2014 Gibson USA Les Paul Futura 120th Anniversary~ Insane Plum & Hardcase

2014 Gibson Les Paul Futura – Plum Insane – Gotoh Locking Tuners – Hard Case & Paperwork

 

Something a little different from the usual Les Paul — a 2014 Gibson Les Paul Futura in the fantastic Plum Insane finish, complete with hard case and paperwork.

 

The Futura was one of Gibson’s more adventurous Les Paul models from the 2014 range, combining the familiar mahogany/maple Les Paul construction with a genuinely unusual pickup pairing, additional switching options and Gibson’s 120th Anniversary appointments.

 

The Plum Insane nitro finish is difficult to capture in words. It has a beautiful deep metallic purple appearance with an almost satin/brushed character across the carved maple top, changing considerably depending on how the light catches it. Subtle from one angle and anything but subtle from another.

 

Underneath, it’s still unmistakably a Les Paul: a weight-relieved mahogany body with maple top, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and Gibson’s faster ’60s SlimTaper neck profile.

 

Where the Futura becomes really interesting is the electronics. At the neck is Gibson’s P-90H Sidewinder, designed to offer much of the bite, clarity and character associated with a P-90 while using a hum-cancelling design. At the bridge is a hotter BurstBucker 3 humbucker, giving the guitar plenty of drive and punch when required.

 

Alongside the traditional twin volume and twin tone layout, the Futura features push/pull coil-tapping options and a switchable 15dB boost, giving it a much broader range of usable sounds than a conventional Les Paul.

 

Min-ETune Removed – Gotoh Locking Tuners Fitted

 

Originally, the 2014 Futura was supplied with Gibson’s Min-ETune automatic tuning system.

 

That system has thankfully been removed from this example and replaced with a quality set of Gotoh Magnum Lock locking machineheads, giving it a much more conventional, straightforward and reliable setup.

 

As a consequence of the conversion, the redundant fixing holes/witness marks from the original Min-ETune installation remain visible on the rear of the headstock. We’ve photographed this clearly rather than trying to hide it.

 

Personally, we think the Gotoh setup is a very worthwhile change on a guitar intended to be played.

 

Specification

 

* Year: 2014

* Model: Gibson Les Paul Futura

* Finish: Plum Insane

* Made in USA

* Body: Weight-relieved mahogany

* Top: Maple

* Finish: Nitrocellulose

* Neck: Mahogany

* Profile: ’60s SlimTaper

* Fingerboard: Rosewood

* Frets: 22

* Inlays: Figured acrylic trapezoids

* 12th Fret: 120th Anniversary inlay

* Neck Pickup: Gibson P-90H Sidewinder humbucker

* Bridge Pickup: Gibson BurstBucker 3 humbucker

* Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone

* Switching: 3-way pickup selector, push/pull coil-tapping and 15dB boost

* Bridge: Tune-o-Matic

* Tailpiece: Stopbar

* Hardware: Black

* Tuners: Upgraded Gotoh Magnum Lock locking tuners

* Strings: Fresh set of Ernie Ball 10s fitted by us

* Weight: Approximately 8lb 4oz

 

Condition

 

A very presentable 12-year-old Gibson with genuine player character.

 

There is visible lacquer checking across areas of the nitro finish, particularly around the carved top, along with various light surface marks, small knocks and general play wear associated with age and use. The satin-style finish means some marks catch the light more readily than they would on a conventional high-gloss Les Paul.

 

There is also some natural smoothing/polishing to areas of the finish through handling and playing.

 

None of this affects the structure or playability of the guitar, and we actually think the checking works particularly well against that purple finish — it has begun to develop the kind of character you simply cannot fake convincingly.

 

As mentioned above, the original Min-ETune has been removed and there are visible redundant holes/witness marks on the rear of the headstock from the original system.

 

The guitar is structurally sound, plays beautifully and all pickups, controls, switching and electronics are working as they should.

 

We’ve fitted it with a fresh set of Ernie Ball 10s and it is ready to go.

 

Included

 

It comes with its hard case, which shows the expected cosmetic wear from age and use, together with the accompanying Gibson paperwork/manuals pictured.

 

A really distinctive Gibson from an interesting period of the company’s history. The combination of the Plum Insane finish, P-90H Sidewinder, BurstBucker 3, onboard boost and Gotoh locking tuner conversion makes this considerably more interesting than another conventional Les Paul — and you really don’t see many of these anymore.

 

Why Buy From Chordplay Guitars?

 

We are an independent, family-run guitar shop, open seven days a week.

 

Our new and used guitars are carefully selected, and all used instruments are thoroughly checked and cleaned before sale, with setup and adjustment carried out where appropriate.

 

We pride ourselves on honest descriptions, friendly support and guitars that are ready to be enjoyed from the moment they arrive.

 

Free next-working-day UK mainland delivery on this guitar.

 

£50 deposit secures it.

 

Part exchange welcome.

 

We Buy Guitars

 

We are always looking for good quality used guitars. If you have something you would like to sell or part exchange, please get in touch with details and photographs.

 

International Buyers

 

Worldwide shipping is available. We have plenty of experience packing guitars securely for international transport. Any import duties, VAT, taxes, customs charges or other local fees are not included in the purchase price or shipping charge and remain the buyer’s responsibility. Please check with your local customs authority before purchasing.