Awesome! For those interested, the Katana-50mkII EX now has GA-FC (EX) Footswitch control. Loving all of the positive Katana comments. You're all great!
I’m no computer expert, but I’ve had no problem using Tone Studio. I configured the amp to have different overdrives/distortion/fuzzes for each preset. That way I’ve got a total of twelve to choose from on tap. I’ve rarely plugged it in to Tone Studio since. An effects loop might be useful for a looper pedal, but I just use backing tracks through the aux input anyway. you’re right, this sound of the katana is truly great. I think it’s actually the best sounding amp at bedroom volumes ever made.
Been running one for 6 months now, never ceases to amaze how they packed so much in for the silly low price. Sounds way bigger, and fatter, than it looks too.
Tone studio is HIGHLY underrated. Just because you're not into checking out new things and don't "want to mess with it" doesn't mean it's not absolutely astonishing! You're really missing out on a LOT of things with the tone studio. Once you get it down I guarantee you you're going to re fall in LOVE with it! I just got the MKII 50 Special edition white, and omg now that I figured out tones and presets and how to handle everything, it's CRAZY how cheap these are. One of the best metal amps I ever had! Pair it with an ltd kh602 and it's an AMAZING amp!! Get INTO tone studio, it's TOTALLY worth it. I actually feel sorry for everyone who buys it and is discouraged from using the tech features. You're missing a LOT.
I never understood people like that, I feel as if it’s some personality disorder. Similar as someone who purchases a 24 band eq sound system but let’s it play without dialing in freq. or just factory settings. for WHATEVER reason lol.
Yea that makes sense. Have watched reviews from studio rats and that guy gets great tones using the tone studio. I don’t have this amp but use an old Yamaha THR10 and I can attest that using their online editor makes a big difference. I rarely even play it without all the patches I made for it.
The amp is designed to be tweaked, almost limitlessly. It's not a plug in and it's ready to have your sound type amp. So, people are buying a Ferrari and driving it in a school Zone. If you're using 10% of the amp's capability, then I can see why it doesn't work for people. Modeling amps don't respond to a guitar the same way a tube amp does, the player can feel a difference, even if the listener can't hear a sonic difference. Sonically, the amp doesn't sound thin. I've heard this amp sound no different than a Marshall tube amp. But, I always hear how the response they get in the amp from the guitar is missing. And that's fair. Tube amps are preferred for a reason. But, the Katana isn't designed to replace a tube amp. It's just a way to get thousands of dollars worth of amps and pedals into one place. I mean, many famous guitar sounds has been endlessly tweaked, from the player to the studio, unless it's an early player. Like, if you want to sound like George Harrison, it's a guitar and amp. If you want to sound like Dimebag, you are going to spend a lot of time tweaking. So, I don't get the people that buy this amp, used 10% of what it does, and complain it's not as good as people make it out to be. I recently bought the amp off this girl that didn't know the tone studio was a thing, wasn't happy with the face value of the amp, and sold it for very cheap, to me. I got it home, and I was like "wow, I can do so much. This is awesome."
I bought one in 2020, just to have something I could use without getting my whole rig set up. I love it, it’s amazing for the price and sounds awesome.
I love this amp, I just bought one a few months ago and I'm hooked. Originally got a Spark 40 and thought the sound sucked. After getting the Mk II Katana 50, I was blown away at how amazing it sounded. I will say, Tone Studio is a must if you are playing high gain. That noise gate comes in handy because these bad boys hummmmmmm like crazy lol. People can hate on solid state amps but the SS amps of today sound pretty good, especially the Boss.
If u want katana play like a real amp, just put compressor on the last chain in tone studio.. Tweak eq .. In the booster, add little bottom end.. Its feel close the real thing
That is a great amp. For someone who is actually going out and playing with little notice "25 pounds and will get the job done" becomes the most important part of determining which amp to take to an event. In the real world, a gravel parking lot or a flight of stairs are a real pain in the a55 to try and drag a heavy tube amp across. There have been many times I wished I had brought a smaller amp to a gig. How many guitar players bring an amp, two guitars and several pedals and end up leaving one guitar and all of the pedals in the trunk just because the set-up turned into a bigger pain than anticipated?
that depends if your in a band or just doing gun for hire gigs and also how much music territory you have to cover and may at minium need a small pedalboard and maybe a couple guitars to cover different tunings .
@@AndyX If I could only take two items to a show, it would be an electric guitar and a Zoom or TC Helicon multi-effects pedal with built in amp and speaker emulation to plug straight into the system. I had never realized how directional my Marshall 4x12 was until I was using a wireless in a venue that held a few hundred. Going around the floor, I realized that I was too loud for the guy about half way down the main isle, and not loud enough for those on the sides. We had never bothered with putting mics on big amps, but, that day, I found my pedals plugged directly into the system had a fantastic and widely dispursed sound. Sure, I could have put a mic on everything, fighting feedback, hauling stuff... but, why bother. At eighteen, I would have as well showed up on a Moped as to show up to play music without my Marshalls...LOL. But, today things are different. Amp and speaker emulation has come a long way, and I'm beginning to look at guitar amps as monitors rather than my mainstay.
This is THE best value and good overall amp for the $- hands down. You can turn all the dials you want AND have an option to use the PC. You can mic it to another speaker if you think it's too thin. If you don't like the look, simply re-cover it with something you like...but more time should be spent worrying about your playing (which is good BTW.) 100 watt is nice but very heavy. Def. get the footswitch if you don't already have it.
Get one, I've got it. It's all true what he says. Bought a positive grid spark with the idea of downsizing from the katana 50 mk2, Spark really suck, nowhere near the sound quality of the katana. Sold the Spark 2 days after buying it.
Thanks - I had wondered if I should have got the SPARK. Two 4" boombox speakers in a plastic box and computer tricks. I think I did the right thing with the Katana.
@@daniellarson3068 they are a good Bluetooth speaker, sound good playing through headphones, but awful with guitar through the speaker. Plenty of reviews sound great as they plug straight into an audio interface instead.
Now that I've had my Katana for a few days, I must say it's LIGHTYEARS tone/sound wise ahead of the spark I also own. Spark has some good features, but I'll be keeping both just to see how the develop over the years with updates.
One thing you didn’t like was the record out shuts the speaker off. I use the line out and can still use the speaker and the amp sim sounds wonderful. I have the 100 watt 1/12 and it sounds great live and in my studio and for silent stage gigs too. Thanks I enjoyed the review.
I had the 50 but upgraded to the 100 1x12 just for the effects loop because I'm a soloist playing with a looper pedal. I did have option paralysis for about a month. But, once I settled in and found MY tones, I've been happy as a pig in $#!t. The GAFC foot switch is a must have for me at least.
I've had the 50w for a year now. I play in a spare bedroom. I never use the 50w setting. At 25w it can get way too loud, even on the clean channel with medium gain and no boost. A couple of times I thought I was going to hurt the speaker. It's plenty loud.
@@yungkp2834 you have the option to turn it down to 50W or even 0.5W. All the Katanas are great, but the 50 doesn't have an effects loop and I need one because I do looping.
