Lee knows Rob voices his preferences, which will influence the sales. A subliminal reminder for Rob to remember the purpose of the video. Great plug for Chaps flamed red BEAST.
I just went and picked up the Fender Mustang GTX 100 tonight. I’ll say this amp definitely serves a purpose. I can now practice late with headphones and also without at reasonable volumes. In addition the Bluetooth functionality is awesome. I was able to quickly hook up my phone and play a drum backing track off of TH-cam to practice to. The amp is pretty easy to learn. It also has a tuner built in. It sounds fantastic as well. It’s also very light. This is by far one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. This amp just unlocked many more hours of practice opportunities that will make me a better player.
how is the clean channel volume compared to overdrive? i am trying to find an amp with loud enough clean channel. i tried the katana and was very dissappointed
Nailed it! Plug it in, hook it up, play. YI record at home and will do two or three settings to make it seems like I have more guitars on a track. I love it. It also takes pedals really really well.
Would that tube amp be a Bugera V5 Infinium? I've been looking at that as a possible practice tube amp, dunno if there are cheaper tube amps (except maybe off Monoprice.)
People need to talk more about bedroom tone v live tone. I wish someone had explained this to 16 year old me. I'd just use my bedroom tone, which sounded great but occupied the whole frequency spectrum, with the band. Then I'd wonder why I was inaudible, then I'd keep turning up till I was silly loud, crowding the bassist, my parts were still muddy and the band asked me to turn down. Now I run bass at around 1, mids at 9, treble around 6 (depending on amp) and still often use and EQ boost to kick the mids. My parts are clear in the mix and not too loud because they are sat in the correct frequency range. Oh... and though I'm a strat man I use a tele live. Also a big help to cut through. ...and turn down the gain, even for heavy rock. Last tip: get an amp stand.
I've never really played live but now that I am into recording this is one of the first things I learned. As much as possible try to sperate instruments into their own frequency range. A particular sound may not sound great on it own but sounds fantastic in the mix. Often thin brighter sounds are better then rich fuller sounds when used in a mix. Everything needs to be taken in context of the whole.
Interesting point from Lee about the guitarist's journey. I think there's a further stage. You've owned the more expensive amp that fits your style (in my case, a Boogie F50). You built a fancy pedal board with a switching system that gives your two-trick-pony amp enough flexibility for the range of music you're playing, and added a power-soak to allow you to get your sound in smaller venues. But now you're just tired of the complexity, the number of possible failure points, the weight of everything, the time it takes to set up and pack up, the panic when something isn't working and there's only 10 minutes before the gig starts, the cost of re-valving etc. And you wonder whether all this extra time, effort, stress and cost is adding a proportional amount of value, either to the audience or to you as a player. Then along comes the Katana. So you switch to (in my case) a Katana 100, a GA-FC and a couple of expression pedals, purely to simplify and de-stress your life. Now you make one journey from the car to the venue, guitar case in one hand, Katana in the other, pedals and cables in a light back-pack, and in 5 minutes you're up and running and ready to play. And you find you enjoy playing your Katana just as much as you ever enjoyed playing your expensive valve amp, and it's just as good for your audience. So many people in Katana community groups are using Katanas having ditched their valve-amp and pedals rigs.
It's about aging into your gear. When you were young and tough the gear was suiting, now as we age we want to be simple and happy. These amps with a few pedals make playing easier. I have the fender and I can do more with it in 10 minutes than I can with my wife.
I have a GTX100. While I do agree in this demo the Boss does come thru better. But I also think that with more familiarity with the range of the GTX,s amp models, you could get a much better comparison of the two amps. Anyway love seeing Rob back and always love seeing The Captain!
The thing is, although the Katana allready sounds great here, it benefits greatly from global EQ too. That's why I don't really see how the GtX100 could catch up. Maybe I'm wrong though.
Higher volume always sounds better and in this video the Katana sounds better to my ears but the volume is much higher in most cases. This is going to trick a lot of people into thinking the Kanana is a better sounding amp then is actually is. When I volume level on my home computer, they start to sound much more similar. Volume boosting has been a trick of stereo salesman for years and years. Also remember that you don't want a amp to sound to thick in a mix. The Fender is brighter and thinner sounding but in a mix this might work a lot better.
In the app for the Mustang, every amp model has a setting option called Sag. If you turn that down, it becomes much louder, and more present. If you turn Sag up, it becomes more subdued and compressed. If you had adjusted that down in this video, it would have been much closer to the Katana sound. The Mustang also offers a lot more options than the Katana with many more amp models and ability to move any pedal before or after the amp in the chain, in any order you want.
That's where fender falls and katana wins, out of the box no apps or anything. Ease of use and good base tone out of the box without much needed to tweak! If I was fender I would add a sag control on top if it's that critical
Sorry but part of it is the fact that the Mustang models the entire chain. Amp, FX, speaker and mic on speaker. It's that particular last item that gives a slight less present sound and feel. That is common to a lot of true, full modellers. And my main rig is an Axe FX III. All my amps I USE are Digital and Modellers (Have a few vintage tune amps stored away, but not used). I say that, to show I am not a 'tube snob'. Different modeller platforms handle that beter or worse. But, the amps like the Katana and Blackstar Silverline, etc, using actual guitar speakers, 'model' the signal chain up to the transformer. This is much more on the Katana with the A/B power source. On the Katana, and amps like the Blackstar to an extent, the Output section and speaker are part of the 'sound'. On the Mustang, the physical power section and speaker are meant to reproduce, as much as possible what is given it. This IS at play here. And it is NOT a bad sound, as I said, I am a Modeller fanatic. A true Modeller is aimed at ultra versatility AND allows tweaking for those that want. Thats what they are there for. Katana and like, do a limited version of that, but are aimed a little more for performance. Not to say you couldn't do that with the Mustang. It is exactly why I have a Katana, for small little gigs, with just me and a singer, and we cover a lot of ground. The Axe stays in the studio for recording, as it covers ALL ground.
I agree ! Live in la port Tx. I just purchased a limited edition guitar from them 1 month ago Love y'all guys Thank you for your great video's ! Rock on Gents
@Joe Kickass I am having a lot more fun with my GTX100. The Katana is awesome but the built in looper and effects control on the Fender GTX100 is great.
@@kevinmcarthur8548 GTX 100 is fun. The app is so easy to use and allows one to dial in a huge range of amps/effects and adjust from the app. I don’t have a Katana but it appears that’s not as easy since it requires plugging into a computer etc. I like that the GTX comes with a very useful foot switch. Happy jamming!
While I do love and enjoy watching all of the videos from the team at Anderton’s, there is something special about the combo of Chappers & The Captain!
I'll take the GTX. It just does everything you could ever want. Fenders, Vox's, Marshalls, acoustic amp, acoustic sim, good effects, built in looper......what more could you want? I own a GTX50 and it sounds great to me.
The part of this video that I enjoyed the most was the "applications" discussion. I thought it revealing what you two thought that each amp was best for -- the "home" tone vs. "pro" tone argument. I'm an older campaigner than either of you, and I've done the amp with pedals thing and liked it. That said, the most satisfying "gig" I've played was for a friend's birthday party, where it was just me, some tunes in a cell phone for "backing tracks", me, my axe, and a DigiTech RP250 that I've since sold (to help pay for one of its big sisters). I had tweaked the RP's sounds for months and had many of them just so. I plugged into the venue's PA and WENT! Not only did things sound great, but before I knew it, someone had set up a tip jar for me, and I EFFORTLESSLY made $13! That would NOT have been possible with the old amp and pedals routine, as it would have taken too long to get the best sounds. I even had a few patches with ducking delays, which REALLY sounded great as well as studio-like. Since then, I've acquired an old Zoom G9.2tt Guitar Effects Console, and although I might be loathe to play it out because of its age (maybe 15 years) and its fragile 12AX7 valves, I would also like to hear IT through a nice PA. I also think that it would be possible to program each unit to yield whatever cut and punch Chappers would like to hear. So that's my take on my own gear. As for the BOSS and Fender amps you demoed in this video, I would probably go with the BOSS unit unless I never was going to play it out, in which case the Fender is that much more like my current digital gear and would win the day. So there! Thanks, fellas!😎❤️️🎸‼️
Owned both. GTX hands down. The interface on the iPad is so freaken good. It's fun and functional. It's not my paint shredding Fender Machete, but I really like it. I did't like the way the Katana dual purposes some of the efeects knobs. Confused my feeble old mind.
I looked at them both and walked out with the Fender for the same reason. The tones were good, but the iPad interface made it so useable. Plus, the fact that it came with a foot switch that allowed me to to easily change presets, use it as a pedal board, and also a very useful looper were ultimately what sold me on the Fender.
