Oh hell yeah. After being used to my Mustang III, when I bought my BassBreaker 15, I was astonished at just how heavy that pig is- and it's only 15 watts...
My 1981 Mesa/Boogie Mk IIb with Hardwood cab, EVM,100 watts, Reverb and EQ, feels like 75lbs. I use a Blues Jr, now. If it ain't loud enough, I got a mic.
My main amp right now is a 5150 III 2x12 combo. It’s loud as a MFer, and weighs 84 pounds. It stays in my studio and the volume control rarely gets turned up past 1. I’m considering buying a Katana just to take to friends houses and jam, because it’s light, compact, and has built-in effects.
I hope you dig this video/amp/whatever! Lemme know what you think of the Katana MKII in the comments. 😎🎸 Buy it online: ► Sweetwater (USA) - imp.i114863.net/rdmY3 ► Thomann (Global) - bit.ly/2US8ahC ► Amazon UK - amzn.to/34hEJZu ► Amazon Canada - amzn.to/39U5Vys (affiliate links) Time Codes: 0:00 - A non-fanboy review 0:53 - Backing Track Jam (clean, crunch, and lead) 2:18 - About this video review 3:12 - Clean Channel Tones 4:29 - Crunch Channel Tones 6:08 - Lead Channel Tones 7:58 - Brown Channel Tones (& boost) 10:38 - My first impressions and overall review
Last year I decided to purchase the Artist. Honestly this is one of the best tool for writing and gigging. It has everything in it, thanks to the enermous amount of built in effects. Is it a boutique tube amp? No. Is it trying to be one? No. But this is not what the Katana wanting to be, and it is okay as long as the price is good also.
Sounded great Shane! Also, the optional GA-FC foot switch makes this amp 100 times better, once you get all your sounds dialed in and set in the presets, it is a must have. You can also turn effects on and off from the foot switch too.
Somebody on UT wrote that BOSS recommends that you crank the master all the way up and then use the volume knob for over all volume. This trick is also supposed to work on the first round of Katanas. I tried it and there is no doubt about it: The tone gets warmer and even more lovely.
I'm not sure why BOSS put a master volume on the amp if you need to run it on Maximum to get the best sounds. It's kind of odd, but I appreciate the tip thanks a lot :-)
@@intheblues Maybe because they want to make it sound best when the tube-people try to dial them in the same way they dial in their tube amps. Tube guy: "Look, my amp sounds better/warmer/fuller/sweeter/... the more I crank the master... digital gear doesn't do this." Lots of psycho trickery going on in product design. I mean... wattage selector, anyone?
Shane, The Katana sounds great. I am beyond suspicious of solid-state amps, but Boss has been at it for a while now and this amp sounds great recorded. The truth is how it fits into a mix and that clean channel was amazing. It isn't an expensive amp. The effects are all Boss centric, so you can't lose there. Winner,. Winner, Chicken Dinner!
I saw a boss 12 inch cube it was either USA or Japan quality back in about 1979 and I was blown away that was the first time I ever seen one but it had excellent tone
@Jew Adolf its a part of our communication that's called sarcasm. Gets kinda lost in the virtual world. Shane has done videos of the struggle to find great left handed guitars. So when he takes the amp out of the box left hand dominate I cracked a sarcastic joke about him finding a left handed amp.
Same here except I hooked mine up, set up some presets and haven't connected it back since. I just get lost in how it sounds at a low volume compared to everything else I've tried and yet it can almost peel the paint in my studio apartment on the 50 watt setting and it's an original bought in early '17 Katana 50.
@@guitarocd9984 the people that like it simple ánd the computer stuff maybe...? I have a Fender Mustang III v2 and a Mustang Floor and I can do everything with these amps, also have some stunning presets from Shane... music takes effort, just like all skills...
@@robertpurdy4452 i use the .5 watt setting most of the time. amazing . i can get it to sound identical to ANY santana tone across the years. very cheap ...very happy. who needs prs.
I've been gigging weekly with my original Katana 100, picked up a new one and very happy with it. I've never even updated the software on the original. Great video Shane, one of the best I have seen on this!
It's all good man! The majority of the stuff you've seen on my channel this year goes back to the store. They were nice enough to send a little something out called the Nextone. Waiting to see what that's like. It'll be coming up soon. :-)
You literally didn't use any of the new features of the Mark II. The standard voicings are all the same, the variations, which you didn't use at all, are the new part. So you basically reviewed the Katana MkI again. (OK the speakers are new but still).