@@yungkp2834 For the 100 watt model I never use anything except the half-watt power setting while practicing at home. If you set the master and volume both to 100 then even on half-watt power it's louder than practice volume for me.
it took me 6 months of reviewing amps of this style and i finally bought it ..i guess a year and a half ago and i absolutely without a doubt dont regret it at all..yeah the foot switch addition would be nice but not really a big deal..and yeah the tone studio is a bit tricky and i had trouble with it so i just said the heck with it..i run mine like yours through and interface..and yeah the volume o the amp would be a nice touch to be able to control it but like you said there are so many effects and tweekability haha if thats even a word ..that im still finding out new tones that blow me away..on just the panel...i wouldnt take anything for mine...it was a 6 month review and time well spent on a Great investment...Thanks for the video ...Great job....nice tele B.T.W
I just left Guitar Center, and they were charging $269 bucks for this amp. Bigger isn't always better (50w vs 100w). But you are right in that the audience doesn't care about what "gear" you use/play through. All they care about is how well the band plays as a whole. I mean, I do agree with you on the looks of our musical instruments and how they inspire us to play. Kinda like how you walk past it and think to yourself, "man, that guitar/amp looks badass! I need to play today"!
Interesting video. He says its thin/bright sounding but of course he's playing a telecaster, run a mahogany body BC Rich with Dimarzio Superdistortions and it wont sound bright or thin I think.
@@MrJohnnyDistortion the 100w has a bigger magnet for sure is the only difference I know of I had the fifty watt for several days but when I realized the footswitch didn't work I swapped it, the 50 was kind of shrill, I thought maybe that presence know might have something to do with it too. I lays keep it at 0
@@willhaul5581 how did u understand that from his comment? It goes to 0.5 as they all mention. 100W > 50W > 0.5W. And that 0.5W sounds small but I dare you to turn volume up in that mode :P
Very refreshing to hear someone talk about this amp and not be pushing the tone studio. There's a lot to play around with on the amp itself and to have the tone studio on top of that would make my head explode. As long as I can get a good Rockabilly sound, a country twang, a cool blues sound, and a good tremolo, that's basically what I'm looking for and I can get that and more on the amp alone. Your chat on the amp was really good and some cool playing too. Reckon I'm in full agreement with you. Thanks.
Tone studio is very simple to use. If you know effects, then you can use tone studio. If I can use it, anyone can. To be able to make small tweaks and have access to a heap of different pedals is cool. Or you could buy a tube head, speaker cab plus all your effects, boosts etc. I'd prefer to pay a few hundred rather than a few thousand. It's a no brainer. And you can record straight into your DAW and it sounds amazing, although you don't have a DI so you can re-amp if you want. It comes down to personal preference and the size of your wallet.
the tone studio is super easy to use bro. It's far from anything complicated. Gives you access to way more variety of effects of all types, also two eq's and a noise suppresser. Really makes it that much better. I already own a 50 and can see myself getting the head for use with my marshall 2x12 cab
@@mrbowlingcrazy I wouod be interested to know what the katana head would sound like through nice cab, even an average cab. Tone studio is simple to use, and the amount of options you have to shape your tone is great. I play metal, and I think I have the best tone I've ever had in 30 years, which kind of blows my mind, considering the price. I couldn't justify to myself spending around $1400 AUS for a decent tube head and another $500+ for a cab. Then I you want effects, that'll run anywhere between another $300-600, depending on what your after and how many effects you want or need. I'm no Einstein but the maths is simple. By the way, I'm using a katana mk2 50. The only issue I have with the 50 watt version, is that it doesn't have an effects loop. At least they have a power amp though. And you can use them as an audio interface as well, and it's pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
A great honest review. I started with the Katana 50 mk2 when they first came out a couple of years back. Once I’d spent some time with It I couldn’t believe how good it was, particularly if you really get into Tone Studio via a pc. After a while I realised that after being a tube amp nerd for 50 years that I could now live a solid state amp, so much so that I sold it, along with my much cherished Mesa Boogie Triple Crown 50 combo. And then upgraded to the Katana Artist mk2 and gafc pedal, which then took the whole experience up to another level, and got some money back.I now couldn’t hope for anything better. I strongly suggest to anyone to really learn and use Tone Studio as there’s so much you can do, and so much tone shaping ability via all of the parametric and graphic eq’s, not to mention built in effects. What works best for me, and probably not tried by many is to use the acoustic setting for all of my electrics (single coil and humbuckers), turn the gain up high and choose whichever booster sounds best for each guitar/genre etc. You can then save loads of different profiles in the library. For a great example check out Jura Nery’s channel. Bottom line: everyone should have a Katana!
i remember buying my peavey renown twin in the 80s, thinking it was so cool. never would i have thought i could pickup a little boss katana mk2 50watt amp that would blow that away in terms of volume and especially tone quality and versatility. favorite. amp. ever.
Great stuff. I have two Katana 50s, a Mk1 and a Mk2. I run them together wet/dry with an ABY pedal. Simple, efficient, and sounds great with a ton of options. I also never use the Tone Studio, there’s enough onboard by far. Love these amps!
All you got to do is change the speaker to a creamback or a redback. But really I a valve lover. Save every penny you have a get a Victory amp. You will never be disappointed.
Good review, man! I’m honestly looking for a new amp to practice with as I’m planning on replacing my Blackstar ID Core 10 and this one sounds really solid. You have convinced me, sir!
It really is an excellent value. Using the Tone Studio is a must as it opens up many more options, especially the EQ. I have the old version of the 50w combo and the newer 100w mk2 head. I have never used it for a gig because I use my Kemper instead, but I dont see a reason not to use the Boss if needed.
This is what I do when playing with my band, I go into a boss ME90 which has stereo output, I have 2 katana 50’s and connect them through the amp in, and use one of the amps to monitor. Whole setup (pedal board and amps) is under $800 bucks, got the amps at reverb and saved a few bucks. About the CON you mentioned about the speaker, maybe you should try changing the speaker to a Celestion, I’ve seen tons of videos and it seems like a great upgrade to the katana.
Good review thanks. I bought a Mk1 Kat 50 when they came out, for rehearsals, and it ended doing many gigs and still going strong after 5 years. I bought the 100w model(now sold) and still ended up grabbing the 50w to go to gigs. I use pedals in front, mostly as a straight amp with the boost on, or use sneaky amps and miked up through a PA, but have done smaller gigs unmiked. Got a Hot Rod Fender that has rarely been used in the last 5 years and gets left home. I will buy a MK2 due to a little extra versatility.
Thanks for your assessment Chris. All of the reasons you cited are the very same reasons I love this amp. I bought a two way speaker splitter that I haven't used yet but accordingly one goes out to another speaker or line killing the speaker of the amp, the other goes to an alternate speaker but leaves the amp speaker on for use as a monitor. I'm almost 64 and I just can't lug heavy gear around all the time but I have to work and this amp really does everything I need it to do. Take care mate.
*I've had it for almost 3 years and after being on the verge of selling it, hooked it up to the computer tonight to discover all the praised features are only accessible by computer! lol* With that said, I still wouldn't exactly push it the way so many other people do. I play at an elite level, have about 40 guitars, a dozen amps and the price tags run from dirt floor poor to half stacks that collectively cost a grand. I just bought a Gamma G50 that with a good floor modeler does a hell of a lot more than the Boss, starting with noise gates and 100x the pedals and amp models, and for a little less money. Granted I'm keeping the Boss after discovering "the cheat code" lol. It's a great amp, but not elite like people are billing it. *I got it for $180 used and never would have dumped 3 bills on it new even if I knew I was missing it's potential all this time.*
I have two Katana's, one is the 1st Generation that I use for acoustic playing and the second is the MK2 I use for my electrics. I love this Amp, I played in a classic rock bar band during most of the 90's using a 100W Marshall JCM 800 half stack (Lead Series). If I had a Katana MK2 back in those days..... I would have certainly used it onstage, I am sure it would have been sufficient for most of the bars that we did back then.
