Some of the earlier users of distortion concocted various home-grown tricks, before dedicated distortion equipment was manufactured. The Kinks would feed one fu

Some of the earlier users of distortion concocted various home-grown tricks, before dedicated distortion equipment was manufactured. The Kinks would feed one fully-cranked amplifier into a second or third layer to pile on the distortion caused by over-cranking them all, giving them the "you really got me" sound in '64, arguably the first heavy metal hit. Another musician said he'd poke holes in the speaker with a pencil. And another said the "drunk band" dropped the amplifier while loading it, damaging it, but they liked the damaged sound and kept it.