I wonder if some of the presence/guitar-forward issues with the GTX could be fixed more easily using the global eq settings? They include ”FLAT EQ” (a good default choice that actually provides no additional equalization), two different “GUITAR FOCUS” profiles, two different “BRIGHT BOOST” profiles for accentuating the top end, two “LOW CUT” profiles for trimming bass response, and a “LOW VOLUME BASS BOOST” profile for enhanced bass response at lower volume settings.
I've played them both and I had a preference for the Fender tones, but I could just as easily see someone preferring the Katana. I don't think you would go wrong with either.
The Fender GTX 100 sounds better at gig volumes. All of the “amp” settings are great - turn the knob to the amp you like and go. Very simple. Owned Katana 100, Helix LT with powercab and this sounds better especially on the Fenders and Plexi amp. Light, very loud, looks good. Gigged 30 times with it and it has been reliable too. At any venue loud enough less than half volume.
I was so close to selling my Katana untill i activated the noise gate on tone studio. No annoying buzz and hissing anymore and i can now crank it up in the studio to achieve epic tones!!
@@nicolamagliocco9601 if you go onto tone studio, on the bar where is says booster, mod, fx etc theres a bit that says NS, click on that and it comes up noise gate and turn it upto 50, you can put the gain and booster on max with no crazy noise 😀
You have to go to the Global EQ and do a bright boast or one of the others. The stock global eq is boxy. I really wished they had done that from the get go; it would have served them much better.
I just went to the music store, I was set on the Katana because of this video. I test them both and chose the GTX because of the easy of setting the tones. I even left the store convinced that the Katana sounded better. On day 3 of owning it I discovered the Global EQ menu and my mind and ears were blowned by the jump in tone quality. Now Im postive I made the right choice.. i can make my Fender Mustang GTX sound exactly how I want.
@@Masetheguitarman After try them all I landed on Guitar Focus 2, haven't changed it since I found it. It's all subjective, but to me that one makes the AMP shine.
@@GOKUNYC1 I’ve got a great tip that I found deep in a guitar forum: add the 5 Band Graphic EQ before literally every single amp and lower the 80hz to zero. Guitar does not need that frequency at all, and what that does is remove that nasty BLAT sound that sometimes happens with the amp at higher volumes and also makes the actual amp EQ knobs respond as they should. Definitely try it out
One thing not brought up is the ease of downloading great new user patches for the GTX on my phone with the Fender app. I play mainly tele country and rockabilly stuff. There's so many great user tones for any genre. Plus very easy to customize existing patches you do like to suit the sound you want. I liked the Katana in the store, so no hate there... but ended up buying the GTX100. No regrets with my decision. Also I only play at home, so it's great for users like me. I've owned many amps over the years, and sold off all my heavy amps after getting the GTX. It's so light weight, it really surprised me at the sound quality. Also last said I disliked 80% of the presets, but tweaking and saving w/other amp, and fx settings is part of the fun I think.
Go with the Katana. I had a GT100 but eventually the novelty wore off. There were some good sounds to be had, and being able to record directly form the amp was convenient. All those effects and amps are great options to have when recording. Playing at band volume though? I had this nagging feeling I was always playing a computer simulation. I bought my Katana 100 a few months after I bought the Mustang. I still have the Katana while the Mustang has found a new home. I emailed a Fender rep as soon as I heard about the GTX. I asked what specifically had changed between the GT and GTX. Minor tweaks here and there, models were tweaked to be more efficient, new amps and effects. The usual marketing hype job. I was hoping to hear they increased the RAM and doubled the processor count. Nope. That would have eaten in to the TM series. If you are considering these two amps and can only get one let the following guidelines apply: Mainly recording at home with occasional live playing? GTX. Mainly playing out live and only occasional, if ever, recording from the unit? Katana.
Go to settings on the Fender and change EQ from flat to guitar focus 1 or 2. It really makes the Fender GTX come alive. Great tones. Both excellent amps :)
@Hulk Hogan Peavy is difficult to figure out how to use the controls and requires you to already be a good guitar player. Read a comment by someone else sayed Peavy is hell on earth. MAYHEM XXX
I never thought I'd be like this but I have multiple amps for different moods. I have a Spark practice amp which I love because I can just change out pedals and amps via my phone. I never thought I'd tinker too much, but I love being lazy and just switching things like that instead of getting out a pedalboard etc. It's great because of so many people already creating sounds to just plug in (one complaint is it has no organization). Otherwise I tend to use my blues junior if I want a little more thump and grit of a tube amp. Plus I just love the way the tweed looks. Ater that I have a fender modeling amp, the Champion 50xl that I like when I want to plug into a different kind of Fender sound. I haven't played the more digital version, but I think that might have been a better buy if it sounds as good as the 50. Those are almost all the home playing amps I have. So for me I think the Fender one modeled here has a place for me or would.
Really, really enjoyed your review. I have seen a few of your others and they are so good at giving a reasonable overall view of a product. I recently purchased the Fender GTX100, but still waiting for it to get here. I have my "real" setup. I was really after modern tech and capabilities of streaming music to the amp and playing with it. If this really does work, I will absolutely love this amp, once I dial in "my" sound. From the video, the sounds your get from the MKII are within the bounds of what I already have with a pedal train. So, I completely agree for a stage I could tell the difference it forward projection of sound and how that would mix with a live situation. I just hope the Fender sounds full and not thin.
You missed the last part of the journey, when your back is broken after 25 years of dragging around tube amps and you shift to solid state, knowing that the audience can't tell the difference.
@Rocky Racoon And the adjustability of the reverb and delay are pretty underrated on the Katana as well. You can get any sound you want, short of a full valve amp, but I mean for $360 it's not reasonable to expect that.
I have to agree with the man. The genius of the Katana is that you can just turn it on and use it with the panel settings, or you can go into the tone studio software on your computer and tweak absolutely everything and set it up with a footswitch if you want. Likewise, it sounds great at home on 0.5W mode, but I can also take it along to a rehearsal or even to a gig as a backup or for a bit of stage volume if I'm using the Helix. Oh, and it sounds great with acoustics. It's a proper Swiss army knife of a tool.
Well said. I love the Kat because I can dial in a good tone right on the panel and just play. But for those that love to tone chase and tweak every little thing, they can do that to their heart’s content in tone studio. Best of both worlds.
My only gripe with katana is that I couldn't get it to sound like a real tube amp it was too spiky and the no mount of compression or switching to low-watt output could get the power sag effect right
Fender Mustang GTX has a built in “ Global eq” (power amp eq). If you use “only” the “flat eq”, you can hear this difference between the Katana and Mustang. If you change the EQ to “guitar focus2” the Mustang will be the winner! 🤘🏽🤘🏼🤘🏾🤘🏿 The “flat eq” is not more only a practice setup... the “guitar focus2” is the real “gig ready setup”
@@bertssuggests this is a good question! :) I have experience with the GTX but i’ve never tested the Peavey Vypyr. Gtx can do the metal things very well and also the Katana, both are very good solid state amp. Low tuning and seven strings will maybe too much for the Gtx’s bulit in speaker. My recommendation is a Katana head with external speaker cab.
Okay. Gonna sound like major fanboy here but the reality is the world has changed. The only real guitar shop that I could demo more than 2 brands is 3 hours away and in another state. If I cross that state line I have to quarantine for two weeks. You just can’t go out and try anything anymore. What Andertons and That Pedal Show are doing is more important to those of us in the sticks in the US and probably anywhere else than I think they realize. I need a new amp. My 80’s 100 watt Dean Markley tube which weighs in at about a thousand pounds and shakes the shingles off the house died and I want something more affordable, lighter weight, that I can noodle with. I play at home for my own sanity. What you all have done is provide choices that I would never get otherwise. So keep up the good work gents and if I can buy from you I will, ocean away be damned because brand loyalty is a thing.
Lol. The Katana still really punches way above it's weight class. Boss just got the Katana right from the MK1. It just provides a much more expensive and premium sound in every single setting, than you pay for. Super impressive, even a few years on.
Not to mention, the Katana seems much more road worthy, while the Mustang has the aesthetics of home decor,. I'm sick and tired of manufacturers treating anything that isn't tube powered as practice amps. Take note, any amp 40W and up will be considered for gigging, and should be built for such, so please...No, Particle Board, MDF, and lack of corner protection.
Glasgow here. I've an older Mustang III v.2 (switched the factory spkr out for an Eminence tho) and a brand new Tone Master Super but I agree with you. 🍀🎸🍀
What was Global EQ set to on the GTX for the video? Wondering if that affected the lack of punch - one of the Guitar Focus or Bright Boost settings may have evened things out.