I have been looking at the Boss Katana and a Blackstar Core 40 V3. This video has decided me on the Katana. Cheers for this, and I love the telecaster you've got there.
I have the 100 2x12. Yeah, it is loud. Fun amp. I'm still working through what it can do. I was flat tickled to get it. It's my first really good amp. I've played lots of broke down 3rd and 4th hand amps before I could afford my boss.
I bought the 100 watt 1x12 Katana because I'd heard it had a better speaker. I have 5 other tube amps which, like Chris I think are cooler looking, and have specific sounds I like better. But for versatility and ease of use, I end up playing the Katana more. I'm just playing at home these days and this all I really need. My amp was a floor model and I paid just stupid low money for it. It would be worth it at twice the price.
Pretty KILLER stones tone right off the start! 👍 I bought one a while ago for $189 shipped and love it. does everything from stones to Slayer. van morrison to Van halen, ac/dc to Abba. seriously as far as versatility goes these amps are king!
Tone studio is a major must if you hope to program preferred defaults at the very least. Once that's done, it's more for tweaking parametric EQ, customizing the effects settings, etc., but you at least need to set your own defaults for the channels and the boosts assigned, mods, etc. Again, even if just the once to get your preferred defaults arranged. To be honest, I spend 90% of my time on the clean amp setting, using the panel, dialing up the gain to edge of breakup and then pushing the front end with pedals since I have a small collection of drives I like best. The built in boosts are great, but some need some tweaking of parameters for the best results -- all in my opinion of course.
Thanks Chris! I'm definitely buying one. My band plays mostly in small crowded pubs in London, England, full of drunks who won't care what my gear looks like :)
I just bought one a couple months ago just picking the guitar back up after not playing for 20 years. I'm not that good. I think the katana sounds great the build in effects are really good. I like the sound of it, but then again it's up to the individual.
As a practice amp I find the highly distorted sounds a little fizzy, which is why I prefer the spark. And if you want nice clean fender tones it's not going to be a blues Junior. But for everything else it's fantastic.
Yes I 100% agree with you. I never play really high gain stuff and I live in the edge of breakup tone zone and for a little solid state amp it does a great job.
Great Vid. I just bought in black Friday set of Katana 50 Alvarez Guitar 🎸 26RGCESB , LP City Aspier Set and Giovanni Hidalgo Galaxy TUMBADORA. Love the Katana!!! 200$ new with tax.
Yea I went with the head and 2x12 Marshall. It just feels more substantial when I want some low end. Awesome amp though. I use it along the ME80 and get whatever I need from the two.
Same here, I bought the head version 6 months back. I love it, but I don't get it out enough. It's actually a great amp, I have it connected to the computer when using it and all the audio goes through the headphones.
Hello Chris- Excellent, informative video and much appreciated. My only disappointment was counting out the MKII 2 x 12 without playing one. Very pleased you were open-minded enough to ask opinions from owners of the 2 x12 MKII. I think you can agree the vast majority love the amp, including the sound quality i.e. Fullness, richer, wider sound. As far as weight, it is only 2lbs heavier. I don't use Midi and the extra few effects would not justify a change to a lesser-sounding amp. Maybe not by much, but still. I do like the front panel as you do but still with the footswitch I never need to go to the panel. I am already set up for all the different sounds I need to play live. Try one out. It is a GREAT amp. I will continue to watch your videos. Thanks again!
I brought one for clean Headroom and it doesn't disappoint there. The 100watt can be run at .5watt (which sounds more like 25 watt):50watt or 100 watt for gigs I use it in the 50 watt setting and it is plenty loud enough but i know if we play a big gig out doors I have the extra if I need it. You could even play a small gig with the .5 watt setting and be heard, crazy. Even though 50 watts is enough I would go for the 100 watt to to be able to have the Gafa foot switch it's a bit expensive for a foot switch but really opens up plenty of possibilities for changing sounds more that just selection the 8 banks you can turn effects on and off within the bank's and have an extra "bank" that's just what the panel is set at, just what the knobs are set at, it's really good. I don't really like the overdrive on it that much but I'm not a fan of digital overdrive so I use the backs as different clean sound some with delay a loud delay, one with slap back, one with just bit of reverb set to use with a od pedal and one with a bit of chorus and that's all I need on stage. if you want a nice loud clean sound that doesn't break up it's great for that and the tone studio let's you change the amp so there something for everyone. This flexibility is why I brought cos I've had amps before and didn't like how the EQ was set up, some amps can sound dark and others sound either brittle or muddy and nothing in-between with the katana you can real set the amp up to your guitar and playing style with 8 preset you can save 2 sets of 4 so if you use lots of different sound putting your first sets sounds on one set of 4 and second sets on the other if you need 5 sound for a set you can set the panal up plus with the touch of a foot switch you can access the effects in each preset and switch them off or on so there plenty of sounds to be had, there's also a lot of room as to which effect can be stored in each effect slot it's not just one per slot or even one type perslot it is flexible the GAFA foot switch is a must for gigging musicians and it's only the 100s if you don't go for this and by the 50 watt you will regret it once you see what it can do, the foot switch is an expensive extra but worth it. You can even expand this with a rocker foot switch for wah or volume and channel foot switch making accessing the two sets of presets much easier
Ive used the mk1 100watt for 3 years with the Fc foot switch is awesome and the mobile app makes it super nice to mess around with effects on the go. Also have the head
This Katana 50 watt is probably the best value and performing amp at its price point. I evaluated for a month, and ultimately returned it due to the speaker limitations. It is not capable of driving an external cab without a mod. In the future, I would consider the Katana head which does have speaker flexibility along with a built-in 5" speaker that's very useful for low volume use. I found the Tone Studio to be quite powerful, and had downloaded some patches that other users created. In particular, there was a Mesa Mk2C patch that really sounded great.
Good review.. excellent picking too . I just picked this amp up used .. really like it to keep in my truck as a backup ..actually I use a 1 button generic foot switch and it switches between 2 channels.. nice job .
The vox, super beetle in the chrome stand is the best looking amp ever. I am an old guy and I’ve had a boss katana for about three or four years. I’m thinking of getting the new ex model with a Footswitch. It doesn’t sound as good as my Friedman, but I can’t lift much anymore and Katana is way more versatile.
I have a Katana Mk1. I was surprised by your comments about the bottom end. We use a lot of very low tunings and the little Boss copes easily and is still able to be heard over our VERY loud drummer. The only issues I have are; making adjustments to a channel setting on the fly at a gig is near impossible without the tone studio. Like you i also miss not being able DI and still hear the amp. I understand your comment about the way it looks on stage (gear snobbery?😂), but who cares when it sounds so good. That's what it's all about, in the end. My ears love the sound, my back is happy to not be broken carrying a mega-stack!
Never mind my last message Chris. I just watched your video again and you state that the speaker is muted when you use the record out. So you answered my question. Therefore, I will have to order the 100 W and pay the extra $125. Oh well. Thanks man anyway. I bet you boss does that so that it makes people invest in the 100 W because it has the line out. Every sound man loves a line out. That would be better than putting a mic in front of the amp. Take care. :)
Since you’ve had it for a while and like it pretty much… maybe try a speaker in it with more magnet to pull up some more low end. Often smaller magnet speakers can be more efficient but lack the lows. Just a thought. Not sure which speaker to suggest, but look around and see what’s out there that people like. Ok… just a thought to try to dial it in completely for ya. Thanks again for the review!
