It’s barely comprehensible now, but the early Les Paul Standard was something of a commercial flop, discontinued after barely three years. Some of the most famous Les Pauls, like Clapton’s Beano guitar, were bought for a song in the mid 60s when next to no one wanted them. Still, the combination of mahogany, maple, and Gibson’s just-invented PAF humbuckers later proved unbeatable. In 1961, Gibson marketed the SG (Solid Guitar) as a replacement Les Paul model, but Les refused to endorse it. The difference in the guitars’ tones is alluded to from their appearance: the deepbodied, rounder Les Paul has a thicker tone with huge mids, while the SG is comparatively leaner, with a biting top end.