To be honest, this amp sounds better on the lighter gain stages. The hi-gain stuff is really quite fizzy on this amp without a substantial amount of tweaking.
I own the 50, and have watched many 50 reviews for two years. This is, by far, the best demo video, where I can easily see both the controls and what you are playing in response. Thank you!!
There's always people hating on this amp and modeling amps in general .. why is that? It sounds really decent to me for a 200 amp. It has a ton of features and it sounds better than some solid states i've heard. Yeah it's not going to sound exactly like a tube amp, and yeah you can buy a used tube combo amplifier for just a little more, but this has way more features and doesn't require constant maintenance of a tube amp... also its $200!! What do you want ? Lol. There's way too many so called "tube snobs" out there and noobs bitching about this amps.
Koki Zuniga This amp sucks! Who would ever buy a piece of shit SS amp? That’s how you know SS amps suck. They try to make the amp sound like a tube amp. Tube amps are the only real amps.
Koki Zuniga I don’t need a video to tell you this amp sounds like shit jerk off! The fact that you think this amp sounds good is what should be worrying you not me.
Anything can sound pretty good with the right player behind it. But my point was this sounds way better than older solid state amps from like let's say the 80's.. I've tried some Peavey's from those times and even though they sounded ok, this sounds way better. Arguing over solid states vs tube amps is a waste of time.. Who gives a fuck? Some people tend to focus more on fiddling and buying what they think is the best, yet they still can't play and they still sound like shit. so what's the point in having the best tone when you still suck?
dude, your review sa only review out of all the boss Katana reviews I've seen that has convinced me to buy one. everybody else is playing clean or a slight bit of crunch and playing my old rock, all good but your review really sold it.
I have thr head version of this. Pro tip: use the USB editor, and get the noise gate on, plus put a tubescreamer model in front of the amp. You also have parametric EQ, and you can add an electric-to-acoustic simulator that sounds pretty great for clean tones.
The other guitar player in my band has one too. He's a little less technical than me so we plugged it into my computer at my place and we tweaked it together. Like you said, noise gate, EQ and TS808 do the trick. The return-on-investment for the tones you get from the Katana is unreal. Anyone who says this amp sounds like shit is a hater.
@@EverythingisFire Essentially, when they make a product to handle a higher wattage and go louder, they build it to handle that increase in vibration. The 50 watt amp will be able to handle volume cleanly up to a point and then it will start to break up. The 100 watt version will keep the tone clean up to louder volumes. You can always add distortion through other means, but if the amp physically breaks up sooner than a higher watt version of the same amp, then you're probably being limited. But it also depends on what max volume you intend to play at, because the 50 watt katana probably has more than enough volume for most situations before it physically breaks up into distortion.
@@SurfingSerpent Makes sense. This is just for bedroom playing so I wouldn't be touching the 100w option often at all. I just want good low end & superior tone than an older, smaller Blackstar I had.
@@EverythingisFire You're probably better off with the 50 instead of the 100. The only other difference is the 100 has an EFX loop, while the 50 does not.
Ive had mine for about a month now! Perfect, perfect sound. I absolutely love it and personally, its what I need in an amp. I used to have such a shitty one, this one was a complete upgrade and Ive never been happier. Love it for quick practice!
These are pretty cool little practice amps. I got one for a Father's day present this year. It won't replace my Marshall stack but it is a great little amp to travel with and jam with friends.
@@brycehall463 It gets pretty loud. If it is just you and a drummer it would probably be fine. With a full band it may not be enough if there is a second guitarist with a louder amp.
Ola, thank you so much for all your reviews and sharing your knowledge with us! I also want to personal thank you again for your vlogs as well. The one you did when you had the opportunity to go to Dimebag’s house was truly beyond words and how you filmed it made me feel as though I was right there with you, so personal and just perfectly done! Also the one you did for NAMM 2020 was EPIC also! I’ve been on a guitar amp hunt for over a year and you have been my go to source for reviews. Even if I’m just having a bad day, your videos give me a chance to just zone out for a while and helps for me to reset. I didn’t mean for this to go this long, but I really wanted to take the time and give you the props you truly deserve! On behalf of your online family here, please keep up the awesome work! Wishing you all the success this world has to offer. The Veller family from Florida.
Heard people doing demos online but wasn't convinced it was anything special, tried it in store and thought damn this thing does sound good, and its cheap, and loud, and has a million effects built in. Still love my tube amp more as it sounds better but believe me folks the katana is a great sounding amp I rotate between both for gigging and rehearsing as they both sound excellent.