I had it for a few months and sold it on, the line 6 catalyst is far better sounding and more like a tube amp. But now I use a dream 65 or a tube amp. I don't need gimmicks just a clean platform for my fingers to work properly!
If you can afford a little more the 100 or the Artist is the way to go with its effects loop and GA-FC foot controller and better quality speakers. The 50 is a good entry level amp in my opinion.
The "Power Amp" jack is an input not a line out as you describe. That is, it disables the internal effects and allows an external signal such as from a multiFX amp modeller to use the Katana output to drive the built in speaker.
This video helped a lot thanks Chris I been definitely going back and forth since getting back into playing after a long time and the gear has upgraded so much from technology that it’s hard to find my way around again lol But I think I’ll be making this purchase soon on the 100w Thanks again 🙏🤘
Found two of these at a shop and watched your video. Bought them both to run stereo at home and in small clubs with my Helix Floor. Thanks for the advice. I get how you feel about the aesthetics, I like to have a couple Fender's in the back line, because they look classic and cool. These are kind of modern looking and even if you had them on stage everyone would still be looking for your amplifier because these just don't look like it...👏🏻
I don’t want to use pedals so I won’t use an effects loop. Won’t use any clean tones. I just want one moderate-gain tone, kinda like Sex Pistols. Great video. Informative and entertaining.
Hello bro I’m a brand new subscriber I’m a hard rock artist I lov your channel good job other thing is been on the fence with the boss kantana amp but you just tore that fence down lol my local pawnshop has a new boss 100 watt for 199.00 I’m going to grab that thing today thank you for helping me make up my hard head lol I’ll be watching more
I’ve owned this amp since April, and trust me everything you mentioned here goes exactly the same for me! I love this amp, and it has a lot to offer. I just figured since you’ve been owning this amp for a year, I’d just ask one question that I still can’t seem to figure out. How do I work the booster mod? Sometimes when I turn up the mod knob for some chorus or flanger, the booster will also come on, but then I can’t turn it off without leaving the pre set. And sometimes when I need the booster, I can’t figure out how to turn it on. I don’t know if my amp is buggy, or if there’s something I need to do haha. Just thought I’d ask, have a great day!
Are you using just the panel? I only use the panel. I hardly ever use any mod sounds but I’ve never had any issues using them separately or together. Hope you get it figured out!
Normally, these type of low cost modelling technology loaded amps are voiced to sound good for metal and high gain hard rock tones. You're one of the few people I've seen use this for lower gain stuff, like for example classic rock or blues or in your case country styles.
I bought this amp a couple of years ago and paired it with Fender Player cherry burst HSS strat. I'm an intermediate player and for less then $1000 I doubt I could do any better. I use the tone studio, but only for downloading TSL files.
I just bought one and I will be replacing the speaker with a Celestion K100. I'm sure that will be a big improvement. I know what you mean about the look of the amp. I will probably remove the logo from the grille.That would make that little amp practically disappear
I think you just sold me on this thing. I'm not into dickin around on the computer to "tweak" my tone. Most reviewers talk about how that works and I stop watching. Nice to hear it's good to go out of the box. Nice review, thanks.
There's a cheat sheet in the instructions and there are like 45 effects you can control with only the buttons. 99% of the time, I use a bit of OD from the Boost button, delay and reverb and that's it. But, there are a ton of Boss "pedals" built into just the knobs. External pedals work well too. I use the amp's boost for a bit of OD and put an MXR Sugar Drive OD in front of the amp for more drive. I have never even loaded the software.
The boss Katana tone studio is the most user-friendly interface for any amp I have ever come across don't be intimidated. The tone studio is key to getting a killer sound out of the katana.
Hi, thank you for posting this. I just bought the MK II 100 Watt 1x12. I hope I like it. I love the Tele sound you are getting. Are those American Telecasters, your playing? I use the Headrush MX5 for my sounds. Have you ever tried MK 100 W?
Hello, I been watching alot of katana videos u just sold me on the 100 watt version that also has effects loop in thanks for ur video, u helped me alot Redards Paul
Chris, with you on the size affecting the look on stage. I fixed the problem by buying the 100w Katana Artist. Same build quality, better sounding speaker (and it is good), more usable features, great price, bigger footprint without too much weight and to top off it comes with a leather handle.. If you want to be really cool, sit the 50 on top of the 100 and run wet dry… Katana stack, what more could you need..🐨🇦🇺
Awesome! For those interested, the Katana-50mkII EX now has GA-FC (EX) Footswitch control. Loving all of the positive Katana comments. You're all great!
I’m no computer expert, but I’ve had no problem using Tone Studio. I configured the amp to have different overdrives/distortion/fuzzes for each preset. That way I’ve got a total of twelve to choose from on tap.
I’ve rarely plugged it in to Tone Studio since.
An effects loop might be useful for a looper pedal, but I just use backing tracks through the aux input anyway.
you’re right, this sound of the katana is truly great. I think it’s actually the best sounding amp at bedroom volumes ever made.
What equipment do you use to change presets? I have a basic foot switch that only allow me to have 2 presets pero channel to a total of 4.
I use a looper pedal on my Boss Katana 50 MK2 directly into the guitar input jack and it works great...
Been running one for 6 months now, never ceases to amaze how they packed so much in for the silly low price. Sounds way bigger, and fatter, than it looks too.
Agree 100%
P R E A C H
Tone studio is HIGHLY underrated. Just because you're not into checking out new things and don't "want to mess with it" doesn't mean it's not absolutely astonishing! You're really missing out on a LOT of things with the tone studio. Once you get it down I guarantee you you're going to re fall in LOVE with it! I just got the MKII 50 Special edition white, and omg now that I figured out tones and presets and how to handle everything, it's CRAZY how cheap these are. One of the best metal amps I ever had! Pair it with an ltd kh602 and it's an AMAZING amp!! Get INTO tone studio, it's TOTALLY worth it. I actually feel sorry for everyone who buys it and is discouraged from using the tech features. You're missing a LOT.
I never understood people like that, I feel as if it’s some personality disorder.
Similar as someone who purchases a 24 band eq sound system but let’s it play without dialing in freq. or just factory settings. for WHATEVER reason lol.
Yea that makes sense. Have watched reviews from studio rats and that guy gets great tones using the tone studio. I don’t have this amp but use an old Yamaha THR10 and I can attest that using their online editor makes a big difference. I rarely even play it without all the patches I made for it.
The amp is designed to be tweaked, almost limitlessly. It's not a plug in and it's ready to have your sound type amp. So, people are buying a Ferrari and driving it in a school Zone. If you're using 10% of the amp's capability, then I can see why it doesn't work for people.
Modeling amps don't respond to a guitar the same way a tube amp does, the player can feel a difference, even if the listener can't hear a sonic difference. Sonically, the amp doesn't sound thin. I've heard this amp sound no different than a Marshall tube amp. But, I always hear how the response they get in the amp from the guitar is missing.
And that's fair. Tube amps are preferred for a reason. But, the Katana isn't designed to replace a tube amp. It's just a way to get thousands of dollars worth of amps and pedals into one place.
