In 1960, with sales of the Gibson Les Paul at an all time low, the company decided to create a model that was thinner and had to cutaway horns to make the upper frets more accessible. The design was one the Gibson folks though it would compete well against the popular Fender Stratocaster. The guitar was advertised as having the "fastest neck in the world", due to its slender neck profile and virtually non-existent heel, although I don't think any speed tests were actually done. The original models carried the Les Paul name, but it's said that Les Paul himself did not care for it and asked to have his name removed from it. So Gibson decided to renamed the guitar, the SG, which was short for "solid guitar". Some of the more notable musicians that play an SG is Angus Young, Pete Townsend, and Eric Clapton, who played one while in Cream called "The Fool." That guitar eventually sold to a private collector for $500,000 dollars.
