I've been gigging with my Katana for years in churches with the master volume very low and it sounded good. But I recently played an outdoor festival and had to really crank the master and my mild mannered Katana came alive and sounded fantastic!
The Katana has one of the best pedal platforms compared to other solid state amps out there. I've gigged with mine in various size venues as well as outdoors with no problem. I changed the grill cloth on mine and as a result have had many tube amp snobs compliment me on my tone before asking what my amp was and watching their faces and reactions when I tell them it's a solid state Katana 😂😂😂
They were shockingly close. Much closer than a Tonemaster vs it's counterpart. It just makes sense economically to go with the Katana for gigs, practice, etc. (This from a guy with four vintage fenders and several other heavy tube amps, lol).
The light hearted dig about being part owner of Victory amps might have gone over some peoples head but I’m sure many of us got the inside joke. Well played sir 😂
The irony of this is that I watched a Friday fret works from Chris Buck a while back and bought the exact same victory amp setup that he had as he’s one of my favourite players in the world right now. However Andertons fucked up my order so I went looking and got a practically a new one from guitarguitar for a £1000 cheaper than the rrp at Andertons. I then went to see Cardinal Black a few months back and got to meet Chris. He was unbelievable… did I say he’s one of my all time favourite players … but he wasn’t playing a victory. Must not be sponsored by them anymore if ever. Got to tell him my story after the gig and he signed my t shirt merch and cds so I bought a second shirt that I’ll actually wear. Truth be told I would still buy from Andertons even after seeing the KDH vid as I have got a lot of amazing gear off them and they are a top notch shop with a great TH-cam channel. I thought Lee handled it well with his quick response and I still trust them enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Next guitar I’m getting is a PRS DGT SE gold top from them for my birthday in 3 weeks. Am I a sucker? :)
I know others have done it, but I'd really like to see your thoughts on the Catalyst vs. Katana. Maybe something like this where you compare them both to a real amp tone, and then maybe see how the compare with an OD and with a fuzz.
I'm 70 years old so I grew up with tube amps and have had two Vibro-Verbs. One was stock and the other was modified by Paul Rivera back in the mid 70's. I have an original Katana 100W Combo and I love it. It took a lot of tweaking but every time I've taken it to a jam or a recording session it was just stellar. I've used it with pedals but it really doesn't need them. You can get anything you'll ever need right out of the amp if you use the GA-FC. My only complaint is that you have to remember what you've programed into it as there is no screen on the amp or footswitch. The tones are close to what they are suppose to be modeling and the reality is that unless you had them side by side I seriously doubt anyone could tell the difference.
@@dylannolan7454 I kind of think of them as apples and oranges. The Helix, IMO, is far better as far as modeling and effects are concerned but then, unless you're going to run it though a PA which you don't have to bring, it's more of a pain in the ass because you'll also have to bring some sort of amplification system to use it. For example, I use my Helix with a pair of Quilter Combo amps. As far as a noise gate, I kind of don't remember how I set the Katana up. I did it a long time ago and really tweaked the shit out of it to get it to sound good so now all I have to do is select the channels on the GA-FC. I do know that there is minimal noise when running distortion or overdrive. I got one of the first ones ever brought to the US because my friend was a Roland/Boss dealer and he had a friend that worked there. My only complaint is that I wished it had a better speaker but I think the new Artist model has a much improved speaker but I've never heard it.
@@dylannolan7454I have a Katana 2 100 watt combo and in the tone studio can set up the noise gate and works really good. I used to have tons of pedals sold them all. For remembering effects on the foot switch I got some stickers at $1 store. I did same thing for guitars put a sticker on control cover with string gauges when I put them on and tuning
And keep in mind that the Katana has a capable foot switch, a direct out, and tons of accessible effects. Most folks could gig all night with that one piece of gear.
i don't remember if it was you who mentioned cranking the master on the katana but it becomes a different animal. i'm more impressed every time i play the thing. and i thought it was a toy. ive used it for electric gigs, acoustic gigs, headphone practice (for my roomie), loaned to my mandolin player, not one listener has complained or commented other than to say 'i can't believe how good that sounds'.
I don't think there is much question that, at volume, the real thing is superb. I look at digital and modeling for the areas in which it excels: great tone and playing experiences at any volume. There is no place in my life currently to play tube amp loud. Trust me, almost no one wants to hear anyone play tube amp loud in 2023. That I can retire to my private world with extraordinary tones and bother no one else and play to my hearts content is beyond liberating.
I think in my situation I had 2 30-40 watt tube amps that were non master volume amps running 2x12 cabs and they also sounded brilliant once I got the power tubes working. But there is the problem. To get to that sweet spot I’m too loud. I bought the katana 100 combo and started gigging that. My volume dropped an order of magnitude at gigs. Also I did away with the pedals and run direct out. I can carry a guitar, an amp, and a bag with cables, slide, capo, tuner, and a backup set of strings and I’m good. 1 trip to the car. Happy sound man. Happy band. Now I can go to smaller venues and even do silent stage if necessary. It’s not as romantic as a tube amp but I’m playing more places and I’m lower volume that sounds better than a tube amp that isn’t cranked to the sweet spot. More gigs equals more money. Best of all if it breaks or is stolen at the gig I can replace it relatively cheap.
Does Lee own or co-own your newborn daughter John? It’s all I need to know to be honest. Just kidding, been doing a similar joke on the “tube” this evening… but you had your own dig there so I thought I’ll have mine. Good video, thank you for the content.