I mean, many famous guitar sounds has been endlessly tweaked, from the player to the studio, unless it's an early player. Like, if you want to sound like George Harrison, it's a guitar and amp. If you want to sound like Dimebag, you are going to spend a lot of time tweaking.
So, I don't get the people that buy this amp, used 10% of what it does, and complain it's not as good as people make it out to be.
I recently bought the amp off this girl that didn't know the tone studio was a thing, wasn't happy with the face value of the amp, and sold it for very cheap, to me. I got it home, and I was like "wow, I can do so much. This is awesome."
Tone studio and the katana app are the best ways to get the best tones out of this amp and utilise the on board effects 👍
Can't get to work on my laptop so it's dam near useless, bout to sell it and get something more compatible with downloading patches and such
Thanks for the review... I got mine July 2023 and couldn't be happier. Small and loaded with features an Boss pedal tones...
I bought one in 2020, just to have something I could use without getting my whole rig set up. I love it, it’s amazing for the price and sounds awesome.
I love this amp, I just bought one a few months ago and I'm hooked. Originally got a Spark 40 and thought the sound sucked. After getting the Mk II Katana 50, I was blown away at how amazing it sounded. I will say, Tone Studio is a must if you are playing high gain. That noise gate comes in handy because these bad boys hummmmmmm like crazy lol. People can hate on solid state amps but the SS amps of today sound pretty good, especially the Boss.
If u want katana play like a real amp, just put compressor on the last chain in tone studio.. Tweak eq .. In the booster, add little bottom end.. Its feel close the real thing
That is a great amp. For someone who is actually going out and playing with little notice "25 pounds and will get the job done" becomes the most important part of determining which amp to take to an event. In the real world, a gravel parking lot or a flight of stairs are a real pain in the a55 to try and drag a heavy tube amp across. There have been many times I wished I had brought a smaller amp to a gig. How many guitar players bring an amp, two guitars and several pedals and end up leaving one guitar and all of the pedals in the trunk just because the set-up turned into a bigger pain than anticipated?
that depends if your in a band or just doing gun for hire gigs and also how much music territory you have to cover and may at minium need a small pedalboard and maybe a couple guitars to cover different tunings .
@@AndyX If I could only take two items to a show, it would be an electric guitar and a Zoom or TC Helicon multi-effects pedal with built in amp and speaker emulation to plug straight into the system. I had never realized how directional my Marshall 4x12 was until I was using a wireless in a venue that held a few hundred. Going around the floor, I realized that I was too loud for the guy about half way down the main isle, and not loud enough for those on the sides. We had never bothered with putting mics on big amps, but, that day, I found my pedals plugged directly into the system had a fantastic and widely dispursed sound. Sure, I could have put a mic on everything, fighting feedback, hauling stuff... but, why bother. At eighteen, I would have as well showed up on a Moped as to show up to play music without my Marshalls...LOL. But, today things are different. Amp and speaker emulation has come a long way, and I'm beginning to look at guitar amps as monitors rather than my mainstay.
This is THE best value and good overall amp for the $- hands down. You can turn all the dials you want AND have an option to use the PC. You can mic it to another speaker if you think it's too thin. If you don't like the look, simply re-cover it with something you like...but more time should be spent worrying about your playing (which is good BTW.) 100 watt is nice but very heavy. Def. get the footswitch if you don't already have it.
I just bought both the Katana Artist and a 50 Mk II for stereo combo at the end of 2021. Very happy.
Get one, I've got it. It's all true what he says. Bought a positive grid spark with the idea of downsizing from the katana 50 mk2, Spark really suck, nowhere near the sound quality of the katana. Sold the Spark 2 days after buying it.
Thanks - I had wondered if I should have got the SPARK. Two 4" boombox speakers in a plastic box and computer tricks. I think I did the right thing with the Katana.
@@daniellarson3068 they are a good Bluetooth speaker, sound good playing through headphones, but awful with guitar through the speaker. Plenty of reviews sound great as they plug straight into an audio interface instead.
I returned my spark immediately and bought the Katana 50. Very happy.
Now that I've had my Katana for a few days, I must say it's LIGHTYEARS tone/sound wise ahead of the spark I also own. Spark has some good features, but I'll be keeping both just to see how the develop over the years with updates.
great review. just what i needed to hear! :)
One thing you didn’t like was the record out shuts the speaker off. I use the line out and can still use the speaker and the amp sim sounds wonderful. I have the 100 watt 1/12 and it sounds great live and in my studio and for silent stage gigs too. Thanks I enjoyed the review.
Thanks! I’ll have to mess around with the line out.
I had the 50 but upgraded to the 100 1x12 just for the effects loop because I'm a soloist playing with a looper pedal. I did have option paralysis for about a month. But, once I settled in and found MY tones, I've been happy as a pig in $#!t. The GAFC foot switch is a must have for me at least.
How loud would you say the 100 is? Do you think it’s too loud for an apartment? Or should I go with the 50?
I've had the 50w for a year now. I play in a spare bedroom. I never use the 50w setting. At 25w it can get way too loud, even on the clean channel with medium gain and no boost. A couple of times I thought I was going to hurt the speaker. It's plenty loud.
@@yungkp2834 you have the option to turn it down to 50W or even 0.5W. All the Katanas are great, but the 50 doesn't have an effects loop and I need one because I do looping.
@@yungkp2834 For the 100 watt model I never use anything except the half-watt power setting while practicing at home. If you set the master and volume both to 100 then even on half-watt power it's louder than practice volume for me.
Same here, if the 50 had effects loop I’d buy it. @@Ray-Angel
it took me 6 months of reviewing amps of this style and i finally bought it ..i guess a year and a half ago and i absolutely without a doubt dont regret it at all..yeah the foot switch addition would be nice but not really a big deal..and yeah the tone studio is a bit tricky and i had trouble with it so i just said the heck with it..i run mine like yours through and interface..and yeah the volume o the amp would be a nice touch to be able to control it but like you said there are so many effects and tweekability haha if thats even a word ..that im still finding out new tones that blow me away..on just the panel...i wouldnt take anything for mine...it was a 6 month review and time well spent on a Great investment...Thanks for the video ...Great job....nice tele B.T.W
Nice playin man. I just bought one of these. Should arrive tomorrow. Glad I got this now. Thanks for the review and take care sir.
I just left Guitar Center, and they were charging $269 bucks for this amp. Bigger isn't always better (50w vs 100w). But you are right in that the audience doesn't care about what "gear" you use/play through. All they care about is how well the band plays as a whole. I mean, I do agree with you on the looks of our musical instruments and how they inspire us to play. Kinda like how you walk past it and think to yourself, "man, that guitar/amp looks badass! I need to play today"!
The power amp in is like a return in the FX loop. It bypasses all the internal pre amps and effects, not sending the preamp out like you suggested
Interesting video. He says its thin/bright sounding but of course he's playing a telecaster, run a mahogany body BC Rich with Dimarzio Superdistortions and it wont sound bright or thin I think.
And/or change the speaker out for a real 25 watt Celestion greenback.
I had both the fifty is definitely thinner and brighter than the 100w the 100 has a couple extra features that make it much more useful.
@@jonthehermit8082
Are the speakers the same in both amps?
@@MrJohnnyDistortion the 100w has a bigger magnet for sure is the only difference I know of I had the fifty watt for several days but when I realized the footswitch didn't work I swapped it, the 50 was kind of shrill, I thought maybe that presence know might have something to do with it too. I lays keep it at 0
@@jonthehermit8082
Try 25 watt Celestions, greenbacks. Old school.
