Clump 2 Report post Posted June 2, 2014 Posting this because I have not seen a lot of info on the Futura and thought it might help folks who are considering them. During my search for a new LP I really considered a Futura. I went with the more "Traditional" Studio Pro, but was still pretty intrigued with the odd combination the Futura offers, so said WTF and pulled the trigger. I could not find 1 locally to check out, but was confident with buying from Sweetwater. 2 new LPs in 2 weeks! It's definitely an odd combination: - Modern weight relief mahogany body/maple cap - Asymmetrical '60s maple neck - Burst Bucker 3 bridge pup - Sidewinder P-90 neck pup - Push/push coil taps for both pickups - Push/push 15db boost - Min-E-Tune I've seen some conflicting info on line. Some places say the neck is mahogany, Gibson says maple and it looks like maple to me. I read somewhere that the non-push/push tone pot is master tone, but both pots operate like a normal LP. Fit and finish is very good. There's a bit of a "crease" between the fretboard and neck, but it's purely cosmetic and is probably due to the thin finish. The finish is (obviously) not nearly as nice as the full gloss Studio Pro. Interesting figure in the top, with quite a few mineral streaks. Pacific Blue Fade is a pretty unusual color. The neck is fat for a '60s, but nowhere near '50s. Plays really nice. I can't feel any difference between the Studio Pro and Futura. My Futura had the driest fret board I've ever seen, so I changed the strings and gave it a drink of lemon oil and a couple of tweaks to the setup. The electronics work great. Really interesting set of tonal possibilities. The P-90 tapped with the boost on is just a great sound. The P-90 is really quiet compared to regular P-90s, but still has the grunt. Lots of great possibilities and I'm sure there's more to find. Playing the bridge for rhythm and hitting the boost for solos is really effective too. This is my 2nd min-e-tune guitar. It seems to bother a lot of people. I have no problem with it and like the ease of getting in/out of alternate tunings. Interestingly, this 1 had a real problem with the low E, but after using it a while it straightened out. It's also got the dreaded 120th Anniversary inlay. A lot of people are really upset about it. If you didn't know it was there it would be easy to not even notice. Personally, I like it, but I have 2 guitars with it, so consider the source. So, bottom line - Definitely worth consideration. Probably not a good replacement for a traditional LP, but it does open up a bunch of different tonal possibilities. Also wouldn't be a great modding platform, because the electronics package pretty well defines it, so not a lot of sense in changing it. I'm really happy with it. Here's my 2014 Studio Pro in Black Cherry Pearl. Lovely and very traditional LP playing and sounding. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NHTom 94 Report post Posted June 2, 2014 both those are nice guitars!!! I checked out the futura, but didn't like the way the finish felt on my hand on the neck. I'm a big fan of the P90 neck and hum bridge, but wasn't sure about the sidewinder Love that black cherry pearl.....have not been able to find one in person to see, but that color is nice. NHTom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
creeksideguitar 2 Report post Posted June 3, 2014 looks interesting. It's amazing how many different Les Paul models have been released by Gibson. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
knowyourenemy 0 Report post Posted June 3, 2014 thanks for posting, i have been considering the Les Paul Futura since i seen it online but was still undecided as to whether to take the plunge and try (and possibly buy) one Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mystique1 0 Report post Posted June 3, 2014 I've seen your Studio Pro before, so HNGD for the Futura. The P90 really is a great idea. I tend to play nearly everyting on the bridge pup of my Studio, as after playing Strats for many years, I find the neck and middle a little dark, even with the coil tap. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pauly 4 Report post Posted June 7, 2014 I'm digging both those guitars. The P-90 and naked bucker combo should hold some interesting tonal deliciousness. Nice colors on both! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tinman475 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2014 We got the same taste.. I just got mine last week.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clump 2 Report post Posted June 9, 2014 @tinman - You obviously have impeccable taste! Love the birdseye in that top! Very nice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
