The guitar pedals that came out from the late '60s through the early '80s laid the groundwork for a galaxy of effects to follow. These stompboxes often are celebrated for their innovative circuits and inspiring sounds, but the particular visual panache they display is almost never discussed.

In today's enormous market of boutique effects makers, it seems like sometimes a flashy paint job or housing can be the difference in the "hotness" of a pedal. But even in the comparatively less competitive market of four decades ago, makers were still clearly devoting their attention to things like graphics and typefaces.

Here's a look at some of our favorite fonts on vintage pedals that have come through the pages of reverb. These were made before the days Photoshop and Illustrator and required the same sort of artistic commitment that went into designing the circuits themselves.