Rusan Guitarworks

06/05/2026

Hello everyone, this week I had a visit from the people of France, not all of them, but six lovely citizens of that country. They were here for the 10th anniversary of Prince's death and toured all the places in town associated with him. I asked if they were all from Paris but it turns out that they hailed from many regions of the country including Bordeaux, where this wine that they gave me as a gift comes from. I hope I can visit them some day in their country!

05/31/2026

We're having lovely summer weather now in Minnesota, what's it like where you are?
Here are a few guitars that I finished some time ago!

05/22/2026

Hi everyone, I'm looking for occasional local help here in Bloomington Minnesota for simple garage cleanup tasks — flattening boxes, recycling runs, light organizing, etc. No special skills required. Paid hourly. Ideal for a student or someone wanting a little extra cash. If interested you can message me or call at (952) 941-8935.

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05/22/2026

I've made every effort to make my guitars exactly like the ones I made for Prince and I also want the straps to be authentic. He wore animal print straps with the guitars in their original white paint but after they were redone in various colors he had straps custom dyed to match. I wanted to do the same and started calling around here in Minneapolis for someone who could do the job and got lucky immediately! When I called Iris Color Studio and asked the lady who answered the phone if she could do this for me she replied "yes, I dyed all the fabrics for Prince that were made into his straps and costumes".
That lady was Marliss Jensen and she's been custom dyeing straps for me for many years now, you can read more about her here:
https://www.twincities.com/2017/03/02/prince-quilt-exhibit/
It's been nice working with you, Marliss!

05/15/2026

Hi, everyone, I’m interviewed for the new book by John McKie about how Prince made his masterpiece Sign O’ The Times. The book is packed with new stories and photos with more than 200 new interviews. It’s in shops Sep 29 and is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book has been out in the UK for some time and is getting great reviews, I'm looking forward to reading it myself!

05/08/2026

Here's a photo from a couple of years ago with five Rusan Originals awaiting final assembly, three in colors seen on stage with Prince, two that were customer special requests!

05/01/2026

Prince and I had at least one thing in common: an admiration for the work of Martin Homent, a UK based art director and designer! We both had Martin create excellent images for us, here are some of the ones he did for Prince:
https://www.martinhoment.com/work/prince
plus a few photos of the work that he's done for me. Thanks Martin, I appreciate you!

04/25/2026

A customer that has two of my Rusan Originals wants me to make him a replica of the blue Fender Stratocaster that Prince played during his Super Bowl performance of 2007! I'll make this happen with a stock Fender that will get a new paint job, a single ply white pickguard and two EMG pickups, just like the original had. This should be a fun project, much less difficult than making a Rusan Original, I look forward to starting on it!

04/17/2026

A couple of years ago I got the opportunity to make a Rusan Original for Andrew Watt, one of most in demand record producers in the world. He has worked with Elton John, Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones and many other notable artists. Andrew recently finished a new album with Paul McCartney, and talking to him on the phone gave me a real sense of what a dynamic and energetic person he is. It's easy to understand how he can get the best out of the stars he works with!

04/12/2026

Here's a "flock" of Rusan Originals awaiting their final assembly and adjustment!