Nice review man. I bought a 100 1x12 this week and I think it's amazing. I was a total tube snob my whole life- I'm selling my hand-made boutique Kingsley Custom 32 ($4,000 tube combo) plus half my pedals and keeping the Katana. I used to use Boogie amps- I had an original 50 Caliber head and a first-issue Dual Rectifier so I'm used to great tube tone. The Katana does everything I need and more. When bands like Metallica who can afford anything move away from tubes, you know the technology has caught up (they now use Fractals live). After years and years of hating on anything digital, modelled, etc, and hearing nothing but shitty cheap sounding amps from all these companies like Line 6, I'm finally convinced that solid state can be as good. Boss just changed the game.
So after a few Sam Adams and countless videos I bought this amp last night. Also bought a Cort 80s Flying V the other day (waiting for it to arrive). Can wait to plug it in and start practicing with my son in the basement. He’s a drummer and plays a Sonor drum set. I see an into for my channel in the near future. This review was awesome!
Me and my bandmate boght ourselves Katanas this year and I higly recommend it to evereyone who is on a budget like us. It is fully capable of playing live shows (we are a metal band) and it sounds like a beast. Great amp!
5:54 ... thanks for including a bit with acoustic guitar into it (on the acoustic setting). That is a great feature of this amp .... I was pondering getting an acoustic amp but if this has an acoustic setting that's good, then this amp would also be great for electric and acoustic!
Acoustic guitar sounds better if you use the built in acoustic sim with it. I tried it with my acoustic-electro and it sounds like playing it unplugged but louder.
Was goofing around with my katana 50 thinking of doing a speaker swap. So just goofing around I wanted to see what a difference it would make by sealing the back of it's cabinet. So before I committed to altering it I grabbed a cardboard box and cut out a part of it and doubled it over to form a temporary back panel.. h#ly shite! It transformed the high gain tones quite a bit more than I expected! More bottom, smooths out the top end a tad, and generally focuses the tone! I'm thinking about building a birch plywood cabinet, with just a few more inches of depth, and mounting the chassis, speaker and hardware into it.. I don't mind the particle board cabinetry, but I bet a birch or pine plywood cabinet would give it an even more tube/analogue vibe.. anyone who doesn't like the katana 50's tone should try taping a thick piece of cardboard or maybe a piece of old paneling to seal the back of their cab and see if that might give you the desired tonal balance you may be looking for? Just leave an inch or two open up by the chassis for ventilation. Also a little open space up there will act as a port to help avoid the flubbing effect from lower bass frequencies.. cheers!
The EQ sections is NICE! The bass variation is not extreme, which is a good thing for a guitar amp. The MID and Treble have a lot of variance, and clearly affect the tone, making the EQ very effective. Most guitar amps have a too limited EQ section, in my view and ears. If there is an adjustment for EQ, then I want the adjustment to really give a broad range in that EQ band, especially mid and treble. For the very low monetary outlay, that little amp sounds pretty darn nice.
I'm not old, but not very young, and I have always utilized (when I can) SS amps for live performances. These types of amps make a lot of sense to a working musician on a budget.
I got that amp MKII and it's metal to hell it's got djent thrash metal death metal and awesome blues the tone studio is what makes that amp do what no other amp does I really recommend the Boss Katana MKII
Bought an Orange Micro Dark with a 1x8 cab for $250 last week, was looking for something more versatile and this video sold me on returning them and getting a Katana MK2.
I just got mine. don’t laugh but I dug out my old digitech RP 500 multi effects just for the hell of it with this little Amp….I was thoroughly impressed and actually had a great time with the combo haha
I´ve been dreaming about getting Kemper.. Meanwhile before i win in lottery and be able to afford it, Katana sounds like a serious option.. I´ve been planning to get Katana 100 head with Harley Benton 4x12 cab with vintage celestion speakers..
Drop Of Pain Studios save slightly more and get the palmer, had both 212s and the palmer one is really much better for just a few bucks more. I switched to a laney made in uk cab from the 80s though since i play more psychadelic and funk rock than metal nowadays.
Go for Orange CR120 head paired with Harley Benton 2x12 V30... You'd be surprised with teh results Use a boss multidirectional processor in the FX loop... Katana sounded fucked up
Well, i allready got at my place my friends ENGL 4x12 with vintage celestions cause we do rehealsals there. I made a deal with another friend to get used ENGL 2x12 with Celestion speakers. And i also got Blackstar 1x12 cab. Sooo.. I ended up ordering Katana 100 head. That´s because kombo´s doesn´t allow connection to others cabs. Well, i gotta say can´t wait to get playing!
Well I ordered a 50 watt katana amp it should arrive tomorrow these amps are really good I had a 100 watt katana amp decided to get the 50 watt I’m so excited peace
Got my 50 and was not impressed in the last couple of weeks, put it up for sale and the evening when smb bought it off me and needs to come and collect I realised I want to keep it, maybe the speaker broke in, maybe my ears just got used to it..what to do what to do.. BTW, some of you might know, if you don't, the simple inexpensive 1 button Marshall footswitch works on the Katana and changes between CH1 and 2..Tried out of curiosity and there you go!
