It seems incredible in hindsight but in the early 1960s, the Kalamazoo factory, home to both Epiphone and Gibson instruments, ceased production of the Les Paul guitar and in its place, created the "SG" design. And as it so often does, changes in guitar design also influenced bass design, too. With the Les Paul (temporarily) out of the picture, the SG took over. And for a time during that golden era, the classic SG bass was the historic factory's sole electric bass offering.