Also changing the cabinet types. They haven’t mentioned about this setting. I have tried this amp at shop ( also Katana) definitely a better sound options at GTX. I will buy one very soon..🤘
It's that old psychoacoustic phenomenon. Whatever is the loudest is always going to sound better. Turn the Fender up 5 or 6 db and you've got a fair fight.
True, I just bought the GTX 100 and like any modeling amp once you dial it in the amp can definitely hold its own against the boss. If you want an unbiased review go to the (intheblues) youtube channel, he gave the best A/B comparison on TH-cam.
I say this every time. But, it’s always great to have chappers and the captain together. I want to see the captain go to Malta at some point. That would be cool.
Thanks again for another informative video. I have been trying to figure out if I want to buy the GTX, Line 6 Pod Go or a combo of pedals with a preamp or sim into direct. For what I’m doing at church, potential for multiple uses at home (practice, home stereo or just looking amazing) and my love for fender products I think I’ll go with GTX. As always, love Rob and Cap’s videos.
I'm a bedroom/home only player who loves edge of breakup Fender tones, like Hendrix and SRV strat tones (I know Hendrix didn't always play Fenders, not the point). And 60s and 70s classic rock. But very important is I have an extensive pedalboard for my dirt tones, like fuzz, overdrive, distortion. Due to me using external pedals for dirty tone, but wanting the amp as a clean platform, which would be the right amp?
I think either would be good.. fender is always great for a pedal platform in my opinion but the katana 100 is the one I went with.. it's basic sound is better for what I like. Takes pedals AWESOME!! Either choice i think is good for platform
Time well spent thanks Gentlemen. I got a Katana 100 mk1. I ran a Boss GT8 into Roland Cube before that and it really didn't do it for me. Digital mush in headphones and that set up. Then caught Dave Simpson noodling for 10 minutes before starting to talk about the Katana....and was inspired to give it a try. His drop in to you guys to talk about gear was great BTW . Sold my Cube and Gt8 and acquired the Katana and GA-FC. i am blown by how solid it sounds in the bedroom, did a gig at last in October and the band thought it sounded great. It makes my playing seem to ring nicely whatever, always solid even with freaky tweaks and effects on max. The Fender here sounded pushed and processed ...so ill stick with the Katana for now...
Nice to see Chappers back with Lee. Your on-screen chemistry made me a fan of Anderton's. All the best to you both, and everyone at Anderton's. Please be safe.
A katana artist vs DSL 40, peavey classic 30, 6505 plus combo, prs sonzera 50 combo and Blackstar HT40 combo are all around the same price, all loud enough to gig with and all versatile enough for pretty much any kind of music.
Great to see C+C together again. Clearly you all love the Katana, but it would be great to see a 'best of the rest' shootout with some of the other's in this range: Blackstar Silverline, Marshall MG50, Vox Cambridge50.
You absolutely have to adjust the Global EQ on the Fender. The default "Flat" setting will give you that darker, muddy sound you guys keep describing. Flipping the Global EQ to "Guitar Focus" or "Bright Boost" makes it sound much better. I'm honestly a bit baffled as to why Fender doesn't ship it with one of those selected instead of the "Flat" setting because it makes a huge difference. It also would've changed the content of this video quite a bit to be honest
You were good in this Rob. I like it when your not playing up so much for the camera. Katana wins this hands down really. You were spot on when you said the fender sounds like its 30m away.
i think the gtx sounds like that because the global EQ is set flat and from what i can see throughout the whole video a compressor was on also the volume is quiet low compared to the katana
I agree 100%, I went thru several Fender amps before getting my new Katana. They never quite achieved the tones I was looking for. I really do love the Boss. When I first started playing this technology was unheard of.
Adjusting the output levels would have helped this HUGELY. Not having the same levels on the two amps, destroys any accurate comparison. Now, it may be that the Fender is just that muffled in comparison to the Boss. Did you hear this wet blanket muffle in the room @Andertons, Rob Chapman, The Captain, Danish Pete?
The Equalizer knobs on the Katana, attenuate (lower the volume) of their respective frequencies, they do not boost or increase their volumes. Some other amps boost as well, meaning that turning the knob from 5 to 0 lowers the frequency while 5 to 10 boosts it. If you start with them all set at the halfway mark, you are really setting it for the same tone as them at max but you have lowered the volume of the signal as it goes through the equalizer, lowering the overall volume as well. This can also increase volume differences between patches. So, for the Katana, you should start with them all set to max rather then 12 o'clock or halfway as is the case with many other amps when setting up a tone.
For me, 1 year with a Katana MKII 50watts, it is hard to change for home use. With my Drybell Engine and RC Booster V2(18 volt), the Katana MkII could last me another 2 years.
Wonderful show the two masters together again keep it up the good work guys I hope to see you together soon again big hugs from Boston Massachusetts USA
I have not read all the comments so I apologize if this has been brought up before, but on the GT and the GTX amps there is an amp setting in each amp that allows you to choose less sag and selecting that option takes care of that distant sounding ambiance. As a GT100 owner I was quite disappointed with the lack of presence in the various patches that ship with the amp so I deleted them all and started working on getting tones that were full and present. It took reading about the sag settings to help me unlock the full sound that I was looking for and now I am quite happy with the amp. I have not gigged this amp but I can tell you that these amps are plenty loud enough that one should have no problem doing so. Having said all that, I do still think the Boss is a great amp that was designed to be its own entity and it does as well as or better than any solid state amp.
I am not an expert but sag refers to the load placed on a tube amp when say you strum a hard / full powercord and the amp struggles or sags in trying to keep up with the demand being placed upon it. The GTX simulates this when modeling tube amps. Its basically a power drain that results in the tube amp coughing, as it were, when driven. Turning the GT/GTX amps to “Less” on the sag setting helps reduce this.
Yeah - Lee and Rob seem to be of the opinion that there's not much between them, but to my ears and this recording they're like chalk and cheese. In which case I'd have to say that the two recording set-ups (mics/levels) must be very different. I've got a GTX100 - very pleased but then all I wanted was a faithful Fender Twin sound through an amp that weighs no more than a large toaster.
Yeah i think the recording or mic placing is bad because i've heard much better sounding demos of the Fender than this. I'm also not sure rob's playing style matches both amps. i feel like the Fender amp is a bluesy amp and the Katana is a rock amp. Like i notice they keep saying midrange, but lots of bluesy players scoop the midrange. Also i think just playing random sounds is suspect demo for me because when i see people buy this amps they normally go "let's see it imitate sound x." like lets do a mayer sound. And that's done with the software.
Also changing the cabinet types. You haven’t mentioned about this setting. I have tried this amp at shop ( also Katana) definitely a better sound options at GTX. I will buy one very soon..🤘
It seems to me that the Katana often appears to win these because it isn’t trying to be anything else. It gives you the options of finding the sound you want. These other modelling amps are trying to give you a specific sound based on a specific amp and they never sound full enough to my ears. That could be down to rubbish iPad speakers but the Katana is playing through the same ones and, more often than not, sounds fuller than affordable modelling amps. The first ‘model’ used on the Fender, (Twin, I think), was it’s best sound by a distance to me.
15:36 says it all. Yes, the Katana would sound more present and forward in a live mix but for bedroom solo jamming, the GTX is the best modeling amp I've ever heard and I played all of them including the Silverline. Marshall Code is one of the worst of all time. Obviously from this demo, the GTX is more bassy and the Katana is more high-midy. Who cares, both are great. It doesn't really matter that much unless for me, I love Fender amps and no one models Fender amps better than themselves except for the licensed IK Multimedia.
Yeah man, if you want Fender sound you definitely should get Fender. The thing about Katana is that it's not modelling any amp there is. You might get close to some known amp, but the modeled sounds are designed for the amp itself. It's Katana sound through and through.
In my opinion I think the that Boss is meant for more heavier and harder playing While the fender is meant for more clean tones and playing I would still choose the GTX because of the variety different presets, you can make your own, the app, the foot-switch, and you play around with it to be creative
I have the Katana and it's nice. I played the GTX50. I liked the presets and some of the effects. That beats the Katana. A vs. B on the same type of preset it would be close- maybe even give the Katana an edge for natural sounding. But the GTX can model amps and effects that the Katana simply cannot making the GTX more versatile. In a mix, or with a band you would be hard pressed to distinguish between the two. In short, both are good. Buy and play both! I plan to get a GTX100 for the footswitch.
I own the fender, if you crank it and choose your speaker amp combo wisely. It sounds 👍. Only complaint would be the overdrive /distortion, if compared to a valve. Other than that the fender gtx is a great inspiration/scratch recording amp. No to mention all the digital stereo effects and a solid looper.
Higher volume always sounds better and in this video the Katana sounds better to my ears but the volume is much higher in most cases. This is going to trick a lot of people into thinking the Kanana is a better sounding amp then is actually is. When I volume level on my home computer, they start to sound much more similar. Volume boosting has been a trick of stereo salesman for years and years.