Took me around 70 hours or so to break the speaker in. Thought the same thing, "wtf this sounds ice picky as hell, what's the big deal with these amps?" Then slowly and slowly, I started getting more saturated and warm tones, now I love it. My go-to amp.
Stephen Malone no catch...if your playing is limited to just a few styles, you load them in and go. If you keep a laptop connected, you can change effects (dozens and dozens) at will via the laptop, all free and provided by Boss Tone Studio. This amp is killer!
G'day ola you definitely know how to play that guitar you are a metalmaster definitely one of my favourite guitarist in the world and I love you're band The haunted
Can't run my tube amp in a two bedroom apt with toddler napping during day. Katana gets it done for noodling around at home and does metal like a Boss. Can dial in everything from Gilmore and Slash/ to Mark Tremonti and even 90s era Slayer it's all good with this amp
Great video as usual by you sir. My friend has one and said in a live gig at a medium venue he was able to keep up with a loud drummer with ease and with another guitarists with a Marshall and 4 x 12 cab. I'm torn between this or an Orange 35 watt solid state crush amp which I've tried and feels justlike a tube amp. If you've not tried one, you should. The Orange ss amps are based on their well known tube amps.
Must be me, but I swapped a V30 in this thing and my “metal” tone still sounds like crap. Running a Prestige RG2228 w/ EMGs too. Wishing I would’ve just bought a used 5150 combo off EBay. Any tips on good metal settings? Anything else, ie. Black Sabbath to Dick Dale and it sounds good. Just can’t get a good metal sound with my Vox stomplab. Maybe I’m spoiled. My main rig is a UK made Marshall AVT 100 + 90’s 5150 4x12 with Sheffields.
John Brooks this amp is great for metal sounds. It’s all in the setup. How are you using it? For reference I have had everything from ENGL, Soldano, Friedman and a hand wired Marshall ZW800. This amp isn’t better sounding than those but I’m totally satisfied with what it does. If you turn the Brown channel on, just set the EQ so all knobs are at 12ó clock, gain about half way. Then turn the drive boost knob up about 1/8th and make sure the drive button on the boost is Red. (That’s the overdrive effect). Then set the EQ once you’ve got the gain where you like it. Use the boost knob instead of the gain knob.
So I figured out how to hook it up to my laptop and control the settings with the software you can download. Total game changer. Took a little tweeking, but this is now one of my favorite amps.
@@acaftermath Oh, man, you'll love it for metal tones and tunes. Just spend some time tweaking the EQ, add some overdrive and you should achieve some pretty scorching metal tones.
I got the 100watt combo for a symphonic metal band I play. Lots of gain and many ways to achieve it, either take the metal zone and use in the clean channel or use the brown/lead with a bit of overdrive. The thing delivers beautifully. Tight, dark tones are easy
Was not able to dial in this good a high-gain tone at all when I tried it out in the music store. It was also very noisy. However, the Blackstar ID:30 TVP... Oh boi! Can you make a video on the ID TVP series?
Karim Pardayev yeah i dont like any of them, ola can make anything sound good though. The one amp that made me feel like "wow it sounds like on the records" is the peavey jsx. Neural plugins are good enough though, miles better than modeling amps imo.
@@Somber.Killer honestly could not have asked for a better first amp. Even if I find I can’t get the sound I want, a simply plug it up to the computer and tweak the software. It’s honestly the perfect practice amp imo
Marshall are great, but like all great companies have really fallen in the 21st century, after using marshalls for years I turned to Boss and to be honest and unbiased haven't looked back since. Marshalls aren't built like they used to be anymore l, just look at there valve amps, it's disgusting how low they've become. RIP Marshall, I'll miss the old days. 😥
@H Kay it's disgusting to see how low Marshall have become now. The sound quality is appalling and the damn components don't last twenty years, face it, like Gibson Marshall has had it's time.
Finally someone playing metal with this amp. Everyone else plays blues.
Garry more plays blues, and he has more talent in his finger than any of these heavy metals guys will ever have.
To be honest, this amp sounds better on the lighter gain stages. The hi-gain stuff is really quite fizzy on this amp without a substantial amount of tweaking.
@@sweetguy19762 It depends SOOO MUCH of the player or the metal subgenre u are talking about...
@@sweetguy19762 Garry more is a bitch 😤
@@sweetguy19762 Lol prob not
It's insane how far practice amps have come.
i know right? this amp is better than stage amps made a decade ago
shinolight uhhhh
Yeah man; crazy lol
shinolight wouldn’t go that far lol but it’s definitely a good option for guitarist doing smaller gigs like bars and small venues
@@shinolight3685 lol
I own the 50, and have watched many 50 reviews for two years. This is, by far, the best demo video, where I can easily see both the controls and what you are playing in response. Thank you!!