People who dismiss the katana as crap are generally the same people who buy custom shops, strats to hang on the wall, and point it out (including price) to every visitor they have. Or to be more concise, arseholes. The katana is a pretty damn decent Swiss army knife amp, flexible, handy, and ideal for rehearsals and venues where you don't want to risk a very expensive valve amp.
It's kinda funny all these years later we're still doing the "is it good enough?" thing. Yes, it is. You just played it and it sounded very nice... That's the whole goal. On top of that it's very convenient and considerably more affordable than large rigs with expensive amps.
Hearing someone make a Squier and Katana sound incredible seems so much more impressive than the same guitarist with a PRS and a Vibroverb. Cheap gear is cooler! I’m not saying that we shouldn’t buy pricey stuff. To each their own; but cheap gear is cooler 😎
Value for money is amazing on the Katana. I have the Artist Mark II and as a home player, it will be a long time before I outgrow my Katana Artist Mark II. Great honest video.
Katanas are very under rated. You can do everything with them. Every time I go to Guitar Center I dial in a good sound and let it fly. Always a crowd pleaser. I don’t know why more people are not gigging with this amp. I know the old timers who are reluctant to leave tubes but then I look at their pedal boards and it’s all solid state stuff so explain that. Additionally the amps get miked out and turned into solid state mixed and broadcasted through the P A.
I’ve been using the Katana Mk II Artist combo as my main gigging amp for a while. It’s been superb in clubs and small theatres and takes pedals beautifully. I bought it originally for recording since it allows me to tweak an input tone fairly precisely without pedals. Again for that it’s superb. I suspect the ‘problem’ is that we start with a strong bias in favour of expensive gear. This was justified in (say) 1960-2000. But as amp and guitar manufacturing technology have advanced the difference gap is being squeezed. As your know from your extensive use of modellers, we’ve come such a long way that many expert guitarists happily use simulations of amps and pedals. Only a few years ago this was regarded with suspicion. I suspect it won’t be long before the only question will be not digital versus analogue but good digital versus better. Thank you for another enlightening video John. Your playing as always is beautiful.
These vids are helpful. I own a Katana 50 Mk 1. I continue to hear Katanas sounding equally as good and sometimes better than tube amps that cost lots more. Of course i am just a stay-at-home not very good player...
Excellent video John. I've got a Mesa Boogie Epresss+ 5:25 and a Boss Nextone Artist (have had a Katana).Miles apart in cost. Very, very close in tones. Boss stuff is the bee's knees in you are just using your ears. Cheers Neil (Australia)
They were so close that the price difference is silly. In a gig the audience would not notice any difference. I didn’t think the Katana was underrated, and I thought it was known to take pedals well. The longer I've had had my K100, the more I like it because I'm learning how to get the sounds that I want.
I played a gig once where my EVH 5150 III stopped working midway through the 4 hour set. I finished the gig with a Peavey 1x12 combo - and a little pedal tweaking. The audience didn't know the difference. When we get to the point where we can split hairs like this and still barely tell the difference....the audience is definitely not going to be able to tell. Great video. Excellent playing as always.
I really couldn't tell the difference through headphones. Both sounded fantastic and your playing helps that of course. Given the weight, cost, and maintenance issues of a tube amp, and the inbuilt effects of the Katana, for a keen amateur of intermediate ability like me it's not even a choice. Thanks for the comparison.
I really couldn't tell the difference through headphones. Both sounded fantastic and your playing helps that of course. Given the weight, cost, and maintenance issues of a tube amp, and the inbuilt effects of the Katana, for a keen amateur of intermediate ability like me it's not even a choice. Thanks for the comparison.
A speaker is the ultimate IR 🙂. In this case, a Fender. Some prefer Celestions. The speaker in a Katana is a great all-around speaker for clean and dirt. Plus, you get at least 3 EQs to fine tune or ruin your sound.
I really believe the Katana could very well possibly be the only amp one would ever need. I own one and I've watched hundreds of video's of people trying to debunk the quality of sound the katana gives. To my ears I couldn't tell enough of a difference that if one was in a blind comparison they could distinguish a $3000 amp from a Katana. That being said it can't do everything but it can do almost everything exceptionally well in my opinion. But what do I know I'm not Warren Haynes or any other guitar god for that matter. But I do know for me it's hard to beat (and I'm a tube guy at heart) but if you insist on spending 5 grand on an amp by all means have at it. I'm gonna stick with my $300 magical mystery in a box. Enjoy the videos you're an exceptional player thanks for sharing your experiments and sounds you achieve.
I couldn't tell a difference at all. Maybe there is a slight difference in how they feel to play, I don't know. For the money, the Katana is the clear winner. Is the massive price difference justified? Absolutely NOT. Those Fender ToneMaster amps are a rip-off.
The more videos I watch of yours the less I care about gear. My soul says f that go practice. I haven't heard anything you've done I didn't like. With all this being said, going forward I'll only be taking your advice on things I already want or really need.... I mean it 😂.
The Katana is a great pedal platform, especially when using the clean channel on the amp. I also love that the Katana head has built in practice speaker. So it can be used as a portable practice amp, or a 100w loud as hell head powering a cabinet for gigging. Super versatile. I still generally prefer using my Synergy amp head, but it’s too heavy to travel with. So the Katana or the QC/GT1000 is usually what I use if I need to travel light, and I rarely hear much of a difference.
It isn't either or. Just get a Katana as a pratice amp. It has amps, fx, more or less everything you need for a jam 🤠 Aspire to something more expensive less versatile yet more specific later on. Know what you buy and use it!