0.5 watt (half watt) 25 & 50. Half watt is heaps loud enough for practice
It really is
0,5 watt mode is so Loud..
I made the mistake of playing loud at .5w then accidently knocking it into 50w mode on my katana 100. 🤯
@@Spacemonster2024 so the hundred goes down to 5 Watts instead of 0.5 Watts?
@@willhaul5581 how did u understand that from his comment? It goes to 0.5 as they all mention. 100W > 50W > 0.5W. And that 0.5W sounds small but I dare you to turn volume up in that mode :P
Very refreshing to hear someone talk about this amp and not be pushing the tone studio. There's a lot to play around with on the amp itself and to have the tone studio on top of that would make my head explode. As long as I can get a good Rockabilly sound, a country twang, a cool blues sound, and a good tremolo, that's basically what I'm looking for and I can get that and more on the amp alone. Your chat on the amp was really good and some cool playing too. Reckon I'm in full agreement with you. Thanks.
Tone studio is very simple to use. If you know effects, then you can use tone studio. If I can use it, anyone can. To be able to make small tweaks and have access to a heap of different pedals is cool. Or you could buy a tube head, speaker cab plus all your effects, boosts etc. I'd prefer to pay a few hundred rather than a few thousand. It's a no brainer. And you can record straight into your DAW and it sounds amazing, although you don't have a DI so you can re-amp if you want. It comes down to personal preference and the size of your wallet.
the tone studio is super easy to use bro. It's far from anything complicated. Gives you access to way more variety of effects of all types, also two eq's and a noise suppresser. Really makes it that much better. I already own a 50 and can see myself getting the head for use with my marshall 2x12 cab
@@mrbowlingcrazy I wouod be interested to know what the katana head would sound like through nice cab, even an average cab. Tone studio is simple to use, and the amount of options you have to shape your tone is great. I play metal, and I think I have the best tone I've ever had in 30 years, which kind of blows my mind, considering the price. I couldn't justify to myself spending around $1400 AUS for a decent tube head and another $500+ for a cab. Then I you want effects, that'll run anywhere between another $300-600, depending on what your after and how many effects you want or need. I'm no Einstein but the maths is simple. By the way, I'm using a katana mk2 50. The only issue I have with the 50 watt version, is that it doesn't have an effects loop. At least they have a power amp though. And you can use them as an audio interface as well, and it's pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
A great honest review. I started with the Katana 50 mk2 when they first came out a couple of years back. Once I’d spent some time with It I couldn’t believe how good it was, particularly if you really get into Tone Studio via a pc. After a while I realised that after being a tube amp nerd for 50 years that I could now live a solid state amp, so much so that I sold it, along with my much cherished Mesa Boogie Triple Crown 50 combo. And then upgraded to the Katana Artist mk2 and gafc pedal, which then took the whole experience up to another level, and got some money back.I now couldn’t hope for anything better.
I strongly suggest to anyone to really learn and use Tone Studio as there’s so much you can do, and so much tone shaping ability via all of the parametric and graphic eq’s, not to mention built in effects.
What works best for me, and probably not tried by many is to use the acoustic setting for all of my electrics (single coil and humbuckers), turn the gain up high and choose whichever booster sounds best for each guitar/genre etc. You can then save loads of different profiles in the library. For a great example check out Jura Nery’s channel.
Bottom line: everyone should have a Katana!
Ditto!
i remember buying my peavey renown twin in the 80s, thinking it was so cool. never would i have thought i could pickup a little boss katana mk2 50watt amp that would blow that away in terms of volume and especially tone quality and versatility. favorite. amp. ever.
Nov 2023 and it is now $270. That was a very reasonable take on the amp. No fluff or BS.
Great stuff. I have two Katana 50s, a Mk1 and a Mk2. I run them together wet/dry with an ABY pedal. Simple, efficient, and sounds great with a ton of options. I also never use the Tone Studio, there’s enough onboard by far. Love these amps!
There are unlimited of these on FB marketplace… why are so many people getting rid of them?
I am thinking about buying this amp!!! Sounds amazing.
All you got to do is change the speaker to a creamback or a redback.
But really I a valve lover.
Save every penny you have a get a Victory amp. You will never be disappointed.
Good review, man! I’m honestly looking for a new amp to practice with as I’m planning on replacing my Blackstar ID Core 10 and this one sounds really solid. You have convinced me, sir!
It really is an excellent value. Using the Tone Studio is a must as it opens up many more options, especially the EQ. I have the old version of the 50w combo and the newer 100w mk2 head. I have never used it for a gig because I use my Kemper instead, but I dont see a reason not to use the Boss if needed.
I agree 100%
This is what I do when playing with my band, I go into a boss ME90 which has stereo output, I have 2 katana 50’s and connect them through the amp in, and use one of the amps to monitor. Whole setup (pedal board and amps) is under $800 bucks, got the amps at reverb and saved a few bucks.
About the CON you mentioned about the speaker, maybe you should try changing the speaker to a Celestion, I’ve seen tons of videos and it seems like a great upgrade to the katana.
Good review thanks. I bought a Mk1 Kat 50 when they came out, for rehearsals, and it ended doing many gigs and still going strong after 5 years. I bought the 100w model(now sold) and still ended up grabbing the 50w to go to gigs. I use pedals in front, mostly as a straight amp with the boost on, or use sneaky amps and miked up through a PA, but have done smaller gigs unmiked. Got a Hot Rod Fender that has rarely been used in the last 5 years and gets left home. I will buy a MK2 due to a little extra versatility.
Thanks, you convinced me to keep my katana mk2 and not sell it off for cheap. I will get a tube amp next to it.
Thanks for your assessment Chris. All of the reasons you cited are the very same reasons I love this amp. I bought a two way speaker splitter that I haven't used yet but accordingly one goes out to another speaker or line killing the speaker of the amp, the other goes to an alternate speaker but leaves the amp speaker on for use as a monitor. I'm almost 64 and I just can't lug heavy gear around all the time but I have to work and this amp really does everything I need it to do. Take care mate.
*I've had it for almost 3 years and after being on the verge of selling it, hooked it up to the computer tonight to discover all the praised features are only accessible by computer! lol*
With that said, I still wouldn't exactly push it the way so many other people do. I play at an elite level, have about 40 guitars, a dozen amps and the price tags run from dirt floor poor to half stacks that collectively cost a grand.
I just bought a Gamma G50 that with a good floor modeler does a hell of a lot more than the Boss, starting with noise gates and 100x the pedals and amp models, and for a little less money. Granted I'm keeping the Boss after discovering "the cheat code" lol. It's a great amp, but not elite like people are billing it. *I got it for $180 used and never would have dumped 3 bills on it new even if I knew I was missing it's potential all this time.*
I have two Katana's, one is the 1st Generation that I use for acoustic playing and the second is the MK2 I use for my electrics. I love this Amp, I played in a classic rock bar band during most of the 90's using a 100W Marshall JCM 800 half stack (Lead Series). If I had a Katana MK2 back in those days..... I would have certainly used it onstage, I am sure it would have been sufficient for most of the bars that we did back then.
I have been looking at the Boss Katana and a Blackstar Core 40 V3. This video has decided me on the Katana.
Cheers for this, and I love the telecaster you've got there.
lol I'm in the same exact situation!! I've been looking around and its 7:54 AM, haven't gotten any sleep yet.