Loud enough to play live?
The clean mode with a little reverb, delay and the push from the "Boost" setting gets you perfect classic rock tones at 1/2 watt!
There's always people hating on this amp and modeling amps in general .. why is that? It sounds really decent to me for a 200 amp. It has a ton of features and it sounds better than some solid states i've heard. Yeah it's not going to sound exactly like a tube amp, and yeah you can buy a used tube combo amplifier for just a little more, but this has way more features and doesn't require constant maintenance of a tube amp... also its $200!! What do you want ? Lol. There's way too many so called "tube snobs" out there and noobs bitching about this amps.
Koki Zuniga This amp sucks! Who would ever buy a piece of shit SS amp? That’s how you know SS amps suck. They try to make the amp sound like a tube amp. Tube amps are the only real amps.
Panic42000 where are all your videos ? Show off your excellent guitar tones. You clearly know what's bad so show me what's good .
Koki Zuniga I don’t need a video to tell you this amp sounds like shit jerk off! The fact that you think this amp sounds good is what should be worrying you not me.
Anything can sound pretty good with the right player behind it. But my point was this sounds way better than older solid state amps from like let's say the 80's.. I've tried some Peavey's from those times and even though they sounded ok, this sounds way better. Arguing over solid states vs tube amps is a waste of time.. Who gives a fuck? Some people tend to focus more on fiddling and buying what they think is the best, yet they still can't play and they still sound like shit. so what's the point in having the best tone when you still suck?
@@Panic42000
Its a fun affordable practice amp!
Calm down!
What's your set up Big Shot!!
The funny thing about that particular overdrive pedal is that it's slightly more expensive than this amp, lol.
Josh Lewis What was it? A 33?
Yeah, it looks like the pedal Ola uses here is the Fortin 33 which is $233.33, while the Boss Katana 50 watt combo is $219.99.
A Friedman Brown Eye pedal through a Fender would yield a much nicer two trick pony.
You cant find one these days for less the like 600....;)
funny thing it’s a funny thing
dude, your review sa only review out of all the boss Katana reviews I've seen that has convinced me to buy one. everybody else is playing clean or a slight bit of crunch and playing my old rock, all good but your review really sold it.
I got this a few months back as my first "proper" amp now that I'm taking learning guitar seriously and I'm super happy with my purchase.
I have thr head version of this. Pro tip: use the USB editor, and get the noise gate on, plus put a tubescreamer model in front of the amp. You also have parametric EQ, and you can add an electric-to-acoustic simulator that sounds pretty great for clean tones.
maybe that parametric eq can help me to make a Marshall sound?
+Eric Valverde, Yes I have NO problem getting a Marshall tone from my KAT 50. Definitely use the gate and a para EQ.
The other guitar player in my band has one too. He's a little less technical than me so we plugged it into my computer at my place and we tweaked it together. Like you said, noise gate, EQ and TS808 do the trick. The return-on-investment for the tones you get from the Katana is unreal. Anyone who says this amp sounds like shit is a hater.
AVman9 I tried one quick and didn't find bad sounds at
all
MF Kitten can it do metal?
I've got the 100W 1x12 and it's superb.
Do you know if there's any tone diff. between the 50 & 100?
There is
@@EverythingisFire Essentially, when they make a product to handle a higher wattage and go louder, they build it to handle that increase in vibration. The 50 watt amp will be able to handle volume cleanly up to a point and then it will start to break up. The 100 watt version will keep the tone clean up to louder volumes. You can always add distortion through other means, but if the amp physically breaks up sooner than a higher watt version of the same amp, then you're probably being limited. But it also depends on what max volume you intend to play at, because the 50 watt katana probably has more than enough volume for most situations before it physically breaks up into distortion.
@@SurfingSerpent Makes sense. This is just for bedroom playing so I wouldn't be touching the 100w option often at all. I just want good low end & superior tone than an older, smaller Blackstar I had.
@@EverythingisFire You're probably better off with the 50 instead of the 100. The only other difference is the 100 has an EFX loop, while the 50 does not.
No matter what amp is Ola playing, he always gets a machine gun like tone
It's more to do with his technique and pickups
Yeah a lot of it is to do with his pick ups. They’ve got a serious bite
It's the solar pickups, very aggressive
Because of the high output pick ups
@@vonayuma5521 Solar Guitars had medium output pickups at the time.
Ive had mine for about a month now! Perfect, perfect sound. I absolutely love it and personally, its what I need in an amp. I used to have such a shitty one, this one was a complete upgrade and Ive never been happier. Love it for quick practice!