I have a Vox and a Fender tube amp and love them both. Sometimes I run them stereo. But, I now have 2 Gen 3 Katana 100s in stereo expand. I use the Katanas a lot more and they cost less than my stand alone pedal board. Ha ha.
The Katana is an impressive piece of gear regardless of its very affordable price tag. Never should have sold mine. Definitely going to pick up an Artist head soon
Same. I traded mine for a Yamaha THR10C that I never use. Mind you, I wasn't able to make it sound engaging, because I didn't know that the master volume matters
The newer katanas allow you to blend all the effects whereas the older ones made you choose between different ones (each dial changed effect at the 12 o clock point). I’m thinking of trading my older one in to get a newer one but I’m stuck between that or just buying a tube amp as well
Katanas are not crap they are just throwaway. There is a difference. They are not repairable or I should say not worth repairing the pcb. Replacing one with labor is almost as much as repurchasing. But I love mine. Just don’t trust it too much. Lol.
i get a kick out of these "compare tone" videos. nearly impossible to discern differences when YT compresses audio so much. in person or using high quality headphones, perhaps.
If an amp sounds good, it is good-- no matter what brand is on the grill ;) Also, 98% of the people in the audience aren't going to notice any difference between the two-- it's more about the music at the end of the day. LOVE vintage amps, but these days the alternatives are so very close in tone, and even better in reliability. Add the affordable price into the mix, and what's not to like?
Great video. Return on investment seriously not there, the Katana kicks it well. Hate to admit it as I had a major love affair with my fender deluxe reverbs but have in the last year sold all of them as no one in my audience can tell the difference in my gear. Now it’s a Katana in a band setting or a universal audio dream 65 in a solo gig.
Kats are great. I have the Artist combo and the 50. Gigged’m both. If you want a tube like tone you’ve got to spend time with the Tone Studio though but that’s pretty easy. About the only tweaking I felt I needed to get a good stage sound was dial the global eq just a bit. Out of the box I think the clean sounds are sort of scooped and hi fi with high highs and boomy lows. Nice at low volume playing alone, but not at all what you need on stage playing with others. Funny, two days ago I stopped by the local shop to play a nice Revstar they had. Being very familiar with the Kat I plugged into one on the showroom floor. I just could not get that thing to sound good. Not sure what was up with it but it sounded not good at all. Not even close to either of mine. I’ve spent a lot of hours playing and dialing and fiddling with my Kats so I’m pretty sure I know how to dial them in. There are folks out there I’ve seen post comments and reviews on the Kat saying it sounded like junk. I know if that one was the only one I played I’d have felt the same. Not sure how to explain that. Maybe it was a bad Kat.
I want to say that both sounded great. Mostly, that's because of the quality of your skills. When I've reflected on the "feel" difference between tube and solid state amplifiers, I find that the experience isn't so much in the ears. Instead, I experience the difference in the fingers. It's a tactile experience. I feel like when I play solid state amps, my fingers feel like they're hitting a solid fret board. The sounds are tighter and spring out. With a tube amp and especially one with a tube rectifier, I feel like there's more give, like my fingers play through the fret board. The notes are also slower and looser. Crazy, maybe? I've been playing both kinds of amps for 35 years, though. Maybe I've hypnotized myself. I'm certainly not stating this as definitive truth, just as a pervasive, subjective experience (...the kind of thing that's healthy for the Internet).
Has anyone started a business of rehousing Katanas yet? How many of us love that amp but wouldn’t want to be seen on stage with it? 😂 I’d pay $100 for someone to make it look cooler.
you can optimize your tube amps easily and make them work better for you and your guitars by swapping the v1 tube to vintage. i work on live gigs .all these modelers and digital amps fall apart distorted through the mix. they all sound like a clean boost instead of distortion no presence no body no warmth, digital compressors. but clean they are not too bad. great for backing and beginners who want to fake it all.
The Katana especially the head into a favoured cab is VERY tough to beat. Ive gone round the houses 'upgrading' from katanas and end up back with one, third time on the trot now.
I don’t have the best ears after years working on jets but they both sounded very similar to me. If I can’t tell the difference then looks like a high end amp is out of the question 😄
It took me a long time to learn how to use and enjoy my Katana MKll head, but now that I have learned how to use it I play through it a lot. I run it through a Marshall Origin Full stack of 412A and 412B 16 ohm speaker cabs for a total of 8 ohm impedance. Please note that typically I use one of my non-tube amps like the Katana head for when I'm just not sure of my mood. I use the Katana or some other non tube amp to just enjoy playing music. In all truth I prefer the tone of my tube amps so I use my Katana to save time on my tubes. So I alternate what amp I play through every day. No use turning on a 50 or 100 watt tube amp just for some everyday playing. The tube amps are used when I feel creative. To be sure, I do like and enjoy the tone from all my amplifiers including my Katana Head. -Peter age 73
Speaker is incredibly influential on the sound. Interested to hear more Katana exploration vids. The intro sounds excellent, regardless of which was used.
I have some really nice tube Amps and a Katana Artist. Every time I fire up the Katana I'm surprised again about how good it sounds. Still underrated even though they are everywhere. If they charged $2K it would get more respect. It over delivers.I have a Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb too, where that wins is weight. Other than that the Katana gives you way more, and I like the Tonemaster.
I appreciate that you used the speaker (and cab) of the Vibroverb against a loop for this comparision. We focus on front plates and cosmetics and superhero choice... I'm reminded of a closed back Mesa Studio Caliber that I played for a few hours then returned.
At 5:55 we have the katana and at 6:24 the vibroverb. I hear something in the high end that makes me think its the katana at 5:55 but I would like to know if I'm correct.
