Boss Katana - Is It A Good Pedal Platform?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2020
- So many people send me questions asking if the Boss Katana is a good pedal platform Amplifier. In this video, I try a bunch of overdrive pedals into the front end of the Katana to see if they perform better than the inbuilt boos pedals. The Studio Rats are core band members Paul Drew on guitar/production/mixing, drummer James Ivey and Dan Hawkins on bass. They collaborate with singers and musicians to produce radio-ready songs.
If you are interested in Boss Katana Preset Packs check out the link below.
thestudiorats.net/new-products - บันเทิง
Great video and just what I needed to see and hear! Excellent playing also! Keep the videos coming!
Great sounds and playing, loved those licks.
Cheers man. Building a pedalboard FINALLY and I only have a Katana and didn't know how well it'd take pedals. Thanks for doing the leg work
Anytime SC.
An illustrative video showing that Katana is good with pedals. I have a Katana 100 and it works great with BOSS pedals. I tried BOSS BD-2 and BOSS OD-2 and they are both better than internal (inside the KATANA) similar pedals. They are just delicious. Thanks for the video, Paul!
Anytime!
another great video. I will try this with my Barber Direct Drive and the Katana.
That there is pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Thanks mate. So you can stack the katana overdrive with analog pedals.
I’ve used lots of different effects pedals with my Katana 100 Mk2 and they all seem to work really well but since I bought the Boss GA-FC I’ve been using the onboard and online Boss tone effects more .
Always nice to have options and fun.👍
This is actually a question I've had since I don't have any pedals but I'm looking at building a pedal board or the ga-fc. The ga-fc is far cheaper so if it does the job then I don't want to build a board. I will be using it to record and perform live. What's your advice?
Through empirical testing, I've found that the 50 watt Katana (v.1) takes all types of pedals extremely well, even better than a Line 6 Spider or a Fender Mustang lll and just as well as a Marshall or Fender tube amp.
I'm headed out to purchase a Black Eye boost immediately. Man that is awesome!!!
I've only used with my Dunlop Jerry Cantrell wah and my Katana handles very well. I'm very pleased. About to add a TC Spark booster.
Did you add it? I've done it and i'm indeed very happy with it.
@@killnoni5032 I did add but I ended up selling because it was too much high end. I suppose the Katana channel EQ settings may play a role as well. But, I think the Katana is a little high end-ish in general as is my EVH Wolfgang guitar, so I needed more low & middle end overdrive which I settled on the Nobles ODR-1 instead. Much warmer pedal for rock distortion and my setup.
I enjoyed this video. I use pedals with my MK2 and I love it! I don't use the editor.
I had an older Johnson Amplification amp that started this whole allowing you to edit the effects within the amp which was cutting technology back in the 90's. However, it was absolutely horrible adding outside effects...particularly a Bad Horsie wah pedal. Fast forward to now, I was so haunted by it I was hesitant to buy a Jerry Cantrell wah for my Katana MK2. But, I was pleasantly surprised how well it handled. Such a relief. Great video demonstrating why/how you can mix analog pedals with the built-ins.
Cheers Chris, yeah thankfully tech has moved on since the Johnson.
Brilliant as always, Paul! The only drive pedal I’ve tried with my Katana Artist (MKI) is the Origin Effects Revival Drive and it sounded fantastic. I think the trick is in the base tone you dial up on the amp itself. I played around with a variety of amp sounds until settling on one that, to my ears, seemed to work best with the Revival Drive. A different pedal may have required a different base tone from the amp in order for it to sound its best. If you’re using any drive sounds from the amp, watch your gain staging!
That revival drive is killer!
For me Katana response on analog pedals is absolutely the best. Way better than my tube Amp
Cheers Edo
@@TheStudioRats I think this Katana is quite the best alternative to a multitude gigging possibilities. With that being said, I am awaitng for the shipment of my Artist MK2, I ordered the pedal train Novo 24 and the Boss GC footswitch. It is going to be awesome so I can put my Morley Wah on it and the Freqout feedback simulator on it with other pedals. Bank one would be for inbuilt effects and Bank two for Clean channel with stomp pedals. Come to think of it the pedals could be possibly used on either bank. I am a tube guy - I have Mesa Boogie and Carvin tube amps - BUT this is a nice alternative to lugging heavy equipment - I know you mentioned that too! :) and this is a nice (TUBE SOUNDING AMP) I am not sure about the Nextone, it limited with features. Thank you Studio Rats - you feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the demo. I've been playing with trying to get my Kat to a nice edge of breakup tone and then using one of my physical overdrives to drive it harder. I've mostly been trying the different channels and playing with gain, but didn't think to try stacking digital OD with analog. Cool stuff!
Cheers Sugatooth.
Thanks for your video.