Does it sound good with metal and hard rock playing?
JOUDE AMER yes even better when u Download tone
@@user-je3sk9ph3x omg i never saw your reply pop up in my notifs but yes!
Finally I saw Ola play an acoustic. Beautiful Washburn!
I ordered this based on a different recommendation, but I had to come to Ola Englund to see how it REALLY is. I'm satisfied. I can't wait.
These are pretty cool little practice amps. I got one for a Father's day present this year. It won't replace my Marshall stack but it is a great little amp to travel with and jam with friends.
Can you hear it over live drums
@@brycehall463 It gets pretty loud. If it is just you and a drummer it would probably be fine. With a full band it may not be enough if there is a second guitarist with a louder amp.
@@brpadington 3 piece band and bassist, drummer, then me on guitar and vocals
@@brycehall463 The 50 should be loud enough for practice. Unless your bass player has a super loud rig then I would recommend something bigger.
Is it handmade by Hattori Hanzo?
Valerio Tagliaferri it's made by miyamoto musashi 🤣
You are both wrong. It was made by Oda Nobunaga by mistake.
Tokotomo Hideyoshi created the brown sound preset.
You all guys are all wrong, it's a Hideo Kojima amplifier.
All wrong it was made by the legendary shuna kagami
What a magical sounding amp
Badass review! I was debating on the fender 20 but this blows it away! This amp is more my style
Ola, thank you so much for all your reviews and sharing your knowledge with us! I also want to personal thank you again for your vlogs as well. The one you did when you had the opportunity to go to Dimebag’s house was truly beyond words and how you filmed it made me feel as though I was right there with you, so personal and just perfectly done! Also the one you did for NAMM 2020 was EPIC also! I’ve been on a guitar amp hunt for over a year and you have been my go to source for reviews. Even if I’m just having a bad day, your videos give me a chance to just zone out for a while and helps for me to reset. I didn’t mean for this to go this long, but I really wanted to take the time and give you the props you truly deserve! On behalf of your online family here, please keep up the awesome work! Wishing you all the success this world has to offer. The Veller family from Florida.
Heard people doing demos online but wasn't convinced it was anything special, tried it in store and thought damn this thing does sound good, and its cheap, and loud, and has a million effects built in. Still love my tube amp more as it sounds better but believe me folks the katana is a great sounding amp I rotate between both for gigging and rehearsing as they both sound excellent.
I have the 100W version. Did a lot of gigs with it and never used the 100W-setting :) It´s LOUD!
Got the 50 watt Boss Katana. Sounds very good! Price is also very reasonable.
Great amp, I use it live in a small Country Combo......its so close to the valve vibe, that no one at the gigs knows any different. Nice video, thanks
Thank you, you actually showed some good distortion I couldn’t find in any other reviews.
You should be getting endorsements from Boss, I'm buying one of these, your review sealed the deal.
I have one and I love it. It really a great little amp. On the plus side, the software on my PC is super simple and bug free. Well worth the price.
This is a killer little amp. Thanks Ola for leading me in the right direction! 🤘🏼
I really liked that acoustic bit
is it part of a particular song ?
it's sounds an awfully lot like pantera
Same here
Nice review man. I bought a 100 1x12 this week and I think it's amazing. I was a total tube snob my whole life- I'm selling my hand-made boutique Kingsley Custom 32 ($4,000 tube combo) plus half my pedals and keeping the Katana. I used to use Boogie amps- I had an original 50 Caliber head and a first-issue Dual Rectifier so I'm used to great tube tone. The Katana does everything I need and more. When bands like Metallica who can afford anything move away from tubes, you know the technology has caught up (they now use Fractals live). After years and years of hating on anything digital, modelled, etc, and hearing nothing but shitty cheap sounding amps from all these companies like Line 6, I'm finally convinced that solid state can be as good. Boss just changed the game.
A SS amp will never sound like a tube amp. They try to make SS amps sound like tube amps. That sound answer your question which one is better.
Now say it without crying
@@Panic42000 Thanks Gog, good music is creating by musicians, not a gear...
@@Panic42000 stop the cap bruhvosevic
So after a few Sam Adams and countless videos I bought this amp last night. Also bought a Cort 80s Flying V the other day (waiting for it to arrive). Can wait to plug it in and start practicing with my son in the basement. He’s a drummer and plays a Sonor drum set. I see an into for my channel in the near future. This review was awesome!
Best katana demo I've seen, you literally covered so much ground! 👍
Funny, I was on the point of selling mine because I thought it was crap, turns out it was me!
Christopher Jeneson
Always happens with the "hidden feature" stuff doesn't it?
Christopher Jeneson Most of times yes, sad but true
Ja ja jaa, what ever u say
trust me dude, don't sell it! its a really good amp
that made me laugh, thank you
I'm getting this Monster asap !! Perfect for Practice at home and power to take to a GIG and punch through the drums !!
