In 1941 Les Paul designed and built one of the first solid-body electric guitars.  Gibson Guitar Corporation designed a guitar incorporating Les Paul's suggestions in the early fifties, and presented it to him to try. He was impressed enough to sign a contract for what became the "Les Paul" model, and agreed never to be seen playing in public, or photographed with, anything other than a Gibson guitar. That continued until 1961, when Gibson changed the design without Paul's knowledge. He said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music store window, and disliked it. Though contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument, and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Gibson renamed the guitar the "SG", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.