I have a Katana MK II 50 and it's great for home play. I get a good clean tone, good break-up tone, delay and reverb are great and it has a lot of built in effects to experiment with. I think I paid $220 a few years ago. I thought the comparison was at least very very close. Bernie Marsden passed last week and Bernie played his PRS SE singlecut live for small venues and as we know he owned a '59 LP. I can't see buying expensive gear unless you are a very successful artist or simply rolling in money.
Yup. Super expensive custom shop instruments are only justifiable if you can afford it without thinking twice, or if you play professionally and its an investment into your career. The low to midrange guitars these days are phenomenal, and even the high end options that come before custom shop stuff are great for the money
I play pedal steel in a country band here in the Virgin Islands..I have a 50W Mk2 mic'd with an SM57 and people are always telling me how good it sounds...4 presets. that I have dialed in to cover most country styles.The Katana is a fantastic piece of gear!
I'm guessing the VV is the slightly brighter sounding clips? I think the Katana gain sections are all SS analog. Not software. I assume you are keeping the Volume knobs up as high as possible and using the power selector for the output level so the amp section is driven to compression?
I much prefer solid state at lower volume as most valve amps don't come into their own unless they are pushed and most of us don't have the opportunity to do that at home. Most valve amps I've had sounded average to bloody awful at low volume.
This. It’s why I own a Katana. I’m a Princeton Reverb guy at heart but with no master volume it has to be halfway cranked to get the tone I love. My living situation doesn’t allow for that. Often I’m using my katana with headphones.
Is it solid state? I'm, legitimately asking. I'm relatively new to the gear thing, and I was under the impression there was 3 basic categories. Tube, Solid state and Digital/modeling. Tube and SS both being analog tech and digital/modeling being digital of course.
Have you thought about comparing the Katana to a multi-effects pedal like the Ampero II? I have an Ampero II, but the Katana MK2 Head looks a bit easier to use, sounds great, and has a built-in speaker. So yeah, I'm thinking the Katana could function like a multi-effects pedal.
Two identical amps from the same manufacturer will not sound exactly the same. A Fender X will sound like a Fender X. A Marshall sounds like a Marshall, etc. If you want things to sound the same then turn the knobs and dial it in. All amps, even sims come with tone controls. Nobody is ever going to hear the differences live or in a mix. All this analysis is just to sell an item. Kit nowadays just sounds good. Who knows, people might prefer the behavior of the sim. Nice playing.
Sold two of my tube amps and Quad Cortex because of how good the 2x12 Katana is. I do not miss my Jubilee or Fender Princeton Reverb after learning how to use the katana inside and out.
Very close sounds. Question is; was one clearly better than the other? Not in my opinion (under these conditions). I’m old. I have a 100 MK2. Easy on my back when carrying. HUGE variety of useable sounds/effects. Perfect? Nothing is. But especially for the price; a great value. Love the channel. Thanks!
You want to know why the prejudice against cheap gear will never go away? Because we hear mediocre people playing through cheap gear all the time. It’s rare to hear someone playing through $15k of guitars, amps, speakers and pedals if they’re not accomplished players. So, psychologically, most average joes will have more mediocre performances to associate with Katanas than fancy obscure Fenders….
I've been gigging with my Katana for years in churches with the master volume very low and it sounded good. But I recently played an outdoor festival and had to really crank the master and my mild mannered Katana came alive and sounded fantastic!
The Katana is a genius piece of engineering
The Katana has one of the best pedal platforms compared to other solid state amps out there. I've gigged with mine in various size venues as well as outdoors with no problem. I changed the grill cloth on mine and as a result have had many tube amp snobs compliment me on my tone before asking what my amp was and watching their faces and reactions when I tell them it's a solid state Katana 😂😂😂
They were shockingly close. Much closer than a Tonemaster vs it's counterpart. It just makes sense economically to go with the Katana for gigs, practice, etc. (This from a guy with four vintage fenders and several other heavy tube amps, lol).
The light hearted dig about being part owner of Victory amps might have gone over some peoples head but I’m sure many of us got the inside joke. Well played sir 😂
The irony of this is that I watched a Friday fret works from Chris Buck a while back and bought the exact same victory amp setup that he had as he’s one of my favourite players in the world right now. However Andertons fucked up my order so I went looking and got a practically a new one from guitarguitar for a £1000 cheaper than the rrp at Andertons. I then went to see Cardinal Black a few months back and got to meet Chris. He was unbelievable… did I say he’s one of my all time favourite players … but he wasn’t playing a victory. Must not be sponsored by them anymore if ever. Got to tell him my story after the gig and he signed my t shirt merch and cds so I bought a second shirt that I’ll actually wear. Truth be told I would still buy from Andertons even after seeing the KDH vid as I have got a lot of amazing gear off them and they are a top notch shop with a great TH-cam channel. I thought Lee handled it well with his quick response and I still trust them enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Next guitar I’m getting is a PRS DGT SE gold top from them for my birthday in 3 weeks. Am I a sucker? :)
Bro this sent me. Great great nod. 😂
That was really funny! 😂😂
KDH had an impact. Made me smile.
🙂
Virtually identical based on what I was hearing, at least through TH-cam.
The Katana is one of the best creations for guitarists in the last 10 years.
I know others have done it, but I'd really like to see your thoughts on the Catalyst vs. Katana. Maybe something like this where you compare them both to a real amp tone, and then maybe see how the compare with an OD and with a fuzz.