Fender to join with the band Boss to be the band I'm really torn between the two. I love the lower end frequency of the Katana. I listen to a lot of metal (Black Label, Pantera, Meshugga) and it just seems to fill that need a lot better.
41:15 I did exactly the opposite. When I got my katana 100 combo amp, I sold my tube amps. I saw literally no need for these dinosaurs collecting dust, breaking my back to move, and requiring upkeep that I just don't have the interest in. The Katana100 is loud enough for gigs, sounds close enough to how I want, and doesn't break my back. If I ever get a touring deal with roadies, I'll have them carry around and maintain tube amps for me. That will never happen, but that's my view on it.
I prefer my valve amps over my katana but it works well at home to practice with and is more than good enough as backup if any of my expensive amps shit the bed
@@gavin4848 honestly tonally there’s not much in it between a good valve vs solid state in my opinion especially in a mix, I find the biggest difference with how they feel to play and how they react to pedals plus obviously the fact my favourite players used these amps on classic songs which can’t be replicated.
It sounds like the Fender has an FRFR speaker rather than a traditional guitar speaker. If they were both recorded direct I would expect them to sound more similar.
Once again, Mr. Chapman is spot on. However, in my opinion, the challenger to Katana is Catalyst. (owner bias perhaps) But I've gigged with my Catalyst 100 and it sat in the mix beautifully. I use it as a pedal platform. It has tons of head room. Having said that, the real sleeper is the Vox Cambridge 50, with the caveat that it's a little feature light, but sounds excellent. That's my 2 cents anyway. Thanks Lee and Rob.
I'll add to the choir with my own angle: Katana, on every sound no matter how rough or smooth it's set up to be (I mean, you can make a Katana to chug the most horrific Black Metal basement sound), always sounds like an amp with a good mic in front of it. A sound I wouldn't hesitate to gig or even record with. The GTX100 meanwhile kind of eeeeeh sounds like an amp in a live room played through the microphone and desk to a studio control room and then recorded from the monitor sound, if that makes any sense. It makes smooth and nice sounds, but it doesn't sound like an amp on your face, but rather a recording of an amp on your face. And that's not something I would ever use for anything else than practice. It has to be something to do with the speakers that they chug in to those digital amps, them having to do everything well enough that they lose the mojo of a class A/B physical circuitry amp design with targeted speaker chugged in.
Further musings. Blackstar HT20 mk.II costs 100 bucks more than the GTX100, is almost as loud and provides with four stellar sounds for most demanding needs. And there was a second hand HT club 40 mk.II for a price of a GTX100 on Andertons website. I know where I'd poke my head to. Also, would it be even fair to compare any digital amp to Boss Nextone, which is of similar price range to the GTX?
There’s a reason for this: they didn’t use the proper global EQ on the GTX. They’ve essentially mic’d up a monitor with the GTX-so they’ve missed a great opportunity to compare apples to apples.
I was never crazy about Fender amps when it came to distorted rock sounds, but love the clean and bluesy stuff. I have the Katana and love it but you really have to program the channel to the specific strengths of the guitar you are using.
The drawback to these amps is the power section and speakers if you use these amps as a pedal in front of your favorite tube amp and best speakers, these function pretty well as a pedal I believe they will sell you the same technology in a pedal format but you will pay a huge amount more for that design
The differences between the amps were often analogous to the difference between a bridge and neck pickup. But don't forget that with the GTX, you can add and control fx boxes. You compared off the shelf sounds of the amp, limiting both to minor adjustments by the knobs on the box. The Boss sounded better on almost all "off the shelf" options. But, would the Fender sound "band presentable" when you open the software options?
As a bassist just getting into guitar, I started with a Fender Mustang LT 25. I plan to get Katana Mk II 50. If you like exploring and fiddling and tweaking back and forth, the Fender is ok. I think the Katana has nailed the sounds I want without all of that, and you can simply tweak on the fly, and sounds better. (Bass rig: 2 Fenders, 2 Squiers, Ampeg BA 115, Fender Rumble 40). I guess keeping it simple appeals to me.
@@wildwayz Hi James. I don’t really use my basses into the Katana Mk II. I only use it for guitar. I don’t really play guitar or use it much at all. I don’t recommend it for bass.
Great to be back and reunited with my buddy Lee and the crew - big love and hugs to everyone in England going through lockdown number two :-)
Great to see you two gents back. You guys are TH-cam OG's!
Rob Chapman Not only England! Love and hugs to all of you from snowy Siberia))))
Glad to see you on the Anderton's videos again, much love and respect from the states.
Hello Rob, I would much prefer video, where you actualy jam with Lee. These video, where you play and Lee fiddle with settings kinda feels incomplete.
I constantly checked this channel if I'd see you here. I'm very happy to see you here again.
“We’re happy if you buy the fender, we’re happy if you buy the boss. We’re just happy if you give us your money.” 😂
The Most honest review on TH-cam 😉
@@andertons if only I was across the pond. I’d be in Andertons every day!
I sometimes forget these are literally just ads...
@@boggeshzahim3713 ......It's always been a marketing platform....... they make no secret about it........
Lee knows Rob voices his preferences, which will influence the sales. A subliminal reminder for Rob to remember the purpose of the video. Great plug for Chaps flamed red BEAST.
I just went and picked up the Fender Mustang GTX 100 tonight. I’ll say this amp definitely serves a purpose. I can now practice late with headphones and also without at reasonable volumes. In addition the Bluetooth functionality is awesome. I was able to quickly hook up my phone and play a drum backing track off of TH-cam to practice to. The amp is pretty easy to learn. It also has a tuner built in. It sounds fantastic as well. It’s also very light. This is by far one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. This amp just unlocked many more hours of practice opportunities that will make me a better player.
how is the clean channel volume compared to overdrive? i am trying to find an amp with loud enough clean channel. i tried the katana and was very dissappointed
Nailed it! Plug it in, hook it up, play. YI record at home and will do two or three settings to make it seems like I have more guitars on a track. I love it. It also takes pedals really really well.
@@csul5961 you tried the mark ii 50 or mark ii 100?
most affordable tube amp vs most expensive solid state
We'll see what we can do! 🤘
@@andertons great ..🤘
If that’s the case the orange cr120 2x12 will win
Would that tube amp be a Bugera V5 Infinium? I've been looking at that as a possible practice tube amp, dunno if there are cheaper tube amps (except maybe off Monoprice.)
That's gonna be *Joyo Bantamp Bluejay* (£105) vs *Roland JC120* (£1099)
But it seems Joyo doesn't available at Andertons.
People need to talk more about bedroom tone v live tone. I wish someone had explained this to 16 year old me. I'd just use my bedroom tone, which sounded great but occupied the whole frequency spectrum, with the band. Then I'd wonder why I was inaudible, then I'd keep turning up till I was silly loud, crowding the bassist, my parts were still muddy and the band asked me to turn down.
Now I run bass at around 1, mids at 9, treble around 6 (depending on amp) and still often use and EQ boost to kick the mids. My parts are clear in the mix and not too loud because they are sat in the correct frequency range.
Oh... and though I'm a strat man I use a tele live. Also a big help to cut through.
...and turn down the gain, even for heavy rock.
Last tip: get an amp stand.
Hey Chris, thanks for the tip. What’s the benefit of an amp stand?
@@adrianellis5794 Your ears are on your head not your knees ;)
@@chriscolabella880 Ah, haha thank you. I'll just 'Angus Young' it until my amp stand arrives!
I've never really played live but now that I am into recording this is one of the first things I learned. As much as possible try to sperate instruments into their own frequency range. A particular sound may not sound great on it own but sounds fantastic in the mix. Often thin brighter sounds are better then rich fuller sounds when used in a mix. Everything needs to be taken in context of the whole.
We just went on stage, did a sound check and dialed in. Marshall, Cender, Hughes & Kettner, Solton no matter what. Trust your ears. Same at home.
Can you guys do a direct Fender comparison, say the Mustang GTX's model of a Twin Reverb vs an actual Twin Reverb?
Interesting point from Lee about the guitarist's journey. I think there's a further stage. You've owned the more expensive amp that fits your style (in my case, a Boogie F50). You built a fancy pedal board with a switching system that gives your two-trick-pony amp enough flexibility for the range of music you're playing, and added a power-soak to allow you to get your sound in smaller venues. But now you're just tired of the complexity, the number of possible failure points, the weight of everything, the time it takes to set up and pack up, the panic when something isn't working and there's only 10 minutes before the gig starts, the cost of re-valving etc. And you wonder whether all this extra time, effort, stress and cost is adding a proportional amount of value, either to the audience or to you as a player. Then along comes the Katana. So you switch to (in my case) a Katana 100, a GA-FC and a couple of expression pedals, purely to simplify and de-stress your life. Now you make one journey from the car to the venue, guitar case in one hand, Katana in the other, pedals and cables in a light back-pack, and in 5 minutes you're up and running and ready to play. And you find you enjoy playing your Katana just as much as you ever enjoyed playing your expensive valve amp, and it's just as good for your audience. So many people in Katana community groups are using Katanas having ditched their valve-amp and pedals rigs.