I've not tried a mkII yet, but online the tones I've heard so far don't sound as warm or "valvey" as the MKI's. If it ain't broken don't fix it. Personally I don't think they should have changed the amps at all. It would have been better to do a version of the MKI in a higher quality cabinet or a stereo 2x12 version of the 100w. Better still develop a Katana 1x15 Bass Combo. I want to buy one!!
To get the most out of a Katana: #1 - Always keep the Master Volume all the way up. #2 - Download the Sneaky Amps & the Dumble Amps. #3 - (Optional) speaker swap.
"I've never had a guitar lesson" "my amps never been near a computer" all sounds familiar Plug in and play? You need the footswitch to gig this amp I just paid 150 quid for my 100watt 1x12 with the v3 software What a bargain, as for the tone studio it's great fun and it's all free Brilliant for home use with the half watt setting,
No worries about the EVH stuff mate, I don't come to "In the BLUES " to hear shredding ! :-)Please check out the new Yamaha THR 2's if possible. Great demo as always !
This amp really packs a punch for the dollar. It offers dozens of BOSS effects, plenty of tonal options, nice sounding cleans and gain. I see why many people sing its praises.
"Well Shane'..That was massive bro!!".. I was looking @ buying the Boss Katana 100 mk2 with the single 12" Speaker".. But after hearing this demo".. I've just rung my music shop..& re-ordered the 2 x 12 Speaker 100 watt amp..fantastic sounds man..straight out of the amp without having to use the computer to hook up to get started..& it's well worth the extra $$$$ to buy the 2 x 12" Speakers..I'm Fulltime gigging muso..& I gig every night of the week..& I'm using Roland Cubes 100 watts & Line 6 Spiders in my set up..but now I'm ready for a change..so I'm going to buy 2 of this Katana & the GAFC. FOOT PEDAL..to play in stereo..plus I'm really pleased that on the back of this amp.. I can also bounce in my Boss GT 100..& my GT 1000 pedals..as a alternative to the Katana sounds..But Shane.. You impressed me mate..straight of the bat with this amp..Cheer's mate..I just happened on this demo by chance this morning as I was having a break from recording my new disc..I'm going to use a couple of those sounds on my new Blues Cd now.. Thanks heaps mate.. Doc J Feeldood in Surfers Paradise , Gold Coast, Qld ..Australia..😎🎸🎤🎷🔊🎩👍😊
that stock lead tone is really nice. I can imagine you can tweak this for hours and hours but it's really nice straight out of the box. I have marshall stacks but have ordered this amp for my bedroom amp. Technology is so nice these days!
I've yet to hear that Flying V sound bad through any amp! Anyway, I have the 100 Watt 1-12" Katana. I find the effects to be ok. Usually I use my outboard pedals through the effects loop and keep it simple. I like this amp because at age 70, the days of lugging a Super Reverb are long gone. I have weight-relieved Les Paul's, light Tele's and Strat's. I'm too old and stupid to hook up to a computer and download sounds, etc. Save the knee's and the back and keep on playing as long as I am able! Thanks Shane!
When people say that kind of thing, I feel it comes from a place of not knowing what you want. I can find the tone I want in less than 30 minutes and keep the same tone for a long time without having to tweak again.
Good review mate! I'm actually torn between the mk2 100 112 vs 212. Is there a significant difference apart from the extra speaker, I mean soundwise? Cheers!
Sounded fine- I love my original 100, will be upgrading in a year or so to the MKll. One thing missing in this particular vid is a quick demo of the Variations of each channel. And the acoustic channel is such a great addition.
Great test. Im old school in dialing in an amp to my guitar then just adding either reverb or delay so it was refreshing to see a review where the amp didn't have multiple drives or effects in the chain to disguise the tone. Great job Shane in keeping it an honest review much appreciated.
Totally agree ,so many of these "amps",need smart phones ,or similar to get to their functions[or USB cables to your computer/Laptop,which may add to the cost,what happened to using just the amps tones,accessible via a knob ,or button on the actual amp?
That's like saying salt and pepper disguise the taste of a good steak. No, man. They make it shine. Without the effects, every Katana is just an amp that makes silent tones louder, not more or less than a Boogie Mesa: Wood, speaker, cables, knobs, done. The sauce sits in the effects.
I've been using the 100wMKII for a couple of years, and it covers an amazing amount of ground. In particular I love the Crunch with the gain all the way down, getting the early Beatles/Tom Petty kind of sound. I've never hooked it up to the computer because I already had effects I like and put them through the FX loop. If you use the high gain settings you would probably want a noise gate or download it from Boss. For the price? You gotta be kidding me! I bought another one used too so if there's a problem I have a backup. My assumption is that it would be too expensive to fix vs. buying a new one?
