Marshall 6L6WGC/5881 Shuguang

Valves [a.k.a. tubes] of all shapes, sizes and makes have always been associated with the many celebrated tones of Marshall amplifiers and with good reason – they’re an essential component in the creation of what has become known as the ‘Marshall sound’. Yet, despite their importance, in the mind of the average guitarist valves are shrouded in a mysterious aura. In fact, over the years a whole mythology [some of it factual, some of it pure fiction!] has been built around these enigmatic electronic components. In this, the first of a series of features on this subject, we hope to shed some light on the much misunderstood valve. We’ll start by explaining a little bit about how these glowing, glass tone-generators work – in ‘guitarist friendly’ terms of course!