Former Wolverhampton student made Prince's final guitar

Simon Farmer, who studied product design at Wolverhampton's Polytechnic University as it was formally known, created the G1 Purple Special for the music legend.

Guitar-maker Mr Farmer, who made his first instrument at the tender age of 14, started working on the ultra-sleek instrument nine years before it was given to Prince in March 2016 – but the star died a month later on April 21.

It was enough time for Prince to play it in concert – and even order a bass version.

"The Purple Special G1 built for Prince was the ultimate expression of my G1 design and every aspect tailored to suit him," Mr Farmer wrote on his website.

"Focussed as he was on solo piano recently, I was nevertheless so looking forward to seeing him rip it up on that guitar as only he could and am devastated to think that won't happen now.

"He didn't have it long – but long enough to enjoy it.

"He liked it and ordered a bass straight away, which I was working on when he died. It was amazing to see he had performed with it and liked it so much he wanted another guitar from me.

"I've been told it was the last guitar he owned."

After completing his qualification at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, Mr Farmer, aged 47, went on to complete a master's degree in Industrial Design at the University of Central England.

Nicknamed 'Gus' he then set up his guitar-making business, Gus Guitars, back in 1994. He now lives in Heathfield, East Sussex.

Speaking of his career, he said: "They are fantastic things to make."

"I don't make a lot of money on the instruments since I only make a few each year, so I do it for other reasons – for the joy of making them and the joy of getting them into people's hands."

All of Simon's guitars are hand carved, with western red cedar wood at the core and include a carbon fibre 'skin.'

The carbon fibre also makes for strong and stable instruments that are more resistant to temperature and humidity changes than conventional guitars and basses. Early in his career, before being commissioned by Prince, Seal used one of his bass guitars in his 1991 'Killer' video, putting Simon on the map and gaining exposure for Gus Guitars.

Seal's guitar is now displayed in a Hard Rock Cafe in Florida.

Mr Farmer builds less than 10 guitars each year, and almost all of the them are commissioned.

He invests hundreds of hours in each instrument over a nine to 12-month period. Simon still creates a variety of Special guitars, which cost around £15,000.

They include chrome fabric and transparent paint with metalwork that is plated with 22-carat gold.

He also uses an aluminised glass fabric that gives the guitar a vibrant colour.

Only a very limited number of Specials will ever be created and each guitar also includes a custom-made matching case. Speaking of his trade, Mr Farmer said: "When you string the guitar up for the first time and get a sound out of it, that's when you get bitten by it.

"I played in a band for awhile and for me, building guitars is even more exhilarating than the crowds and loud music."

Mr Farmer works alone in his studio with his Springer spaniel dog, Betsy.

When not making guitars, he enjoys time in the countryside, trail running or mountain biking.