> Fiery distortions, angelic choruses and delay-coated melodies are all fashioned by effects pedals. The first forays into effecting the signal chain in odd ways were found within amplifiers way back in the 1950s and 60s. Though these mainly spatial effects would subtly shade certain contemporary genres (such as the slap-back echo of rockabilly, or the spring reverb-coated surf genre) it was in the studio where the likes of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Pink Floyd began to explore how tweaking things in unconventional ways could fundamentally alter their guitar’s tone – particularly when speed was manipulated with tape, and the expansive characteristics that real life reverb chambers could impart.