I'm 70 years old so I grew up with tube amps and have had two Vibro-Verbs. One was stock and the other was modified by Paul Rivera back in the mid 70's. I have an original Katana 100W Combo and I love it. It took a lot of tweaking but every time I've taken it to a jam or a recording session it was just stellar. I've used it with pedals but it really doesn't need them. You can get anything you'll ever need right out of the amp if you use the GA-FC. My only complaint is that you have to remember what you've programed into it as there is no screen on the amp or footswitch. The tones are close to what they are suppose to be modeling and the reality is that unless you had them side by side I seriously doubt anyone could tell the difference.
Do you get a good noise gate out of it? I haven't set mine up and don't really like it at all. I find the Helix gates sound better our of the box.
@@dylannolan7454 I kind of think of them as apples and oranges. The Helix, IMO, is far better as far as modeling and effects are concerned but then, unless you're going to run it though a PA which you don't have to bring, it's more of a pain in the ass because you'll also have to bring some sort of amplification system to use it. For example, I use my Helix with a pair of Quilter Combo amps. As far as a noise gate, I kind of don't remember how I set the Katana up. I did it a long time ago and really tweaked the shit out of it to get it to sound good so now all I have to do is select the channels on the GA-FC. I do know that there is minimal noise when running distortion or overdrive. I got one of the first ones ever brought to the US because my friend was a Roland/Boss dealer and he had a friend that worked there. My only complaint is that I wished it had a better speaker but I think the new Artist model has a much improved speaker but I've never heard it.
@@dylannolan7454I have a Katana 2 100 watt combo and in the tone studio can set up the noise gate and works really good. I used to have tons of pedals sold them all. For remembering effects on the foot switch I got some stickers at $1 store. I did same thing for guitars put a sticker on control cover with string gauges when I put them on and tuning
And keep in mind that the Katana has a capable foot switch, a direct out, and tons of accessible effects. Most folks could gig all night with that one piece of gear.
i don't remember if it was you who mentioned cranking the master on the katana but it becomes a different animal. i'm more impressed every time i play the thing. and i thought it was a toy. ive used it for electric gigs, acoustic gigs, headphone practice (for my roomie), loaned to my mandolin player, not one listener has complained or commented other than to say 'i can't believe how good that sounds'.
I think that was Rob Chapman
i don't watch rob. maybe studio rats.@@Herfinnur
@@mikeblue385 I don't either, but that one very short video was recommended to me by some music magazine website like Musicradar or Premier Guitar
I don't think there is much question that, at volume, the real thing is superb. I look at digital and modeling for the areas in which it excels: great tone and playing experiences at any volume. There is no place in my life currently to play tube amp loud. Trust me, almost no one wants to hear anyone play tube amp loud in 2023. That I can retire to my private world with extraordinary tones and bother no one else and play to my hearts content is beyond liberating.
I think in my situation I had 2 30-40 watt tube amps that were non master volume amps running 2x12 cabs and they also sounded brilliant once I got the power tubes working. But there is the problem. To get to that sweet spot I’m too loud. I bought the katana 100 combo and started gigging that. My volume dropped an order of magnitude at gigs. Also I did away with the pedals and run direct out. I can carry a guitar, an amp, and a bag with cables, slide, capo, tuner, and a backup set of strings and I’m good. 1 trip to the car. Happy sound man. Happy band. Now I can go to smaller venues and even do silent stage if necessary. It’s not as romantic as a tube amp but I’m playing more places and I’m lower volume that sounds better than a tube amp that isn’t cranked to the sweet spot. More gigs equals more money. Best of all if it breaks or is stolen at the gig I can replace it relatively cheap.
Does Lee own or co-own your newborn daughter John? It’s all I need to know to be honest. Just kidding, been doing a similar joke on the “tube” this evening… but you had your own dig there so I thought I’ll have mine. Good video, thank you for the content.
People who dismiss the katana as crap are generally the same people who buy custom shops, strats to hang on the wall, and point it out (including price) to every visitor they have. Or to be more concise, arseholes. The katana is a pretty damn decent Swiss army knife amp, flexible, handy, and ideal for rehearsals and venues where you don't want to risk a very expensive valve amp.
I’ve learnt the speaker and mic are the most important for tone change 😅 after that I stopped stressing about Amps.
Yeah, I put a Jensen Blackbird 100 in my Blues Cube out of curiosity. It's still there to this day.
Single notes almost identical. On chords the fender is fuller and warmer in the mids, but in a mix the Katana is probably fine
It's kinda funny all these years later we're still doing the "is it good enough?" thing. Yes, it is. You just played it and it sounded very nice... That's the whole goal. On top of that it's very convenient and considerably more affordable than large rigs with expensive amps.
Oh shit; I lost it at “I…am a part owner of Victory amps.”
Hearing someone make a Squier and Katana sound incredible seems so much more impressive than the same guitarist with a PRS and a Vibroverb. Cheap gear is cooler!
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t buy pricey stuff. To each their own; but cheap gear is cooler 😎
Zero people in any crowd would care or know the difference. We buy $2000 amps because we have a sickness. Let's admit it.
Value for money is amazing on the Katana. I have the Artist Mark II and as a home player, it will be a long time before I outgrow my Katana Artist Mark II. Great honest video.
Katanas are very under rated. You can do everything with them. Every time I go to Guitar Center I dial in a good sound and let it fly. Always a crowd pleaser. I don’t know why more people are not gigging with this amp. I know the old timers who are reluctant to leave tubes but then I look at their pedal boards and it’s all solid state stuff so explain that. Additionally the amps get miked out and turned into solid state mixed and broadcasted through the P A.