Me and my bandmate boght ourselves Katanas this year and I higly recommend it to evereyone who is on a budget like us. It is fully capable of playing live shows (we are a metal band) and it sounds like a beast. Great amp!
5:54 ... thanks for including a bit with acoustic guitar into it (on the acoustic setting). That is a great feature of this amp .... I was pondering getting an acoustic amp but if this has an acoustic setting that's good, then this amp would also be great for electric and acoustic!
Acoustic guitar sounds better if you use the built in acoustic sim with it. I tried it with my acoustic-electro and it sounds like playing it unplugged but louder.
Don't know anything about guitars and amps, but the acoustic channel sounds so clean.
Just got my Katana! Super fun amp to practice with!
Was goofing around with my katana 50 thinking of doing a speaker swap. So just goofing around I wanted to see what a difference it would make by sealing the back of it's cabinet. So before I committed to altering it I grabbed a cardboard box and cut out a part of it and doubled it over to form a temporary back panel.. h#ly shite! It transformed the high gain tones quite a bit more than I expected! More bottom, smooths out the top end a tad, and generally focuses the tone! I'm thinking about building a birch plywood cabinet, with just a few more inches of depth, and mounting the chassis, speaker and hardware into it.. I don't mind the particle board cabinetry, but I bet a birch or pine plywood cabinet would give it an even more tube/analogue vibe.. anyone who doesn't like the katana 50's tone should try taping a thick piece of cardboard or maybe a piece of old paneling to seal the back of their cab and see if that might give you the desired tonal balance you may be looking for? Just leave an inch or two open up by the chassis for ventilation. Also a little open space up there will act as a port to help avoid the flubbing effect from lower bass frequencies.. cheers!
I have this amp and personally it sounds fantastic for a non tube combo amp
what about metal tone?
The EQ sections is NICE! The bass variation is not extreme, which is a good thing for a guitar amp. The MID and Treble have a lot of variance, and clearly affect the tone, making the EQ very effective. Most guitar amps have a too limited EQ section, in my view and ears. If there is an adjustment for EQ, then I want the adjustment to really give a broad range in that EQ band, especially mid and treble. For the very low monetary outlay, that little amp sounds pretty darn nice.
Bought one of these a few weeks ago and couldn't be happier! Cost me &189 shipped!
Damn, that's a steal.
I play blues based music & listen to Ola reviews cause he’s thorough.
Keep on Chuggin!!!!
what shampoo are you using? it isn't linked!
Capt'n Crunch just go into any store follow someone with long hair and get what they get
try Johnson's Baby
Does this burn out even wash his hair?
Head & Shoulders
Need more thumbs up to let him know😂
This video helped me make my amp purchase. When I saw the mk II 100 and played on it i was sold. Thanks Ola!
The bane of old men who can’t accept the future.
A Guitarist Absolutely perfect quote man!
I'm an old man and I bought this amp (actually the MKII). Not livin' in the past anymore! haha
@Common Sense Shhh.
My tubes!!! NOT MY TUBES!!!
I'm not old, but not very young, and I have always utilized (when I can) SS amps for live performances. These types of amps make a lot of sense to a working musician on a budget.
Wow! I don’t know anything about electric guitars or amps, but this was extremely informative. I’m 40, love metal, and I want to learn how to play!
Do it! You're still young
I agree! A lot of modeling amps are overkill. Too many things to choose from. Great video! Do some more Randall RG1503 videos. Love that amp!!!
GuitarTex - its not a modeling amp
Bronson Jones katanas are modeling amps.
monstercadaver - they aren't "modeling" anything.
They are modelling you knob.
The Signal chain is partly digital modelling.
I got that amp MKII and it's metal to hell it's got djent thrash metal death metal and awesome blues the tone studio is what makes that amp do what no other amp does I really recommend the Boss Katana MKII
is it good for death metal and other metal genres
Oh shit It sounds really good with the boost pedal.
This is the best channel for metal. Love it
Looking at this as a gift, finally someone that doesn’t play boring ass blues and cleans, too afraid try anything related to metal or rock.
For some of us, metal is boring.
Probably because no actual metal guitarist uses this amp. 😝
@@johnbgood52 Johnny bro bro with the cap
@@harls7317 Was that supposed to be English?
Thank you for your kind recommendation! It helps me decide now!
Finally someone plug acoustic guitar into this
The most informative review of the Boss Katana 50, bar none!
That looks like the most comfortable chair on Earth.
Bought an Orange Micro Dark with a 1x8 cab for $250 last week, was looking for something more versatile and this video sold me on returning them and getting a Katana MK2.
Stop reading this b.s. and go practice!!