Excellent point.
Yep...never going back to tubes...love my Katana's
I've made my 50 the foundation of my entire rig.
It does so much
It's about aging into your gear. When you were young and tough the gear was suiting, now as we age we want to be simple and happy. These amps with a few pedals make playing easier. I have the fender and I can do more with it in 10 minutes than I can with my wife.
I have a GTX100. While I do agree in this demo the Boss does come thru better.
But I also think that with more familiarity with the range of the GTX,s amp models, you could get a much better comparison of the two amps.
Anyway love seeing Rob back and always love seeing The Captain!
I also have the GTX100 and I found the Global EQ setting makes a big difference. I've got mine set to Guitar Focus 2.
100% agree w/garyfreedom
The thing is, although the Katana allready sounds great here, it benefits greatly from global EQ too. That's why I don't really see how the GtX100 could catch up. Maybe I'm wrong though.
Higher volume always sounds better and in this video the Katana sounds better to my ears but the volume is much higher in most cases. This is going to trick a lot of people into thinking the Kanana is a better sounding amp then is actually is. When I volume level on my home computer, they start to sound much more similar. Volume boosting has been a trick of stereo salesman for years and years. Also remember that you don't want a amp to sound to thick in a mix. The Fender is brighter and thinner sounding but in a mix this might work a lot better.
Some song use that sweet tube amp feed back , can either amp replicate that sound instead of that awful microphonic squeal?
Best comparison shootout on You tube of these amps in my opinion. Great stuff!! Well done gentlemen!!
That edit with the amp running away though! Superb!!!!
That's the incredible editing skills of Rory! 😉
Andertons Music Co made me laugh each time.
@@andertons I wish I could get my Koch Amp to do that, that thing is heavy!
@@andertons Give Rory a pay rise haha
@@mborel an animated Koch running across the screen? 🤭😜
In the app for the Mustang, every amp model has a setting option called Sag. If you turn that down, it becomes much louder, and more present. If you turn Sag up, it becomes more subdued and compressed. If you had adjusted that down in this video, it would have been much closer to the Katana sound. The Mustang also offers a lot more options than the Katana with many more amp models and ability to move any pedal before or after the amp in the chain, in any order you want.
Andertons open your ears an the manual please
That's where fender falls and katana wins, out of the box no apps or anything. Ease of use and good base tone out of the box without much needed to tweak! If I was fender I would add a sag control on top if it's that critical
Fascinating. Really. I'm in Glasgow and I've an Mustang III v.2. I'll be on that directly. 🍀🎸🍀
Sorry but part of it is the fact that the Mustang models the entire chain. Amp, FX, speaker and mic on speaker. It's that particular last item that gives a slight less present sound and feel. That is common to a lot of true, full modellers. And my main rig is an Axe FX III. All my amps I USE are Digital and Modellers (Have a few vintage tune amps stored away, but not used). I say that, to show I am not a 'tube snob'. Different modeller platforms handle that beter or worse.
But, the amps like the Katana and Blackstar Silverline, etc, using actual guitar speakers, 'model' the signal chain up to the transformer. This is much more on the Katana with the A/B power source. On the Katana, and amps like the Blackstar to an extent, the Output section and speaker are part of the 'sound'. On the Mustang, the physical power section and speaker are meant to reproduce, as much as possible what is given it. This IS at play here. And it is NOT a bad sound, as I said, I am a Modeller fanatic.
A true Modeller is aimed at ultra versatility AND allows tweaking for those that want. Thats what they are there for. Katana and like, do a limited version of that, but are aimed a little more for performance. Not to say you couldn't do that with the Mustang. It is exactly why I have a Katana, for small little gigs, with just me and a singer, and we cover a lot of ground. The Axe stays in the studio for recording, as it covers ALL ground.
@@justmehere6094 I say, very well put, laddie. Spot on. 🍀🎸🍀
I own both and this review is spot on! Man I wish we had an Anderton's in Texas.
I agree ! Live in la port Tx. I just purchased a limited edition guitar from them 1 month ago
Love y'all guys
Thank you for your great video's ! Rock on Gents
@Joe Kickass I am having a lot more fun with my GTX100. The Katana is awesome but the built in looper and effects control on the Fender GTX100 is great.
@@kevinmcarthur8548 GTX 100 is fun. The app is so easy to use and allows one to dial in a huge range of amps/effects and adjust from the app. I don’t have a Katana but it appears that’s not as easy since it requires plugging into a computer etc. I like that the GTX comes with a very useful foot switch. Happy jamming!
While I do love and enjoy watching all of the videos from the team at Anderton’s, there is something special about the combo of Chappers & The Captain!
I'll take the GTX. It just does everything you could ever want. Fenders, Vox's, Marshalls, acoustic amp, acoustic sim, good effects, built in looper......what more could you want? I own a GTX50 and it sounds great to me.
The part of this video that I enjoyed the most was the "applications" discussion. I thought it revealing what you two thought that each amp was best for -- the "home" tone vs. "pro" tone argument. I'm an older campaigner than either of you, and I've done the amp with pedals thing and liked it. That said, the most satisfying "gig" I've played was for a friend's birthday party, where it was just me, some tunes in a cell phone for "backing tracks", me, my axe, and a DigiTech RP250 that I've since sold (to help pay for one of its big sisters). I had tweaked the RP's sounds for months and had many of them just so. I plugged into the venue's PA and WENT! Not only did things sound great, but before I knew it, someone had set up a tip jar for me, and I EFFORTLESSLY made $13! That would NOT have been possible with the old amp and pedals routine, as it would have taken too long to get the best sounds. I even had a few patches with ducking delays, which REALLY sounded great as well as studio-like. Since then, I've acquired an old Zoom G9.2tt Guitar Effects Console, and although I might be loathe to play it out because of its age (maybe 15 years) and its fragile 12AX7 valves, I would also like to hear IT through a nice PA. I also think that it would be possible to program each unit to yield whatever cut and punch Chappers would like to hear. So that's my take on my own gear. As for the BOSS and Fender amps you demoed in this video, I would probably go with the BOSS unit unless I never was going to play it out, in which case the Fender is that much more like my current digital gear and would win the day. So there! Thanks, fellas!😎❤️️🎸‼️
Owned both. GTX hands down. The interface on the iPad is so freaken good. It's fun and functional. It's not my paint shredding Fender Machete, but I really like it. I did't like the way the Katana dual purposes some of the efeects knobs. Confused my feeble old mind.
That's because you're one of the Pod People. Opinion immediately discarded.
I looked at them both and walked out with the Fender for the same reason. The tones were good, but the iPad interface made it so useable. Plus, the fact that it came with a foot switch that allowed me to to easily change presets, use it as a pedal board, and also a very useful looper were ultimately what sold me on the Fender.
I wonder if some of the presence/guitar-forward issues with the GTX could be fixed more easily using the global eq settings? They include ”FLAT EQ” (a good
default choice that actually provides no additional equalization), two different “GUITAR FOCUS” profiles, two different “BRIGHT BOOST” profiles for accentuating the top end, two “LOW CUT” profiles for trimming bass response, and a “LOW VOLUME BASS BOOST” profile for enhanced bass response at lower volume settings.
I have the GTX 100 and the Katana Mk II, and I love both of them for the differences.
I've played them both and I had a preference for the Fender tones, but I could just as easily see someone preferring the Katana. I don't think you would go wrong with either.
The Fender GTX 100 sounds better at gig volumes. All of the “amp” settings are great - turn the knob to the amp you like and go. Very simple. Owned Katana 100, Helix LT with powercab and this sounds better especially on the Fenders and Plexi amp. Light, very loud, looks good. Gigged 30 times with it and it has been reliable too. At any venue loud enough less than half volume.
I was so close to selling my Katana untill i activated the noise gate on tone studio. No annoying buzz and hissing anymore and i can now crank it up in the studio to achieve epic tones!!
How do you do that?
@@nicolamagliocco9601 if you go onto tone studio, on the bar where is says booster, mod, fx etc theres a bit that says NS, click on that and it comes up noise gate and turn it upto 50, you can put the gain and booster on max with no crazy noise 😀
wow, i’m going to activate it now!