I use the original 50 with the boss me 80. It does everything I need for what I play. Sounds great. Never used the computer link. Use 25watt more mostly
Here's my tuppence worth, i've owned and giiged boogies for years, even a mkc+ , side by side A/B'd absolutely tube sounds better, BUT, in the 'heat of battle' at a gig the sounds are sooo good, especially the distortions, Its virtually impossible to hear the difference, awesome amp. There.
I definitely liked the leads better than the cleans. I think they’re all at least useable. When talking about the gear in this price range, it starts to be a pretty crowded market. Can you get better clean tone at this price? Yeah. Can you get better crunch tones at this price? I think so. Can you get better lead tones at this price? For me that’s a close call. But probably yeah. The question is can you find one product that gives you better cleans, crunches, and leads, plus really decent effects at this price? I don’t think you can. I don’t own a katana, probably never will. I’m not a boss groupie or anything. But I totally understand why people in the low to mid priced market are all atwitter about these things. It’s got enough quality, enough versatility, and enough simplicity to really be a good practical choice.
Joe Thompson I mean, sure, happily. But don’t hold your breath. I don’t actually need a better guitar amp. Nowhere close to me stocks these, and the guitar center 2 hours away is a terrible store. I’m not a gigging guitarist. I’m a basement noodler, and I have a couple of cheap solid state amps, a blackstar 10 watt Artisan anniversary that I got on sale, and a digitech rp 360xp that I run through PA speakers. None of that is premium gear, I know, but it’s already more than I need. I’m not sure if you’re trying to insult me for liking the katana too much or for not liking it enough, but based on what I’ve heard from demos, it’s a very versatile, all around useable amp.
I am a fanboy. No other amp solidstate or tube offers the out of the box experience which is why Katana sales have destroyed all others in the past few years.
What do you mean "out of box experience"? Do some peeps play their amps "in the box"? Maybe all that cardboard unpackaging gets a bit much sometimes? Good old human laziness?
It was just a quick out of the box test. I don't have the amp for very long so I did what I could in the time I had. Otherwise the video would have been twice as long hehe :-)
I know I’m not going to make friends with this opinion. But I find the Boss Katana incredibly overrated. I don’t really even like it as a solid state amp. I don’t think the emulations are as good as people think they are. I just don’t enjoy the clean sound (which to me is the core of the amp) sorry if that makes anyone upset.
I bought one of the very first katana 50s in the UK. Sold all my valve combos as a result and bought a 100 1x12 and katana artist and now never use anything else!! Love them...who needs valves eh!!!(?)...
@@petkopeet the standard Katana 100 1x12 is a great amp for anything but the Artist is a step above. Much bigger tone and clearly a upgraded version of the katana design. A pro version.
@@robertmailloux3720 I've owned every model of boogie from mkI upwards...too loud, lumpy, unsweet and sound like a badly modded fender to me. They also "eat " pre-amp valves....and only like boogie tubes. Too many switch's too, but you still can't find the sound your after...and they are all way too heavy too!!!
Yea Shane you sounded great with the amp by itself each time, with no computer stuff. Kind of shows being able to play well is just as important as tone. Good job!
Crikey, mate, right on!! I was looking for a versatile amp that would give clean Metheny tones plus dirty Leslie West tones...saw your vid and went right out and bought one...just great and tons of fun all round!! Thanx, dude.
I notice you didn't try the variations of the amp models; they're very, very bright, but very tube-like. I imagine that they wouldn't sound great on the 2x12, but they really open up the Katana 50. Tried one yesterday and am finally on the Katana hype train, and that's after I bought and sold a 100 a while back. These rule. Great demo and video, Shane!
I have a katana 50 it’s okay but when I got to try real tube amps I realised that I’m a tube amp guy. The katana is just lifeless in that comparison to a tube amp also it was really good at making pedals sound crap.
@Jeff Payne Fender Mustang 3 way better than the Katana. Music store lent me a Katana to try out before I buy, returned it a day later. Sorry but Katana is a piece of junk. Non of the SS amps out there are better than the Mustang 3 especially the clean sounds.
Don’t need a PC to change settings on these amps. It is FANTASTIC at taking pedals !! I own Marshall,Fender amps and cabinets.I play my Kat112 ninety percent of the time and play out with it 100% of the time. It’s a 35lb back saving tone machine and I ALWAYS get compliments on my sound. You do have to set the eq but it has sounded great right out of the box. I USED to be a tube snob....not anymore. Oh and if you try one at the music store make sure it’s reset to factory settings...it will sound like crap if some numb nuts messed with all the settings
Hey Shane. I loved the 2nd tone out of the Danelectro on lead channel using the bridge pickup. It responded well to your difference in attack well too. I’ve got a Peavery Bandit (red stripe) which I love but I’m thinking about one of these for some variety. I recall you’re a bit of a Bandit fan and would love to hear your thoughts on how these compare. Love your stuff as always!
