In 1968, the 1st decent distortion effect I heard of was named a "Jordan Buzztone", which was a metal box about 2" square, which was run by a 9 volt battery with dial pot switches. The unit has a 1/4" mono plug and plugs directly into the input jack of the guitar.
I had one of the 1st commercial floor fuzz boxes which were made by a company named "Crown", I believe. The pedal had 2 channels with a tone knob and a volume knob. Neither channel sounded as good as the Jordan Buzztone, but the Crown was $40 cheaper.
You can still buy the Jordan Buzztone and they even have a kit, by which You can build one!
Click on the attachment below to see a Bosstone.