@@derekjohnson5720 cool! thanks man! that'll be helpful
Had a similar issue. I discovered the noise gate helped but turned out I had a ground wire issue on my guitar bridge pickup.
You have to go to the Global EQ and do a bright boast or one of the others. The stock global eq is boxy. I really wished they had done that from the get go; it would have served them much better.
I just went to the music store, I was set on the Katana because of this video. I test them both and chose the GTX because of the easy of setting the tones. I even left the store convinced that the Katana sounded better. On day 3 of owning it I discovered the Global EQ menu and my mind and ears were blowned by the jump in tone quality. Now Im postive I made the right choice.. i can make my Fender Mustang GTX sound exactly how I want.
What’s your go-to global EQ?
@@Masetheguitarman After try them all I landed on Guitar Focus 2, haven't changed it since I found it. It's all subjective, but to me that one makes the AMP shine.
@@GOKUNYC1 I’ve got a great tip that I found deep in a guitar forum: add the 5 Band Graphic EQ before literally every single amp and lower the 80hz to zero. Guitar does not need that frequency at all, and what that does is remove that nasty BLAT sound that sometimes happens with the amp at higher volumes and also makes the actual amp EQ knobs respond as they should. Definitely try it out
One thing not brought up is the ease of downloading great new user patches for the GTX on my phone with the Fender app. I play mainly tele country and rockabilly stuff. There's so many great user tones for any genre. Plus very easy to customize existing patches you do like to suit the sound you want. I liked the Katana in the store, so no hate there... but ended up buying the GTX100. No regrets with my decision. Also I only play at home, so it's great for users like me. I've owned many amps over the years, and sold off all my heavy amps after getting the GTX. It's so light weight, it really surprised me at the sound quality. Also last said I disliked 80% of the presets, but tweaking and saving w/other amp, and fx settings is part of the fun I think.
Katana surprises me every time I hear it! The fender sounds really compressed.
Go with the Katana. I had a GT100 but eventually the novelty wore off. There were some good sounds to be had, and being able to record directly form the amp was convenient. All those effects and amps are great options to have when recording. Playing at band volume though? I had this nagging feeling I was always playing a computer simulation. I bought my Katana 100 a few months after I bought the Mustang. I still have the Katana while the Mustang has found a new home.
I emailed a Fender rep as soon as I heard about the GTX. I asked what specifically had changed between the GT and GTX. Minor tweaks here and there, models were tweaked to be more efficient, new amps and effects. The usual marketing hype job. I was hoping to hear they increased the RAM and doubled the processor count. Nope. That would have eaten in to the TM series.
If you are considering these two amps and can only get one let the following guidelines apply:
Mainly recording at home with occasional live playing? GTX.
Mainly playing out live and only occasional, if ever, recording from the unit? Katana.
Go to settings on the Fender and change EQ from flat to guitar focus 1 or 2. It really makes the Fender GTX come alive. Great tones. Both excellent amps :)
@Hulk Hogan the katana won't do metal. Not even close
@Hulk Hogan Peavy is difficult to figure out how to use the controls and requires you to already be a good guitar player.
Read a comment by someone else sayed Peavy is hell on earth.
MAYHEM XXX
@Hulk Hogan there is no good use for katana amps, got no balls.
@@luismangiaterra1031 Peavey Katana? someone's a bit confused lol
@@Witcher58 no, two different amps.
The Peavey practice amp is better for metal.
I never thought I'd be like this but I have multiple amps for different moods. I have a Spark practice amp which I love because I can just change out pedals and amps via my phone. I never thought I'd tinker too much, but I love being lazy and just switching things like that instead of getting out a pedalboard etc. It's great because of so many people already creating sounds to just plug in (one complaint is it has no organization). Otherwise I tend to use my blues junior if I want a little more thump and grit of a tube amp. Plus I just love the way the tweed looks. Ater that I have a fender modeling amp, the Champion 50xl that I like when I want to plug into a different kind of Fender sound. I haven't played the more digital version, but I think that might have been a better buy if it sounds as good as the 50. Those are almost all the home playing amps I have. So for me I think the Fender one modeled here has a place for me or would.
Really, really enjoyed your review. I have seen a few of your others and they are so good at giving a reasonable overall view of a product. I recently purchased the Fender GTX100, but still waiting for it to get here. I have my "real" setup. I was really after modern tech and capabilities of streaming music to the amp and playing with it. If this really does work, I will absolutely love this amp, once I dial in "my" sound. From the video, the sounds your get from the MKII are within the bounds of what I already have with a pedal train. So, I completely agree for a stage I could tell the difference it forward projection of sound and how that would mix with a live situation. I just hope the Fender sounds full and not thin.
How did you go, do you like your new fender?
You missed the last part of the journey, when your back is broken after 25 years of dragging around tube amps and you shift to solid state, knowing that the audience can't tell the difference.
I like the boss. I don't like multiple screens to adjust tone. Boss is simple if you want it to be. Or complex if you want
@Rocky Racoon And the adjustability of the reverb and delay are pretty underrated on the Katana as well. You can get any sound you want, short of a full valve amp, but I mean for $360 it's not reasonable to expect that.
I have to agree with the man. The genius of the Katana is that you can just turn it on and use it with the panel settings, or you can go into the tone studio software on your computer and tweak absolutely everything and set it up with a footswitch if you want. Likewise, it sounds great at home on 0.5W mode, but I can also take it along to a rehearsal or even to a gig as a backup or for a bit of stage volume if I'm using the Helix. Oh, and it sounds great with acoustics. It's a proper Swiss army knife of a tool.
Well said. I love the Kat because I can dial in a good tone right on the panel and just play. But for those that love to tone chase and tweak every little thing, they can do that to their heart’s content in tone studio. Best of both worlds.
Yeah and in 10 years time the screen won't work on the fender but the boss will be still working fine IMO
My only gripe with katana is that I couldn't get it to sound like a real tube amp it was too spiky and the no mount of compression or switching to low-watt output could get the power sag effect right
Fender Mustang GTX has a built in “ Global eq” (power amp eq). If you use “only” the “flat eq”, you can hear this difference between the Katana and Mustang.
If you change the EQ to “guitar focus2” the Mustang will be the winner!
🤘🏽🤘🏼🤘🏾🤘🏿
The “flat eq” is not more only a practice setup... the “guitar focus2” is the real “gig ready setup”
That's it. It is a pitty that it wasn't highlighted, this very important setting of EQ. It makes a huge difference. Both are great amps bytheway.
Playing metal with a 7 strings, Fender GTX with "guitar focus2" it is better than Katana? (or Peavey Vypyr X )?
@@bertssuggests this is a good question! :) I have experience with the GTX but i’ve never tested the Peavey Vypyr. Gtx can do the metal things very well and also the Katana, both are very good solid state amp.
Low tuning and seven strings will maybe too much for the Gtx’s bulit in speaker.
My recommendation is a Katana head with external speaker cab.
@@kristofmolnar2852 finally take Peavey Vypyr X2 and it’s sounded awesome.
60w and it’s pretty loud.
That's very interesting!
Okay. Gonna sound like major fanboy here but the reality is the world has changed. The only real guitar shop that I could demo more than 2 brands is 3 hours away and in another state. If I cross that state line I have to quarantine for two weeks. You just can’t go out and try anything anymore. What Andertons and That Pedal Show are doing is more important to those of us in the sticks in the US and probably anywhere else than I think they realize. I need a new amp. My 80’s 100 watt Dean Markley tube which weighs in at about a thousand pounds and shakes the shingles off the house died and I want something more affordable, lighter weight, that I can noodle with. I play at home for my own sanity. What you all have done is provide choices that I would never get otherwise. So keep up the good work gents and if I can buy from you I will, ocean away be damned because brand loyalty is a thing.
42:02 The disclaimer/clarification (60 seconds or so) is perfectly reasonable and well-said. The video was very interesting: thank you!
As soon as Rob played that E chord of back in black, The Captains face instantly went, “ abort abort ! “ hahah
Lol. The Katana still really punches way above it's weight class. Boss just got the Katana right from the MK1. It just provides a much more expensive and premium sound in every single setting, than you pay for. Super impressive, even a few years on.
I agree they could of sold it for more money.
@Jonathan z. or pegs rather?????
Not to mention, the Katana seems much more road worthy, while the Mustang has the aesthetics of home decor,. I'm sick and tired of manufacturers treating anything that isn't tube powered as practice amps. Take note, any amp 40W and up will be considered for gigging, and should be built for such, so please...No, Particle Board, MDF, and lack of corner protection.
Glasgow here. I've an older Mustang III v.2 (switched the factory spkr out for an Eminence tho) and a brand new Tone Master Super but I agree with you. 🍀🎸🍀
@@choplass my Peavy viper would blow the doors off your katana any day .Metal
I'm very happy, in fact relieved to see you two back together. I hope to see more videos with you two reviewing things. You two do it the best.