I’m a Peavey Vortex 1 fan Myself and I just ordered one of these amps today I also got a Kerry King Marshall stack but I wanted this for a bedroom practice and some tinkering around with computer and Internet stuff I gotta admit for a transistor amp though it sounds like it’s got some features of a good tube amp
It wasn't overhyped. I only got the 50watts because I don't want to get in trouble in our neighborhood. Haven't hooked it in a computer and I think it already sounds amazing! No more tweeking.
Shane, I believe that you're leaving some money on the table with your Sweetwater Affiliate Link above. I'm an old IT guy, and I tend to look at this kind of stuff. The link in the description box above takes me to the "Boss Katana Mkii" portal page inside of Sweetwater with your link on it. But, if I click into the page for the 100 watt 1x12 (KTN-100-2), your Affiliate link disappears and it looks the same as if I had gotten there from inside of Google. If I bought the amp at that point I don't think you would get any Affiliate credit for the sale. I believe that you need individual Affiliate Links in the description box for at least the 50 watt and 100 watt 1x12 amps. On the date that I watched this (11/6/2019) you had 44,000 views of this video. You should check and see how many Affiliate sales you got credit for on this with Sweetwater. I could call my Sweetwater rep directly and tell him to send me this amp and make sure that the InTheBlues channel gets credit for it. But, that's not how the Affiliate link is supposed to work.
@@frankdeitsch6869 Thanks for posting your response. I have a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue and an old solid state Marshall 75 Reverb. Of these, I've gigged with the Fender, and used to gig with a solid state Sessionette 75 for many years. I'm sceptical about modelling amps, having heard some poor tones from them at others' gigs. I only use one basic sound too, so all the effects etc. would be wasted on me!
I think it beats the Fender Mustang hands down and for the old weekend warrior it's a godsend. It's basically the sounds of a good Cube in a better more user friendly layout.
I do like these amps but my next one will not be able to hook to a laptop. Option paralysis is very real and it sucks hours/days/weeks/months from just prcticing
I didn't have time for that right now. I have spoken to BOSS about a deep-dive review down the track all being well. This was a loaner than I needed to get back really quickly.
Had a katana 50 before I really got to decide whether I was a solid state or a tube guy. I really did like the katana for everything except for the clean sound. It does seem like they have tried to emulate the legendary king of clean sound in the mark two. The other thing I didn't like about the katana at all was the software it eventually came to a point where I just gave up on trying to install it I had everything correct I had all the proper setup and the studio never worked for me. Boss also gave a very vague video guide on how to install it.The final thing I didn't like about the katana that they still carry over here is that the controls are right underneath the blasted handle for the amplifier. All in all I think they're cool I'm glad I got rid of my katana 50 when I did considering I used it to trade towards a Princeton. These are not bad amplifiers and they have made some improvements mainly the ability to have multiple effects on at once. I don't really see the big deal with the variation switch.
matt manley IIRC, the Anderton’s video had some some nice demos of the variation button making an appreciable difference. I don’t remember them trying to replicate one variation using another, though, so maybe it ends up not being that big of a deal? I share your disappointment WRT the controls’ location... Top panels in general disappoint me since it means you can’t stack anything on top of your amp on narrow stages, and it encourages the player to place their amp so it mostly projects the high frequencies towards the back of their knees (and the first row of the audience) which almost inevitably leads to it being set _way_ too bright.
Joe Blogs Only if it’s pointed at the back of your knees, which it shouldn’t be. (Unless you’ve fixed the speaker so it doesn’t beam the highs, but most people don’t even know it’s possible to mitigate the issue, let alone bother to do it.)
@@OtherTheDave Hi, I like my amps on the floor tilted back at the back of the stage. This gives great cross stage projection., doesn't deafen the audience, I can hear myself real well, and I can get to the controls too!!
Joe Blogs On behalf of FOH engineers and audience members everywhere: thank you! That’s a fine way to deal with HF beaming. You’re the exception rather than the rule, though. I did live audio, both as a freelance and house engineer for years. Most of the guitarists I’ve worked with whose amp had controls on the top just point their amp at their knees and turn the treble up until it sounds good at their ears. Not all (obviously), but most. That’s my biggest issue with top controls: they make it really easy to get bad EQ.