The thing to remember about (opinions on) gear sounding such and such: lots of people listen with their eyes and talk out of their arse.
Thank you for disclosing your ownership in victory amps, that changes everything, now im still not gonna buy one lol
4:00 LOOOOOOOOOOOL Lee Andertons
I’m listening to the video without watching the screen. You can’t hear a difference.
I’ve been using the Katana Mk II Artist combo as my main gigging amp for a while. It’s been superb in clubs and small theatres and takes pedals beautifully. I bought it originally for recording since it allows me to tweak an input tone fairly precisely without pedals. Again for that it’s superb. I suspect the ‘problem’ is that we start with a strong bias in favour of expensive gear. This was justified in (say) 1960-2000. But as amp and guitar manufacturing technology have advanced the difference gap is being squeezed. As your know from your extensive use of modellers, we’ve come such a long way that many expert guitarists happily use simulations of amps and pedals. Only a few years ago this was regarded with suspicion. I suspect it won’t be long before the only question will be not digital versus analogue but good digital versus better. Thank you for another enlightening video John. Your playing as always is beautiful.
These vids are helpful. I own a Katana 50 Mk 1. I continue to hear Katanas sounding equally as good and sometimes better than tube amps that cost lots more. Of course i am just a stay-at-home not very good player...
“I’m a part owner of victory amps” 🤣
😂😂😂😂 Came to make the same comment. Hilarious
No, I'm a part owner of Victory Amps..! 🤣🤣
Excellent video John. I've got a Mesa Boogie Epresss+ 5:25 and a Boss Nextone Artist (have had a Katana).Miles apart in cost. Very, very close in tones. Boss stuff is the bee's knees in you are just using your ears.
Cheers Neil (Australia)
They were so close that the price difference is silly. In a gig the audience would not notice any difference. I didn’t think the Katana was underrated, and I thought it was known to take pedals well. The longer I've had had my K100, the more I like it because I'm learning how to get the sounds that I want.
I played a gig once where my EVH 5150 III stopped working midway through the 4 hour set. I finished the gig with a Peavey 1x12 combo - and a little pedal tweaking. The audience didn't know the difference.
When we get to the point where we can split hairs like this and still barely tell the difference....the audience is definitely not going to be able to tell. Great video. Excellent playing as always.
I recommend getting in touch with Dave Simpson. He does some incredible things with the Katana!
4:02 I almost spit out my drink 😂
Lmao
I don’t hear much if a difference
Hi, Jonathan. I bought your Katana patches but I can't get them to download. The .tsl files can't open on my MacBook.
I really couldn't tell the difference through headphones. Both sounded fantastic and your playing helps that of course. Given the weight, cost, and maintenance issues of a tube amp, and the inbuilt effects of the Katana, for a keen amateur of intermediate ability like me it's not even a choice. Thanks for the comparison.
I really couldn't tell the difference through headphones. Both sounded fantastic and your playing helps that of course. Given the weight, cost, and maintenance issues of a tube amp, and the inbuilt effects of the Katana, for a keen amateur of intermediate ability like me it's not even a choice. Thanks for the comparison.
A speaker is the ultimate IR 🙂. In this case, a Fender. Some prefer Celestions. The speaker in a Katana is a great all-around speaker for clean and dirt. Plus, you get at least 3 EQs to fine tune or ruin your sound.
I really believe the Katana could very well possibly be the only amp one would ever need. I own one and I've watched hundreds of video's of people trying to debunk the quality of sound the katana gives. To my ears I couldn't tell enough of a difference that if one was in a blind comparison they could distinguish a $3000 amp from a Katana. That being said it can't do everything but it can do almost everything exceptionally well in my opinion. But what do I know I'm not Warren Haynes or any other guitar god for that matter. But I do know for me it's hard to beat (and I'm a tube guy at heart) but if you insist on spending 5 grand on an amp by all means have at it. I'm gonna stick with my $300 magical mystery in a box. Enjoy the videos you're an exceptional player thanks for sharing your experiments and sounds you achieve.
I couldn't tell a difference at all. Maybe there is a slight difference in how they feel to play, I don't know.
For the money, the Katana is the clear winner. Is the massive price difference justified? Absolutely NOT.
Those Fender ToneMaster amps are a rip-off.
The more videos I watch of yours the less I care about gear. My soul says f that go practice. I haven't heard anything you've done I didn't like. With all this being said, going forward I'll only be taking your advice on things I already want or really need.... I mean it 😂.
The Katana is a great pedal platform, especially when using the clean channel on the amp. I also love that the Katana head has built in practice speaker. So it can be used as a portable practice amp, or a 100w loud as hell head powering a cabinet for gigging. Super versatile. I still generally prefer using my Synergy amp head, but it’s too heavy to travel with. So the Katana or the QC/GT1000 is usually what I use if I need to travel light, and I rarely hear much of a difference.
It isn't either or. Just get a Katana as a pratice amp. It has amps, fx, more or less everything you need for a jam 🤠
Aspire to something more expensive less versatile yet more specific later on.
Know what you buy and use it!
I have a Vox and a Fender tube amp and love them both. Sometimes I run them stereo. But, I now have 2 Gen 3 Katana 100s in stereo expand. I use the Katanas a lot more and they cost less than my stand alone pedal board. Ha ha.