I have the 100 2x12. Yeah, it is loud. Fun amp. I'm still working through what it can do. I was flat tickled to get it.
It's my first really good amp.
I've played lots of broke down 3rd and 4th hand amps before I could afford my boss.
I also bought used 100/212... man, it's a beast!!!
I bought the 100 watt 1x12 Katana because I'd heard it had a better speaker. I have 5 other tube amps which, like Chris I think are cooler looking, and have specific sounds I like better. But for versatility and ease of use, I end up playing the Katana more. I'm just playing at home these days and this all I really need. My amp was a floor model and I paid just stupid low money for it. It would be worth it at twice the price.
Pretty KILLER stones tone right off the start! 👍 I bought one a while ago for $189 shipped and love it.
does everything from stones to Slayer. van morrison to Van halen, ac/dc to Abba. seriously as far as versatility goes these amps are king!
Tone studio is a major must if you hope to program preferred defaults at the very least. Once that's done, it's more for tweaking parametric EQ, customizing the effects settings, etc., but you at least need to set your own defaults for the channels and the boosts assigned, mods, etc. Again, even if just the once to get your preferred defaults arranged. To be honest, I spend 90% of my time on the clean amp setting, using the panel, dialing up the gain to edge of breakup and then pushing the front end with pedals since I have a small collection of drives I like best. The built in boosts are great, but some need some tweaking of parameters for the best results -- all in my opinion of course.
The Power amp in bypasses the effects. Makes the Katana into a good speaker for your external effects/pedalboard.
I really like to see/hear a good country player. You sound excellent brah
I bought the 50 and just purchased the 100 for the effects loop.
Totally would do the same thing
Thanks Chris! I'm definitely buying one. My band plays mostly in small crowded pubs in London, England, full of drunks who won't care what my gear looks like :)
Then this will be perfect!
I just bought one a couple months ago just picking the guitar back up after not playing for 20 years. I'm not that good. I think the katana sounds great the build in effects are really good. I like the sound of it, but then again it's up to the individual.
How do you have ONLY 528 subscribers??? Great review! Thanks.
I've been watching a lot of reviews of this amp and y'all are doing a great job of upselling me on the 100w version lol.
Yep! Lol I would agree
339 CAD here ... totally worth it.
As a practice amp I find the highly distorted sounds a little fizzy, which is why I prefer the spark.
And if you want nice clean fender tones it's not going to be a blues Junior.
But for everything else it's fantastic.
Yes I 100% agree with you. I never play really high gain stuff and I live in the edge of breakup tone zone and for a little solid state amp it does a great job.
How does the spark do with the clean fender tones compared to the katana?
Great Vid. I just bought in black Friday set of Katana 50 Alvarez Guitar 🎸 26RGCESB , LP City Aspier Set and Giovanni Hidalgo Galaxy TUMBADORA. Love the Katana!!! 200$ new with tax.
Yea I went with the head and 2x12 Marshall. It just feels more substantial when I want some low end. Awesome amp though. I use it along the ME80 and get whatever I need from the two.
That sounds like the perfect gigging setup!
Same here, I bought the head version 6 months back. I love it, but I don't get it out enough. It's actually a great amp, I have it connected to the computer when using it and all the audio goes through the headphones.
Sounds like a good setup!
Hello Chris- Excellent, informative video and much appreciated. My only disappointment was counting out the MKII 2 x 12 without playing one. Very pleased you were open-minded enough to ask opinions from owners of the 2 x12 MKII. I think you can agree the vast majority love the amp, including the sound quality i.e. Fullness, richer, wider sound. As far as weight, it is only 2lbs heavier. I don't use Midi and the extra few effects would not justify a change to a lesser-sounding amp. Maybe not by much, but still. I do like the front panel as you do but still with the footswitch I never need to go to the panel. I am already set up for all the different sounds I need to play live. Try one out. It is a GREAT amp. I will continue to watch your videos. Thanks again!
I love mine. I use my NUX MG-300 pedal with it and it rocks.
I brought one for clean Headroom and it doesn't disappoint there. The 100watt can be run at .5watt (which sounds more like 25 watt):50watt or 100 watt for gigs I use it in the 50 watt setting and it is plenty loud enough but i know if we play a big gig out doors I have the extra if I need it. You could even play a small gig with the .5 watt setting and be heard, crazy.
Even though 50 watts is enough I would go for the 100 watt to to be able to have the Gafa foot switch it's a bit expensive for a foot switch but really opens up plenty of possibilities for changing sounds more that just selection the 8 banks you can turn effects on and off within the bank's and have an extra "bank" that's just what the panel is set at, just what the knobs are set at, it's really good. I don't really like the overdrive on it that much but I'm not a fan of digital overdrive so I use the backs as different clean sound some with delay a loud delay, one with slap back, one with just bit of reverb set to use with a od pedal and one with a bit of chorus and that's all I need on stage. if you want a nice loud clean sound that doesn't break up it's great for that and the tone studio let's you change the amp so there something for everyone. This flexibility is why I brought cos I've had amps before and didn't like how the EQ was set up, some amps can sound dark and others sound either brittle or muddy and nothing in-between with the katana you can real set the amp up to your guitar and playing style with 8 preset you can save 2 sets of 4 so if you use lots of different sound putting your first sets sounds on one set of 4 and second sets on the other if you need 5 sound for a set you can set the panal up plus with the touch of a foot switch you can access the effects in each preset and switch them off or on so there plenty of sounds to be had, there's also a lot of room as to which effect can be stored in each effect slot it's not just one per slot or even one type perslot it is flexible the GAFA foot switch is a must for gigging musicians and it's only the 100s if you don't go for this and by the 50 watt you will regret it once you see what it can do, the foot switch is an expensive extra but worth it. You can even expand this with a rocker foot switch for wah or volume and channel foot switch making accessing the two sets of presets much easier
Thank you for the amazing review, I'm ordering one right now.
Awesome!
I just got one of these. Im impressed.
Just grabbed one for 150! Been looking for quite awhile for a decent price on one. Pawn shop ftw
I payed $519 shipped from Amazon for the 2x12 version. This was before I heard of sweetwater smh. Lmao
Ive used the mk1 100watt for 3 years with the Fc foot switch is awesome and the mobile app makes it super nice to mess around with effects on the go. Also have the head
Sounds like a good investment!
Not a bad job. Covered all the points pretty well. Had been wondering how these amps perform. Thanks!
This Katana 50 watt is probably the best value and performing amp at its price point. I evaluated for a month, and ultimately returned it due to the speaker limitations. It is not capable of driving an external cab without a mod. In the future, I would consider the Katana head which does have speaker flexibility along with a built-in 5" speaker that's very useful for low volume use. I found the Tone Studio to be quite powerful, and had downloaded some patches that other users created. In particular, there was a Mesa Mk2C patch that really sounded great.
Good review.. excellent picking too . I just picked this amp up used .. really like it to keep in my truck as a backup ..actually I use a 1 button generic foot switch and it switches between 2 channels.. nice job .
The vox, super beetle in the chrome stand is the best looking amp ever. I am an old guy and I’ve had a boss katana for about three or four years. I’m thinking of getting the new ex model with a Footswitch. It doesn’t sound as good as my Friedman, but I can’t lift much anymore and Katana is way more versatile.