Enjoyed this review mightily. The issue I have with most reviews is that we only get to hear the close mic'd sound. Your inclusion of room mic'd sound for comparison is very helpful. The sound in my room is nothing like the close mic'd sound. But, and apologies for going slightly off-topic, my problem with the Boss Katana 100/212 (original) is that the completely open-backed flimsy cabinet mars the sound of a good pre- and power amplifier. The mk2 version does nothing to improve the cabinet or speakers (these are unchanged save the change to red labeIs). I now have a Boss Katana Artist standing alongside my Boss Katana 100/212 (original) and the Artist is incomparably better - much sturdier cabinet only partially open at back and that fabulous Waza speaker plus the connectivity that allows me the luxury of driving my Waza 212 Cabinet.
If you can’t get a bangin tone on a katana for literally any genre, straight out of the box, then it’s operator error. The amp is ridiculously good in every aspect. I have a room full of heads and quad boxes and that thing still amazes me every time I use it. I’ve had mine for 18 months now and have never hooked it up to a computer. So I’m missing out on the vast majority of what this amp does and it’s still a bangin amp.
I have the original Katana 50 - I needed an easy to carry and maintain amp for band practice and small gigs. Works and sounds great - I stuffed around with the computer connection and have ended up just using it as a straight amp. I'm looking to upgrade to the K 50 Mk2 - I like the stereo function, good excuse to buy two! :-) I play in a 20 piece folk ensemble and a blues band - it's easy to get good tones for both.
the guitar geek did a video comparing the boss katana to the marshal code and the marshal code on the heavy tones just crapped out and sounded awful. They also did a video of the boss katana and the fender mustang and the fender mustang did not do to well with the heavy tones unfortunately. The boss katana is probably the best allrounder of the three.
It’s not too bad, way better than the Mustang for sure, line 6 has a new amp that compares to the Katana. Shane I’d like to see you during review of the new Fender Tune master amplifiers
I want those danelectros. This would be a great first amp but of no real use to me. ps Sweetwater rules(i'm in USA) and they have the best customer service I have ever experienced. That is great that they even support you. Have a crackin' day! (BTW, nice Dr John pic, RIP. we boogie-blues piano players really took a hit when we lost him..damn)
Great!! After much thinking on which tube amp to get (and talking to you in instagram) I think for the investment it is better to get the Katana 50 than a 5w tube. Since they are almost the same price in mt country. Thanks.
And by the way I think it was a great video. He didn't use variations but who cares. Honestly it's just more to adjust. You don't need it. If you want a different tone move some knobs or select different pick up. If u know how to play guitar you don't need a variation button.
I have a Mark I and II side by side, not a huge difference, but they both sound amazing, just that the Mark II has more of everything, still fantastic amps no matter which one you have. If Boss was trying to reinvent it they would have probably named it differently, they were simply giving it more features, just like the Mark iterations Mesa Boogie does; aptly named. Best part, I don't have to bring my whammy pedal with my amp anymore :)
You can get an app for the mk 1 called katana librarian that lets you make changes from your phone with an otg cable. Much more convenient than a laptop and just as much functionality as running through tone studio.
I recently bought the Katana 50 MKII and compared it to the new Blackstar Silverline in the store. I loved the instant lead tones I got on the Silverline--very quick to dial in a good tone and it had great responsiveness and a tube-like sound--but when I played rhythm on the Silverline it didn't sound like it could handle all those notes/strings at once and sounded digitally overwhelmed, whereas the Katana takes a bit longer to dial in a good tone, but it seems to process multiple strings better and more pleasingly.
My advice sell it, I paid $500 brand new Boss Katana 100 2x12 in November 2022 and had nothing but trouble out of it, headphone jack no longer works, then one day it stopped connecting to the internet for tone studio, wish I never bought the thing. It's a 50 lb headache
I'd like to hear someone demo the acoustic channel on a Katana MkII - with an acoustic guitar, of course. Being able to use acoustic guitars once in a while - without needed a dedicated acoustic -amp is potentially a huge selling point... IF the acoustic channel sounds good!
Hi, thanks for the video. Very Informative. I was just wondering if it is possible to connect another cabinet so the amp has more power and low end, but I guess it is not. What a pity
Katanas make cracking practice and backup amps or if you know the venue has dirty power, they’re not going to replace a nice tube amp but they are worth having in the collection, and are an excellent first amp for beginners.
Wow. Better then Mustang GT 200? 3d sound? What do u mean Mustang has stereo also no?? How is this "three D"? How this being 100 watt louder then 200 watt?