What was Global EQ set to on the GTX for the video? Wondering if that affected the lack of punch - one of the Guitar Focus or Bright Boost settings may have evened things out.
Also changing the cabinet types. They haven’t mentioned about this setting. I have tried this amp at shop ( also Katana) definitely a better sound options at GTX. I will buy one very soon..🤘
It's that old psychoacoustic phenomenon. Whatever is the loudest is always going to sound better. Turn the Fender up 5 or 6 db and you've got a fair fight.
True, I just bought the GTX 100 and like any modeling amp once you dial it in the amp can definitely hold its own against the boss. If you want an unbiased review go to the (intheblues) youtube channel, he gave the best A/B comparison on TH-cam.
@@Pablo-xn9cd so apparently using the amps with their default settings is biased now? Ok
I say this every time. But, it’s always great to have chappers and the captain together. I want to see the captain go to Malta at some point. That would be cool.
Thanks again for another informative video. I have been trying to figure out if I want to buy the GTX, Line 6 Pod Go or a combo of pedals with a preamp or sim into direct. For what I’m doing at church, potential for multiple uses at home (practice, home stereo or just looking amazing) and my love for fender products I think I’ll go with GTX. As always, love Rob and Cap’s videos.
I really hope the mic was badly positioned or something was amiss, because the fender sounded awful..
I'm a bedroom/home only player who loves edge of breakup Fender tones, like Hendrix and SRV strat tones (I know Hendrix didn't always play Fenders, not the point). And 60s and 70s classic rock.
But very important is I have an extensive pedalboard for my dirt tones, like fuzz, overdrive, distortion.
Due to me using external pedals for dirty tone, but wanting the amp as a clean platform, which would be the right amp?
I think either would be good.. fender is always great for a pedal platform in my opinion but the katana 100 is the one I went with.. it's basic sound is better for what I like. Takes pedals AWESOME!! Either choice i think is good for platform
In a review environment, Rob is amazing with his insights. Good to have you back.
Katana: Sounds like a "live in-the-room" amp
GTX100: Sounds like the "idealized recording" of an amp
@John Martin Cantorne I own a fender amp and it sounds lame in person but fantastic when you're recording it cuts through the mix so nicely
It's kind of spooky that the story at 41:00 was so accurate. I went from my basic first set up to a mustang gt100 to my voxac15 with some pedals.
Time well spent thanks Gentlemen. I got a Katana 100 mk1. I ran a Boss GT8 into Roland Cube before that and it really didn't do it for me. Digital mush in headphones and that set up. Then caught Dave Simpson noodling for 10 minutes before starting to talk about the Katana....and was inspired to give it a try. His drop in to you guys to talk about gear was great BTW . Sold my Cube and Gt8 and acquired the Katana and GA-FC. i am blown by how solid it sounds in the bedroom, did a gig at last in October and the band thought it sounded great. It makes my playing seem to ring nicely whatever, always solid even with freaky tweaks and effects on max. The Fender here sounded pushed and processed ...so ill stick with the Katana for now...
Shout out to whomever threw in the Bedtime Stories intro music very briefly.
Edit: All of the editing throughout the video was top notch, as always.
Nice to see Chappers back with Lee. Your on-screen chemistry made me a fan of Anderton's. All the best to you both, and everyone at Anderton's. Please be safe.
Most expensive Boss Katana vs affordable tube would be cool to see too. I have an Artist and love it, don't feel like I'm missing out on too much.
I'd like to see that!
A katana artist vs DSL 40, peavey classic 30, 6505 plus combo, prs sonzera 50 combo and Blackstar HT40 combo are all around the same price, all loud enough to gig with and all versatile enough for pretty much any kind of music.
Wow, the Boss sounds amazing! Can't beat the price.
Great to see C+C together again. Clearly you all love the Katana, but it would be great to see a 'best of the rest' shootout with some of the other's in this range: Blackstar Silverline, Marshall MG50, Vox Cambridge50.
Rob you are a great player...I truly enjoy listening to you on the guitar.
You absolutely have to adjust the Global EQ on the Fender. The default "Flat" setting will give you that darker, muddy sound you guys keep describing. Flipping the Global EQ to "Guitar Focus" or "Bright Boost" makes it sound much better. I'm honestly a bit baffled as to why Fender doesn't ship it with one of those selected instead of the "Flat" setting because it makes a huge difference. It also would've changed the content of this video quite a bit to be honest
With “guitar focus2” will be the Mustang the winner...
You were good in this Rob. I like it when your not playing up so much for the camera. Katana wins this hands down really. You were spot on when you said the fender sounds like its 30m away.
Just made selecting a new amp even harder. Thanks.
Would like to Katana Artist vs something similar in price.
The Katana absolutely demolished the Fender in my opinion.
I have a Katana amp its a monster of an amp I recommend anyone to buy one.
The truth is, the competition is improving but they cannot displace the Katana from its top spot as an affordable modelling amp.
If amps could run for money, would bring a whole new meaning to "Chasing Tone"
The fender sounds distant, no matter what I listen to this vid through. Including my studio monitors
That's exactly what I thought too, as if it's in a different room? Maybe this is mic settings or something other than the amp?
I agree, I watched this in my studio through studio monitors, didn't like the Fender sounds at all - and I have several Fender amps I regularly use.
i think the gtx sounds like that because the global EQ is set flat and from what i can see throughout the whole video a compressor was on also the volume is quiet low compared to the katana
It's the amp. Rob says the same thing at about 12:55
I agree 100%, I went thru several Fender amps before getting my new Katana. They never quite achieved the tones I was looking for. I really do love the Boss. When I first started playing this technology was unheard of.
IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! Thanks guys :).
Boys are back in town
Guys if there is no gain on the fender deluxe reverb and twin reverb etc. Is it possible to leave it out of the comparable fender amps?
The Fender sounds like its got a cushion stuffed in front of the speaker...
The Katana is like being stabbed while the Fender is like being hit with a wet flannel.
Adjusting the output levels would have helped this HUGELY. Not having the same levels on the two amps, destroys any accurate comparison. Now, it may be that the Fender is just that muffled in comparison to the Boss. Did you hear this wet blanket muffle in the room @Andertons, Rob Chapman, The Captain, Danish Pete?
The Equalizer knobs on the Katana, attenuate (lower the volume) of their respective frequencies, they do not boost or increase their volumes. Some other amps boost as well, meaning that turning the knob from 5 to 0 lowers the frequency while 5 to 10 boosts it.
If you start with them all set at the halfway mark, you are really setting it for the same tone as them at max but you have lowered the volume of the signal as it goes through the equalizer, lowering the overall volume as well. This can also increase volume differences between patches. So, for the Katana, you should start with them all set to max rather then 12 o'clock or halfway as is the case with many other amps when setting up a tone.
For me, 1 year with a Katana MKII 50watts, it is hard to change for home use. With my Drybell Engine and RC Booster V2(18 volt), the Katana MkII could last me another 2 years.
Wonderful show the two masters together again keep it up the good work guys I hope to see you together soon again big hugs from Boston Massachusetts USA
Katana. every time love that sound from katana
I have not read all the comments so I apologize if this has been brought up before, but on the GT and the GTX amps there is an amp setting in each amp that allows you to choose less sag and selecting that option takes care of that distant sounding ambiance. As a GT100 owner I was quite disappointed with the lack of presence in the various patches that ship with the amp so I deleted them all and started working on getting tones that were full and present. It took reading about the sag settings to help me unlock the full sound that I was looking for and now I am quite happy with the amp.
I have not gigged this amp but I can tell you that these amps are plenty loud enough that one should have no problem doing so.
Having said all that, I do still think the Boss is a great amp that was designed to be its own
entity and it does as well as or better than any solid state amp.
what does sag mean?
I am not an expert but sag refers to the load placed on a tube amp when say you strum a hard / full powercord and the amp struggles or sags in trying to keep up with the demand being placed upon it.
The GTX simulates this when modeling tube amps. Its basically a power drain that results in the tube amp coughing, as it were, when driven. Turning the GT/GTX amps to “Less” on the sag setting helps reduce this.
Can barely hear the Fender,it sounds thin and half the volume of the Boss.
Yeah, they constantly say the fender is bassy, but it sounds so thin on the recording
Yeah or they didn't have the mic volume up as loud or bad placement.
Yeah - Lee and Rob seem to be of the opinion that there's not much between them, but to my ears and this recording they're like chalk and cheese. In which case I'd have to say that the two recording set-ups (mics/levels) must be very different. I've got a GTX100 - very pleased but then all I wanted was a faithful Fender Twin sound through an amp that weighs no more than a large toaster.