I have the Artist II and it sounds great on it's own and the Katana Library has a lot of good stuff, but my band's live sets are too diverse even using the GAFC, especially when a song requires switching clean, to distorted, to delays, and color tones, just on one song.
That being said, I'm trying to set my amp up for one clean tone and use my Headrush PB for all effects. I've tried 4CM (the HPB allows effects to separate what goes through the amp input and what goes through the effects loop) I also tried sending all effects straight through the input.
I still can't get my tone right.
I don't want to give up on the HRPB because of it's ability to create and select a custom built tone for every song, and multiple scenes for different sections in one song.
I've spent hours trying to get these guys to play nice with each other.
Any tips to point me in a positive direction are appreciated.
Thanks
great demo and review.
Paul. I'm consistently floored by your mastery of tone. It's all subjective of course, but it seems you turn everything you play into an amazing tone. I've been playing my Artist MKII combo using patches for clean, dirt, lead and it's actually fine, but it seems making it a pedal platform opens even more doors. I'm looking forward to exploring this angle with my Katana. Cheers from the great state of Virginia!
Cheers!
I run a boss ge-7 and EHX soul food into the front of my mk1 212 and I really enjoy the tightness i need for metal
Nice tip I’ll try that.
Have you tested it with dirtier drives or distortion pedals? An EVH 5150 distortion that sounded so good on a clean valve amp (better than the amp's own dirty channel in fact) sounded off into the Kat Mkii's clean channel. This surprised me quite a bit. The distortion was super grainy sounding for some reason, quite unlike its sound into the valve amp.
Any idea what the issue might have been?
I have the 50 mk2 and for overdrive I run a jhs morning glory, Ibanez ts9, and I use the jhs 3 series compressor as a boost and it sounds amazing
Nice one!
Thanks for this. I have an Artist and love it. I just purchased a Way Huge - Overrated Special and hate it driven into the amp clean. I've been thinking of trying the pedal into and overdriven channel (which, after some more research, now know that that is what that pedal is designed for). I'll do exactly what you did. Overdrive the amp with the booster and try the OS pedal into that. I can also try different flavors of the crunch channel.
Another interest is how a Klon type pedal acts with this amp.
And yet another interest is how an actual preamp pedal (such as a Kingsley Page) acts and and sounds using the "preamp in" used in conjunction with other pedals like reverb, delay and chorus going into the preamp pedal.
Nice one Red Rover, I think the reverb and delay will work well, I’ll do this video next week.
I have a benson preamp pedal that really shines in front of the katana mkii 100
Artist MkI; MXR Micro Amp into MXR '78 Distortion is great, also run a mini TS too, sounds great 👍
Great tip, I’ll look into the pedal you suggest.
This is great. I was only trying my ts9 into my artist yesterday, I agree a real boost/od pedal responds more quickly than the inbuilt ones.
Cheers Fizzyhead
Imho tubescreamer type pedals are perfect choice for Katana and they make Katana even more Tubelike.
Believe me guys! I tried 5 different tubescreamer type pedals and guess what? Even the Tube Man Mk2 by Nux is a PERFECT pair for Katana (I only didn't like Behringer TO800 tbh).
Great demo Paul thanks
The black eye sound incredible
I have a mk100,it seems I like the clean channel,are the effects in the Katana inferior to the separate pedals,my Blues Driver pedal sounds better than the one inside,would a tube amp with a few good pedals sound better,I have a Subway Blues Mesa,thanks.
I had an AC 10 nice little amp but it hated all my drive pedals sounded awful but my katana adores them
Yeah the 10 is a funny beast. The ac30 takes pedals really well.
I bought a Kat 50 MKI when they were first introduced years ago...at rehearsals I would run a Boss SD-1 OD into a DS-1, then have the Katana set on a light crunch mode. I didn't have a channel switching pedal or anything at that time, but would instead cut back on my guitar volume to get a slightly pushed clean, turn it back up to get a light crunch, kick on the OD for a bit more, then have the DS-1 along with the OD for a full blown heavily distorted tone. It really gave me 5 options without having the need or ability to preset different channels, ranging from pushed Clean all the way to over the top Distorted. Nowadays I still have the 50 but bought a 100 MKII a couple years ago, complete with the GA-FC pedal. But the 50 MKI using that stacked set up never let me down. It was a really great, lightweight pedal platform for me, with no tangled cables or anything to deal with....just a couple of pedals on the floor.
Awesome tones!
Thanks!
Really good lead tone
Hey Paul are you mic’ing the amp here or going direct in via usb. I’m just curious on signal chain here. Thanks in advance!