The Katana is an impressive piece of gear regardless of its very affordable price tag. Never should have sold mine. Definitely going to pick up an Artist head soon
Same. I traded mine for a Yamaha THR10C that I never use. Mind you, I wasn't able to make it sound engaging, because I didn't know that the master volume matters
The newer katanas allow you to blend all the effects whereas the older ones made you choose between different ones (each dial changed effect at the 12 o clock point). I’m thinking of trading my older one in to get a newer one but I’m stuck between that or just buying a tube amp as well
@@jamesa6080 A good tube amp is quite the experience. The Katana is awesome for the price - you can’t go wrong with either (or both 😁)
Katanas are not crap they are just throwaway. There is a difference. They are not repairable or I should say not worth repairing the pcb. Replacing one with labor is almost as much as repurchasing. But I love mine. Just don’t trust it too much. Lol.
i get a kick out of these "compare tone" videos. nearly impossible to discern differences when YT compresses audio so much. in person or using high quality headphones, perhaps.
If an amp sounds good, it is good-- no matter what brand is on the grill ;) Also, 98% of the people in the audience aren't going to notice any difference between the two-- it's more about the music at the end of the day. LOVE vintage amps, but these days the alternatives are so very close in tone, and even better in reliability. Add the affordable price into the mix, and what's not to like?
I am surprised that someone actually did a comparison between a Vibroverb/lux and the Katana.
When I began to feel too old to be on the road any longer I gave my trusty Marshall to my grandson and bought a Katana. It's fabulous!
Great video. Return on investment seriously not there, the Katana kicks it well. Hate to admit it as I had a major love affair with my fender deluxe reverbs but have in the last year sold all of them as no one in my audience can tell the difference in my gear. Now it’s a Katana in a band setting or a universal audio dream 65 in a solo gig.
Kats are great. I have the Artist combo and the 50. Gigged’m both. If you want a tube like tone you’ve got to spend time with the Tone Studio though but that’s pretty easy. About the only tweaking I felt I needed to get a good stage sound was dial the global eq just a bit. Out of the box I think the clean sounds are sort of scooped and hi fi with high highs and boomy lows. Nice at low volume playing alone, but not at all what you need on stage playing with others. Funny, two days ago I stopped by the local shop to play a nice Revstar they had. Being very familiar with the Kat I plugged into one on the showroom floor. I just could not get that thing to sound good. Not sure what was up with it but it sounded not good at all. Not even close to either of mine. I’ve spent a lot of hours playing and dialing and fiddling with my Kats so I’m pretty sure I know how to dial them in. There are folks out there I’ve seen post comments and reviews on the Kat saying it sounded like junk. I know if that one was the only one I played I’d have felt the same. Not sure how to explain that. Maybe it was a bad Kat.
I want to say that both sounded great. Mostly, that's because of the quality of your skills. When I've reflected on the "feel" difference between tube and solid state amplifiers, I find that the experience isn't so much in the ears. Instead, I experience the difference in the fingers. It's a tactile experience. I feel like when I play solid state amps, my fingers feel like they're hitting a solid fret board. The sounds are tighter and spring out. With a tube amp and especially one with a tube rectifier, I feel like there's more give, like my fingers play through the fret board. The notes are also slower and looser. Crazy, maybe? I've been playing both kinds of amps for 35 years, though. Maybe I've hypnotized myself. I'm certainly not stating this as definitive truth, just as a pervasive, subjective experience (...the kind of thing that's healthy for the Internet).
I had the first gen 50 watt Katana, not a bad unit for the price. I could however always hear digital noise at louder volumes.
🍏@ 05:20 ✝️ bless the lady of your life on her BIRTHDAY ⚠️
Try running 2 Katanas mk11 in stereo. I’ll put it up against anything and if you buy second hand the cost is astonishing for the sound you get.
Has anyone started a business of rehousing Katanas yet? How many of us love that amp but wouldn’t want to be seen on stage with it? 😂 I’d pay $100 for someone to make it look cooler.
On my Laptop I couldn’t hear any difference. You are raising the price of used Katana’s.
you can optimize your tube amps easily and make them work better for you and your guitars by swapping the v1 tube to vintage. i work on live gigs .all these modelers and digital amps fall apart distorted through the mix. they all sound like a clean boost instead of distortion no presence no body no warmth, digital compressors. but clean they are not too bad. great for backing and beginners who want to fake it all.
The Katana especially the head into a favoured cab is VERY tough to beat. Ive gone round the houses 'upgrading' from katanas and end up back with one, third time on the trot now.
I don’t have the best ears after years working on jets but they both sounded very similar to me. If I can’t tell the difference then looks like a high end amp is out of the question 😄
Hi, did you use any katana sneaky amp for this tone ? I have the 100 mk2 version. Thanks for the video !
The Katana is a perfect example of disruptive tech. If you can't get a sound out of a katana, time to switch to the drums.
I have a Katana and think sounds great but I play the guitar. Somtimes I think that is because I play the guitar.
Just curious, is tbe Katana out of the box tones or did you customize it on Tone Studio?
None of this accounts for the fact that in a mix, where one normally plays, none of the perceived subtlety will be preserved or noticed by listeners.
Can the HX Stomp keep up?.... Please do a video comparing them too!
It took me a long time to learn how to use and enjoy my Katana MKll head, but now that I have learned how to use it I play through it a lot. I run it through a Marshall Origin Full stack of 412A and 412B 16 ohm speaker cabs for a total of 8 ohm impedance.
Please note that typically I use one of my non-tube amps like the Katana head for when I'm just not sure of my mood. I use the Katana or some other non tube amp to just enjoy playing music. In all truth I prefer the tone of my tube amps so I use my Katana to save time on my tubes. So I alternate what amp I play through every day. No use turning on a 50 or 100 watt tube amp just for some everyday playing. The tube amps are used when I feel creative.
