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Synth Used By Prince In 'Purple Rain' Album Up For Sale

NOEL KING, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Noel King. A typical Yamaha DX7 synthesizer sells for less than $1,000. But this isn't any old DX7. It's the one Prince used on his 1984 album "Purple Rain." It's up for auction, and it is expected to bring in $25,000.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S GO CRAZY")

PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION: (Singing) Let's go crazy.

KING: The synth is a little scuffed up from touring, and it even has Prince's handwritten notes taped on top, notes like bass riff and dope drum. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.