Since practically every pro muso stacks gain pedals it surprises me that the Katana doesn’t allow you to stack overdrives internally. I’ve set up my compressor on the mod channel to add a clean boost before hitting the overdrive button but there should be a better way, like exchanging the Mod or FX entire drop down with a Boost list for example. So you could do 5 Boosts if you wanted, overkill certainly but that’s the idea. The whole reason I bought a Katana is to get away from a spaghetti floor.
totally agree. the FX floorboard shows us that we can even rearrange the pedal order to whatever we like. No idea why that wasn't included in Tone Studio
Running an overdrive pedal into an already overdriven amp is an example of stacking overdrive, and something that the Katana is capable of
Technically you could put a drive effect on top of the non-clean amp settings.
Ok lots of basic questions not being answered is this using the effects loop what settings do you put on the amp itself donu turn everything down? Do u put it on clean? Im still not getting basic answers whats the settings on the pedals whats the volume at ect ect
I use my Katana 100 mk2 as a pedal platform on the clean channel. I do use the onboard delay though. Sounds good to me!
I remember Boss used to have pedal displays in music stores that had speaker in the bottom…it was a Boss cube. I always thought those pedals through that cube sounded good.
Yep I remember Guitar Center having a Boss display. Quite a few years ago I sat down and just jammed for awhile trying out effects I never used before, until I had a eureka moment. The one pedal that really got my attention was the GE-7 EQ. Many years of playing live and never used an EQ pedal. Wtf was I thinking?
Still have it, and my Katana Artist takes it like a BOSS.
Can you mix and match analog pedals and the built in effects in any order or are your choices of order limited? example say I have my own drive pedals going in the front but I'm using the built in wah effect with a compatible expression pedal plugged into the back of the amp and I want the wah before the analog pedals in the chain. I dont see a way to do that.
You could utilize the FX loop (send & return on the back of ur amp)?
Hey may I know which katana are you using in these? 50w or 100w?
Which model amp were these tones recorded from? Was it the 100W MKii?
No tone studio (parametric) EQ used?
Hi Paul! just wondering, what settings did you have the amp on before you added the pedals? was it just the clean setting or crunch or? sounds incredible with the Plumes pedal!
Hi John it was just a clean tone.
If I use my Angry Charlie on clean almost nothing happens. Definitely no Metallica happening. Even on Crunch or Brown it's not very good. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.
The TS9 sounded the best to my ears
Is it only really good to use the OD/Dist. on the clean channel? Or can you use a pedal to boost the drive channels?
Sure you can.
Paul, amazing video again, but i have to ask you one sincere question, if you listen closely i can hear a lot of fret buzz, warble, specially on your G string, what's going on? I mean i also have this problem but did'nt expect to hear the same buzz issue coming from your guitar as well....
I think the guitar is settling in but I’ve got to be honest I didn’t notice it.
When using any boost/overdrive/distortion pedals with the katana, do you need a noise gate? I play pretty loud but not maxed
Hi Jeremy, depends if you are playing high gain metal. personally I try to leave the gate turned off.
@@TheStudioRats yeah usually if I’m playing crunch or fuzz I try to leave it off and turn the gain down a bit. But with the brown and boost on a noise gate is desperately needed :( especially live. No one enjoys the squeal of a 100w amplifier haha thanks mate
Paul you have made me look for a speaker. I’m thinking G 12H. I know you have the Red but I saw a test on andertons and I really liked it.
Hi Mike I really like creambacks.
@@TheStudioRats , which ones? I have heard all and really lean toward the G 12H. They have a nice definition to them.
I prefer the sound of creamback in general, I didn’t realise the H changed the sound that much.
@@TheStudioRats , The H has a tighter bass response and a bit on the high end also. At some point when I find one used in my price range, I’m retired, I will replace the Katana 100 speaker. Wow! Your up early. And I’m up late. Sebastian Florida
Good tip cheers Mike. Yeah couldn’t sleep, going to try again.😀
Sorry is this the 50 or the 100? Do you know if there’s much of a difference I know the 100 has two pedal inputs?
Cheers.
No. They both have only 1 input. But the 100 version has a GAFC input (you are going to need one) and also and FX loop (send/return)
I'll name it! Spider lV 75W jam amp , it sucks with pedals. So hoping for much better with the MKll
So what is a good tube amplifier as a pedal platform? I got a Katana but I hope to get a better sound from a tube amp. I love the sound of heavy fuzzes.
ScHruBbel have a look at orange amps if you like Fuzz.
I have a katana 100 and for my tastes it doesn't take pedals really well, especially high gain pedals... I'm used to use an SLO or a SP77 as a pedal plateform and it's like night and day!! Maybe for low to mid gain pedals, but even the modulations doesn't sound like I'm used to...
Sup dude. I have a question. I have a Strymon big sky and also the boss katana foot switch. Can I make a preset where I press the katana foot switch it will for exemple a clean chanel and activates the Strymon pedal and I press another button to for exemple distortion it will torn off the Strymon? Don't know if I was clear. Thank you =}
Can I use my pedal board AND the GA-FC at the same time?