To be sure, I do like and enjoy the tone from all my amplifiers including my Katana Head.
-Peter age 73
Speaker is incredibly influential on the sound. Interested to hear more Katana exploration vids. The intro sounds excellent, regardless of which was used.
I don't know tube amps are great but could it be that they're outdated and our digital solutions just make more practical sense these days?
Isn’t the point of how you feel when you play it….? What the sound inspires out of you…….
Is this Preset one of yours at gumroad? There is no 6 on the Katanas. ;) - the knobs sweep 7 to 5.
I have some really nice tube Amps and a Katana Artist. Every time I fire up the Katana I'm surprised again about how good it sounds. Still underrated even though they are everywhere. If they charged $2K it would get more respect. It over delivers.I have a Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb too, where that wins is weight. Other than that the Katana gives you way more, and I like the Tonemaster.
I appreciate that you used the speaker (and cab) of the Vibroverb against a loop for this comparision. We focus on front plates and cosmetics and superhero choice... I'm reminded of a closed back Mesa Studio Caliber that I played for a few hours then returned.
Once again is proven that music is not instrument but musician!
The Katana IS a pedal board. Just connect it to a computer to unleash all of the effects.
...and yet, you haven't used Tone Studio to shape it even better!!
At 5:55 we have the katana and at 6:24 the vibroverb. I hear something in the high end that makes me think its the katana at 5:55 but I would like to know if I'm correct.
It’s not the amps …
Maybe not even in the fingers.
It’s that shirt😬!
I have a Katana MK II 50 and it's great for home play. I get a good clean tone, good break-up tone, delay and reverb are great and it has a lot of built in effects to experiment with. I think I paid $220 a few years ago. I thought the comparison was at least very very close. Bernie Marsden passed last week and Bernie played his PRS SE singlecut live for small venues and as we know he owned a '59 LP. I can't see buying expensive gear unless you are a very successful artist or simply rolling in money.
Yup. Super expensive custom shop instruments are only justifiable if you can afford it without thinking twice, or if you play professionally and its an investment into your career. The low to midrange guitars these days are phenomenal, and even the high end options that come before custom shop stuff are great for the money
No, I am a co-owner! LOL. In a sparticus vein!
I play pedal steel in a country band here in the Virgin Islands..I have a 50W Mk2 mic'd with an SM57 and people are always telling me how good it sounds...4 presets. that I have dialed in to cover most country styles.The Katana is a fantastic piece of gear!
Katanas are great. I've been giggin' mine for 5 years, and they've never let me down.
I'm guessing the VV is the slightly brighter sounding clips?
I think the Katana gain sections are all SS analog. Not software. I assume you are keeping the Volume knobs up as high as possible and using the power selector for the output level so the amp section is driven to compression?
So yeh - I had it set to 50w mode - ran the Master as high as possible, and then adjusted with the Gain/Volume on the Clean Amp setting
KDH strikes again 😂
No comparison. The live show tube amp has the rich singing top end and full low end. Katana sounds boxy and anemic in contrast.
I think you're probably hearing the camera placement more than anything else
I much prefer solid state at lower volume as most valve amps don't come into their own unless they are pushed and most of us don't have the opportunity to do that at home. Most valve amps I've had sounded average to bloody awful at low volume.
This. It’s why I own a Katana. I’m a Princeton Reverb guy at heart but with no master volume it has to be halfway cranked to get the tone I love. My living situation doesn’t allow for that. Often I’m using my katana with headphones.
Im part owner of victory amps !!!
Part owner of victory… lmao😅😂
LOL @ the Victory amps reference
"part owner of Victory amps"
Its kind of amazing how long its taken for amp makers to sort out solid state. 70 years?
Is it solid state? I'm, legitimately asking. I'm relatively new to the gear thing, and I was under the impression there was 3 basic categories. Tube, Solid state and Digital/modeling. Tube and SS both being analog tech and digital/modeling being digital of course.
Have you thought about comparing the Katana to a multi-effects pedal like the Ampero II? I have an Ampero II, but the Katana MK2 Head looks a bit easier to use, sounds great, and has a built-in speaker. So yeah, I'm thinking the Katana could function like a multi-effects pedal.
Two identical amps from the same manufacturer will not sound exactly the same. A Fender X will sound like a Fender X. A Marshall sounds like a Marshall, etc. If you want things to sound the same then turn the knobs and dial it in. All amps, even sims come with tone controls. Nobody is ever going to hear the differences live or in a mix. All this analysis is just to sell an item. Kit nowadays just sounds good. Who knows, people might prefer the behavior of the sim. Nice playing.
Sold two of my tube amps and Quad Cortex because of how good the 2x12 Katana is. I do not miss my Jubilee or Fender Princeton Reverb after learning how to use the katana inside and out.
Very close sounds. Question is; was one clearly better than the other? Not in my opinion (under these conditions). I’m old. I have a 100 MK2. Easy on my back when carrying. HUGE variety of useable sounds/effects. Perfect? Nothing is. But especially for the price; a great value. Love the channel. Thanks!
You want to know why the prejudice against cheap gear will never go away? Because we hear mediocre people playing through cheap gear all the time. It’s rare to hear someone playing through $15k of guitars, amps, speakers and pedals if they’re not accomplished players.
So, psychologically, most average joes will have more mediocre performances to associate with Katanas than fancy obscure Fenders….
If you aren’t using the onboard effects, the Katana isn’t digital. It’s a solid-state AB amplifier.