Got the Katana Head for Christmas this year, it is bad ass. Running it with my peavey 5150 cab.
Soon as I can save up enough. I'm getting this exact amp and a Solar S2.6C guitar. I need them in my life!
Gonna sound 👌
I just got mine. don’t laugh but I dug out my old digitech RP 500 multi effects just for the hell of it with this little Amp….I was thoroughly impressed and actually had a great time with the combo haha
I´ve been dreaming about getting Kemper.. Meanwhile before i win in lottery and be able to afford it, Katana sounds like a serious option.. I´ve been planning to get Katana 100 head with Harley Benton 4x12 cab with vintage celestion speakers..
Drop Of Pain Studios save slightly more and get the palmer, had both 212s and the palmer one is really much better for just a few bucks more. I switched to a laney made in uk cab from the 80s though since i play more psychadelic and funk rock than metal nowadays.
Go for Orange CR120 head paired with Harley Benton 2x12 V30...
You'd be surprised with teh results
Use a boss multidirectional processor in the FX loop...
Katana sounded fucked up
Get the 100 combo, either 112 or 212, the speakers are KILLER, the head is not worth it aside from portability
Well, i allready got at my place my friends ENGL 4x12 with vintage celestions cause we do rehealsals there. I made a deal with another friend to get used ENGL 2x12 with Celestion speakers. And i also got Blackstar 1x12 cab. Sooo.. I ended up ordering Katana 100 head. That´s because kombo´s doesn´t allow connection to others cabs. Well, i gotta say can´t wait to get playing!
Drop Of Pain Studios Try the 100 watt version before you buy, the 100 is seriously loud,
( Even in 0.5 watt mode )
Haha
Been waiting for Ola's review!
What overdrive/ distortion pedals do you recommend to get that delicious, dark, murderous tone you always have in your videos?
@Jordan right. Totally...
Great video been researching amps for a few days. Probably going for this one
I just ordered one
Well I ordered a 50 watt katana amp it should arrive tomorrow these amps are really good I had a 100 watt katana amp decided to get the 50 watt I’m so excited peace
Got my 50 and was not impressed in the last couple of weeks, put it up for sale and the evening when smb bought it off me and needs to come and collect I realised I want to keep it, maybe the speaker broke in, maybe my ears just got used to it..what to do what to do..
BTW, some of you might know, if you don't, the simple inexpensive 1 button Marshall footswitch works on the Katana and changes between CH1 and 2..Tried out of curiosity and there you go!
Took me around 70 hours or so to break the speaker in. Thought the same thing, "wtf this sounds ice picky as hell, what's the big deal with these amps?" Then slowly and slowly, I started getting more saturated and warm tones, now I love it. My go-to amp.
Love this little bastard. Best practice amp on the market. Gig-able to boot
i noticed an amount of latency on "chug chug" with the pedal. is that just from the effect or what?
Nice review. I just ordered the newest one and it should've here in a few days. I am waiting patiently.
I have the boss Katana 100 version and it's the best amp I've ever had
Dylan Vaughn well what amps did you had before?😅
Originally a bugera 333 with a crate 412 with eminence speakers
Balsa yes it is.
The Bugera 333 destroys this amp for sheer brutality
Is ot better than VOX VT50?
Great review with no B.S. Thank you!
Most of the reviews I see on the Katana's the 50 watt sounds the best.
I've got the same katana! Use it all the time! Very lite! Thanks
So let me get this straight, you transfer tones (aka pedal sounds) to the amp when hooked up to a computer, for free? whats the catch?
Not as much versatility on the fly as normal pedals and you cam only have a few active at a time.
Stephen Malone no catch...if your playing is limited to just a few styles, you load them in and go. If you keep a laptop connected, you can change effects (dozens and dozens) at will via the laptop, all free and provided by Boss Tone Studio. This amp is killer!
G'day ola you definitely know how to play that guitar you are a metalmaster definitely one of my favourite guitarist in the world and I love you're band The haunted
I own this amp for 2 years and Love your sound. I was wondering if you could share your settings for that awesome heavy tone. Love your channel !!
Bass 2 o’clock treble 3-4 and mids 8-10 o clock try that 😊
Man that pedal transforned the amp incredibly well
Is this 50 watt version plenty loud enough on it's own (un-miced) for a band setting, metal of course?
Should be enough for small to medium clubs
Can't run my tube amp in a two bedroom apt with toddler napping during day. Katana gets it done for noodling around at home and does metal like a Boss. Can dial in everything from Gilmore and Slash/ to Mark Tremonti and even 90s era Slayer it's all good with this amp
Great video as usual by you sir. My friend has one and said in a live gig at a medium venue he was able to keep up with a loud drummer with ease and with another guitarists with a Marshall and 4 x 12 cab.