C'mon Shane... you're grinning and smiling the whole video... you were impressed, dude! Admit it! 😀 I have the MK I 100 and its the best digital amp you can get for the money. I also own a Blackstar IDCode 40 (good sounds, but lacks volume and the software didn't work at all 😑) and a Fender Mustang V Mk II (really good, but I can't use that beast past volume 3!). Great vid, man! 😎
I don't know about the 100 or Gen 3, but I just picked up a MKII 50w and it has the worst distortion I've ever heard. It's shrill and fizzy. It sounds like I'm running through a rather unpleasant sounding fuzz or something. I'm hoping Its ignorance and I'll figure it out. As for now it's an okay sounding clean amp. I might be able to use it to slave other preamps to it, but on its own its all but useless. I totally eschewed most digital way back when the Pod 2 came out. Since then everyone has been telling me how great they are. This is the first digital modeler I decided to buy, and it's certainly not coming itself with glory.😮
This is my Amp exactly after doing 2 months of research before seeing your video, your skeptical...so was I....I will watch and see what your going to say. For a non-gigging rig it has everything I need.
I have the kattana mk1 could not sync it with my laptopwindows7 at the time turned out the harddrive in my laptop was too outdated to accept the software for the katana even do I had the files and tone studio on my computer wrecked my head for ages. Also had to bring laptop and kattana to a laptop repair guy to find this out. It was even melting his head trying to work out what was wrong . new harddrive and updated to windows 10. 50euro it cost so he didn't rip me off doing the job, as soon as harddrive in and updated laptop downloaded zip files and software/tone studio and went through launch set up to link laptop with computer and it finally worked .I also had a vox amp before this and just downloaded everything and worked right off the bat on old harddrive and windows7 and I wound up exchanged for the kattana.
declan mc cormack I’m considering getting this amp and currently have an old laptop with windows 7. I seemed to have successfully downloaded the software and the drivers. Were you able to download that stuff at all before you found out you couldn’t sync the amp? I don’t want to run into this same issue
@@Hooper12911 yes I was able to do that. The problem was installing the file you extract files from the system software then you drag zip files into tone studio that was the problem. The guy doing it said it needed windows ten to run and hard drive was changed to help windows ten run on my computer even now laptop slow as I have stop being cheap and buy a new one
Ask around try borrow one try linking to you're computer some online store let you return goods if they don't suit no problem. I swapped a vox for it when I wasn't happy with vox amp it's annoying waiting shipping stuff back and forth if it doesn't suit best of luck with it
Can you get the Clapton Cream era tone and his Bluesbreakers Beano tone. Thinking of getting the 50 watt version if you can get these tones though I somehow doubt it.
I have a question for you. I have a Randall Diavlo rd20h head amp with the matching Randall rd 112-v30 diavlo 1x12 angled guitar cab. Not sure if you're familiar with it but I'm contemplating trading it in for the Boss Katana 2x12 100w. What might your thoughts be on this?
Honestly, the crunch doesn't sound like crunch. It is way to fuzzy. Sounds like a bag of bees. I just picked one of these up. Probably gonna take it back. It squeaks and squeals when it should have warm feedback and overtones. Blah. $230...so I guess it's good for the price.
Cl an is very nice reminiscent of a Jazz chorus Roland, crunch is where the digital modeling pokes out like a sore thumb. Its not “bad” tone, its a tone, useful in many situations, its just not preferable tone for me, but it would do in a pinch or living room practice, jam sessions etc. but Im a 15/30w crank it and cook tubes guy. But for more modern stuff. Yeah. Absolutely. Its not bad. It has that spongy tube compression thing on your Gibson. Whatever setting that was. Does it come with a foot switch and full FX suite? I think its best suited for cleans though personally.
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The most striking thing to me was when he lifted it out of the box with one hand. Try that with a tube amp and you’ll break your back.
Oh hell yeah. After being used to my Mustang III, when I bought my BassBreaker 15, I was astonished at just how heavy that pig is- and it's only 15 watts...
This is what what I'm in now, the heavier ac15vr or this katana 50 =))
I'll risk my back for far better tone.
My 1981 Mesa/Boogie Mk IIb with Hardwood cab, EVM,100 watts, Reverb and EQ, feels like 75lbs. I use a Blues Jr, now. If it ain't loud enough, I got a mic.
My main amp right now is a 5150 III 2x12 combo. It’s loud as a MFer, and weighs 84 pounds. It stays in my studio and the volume control rarely gets turned up past 1. I’m considering buying a Katana just to take to friends houses and jam, because it’s light, compact, and has built-in effects.
