sentences:  As of 2014 Gibson has changed the neck wood from mahogany to maple, as well as completely done away with the pickguard, to further reduce cost.The example pictured on the right is not one of the cheaper models but in 1998 and 1999 the SG Special Limited Edition which was a higher-end version with all gold hardware and ebony fingerboard; at the time it retailed at $1,500 to $2,200.Gibson's subsidiary Epiphone have their own version of the SG Special.