Calling all guitar nerds and fans of rare Gibsons—here are five limited models in what were “the hottest car colors of the day”
The NAMM Show has always been an excuse for guitar-makers to pull out all the stops, and NAMM 2025 is no exception. Gibson Custom has announced the 1955 NAMM Show Commemorative Edition Les Paul™, a special run of Les Pauls limited to 70 electric guitars in each of five original custom colors that lit up the show floor in Chicago in July 1955: Samoa Beige, Copper Iridescent, Nugget Gold, Platinum, and Viceroy Brown.
Gibson has expertly recreated these custom metallic finishes for the first time in 70 years, with Murphy Lab Light Aging for a vintage look and feel. Each guitar stays true to its vintage roots with historically accurate 1955 specifications, including a lightweight one-piece mahogany body, two-piece plain maple cap, and a one-piece mahogany neck with a long neck tenon and 1950s Chunky D-Shape profile.
Two cream-covered Custom Shop Soapbar P-90 pickups are wired to 500k CTS® potentiometers and paper-in-oil capacitors for period-correct tone.
Image: The 1955 NAMM Show Commemorative Edition Les Paul in Viceroy Brown
In addition to their custom metallic finishes, the original 1955 guitars were outfitted with no-wire ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic™ bridges and Stop Bar tailpieces. This bridge design was first introduced on the Gibson Super 400 in 1953 and used on the 1954 Les Paul Custom, but it made its first appearance on a standard Les Paul model with the five custom-color guitars that were displayed at the 1955 show.
Image: The 1955 NAMM Show Commemorative Edition Les Paul, turning heads in Platinum
These distinctive-looking and historically noteworthy Les Pauls were made in extremely limited numbers, and the whereabouts of only a few are known today. All the more reason to grab one of the class of 2025 while you can!
Regarding the colorways of the original models, Mat Koehler, Gibson Vice President of Products, elaborates: “They would have been the hottest car colors of the day, which is kind of funny since there are a lot of beiges and earth tones, but that was just what was in favor at that time.”
Image: The Gibson Gazette was on the scene in 1955, too, reporting “an amazing array of colored guitars”
“Gibson has always been a respected leader in the industry,” Koehler adds. “We have always had strong ties to NAMM, whether it be our own Beth Heidt serving on the NAMM board today or our former president Ted McCarty serving as the NAMM president in the 1950s. Ted also served as the American Music Conference president (once NAMM’s nonprofit wing) as well as secretary-treasurer for NAMM for many years.
Image: Nugget Gold, Platinum, Samoa Beige, Viceroy Brown, and Copper Iridescent in the ledger from June 24, 1955
“I love that we are resurrecting a part of history which may have been overlooked otherwise and doing it in the right way by replicating every detail, from the color codes to the matching knobs to the light aging that would have occurred over 70 years. Each one tells a story. And it was super-cool to collaborate with NAMM 70 years later to help tell that story.”
Koehler predicts this lineup will appeal to “guitar nerds, fans of unique Gibsons, and P-90 lovers.”
Call the Gibson Garage to order yours today and find out more here. Check out our NAMM 2025 Live Blog for all the latest updates from the show floor.
