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got me tripping over my own sentences. marshalls and bassmans use a cathode follower (a specific configuration of a tube triode) before the tone stack. this allows the tone stack to be designed with less resistance (typically, a smaller slope resistor) and the previous gain stage to be tuned for maximum gain; this results in less loss in the circuit and more signal to work with downstream. most say that this is what makes for the distinct 'marshall' tone. cathode followers do not provide any gain, just a buffer, so any triode can work, and some prefer the sound of a 12au7 triode to a 12ax7 triode as a cathode follower. however, while a cathode follower before a tone stack is definitive of a marshall 'style' circuit, the straight swap of a 12au7 dual triode tube into a marshall or bassman may not work given how they use the other triode in the tube. clear as mud?
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