Yeah i think the recording or mic placing is bad because i've heard much better sounding demos of the Fender than this. I'm also not sure rob's playing style matches both amps. i feel like the Fender amp is a bluesy amp and the Katana is a rock amp. Like i notice they keep saying midrange, but lots of bluesy players scoop the midrange. Also i think just playing random sounds is suspect demo for me because when i see people buy this amps they normally go "let's see it imitate sound x." like lets do a mayer sound. And that's done with the software.
@@derred723 yeah - Fender is definitely a bluesy amp.
Also changing the cabinet types. You haven’t mentioned about this setting. I have tried this amp at shop ( also Katana) definitely a better sound options at GTX. I will buy one very soon..🤘
It seems to me that the Katana often appears to win these because it isn’t trying to be anything else. It gives you the options of finding the sound you want. These other modelling amps are trying to give you a specific sound based on a specific amp and they never sound full enough to my ears. That could be down to rubbish iPad speakers but the Katana is playing through the same ones and, more often than not, sounds fuller than affordable modelling amps. The first ‘model’ used on the Fender, (Twin, I think), was it’s best sound by a distance to me.
i would buy both. fender for my clean slightly driven. and the boss for more modern heavy guitar sounds would work amazing between the 2.
The Captain has the best face as he slowly realises Rob is playing copyrighted music😂
In which minute?
You're not even allowed to play riffs now? Wtf?
Rory needs a raise for these amazing edits
15:36 says it all. Yes, the Katana would sound more present and forward in a live mix but for bedroom solo jamming, the GTX is the best modeling amp I've ever heard and I played all of them including the Silverline. Marshall Code is one of the worst of all time. Obviously from this demo, the GTX is more bassy and the Katana is more high-midy. Who cares, both are great. It doesn't really matter that much unless for me, I love Fender amps and no one models Fender amps better than themselves except for the licensed IK Multimedia.
Yeah man, if you want Fender sound you definitely should get Fender. The thing about Katana is that it's not modelling any amp there is. You might get close to some known amp, but the modeled sounds are designed for the amp itself. It's Katana sound through and through.
Great comparison as usual guys, thank you!
In my opinion
I think the that Boss is meant for more heavier and harder playing
While the fender is meant for more clean tones and playing
I would still choose the GTX because of the variety different presets, you can make your own, the app, the foot-switch, and you play around with it to be creative
I have the Katana and it's nice. I played the GTX50. I liked the presets and some of the effects. That beats the Katana. A vs. B on the same type of preset it would be close- maybe even give the Katana an edge for natural sounding. But the GTX can model amps and effects that the Katana simply cannot making the GTX more versatile. In a mix, or with a band you would be hard pressed to distinguish between the two. In short, both are good. Buy and play both! I plan to get a GTX100 for the footswitch.
Thanks to this biased test, I'm a happy owner of a GTX100 now 🍻
I own the fender, if you crank it and choose your speaker amp combo wisely. It sounds 👍. Only complaint would be the overdrive /distortion, if compared to a valve. Other than that the fender gtx is a great inspiration/scratch recording amp. No to mention all the digital stereo effects and a solid looper.
Higher volume always sounds better and in this video the Katana sounds better to my ears but the volume is much higher in most cases. This is going to trick a lot of people into thinking the Kanana is a better sounding amp then is actually is. When I volume level on my home computer, they start to sound much more similar. Volume boosting has been a trick of stereo salesman for years and years.
Fender to join with the band
Boss to be the band
I'm really torn between the two. I love the lower end frequency of the Katana. I listen to a lot of metal (Black Label, Pantera, Meshugga) and it just seems to fill that need a lot better.
41:15 I did exactly the opposite. When I got my katana 100 combo amp, I sold my tube amps. I saw literally no need for these dinosaurs collecting dust, breaking my back to move, and requiring upkeep that I just don't have the interest in. The Katana100 is loud enough for gigs, sounds close enough to how I want, and doesn't break my back.
If I ever get a touring deal with roadies, I'll have them carry around and maintain tube amps for me. That will never happen, but that's my view on it.
I prefer my valve amps over my katana but it works well at home to practice with and is more than good enough as backup if any of my expensive amps shit the bed
@@tarkett8529 I agree. In my experience valve amps are generally more satisfying to listen to, and have less ear fatigue.
@@gavin4848 honestly tonally there’s not much in it between a good valve vs solid state in my opinion especially in a mix, I find the biggest difference with how they feel to play and how they react to pedals plus obviously the fact my favourite players used these amps on classic songs which can’t be replicated.
This was great! I think highly of the Katana, but I personally preferred almost every Fender GTX tone they used. Ofc I’m not in the room.
I absolutely love Robs playing!!!
Both of these amps sound great! You can't go wrong with either one.
It sounds like the Fender has an FRFR speaker rather than a traditional guitar speaker. If they were both recorded direct I would expect them to sound more similar.
The Fender is trying to emulate a 4x12 cab with a single 12" speaker.
Once again, Mr. Chapman is spot on. However, in my opinion, the challenger to Katana is Catalyst. (owner bias perhaps) But I've gigged with my Catalyst 100 and it sat in the mix beautifully. I use it as a pedal platform. It has tons of head room. Having said that, the real sleeper is the Vox Cambridge 50, with the caveat that it's a little feature light, but sounds excellent. That's my 2 cents anyway. Thanks Lee and Rob.
I'm an idiot. I just noticed this video is 3 years old. 😂 My mother loved me.
I'll add to the choir with my own angle:
Katana, on every sound no matter how rough or smooth it's set up to be (I mean, you can make a Katana to chug the most horrific Black Metal basement sound), always sounds like an amp with a good mic in front of it. A sound I wouldn't hesitate to gig or even record with.
The GTX100 meanwhile kind of eeeeeh sounds like an amp in a live room played through the microphone and desk to a studio control room and then recorded from the monitor sound, if that makes any sense. It makes smooth and nice sounds, but it doesn't sound like an amp on your face, but rather a recording of an amp on your face. And that's not something I would ever use for anything else than practice.
It has to be something to do with the speakers that they chug in to those digital amps, them having to do everything well enough that they lose the mojo of a class A/B physical circuitry amp design with targeted speaker chugged in.
Further musings. Blackstar HT20 mk.II costs 100 bucks more than the GTX100, is almost as loud and provides with four stellar sounds for most demanding needs. And there was a second hand HT club 40 mk.II for a price of a GTX100 on Andertons website. I know where I'd poke my head to.
Also, would it be even fair to compare any digital amp to Boss Nextone, which is of similar price range to the GTX?
There’s a reason for this: they didn’t use the proper global EQ on the GTX. They’ve essentially mic’d up a monitor with the GTX-so they’ve missed a great opportunity to compare apples to apples.
You guys inspire me. Thank you. Wonderful vid as always
I was never crazy about Fender amps when it came to distorted rock sounds, but love the clean and bluesy stuff. I have the Katana and love it but you really have to program the channel to the specific strengths of the guitar you are using.
That’s very true. But also a quality of the amp in a sense that it truly reflects the guitar you’re playing and its pickups as I found.
Love the discussion gentleman! Novice guitar player who has promised myself a new amp if I made it a year w//o quitting. Going with Fender!!
Havnt been this early since rob had long luxurious hair
10 years ago
so good to see you together again!!
"turn the gain off"?! OFF?! who is that bald man and where is Chappers? 😂
Glad to see the man has made it back always some of my favorite videos to watch got to love Rob Chapman
Thank god you’re back, Rob!😍
The drawback to these amps is the power section and speakers if you use these amps as a pedal in front of your favorite tube amp and best speakers, these function pretty well as a pedal I believe they will sell you the same technology in a pedal format but you will pay a huge amount more for that design
The differences between the amps were often analogous to the difference between a bridge and neck pickup. But don't forget that with the GTX, you can add and control fx boxes. You compared off the shelf sounds of the amp, limiting both to minor adjustments by the knobs on the box. The Boss sounded better on almost all "off the shelf" options. But, would the Fender sound "band presentable" when you open the software options?
or if they'd turned the sag off......
As a bassist just getting into guitar, I started with a Fender Mustang LT 25. I plan to get Katana Mk II 50. If you like exploring and fiddling and tweaking back and forth, the Fender is ok. I think the Katana has nailed the sounds I want without all of that, and you can simply tweak on the fly, and sounds better. (Bass rig: 2 Fenders, 2 Squiers, Ampeg BA 115, Fender Rumble 40). I guess keeping it simple appeals to me.
Do you use your bass into a normal Katana MK II ?
@@wildwayz Hi James. I don’t really use my basses into the Katana Mk II. I only use it for guitar. I don’t really play guitar or use it much at all. I don’t recommend it for bass.