I hope you dig this video/amp/whatever! Lemme know what you think of the Katana MKII in the comments. 😎🎸
Buy it online:
► Sweetwater (USA) - imp.i114863.net/rdmY3
► Thomann (Global) - bit.ly/2US8ahC
► Amazon UK - amzn.to/34hEJZu
► Amazon Canada - amzn.to/39U5Vys
(affiliate links)
Time Codes:
0:00 - A non-fanboy review
0:53 - Backing Track Jam (clean, crunch, and lead)
2:18 - About this video review
3:12 - Clean Channel Tones
4:29 - Crunch Channel Tones
6:08 - Lead Channel Tones
7:58 - Brown Channel Tones (& boost)
10:38 - My first impressions and overall review
Last year I decided to purchase the Artist. Honestly this is one of the best tool for writing and gigging. It has everything in it, thanks to the enermous amount of built in effects. Is it a boutique tube amp? No. Is it trying to be one? No. But this is not what the Katana wanting to be, and it is okay as long as the price is good also.
Sounded great Shane! Also, the optional GA-FC foot switch makes this amp 100 times better, once you get all your sounds dialed in and set in the presets, it is a must have. You can also turn effects on and off from the foot switch too.
Somebody on UT wrote that BOSS recommends that you crank the master all the way up and then use the volume knob for over all volume. This trick is also supposed to work on the first round of Katanas. I tried it and there is no doubt about it: The tone gets warmer and even more lovely.
It works on all tube amps with a master too. Seems to open them up.
Tried it on my Blues Cube Artist 212 too, what a difference!!
I'm not sure why BOSS put a master volume on the amp if you need to run it on Maximum to get the best sounds. It's kind of odd, but I appreciate the tip thanks a lot :-)
@@intheblues it certainly fattens up the sound and gives better headroom.
@@intheblues Maybe because they want to make it sound best when the tube-people try to dial them in the same way they dial in their tube amps.
Tube guy: "Look, my amp sounds better/warmer/fuller/sweeter/... the more I crank the master... digital gear doesn't do this."
Lots of psycho trickery going on in product design. I mean... wattage selector, anyone?
Shane, The Katana sounds great. I am beyond suspicious of solid-state amps, but Boss has been at it for a while now and this amp sounds great recorded. The truth is how it fits into a mix and that clean channel was amazing. It isn't an expensive amp. The effects are all Boss centric, so you can't lose there. Winner,. Winner, Chicken Dinner!
I saw a boss 12 inch cube it was either USA or Japan quality back in about 1979 and I was blown away that was the first time I ever seen one but it had excellent tone
It's pretty cool they had left handed versions!😁
@Jew Adolf He's left handed :)
Nice !! Found 2 more Morons in the Crowd LMMFAO !!!!!
@Jew Adolf its a part of our communication that's called sarcasm. Gets kinda lost in the virtual world. Shane has done videos of the struggle to find great left handed guitars. So when he takes the amp out of the box left hand dominate I cracked a sarcastic joke about him finding a left handed amp.
Hahaha
Negawatt, negawatt, negawatt
Forget the amp.... I'm googling Danelectro 59xt's!
That was the first time I saw this guitar. I was smitten, too!
i have an original katana 50 - never touched a computer. can get great tones easy. so there .
Nice!
Same here except I hooked mine up, set up some presets and haven't connected it back since. I just get lost in how it sounds at a low volume compared to everything else I've tried and yet it can almost peel the paint in my studio apartment on the 50 watt setting and it's an original bought in early '17 Katana 50.
I don't know what school is bigger. The people that want to keep it simple or people that like the computer stuff.
@@guitarocd9984 the people that like it simple ánd the computer stuff maybe...? I have a Fender Mustang III v2 and a Mustang Floor and I can do everything with these amps, also have some stunning presets from Shane... music takes effort, just like all skills...
@@robertpurdy4452 i use the .5 watt setting most of the time. amazing . i can get it to sound identical to ANY santana tone across the years. very cheap ...very happy. who needs prs.
I've been gigging weekly with my original Katana 100, picked up a new one and very happy with it. I've never even updated the software on the original. Great video Shane, one of the best I have seen on this!
I can’t believe boss didn’t ship Shane a free one like they did for all the other youtubers. Regardless it sounds good to my ears.
It's all good man! The majority of the stuff you've seen on my channel this year goes back to the store. They were nice enough to send a little something out called the Nextone. Waiting to see what that's like. It'll be coming up soon. :-)
@@intheblues I think the nextone is more your style.
