince used this bass in the studio. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Prince used a Jerry Auerswald Cleo, which was similar to the Model C guitar.

Around 1993, Prince and Sonny T switched to Warwick basses. Prince's preferred bass live and in the studio was a white Warwick Thumb. Other basses in Prince's collection around this time include a Guild Pilot and an Ibanez Soundgear.

In the early 2000s, Prince switched back to Fender Jazz basses and it is assumed that this remained Prince's preferred bass in the studio. Prince's live bassists also used Jazz and other Fender-style basses around this time.