NAMM 2025: It's hard to believe, but the NAMM show has been going on in some form or another for an incredible 120+ years.
It makes sense, then, that 70 years ago, Gibson was at NAMM showcasing Les Pauls.
For the 1955 NAMM show in Chicago, Gibson put on display a unique set of five Les Pauls, each of which had a custom metallic nitrocellulose lacquer car finish: Samoa Beige, Copper Iridescent, Nugget Gold, Platinum, and Viceroy Brown.
Aside from the special finishes, the Les Pauls in question were also the very first Standard models in the series to be fitted with no-wire ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridges and Stop Bar tailpieces (until then, these had only been found on the 1954 Les Paul Custom).
In reference to these special builds, Gibson says, “the whereabouts of only a few are known today.”
The company has chosen, however, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of these models with the release of the 1955 NAMM Show Commemorative Edition Les Paul, which recreates its '55 predecessor in molecular detail.
Finishes and bridge/tailpiece aside, each of the original models had a lightweight one-piece mahogany body and a hide glue-fitted two-piece plain maple cap – both used for the 2025 version.
The guitar's one-piece mahogany neck has a long neck tenon, a period-accurate 50s Chunky D-Shape neck profile, and an Indian rosewood fretboard with 22 narrow/tall frets, a 12” fretboard radius, and aged cellulose nitrate trapezoid inlays.
While we're on the subject of aging – done, of course, by the Gibson Murphy Lab team – it's light on this guitar, giving it the look of a well-taken-care-of instrument with a fair amount of road hours under its belt, rather than one that looks like it was dragged behind a car.
The logo on the Les Paul's headstock is period-accurate as well, with single line, single ring Kluson tuners rounding it out.
Sounds, meanwhile, come by way of a pair of Custom Shop P-90 Soapbars, hand-wired to 500k CTS potentiometers and paper-in-oil capacitors, with color-matched control knobs making for a nice, vintage visual touch.
Though not as hard to find as its original counterparts, the 1955 NAMM Show Commemorative Edition Les Paul will indeed be a rare commodity as well – with 70 examples of each finish set to be produced, for a total of 350 guitars. The price, as you might expect, matches the supply and attention to detail.
Each guitar comes with a brown/pink Lifton five-latch case included, and will set you back $6,499.
For more info on the guitar – which can be only ordered directly from the Gibson Garage – visit Gibson.
The '55 NAMM Commemorative model isn't the only P90-loaded Les Paul Gibson's released since the opening of the show; it's been sharing the spotlight with Warren Haynes' new Cherry-finished signature.