I'm torn between this or an Orange 35 watt solid state crush amp which I've tried and feels justlike a tube amp. If you've not tried one, you should. The Orange ss amps are based on their well known tube amps.
New to playing music and found a katana amp at a local pawn shop. Had to know why it's $200 lol. What a great video! Perfect demonstration!
Must be me, but I swapped a V30 in this thing and my “metal” tone still sounds like crap. Running a Prestige RG2228 w/ EMGs too. Wishing I would’ve just bought a used 5150 combo off EBay.
Any tips on good metal settings? Anything else, ie. Black Sabbath to Dick Dale and it sounds good. Just can’t get a good metal sound with my Vox stomplab.
Maybe I’m spoiled. My main rig is a UK made Marshall AVT 100 + 90’s 5150 4x12 with Sheffields.
John Brooks this amp is great for metal sounds. It’s all in the setup. How are you using it? For reference I have had everything from ENGL, Soldano, Friedman and a hand wired Marshall ZW800. This amp isn’t better sounding than those but I’m totally satisfied with what it does.
If you turn the Brown channel on, just set the EQ so all knobs are at 12ó clock, gain about half way. Then turn the drive boost knob up about 1/8th and make sure the drive button on the boost is Red. (That’s the overdrive effect). Then set the EQ once you’ve got the gain where you like it. Use the boost knob instead of the gain knob.
John Brooks make sure you are running the amp on the clean setting when running that pedal
So I figured out how to hook it up to my laptop and control the settings with the software you can download. Total game changer. Took a little tweeking, but this is now one of my favorite amps.
Fuuuuuck those were some nice metal tones! For anyone wondering, he's playing in drop D
If you really want to hear it like its pure magic then roll the master to 10 and use the volume to control how loud it is
Isn’t it still gonna loud and staticky
I do it reverse......volume max and use Master for volume control
I finally have a Katana 50 side by side with my Vypyr 75! Time to see if the ol' Peavey can hold its own.
Best practice amp ever.. Cheap too 😁
Ilia Tilev hey, can this amp output heavy metal like metallica stuff? thanks
drew yeah I play lot of Metallica stuff on it!
Great amp. I got really close to ride the lightning tone with it🤘✌️
@@acaftermath Oh, man, you'll love it for metal tones and tunes. Just spend some time tweaking the EQ, add some overdrive and you should achieve some pretty scorching metal tones.
My fav . Got Fenders and Marshalls and yet I go to my BOSS for majority of practice .
would this be good enough to play black metal?
I got the 100watt combo for a symphonic metal band I play. Lots of gain and many ways to achieve it, either take the metal zone and use in the clean channel or use the brown/lead with a bit of overdrive. The thing delivers beautifully. Tight, dark tones are easy
Carlos Can it play Slipknot, do you know? (Beginner).
To be true black metal you are gonna need a squire g10
@@snow5772 the squire might be good for black metal, but doesn't quite cut it for black&blue metal
Even the 0.5 is much louder than I expected and it’s perfect for my room
Que Dios bendiga al que crea los subtítulos a estos vídeos
I dig it, I want one. Good demo man 👍
Was not able to dial in this good a high-gain tone at all when I tried it out in the music store. It was also very noisy. However, the Blackstar ID:30 TVP... Oh boi! Can you make a video on the ID TVP series?
Try turning on the booster
Excellent playing and a well made clip. Thanks
Boss kattana 50 vs. Yamaha thr10x
Couldn’t get a decent sound out of the 10x. (I play only metal.)
@@fredriksvard2603 doesn't katana sound too fizzy and harsh or it can be changed ?
Karim Pardayev yeah i dont like any of them, ola can make anything sound good though. The one amp that made me feel like "wow it sounds like on the records" is the peavey jsx. Neural plugins are good enough though, miles better than modeling amps imo.
Thank you... I just ordered it. I appreciate your review...
It’s decided. I’m getting this amp
Edit: got the amp today
How is it??
@@Somber.Killer honestly could not have asked for a better first amp. Even if I find I can’t get the sound I want, a simply plug it up to the computer and tweak the software. It’s honestly the perfect practice amp imo
I got one and it's awesome! No regrets!
sounds better than a frigging marshall stack
Forgive them father, they don’t know what they say
Marshall are great, but like all great companies have really fallen in the 21st century, after using marshalls for years I turned to Boss and to be honest and unbiased haven't looked back since. Marshalls aren't built like they used to be anymore l, just look at there valve amps, it's disgusting how low they've become. RIP Marshall, I'll miss the old days. 😥
@H Kay it's disgusting to see how low Marshall have become now.
The sound quality is appalling and the damn components don't last twenty years, face it, like Gibson Marshall has had it's time.
That’s comedy
Just bought this amp, and boy is it fucking KILLER