I have a Katana Mk1. I was surprised by your comments about the bottom end. We use a lot of very low tunings and the little Boss copes easily and is still able to be heard over our VERY loud drummer. The only issues I have are; making adjustments to a channel setting on the fly at a gig is near impossible without the tone studio. Like you i also miss not being able DI and still hear the amp. I understand your comment about the way it looks on stage (gear snobbery?😂), but who cares when it sounds so good. That's what it's all about, in the end. My ears love the sound, my back is happy to not be broken carrying a mega-stack!
Never mind my last message Chris. I just watched your video again and you state that the speaker is muted when you use the record out. So you answered my question. Therefore, I will have to order the 100 W and pay the extra $125. Oh well. Thanks man anyway. I bet you boss does that so that it makes people invest in the 100 W because it has the line out. Every sound man loves a line out. That would be better than putting a mic in front of the amp. Take care. :)
Since you’ve had it for a while and like it pretty much… maybe try a speaker in it with more magnet to pull up some more low end. Often smaller magnet speakers can be more efficient but lack the lows. Just a thought. Not sure which speaker to suggest, but look around and see what’s out there that people like.
Ok… just a thought to try to dial it in completely for ya. Thanks again for the review!
I already have the 100 2x12 and am planning on getting the 50 as my practice amp. they are great!
They’re so good and valuable
I had it for a few months and sold it on, the line 6 catalyst is far better sounding and more like a tube amp. But now I use a dream 65 or a tube amp. I don't need gimmicks just a clean platform for my fingers to work properly!
If you can afford a little more the 100 or the Artist is the way to go with its effects loop and GA-FC foot controller and better quality speakers. The 50 is a good entry level amp in my opinion.
Fully agree with that. I would be very happy with the 100 watt.
A solid state that sounds like a tube amp it’s a win !
Nice style of playing my guy! Great video 👍
The "Power Amp" jack is an input not a line out as you describe. That is, it disables the internal effects and allows an external signal such as from a multiFX amp modeller to use the Katana output to drive the built in speaker.
bro i love your playing style,, very good video , you convaincted me to buy one of theses katana
Thanks I appreciate that! You won’t be disappointed.
Nice video! Great tones and great playing!
Thanks!!
Been using it solely for a pedal platform, and yeah pretty good.
And if I really want to fine tune the tone, I'll just go to the tone studio.
This video helped a lot thanks Chris I been definitely going back and forth since getting back into playing after a long time and the gear has upgraded so much from technology that it’s hard to find my way around again lol
But I think I’ll be making this purchase soon on the 100w
Thanks again 🙏🤘
Found two of these at a shop and watched your video. Bought them both to run stereo at home and in small clubs with my Helix Floor. Thanks for the advice. I get how you feel about the aesthetics, I like to have a couple Fender's in the back line, because they look classic and cool. These are kind of modern looking and even if you had them on stage everyone would still be looking for your amplifier because these just don't look like it...👏🏻
Exactly
I don’t want to use pedals so I won’t use an effects loop. Won’t use any clean tones. I just want one moderate-gain tone, kinda like Sex Pistols. Great video. Informative and entertaining.
Cool video. I love my katana mark 1 head. I play it through an avatar 2x12 with v30 speakers. Thumps hard.
Great video brother. I just got one myself and I love it.
Hello bro I’m a brand new subscriber I’m a hard rock artist I lov your channel good job other thing is been on the fence with the boss kantana amp but you just tore that fence down lol my local pawnshop has a new boss 100 watt for 199.00 I’m going to grab that thing today thank you for helping me make up my hard head lol I’ll be watching more
Thanks for the kind words!
I love Katana 50 MK II, is spectacular.
Great vid honest. Cheers!
Ps, I’m getting me one of them bad boys!
Thanks and you won’t regret it!
I’ve owned this amp since April, and trust me everything you mentioned here goes exactly the same for me! I love this amp, and it has a lot to offer. I just figured since you’ve been owning this amp for a year, I’d just ask one question that I still can’t seem to figure out. How do I work the booster mod? Sometimes when I turn up the mod knob for some chorus or flanger, the booster will also come on, but then I can’t turn it off without leaving the pre set. And sometimes when I need the booster, I can’t figure out how to turn it on. I don’t know if my amp is buggy, or if there’s something I need to do haha. Just thought I’d ask, have a great day!
Are you using just the panel? I only use the panel. I hardly ever use any mod sounds but I’ve never had any issues using them separately or together. Hope you get it figured out!
@@chris_beasley
I use the panel most of the time, but the booster is constantly stuck on 😂 I have no clue how to turn it off. Hope I get it soon
Do a system reset and update. It will fix most problems.
Great video and review! Thank you! 👍😎
Normally, these type of low cost modelling technology loaded amps are voiced to sound good for metal and high gain hard rock tones. You're one of the few people I've seen use this for lower gain stuff, like for example classic rock or blues or in your case country styles.
Thanks. I think it sounds good for those styles too
I use it on clean channel as a lower gain pedal platform, it sounds amazing
@@johnmurray3346 if I play it live, that’s how I use it too. Sounds great!
I bought this amp a couple of years ago and paired it with Fender Player cherry burst HSS strat. I'm an intermediate player and for less then $1000 I doubt I could do any better. I use the tone studio, but only for downloading TSL files.
I have a 100. It sounds amazing!
Tele sounds rich through the katana great sound. Extension cabinet?
I just bought one and I will be replacing the speaker with a Celestion K100. I'm sure that will be a big improvement. I know what you mean about the look of the amp. I will probably remove the logo from the grille.That would make that little amp practically disappear
Totally agree
I think you just sold me on this thing. I'm not into dickin around on the computer to "tweak" my tone. Most reviewers talk about how that works and I stop watching. Nice to hear it's good to go out of the box. Nice review, thanks.
Thanks yeah it’s a great amp right out of the box. I’m not hating on the tone studio but it’s just not what I’m into
There's a cheat sheet in the instructions and there are like 45 effects you can control with only the buttons. 99% of the time, I use a bit of OD from the Boost button, delay and reverb and that's it. But, there are a ton of Boss "pedals" built into just the knobs. External pedals work well too. I use the amp's boost for a bit of OD and put an MXR Sugar Drive OD in front of the amp for more drive. I have never even loaded the software.
The boss Katana tone studio is the most user-friendly interface for any amp I have ever come across don't be intimidated. The tone studio is key to getting a killer sound out of the katana.
Hi, thank you for posting this. I just bought the MK II 100 Watt 1x12. I hope I like it. I love the Tele sound you are getting. Are those American Telecasters, your playing? I use the Headrush MX5 for my sounds. Have you ever tried MK 100 W?
I’m using a parts caster with a vintage 52 pickup. Thanks!
Hello, I been watching alot of katana videos u just sold me on the 100 watt version that also has effects loop in thanks for ur video, u helped me alot Redards Paul
Have fun with it!
Chris, with you on the size affecting the look on stage. I fixed the problem by buying the 100w Katana Artist. Same build quality, better sounding speaker (and it is good), more usable features, great price, bigger footprint without too much weight and to top off it comes with a leather handle.. If you want to be really cool, sit the 50 on top of the 100 and run wet dry… Katana stack, what more could you need..🐨🇦🇺
That’s a heck of an idea!
@@chris_beasley Would love to see how that works in a video.. All the best..👍🇦🇺
For gigging I’d go for the 100w twin speaker for output and line out feature but this is still a phenomenal amp for the money 👍
Bought a used one for 140. I’m happy
I would buy the 100W because of the FX Loop. The 50W doesn't have a fx loop.
Hey Chris, intro sounds awesome, do you mind sharing the tuning?