Confirm re the distortion - it was mentioned in several articles about the theme.
What little I know about music instruments and electric guitars was piqued by Don't Worry, a big hit when I was in college. The "fuzzy" guitar literally leaped out of the radio in my dorm when I first heard it. Never before was there anything like it to my ears. There are a number of stories (probably some are myths) about how it came to be. And later, in his live performances, a steel guitar was used for that interlude.