When Maestro first debuted with the FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, in 1962, no one could have predicted its trailblazing success. By that time, Gibson, then operating under parent company Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), had already used the Maestro brand name on accordions, accordion amplifiers, and the legendary Echoplex Tape Delay. When the FZ-1 was released, the guitar pedal market was nonexistent, and this odd effect, intended to conjure something resembling a horn sound, fell largely on deaf ears.