Yes
Paul, did you swap out the Kat speaker for something else ?
Yes he did, celestion redback. Video a couple weeks ago.
@@kmichaelp4508 Thank you. Sir.
I use Katana also as pedal platform, but i like to add just a little bit of clean boost (level 1-3) to give more body and make sound more defined. Does anyone else do something like that?
Clean boost is a good way to go, nice tip.
In built boost you mean or from a real pedal?
@@vladimirpavlovic9488 built in boost called "clean boost".
@@MrGolok77 Hey, thanks. And than you add your real pedals in front with that boost always on?
@@vladimirpavlovic9488 yes, but it's important to maintain your clean channel really clean without any kind of break up, distortion, greety sounds if you use pedals, especially time and modulation. So the amount of boost should be very very low. You already hear the difference even if gain is set on 0.
Just checking if this is the Katana with the celestian? Or a base Katana speaker?
It’s with the Celestion, but I b don’t think the speaker would change the outcome of the video.
@@TheStudioRats thanks guys. Still in the process of getting one. The one thing I couldn't find in the effects was a shimmer reverb option and I wanted to know how the amp would respond with some inbuilt effects interacting with an external shimmer... would I have to change the inbuilt chain to make it cos a shimmer should usually go to the back of the chain yes?
Is multi effects processor also good for the katana?
Yes it works well.
Thanks..one more question if you
dont mind .im planning to buy katana 50 if i use my zoomgmG5 i'll directly plug to guitar input in a clean channel right?(all fx off)
Are these pedals infront of the Katana? Sorry a newbie ...
Yes they are
Would you say the 50watt reacts in the same way? Would a 50 watt cut it in a band environment with volume levels playing classic rock? Thanks in advance, liking the channel a lot.
I'd personally say go for the 100w version, rather have more than enough than potentially having not enough. You can also use the footswitch with the 100w unlike the 50
@@devdnsyd8875 and the FX loop also!
I just use the Katana mk2 head as a clean amp and get all of my gain from a Suhr Eclipse overdrive.
Awesome, I bet thats sounds great.
My Mk2 50 sounds even better than my Marshall half stack with my pedals. My Op Amp Big Muff, my Rat, even my TS10 sound great plugged straight into it.
does the watt settings have any effect on the sound?? i’ve been wanting to get some pedals and i just wanna make sure that my boss will be able to handle it pretty cleanly. thanks !
Just for clarification, all these pedals were ran in front of the amp?
yes.
@@TheStudioRats Thanks for the response, ive had the kitana for months now without realizing it was such a great little pedal platform
Thanks! This all-to-simple answer to this question helped a newbie like me figure out why my Crybaby wasn’t working thru my GA-FC. No one (in all the expert videos I watched ) explained you just need to front load the pedals thru the guitar like any tube amp.
More boss pedals on boss pedals, I mean a Boss amp.
What katana are you using
Its the 100 mk2
My Angry Charlie sounds like ass. It's literally the only reason I bought the Katana was for a pedal platform playing metal, I just can't get a good crunch.
Wow, Jason Statham can shred!
my katana is a effing beast.. its a boss of bosses .. unless you 3k plus for a mega boogie or soldana .. boss is boss
ran my metal muff into it and it sounded badd
Good badd ? Or bad bad
You're not being clear wether that's positive or negative...
I couldn't get a sound I liked out of it
A whole bunch of the same distortion. He’s an excellent player so it could all sound great. But this is pure hell for true feel it in your fingertips gain.
Katana might be “good with pedals”… but given the capabilities built into the amp, adding external effects pedals truly misses the point. There are scores of amps that work better with pedals. If your objective is to justify your sunk cost in effects pedals, get a tube amp.
Still waiting on guitars, amps, and guitarists to move on from the beaten horse of blues scale leads and acdc distortion. It’s crazy.
If that’s his playing style and his influences then what’s the problem? You’ve got a different preference/style and influences and that’s fine for you, and if you can’t find someone reviewing a katana with your style then that’s a great opportunity for you to fill that void 👍🏼 for many people, this channel is excellent and mirrors their style and preference.
Bro, I don’t know what happened to guitar scene but those generic cheesy blues scales in 90% of videos are making me crazy…
Great video. But play some new licks for God's sake.
Skulls with glasses, huh.
Trump 2020.
I don’t quite get the trump connection but yes my skulls are a little short sighted.
@@TheStudioRats Some of my fellow Americans feel the need to display their political partisanship where it is neither geographically nor topically appropriate. Apologies.
Trump lost. Stfu.
@@coreymineard biden was a worse choice by far. total enept fool run by his handlers. idiots who voted for this mess! BTW, I just bought the Mk2 100 w.
@@sixslinger9951 can’t even spell inept right lol