@@DJ_V_squared Me too :-)
its because they didnt have a left handed version of the amp :P
I got so tired of Boss Katana videos the first go round, I wouldn't have clicked this video but for your different angle. I'm glad I did.
You literally didn't use any of the new features of the Mark II. The standard voicings are all the same, the variations, which you didn't use at all, are the new part. So you basically reviewed the Katana MkI again. (OK the speakers are new but still).
They said on the website the clean tone is different but yeah lol
The speaker is the same. Just the sticker is different.
I've not tried a mkII yet, but online the tones I've heard so far don't sound as warm or "valvey" as the MKI's. If it ain't broken don't fix it. Personally I don't think they should have changed the amps at all. It would have been better to do a version of the MKI in a higher quality cabinet or a stereo 2x12 version of the 100w. Better still develop a Katana 1x15 Bass Combo. I want to buy one!!
I have the mk 1 100 2/12. Love it.
@@Johnny-oy9fh You know how things are nowadays, nothing can ever be LEFT ALONE even if its great the way it is...
Compared to what we had when I was a kid these are amazing. My first amp was a 5 watt silvertone. It sounded like crap.
You love to do that little "Little Wing" riff when you descend a lead line to the bottom strings... Its like your trademark...
I love the way this thing sounds, for the money there's no 212 combo in its class.
To get the most out of a Katana:
#1 - Always keep the Master Volume all the way up.
#2 - Download the Sneaky Amps & the Dumble Amps.
#3 - (Optional) speaker swap.
Where could I download the Dumble patches?
"I've never had a guitar lesson" "my amps never been near a computer" all sounds familiar
Plug in and play? You need the footswitch to gig this amp
I just paid 150 quid for my 100watt 1x12 with the v3 software
What a bargain, as for the tone studio it's great fun and it's all free
Brilliant for home use with the half watt setting,
Awesome! :-) Cool username too haha.
No worries about the EVH stuff mate, I don't come to "In the BLUES " to hear shredding ! :-)Please check out the new Yamaha THR 2's if possible. Great demo as always !
haha thanks, Todd. I thought I better give everyone new a warning lol.
@@intheblues Ha ha, good idea Shane !
@@toddflowers8052 His heavy stuff isn't really that bad, to me. I think the katanas favor lower output pickups.
@@proteus2103 I think you misunderstood my comment.
Can this be a shred free zone ☺
This amp really packs a punch for the dollar. It offers dozens of BOSS effects, plenty of tonal options, nice sounding cleans and gain. I see why many people sing its praises.
"Well Shane'..That was massive bro!!".. I was looking @ buying the Boss Katana 100 mk2 with the single 12" Speaker".. But after hearing this demo".. I've just rung my music shop..& re-ordered the 2 x 12 Speaker 100 watt amp..fantastic sounds man..straight out of the amp without having to use the computer to hook up to get started..& it's well worth the extra $$$$ to buy the 2 x 12" Speakers..I'm Fulltime gigging muso..& I gig every night of the week..& I'm using Roland Cubes 100 watts & Line 6 Spiders in my set up..but now I'm ready for a change..so I'm going to buy 2 of this Katana & the GAFC. FOOT PEDAL..to play in stereo..plus I'm really pleased that on the back of this amp.. I can also bounce in my Boss GT 100..& my GT 1000 pedals..as a alternative to the Katana sounds..But Shane.. You impressed me mate..straight of the bat with this amp..Cheer's mate..I just happened on this demo by chance this morning as I was having a break from recording my new disc..I'm going to use a couple of those sounds on my new Blues Cd now..
Thanks heaps mate.. Doc J Feeldood in Surfers Paradise , Gold Coast, Qld ..Australia..😎🎸🎤🎷🔊🎩👍😊
that stock lead tone is really nice. I can imagine you can tweak this for hours and hours but it's really nice straight out of the box. I have marshall stacks but have ordered this amp for my bedroom amp. Technology is so nice these days!
The cleans sound great with the gain down and the volume up. Crystal clear imo
I've yet to hear that Flying V sound bad through any amp! Anyway, I have the 100 Watt 1-12" Katana. I find the effects to be ok. Usually I use my outboard pedals through the effects loop and keep it simple. I like this amp because at age 70, the days of lugging a Super Reverb are long gone. I have weight-relieved Les Paul's, light Tele's and Strat's. I'm too old and stupid to hook up to a computer and download sounds, etc. Save the knee's and the back and keep on playing as long as I am able! Thanks Shane!
Boss rocks. For those that start out its win win. I have Gt1 and cannot stop using it.
Ive given up hooking up to computer youre right you spend more time fiddling than playing
When people say that kind of thing, I feel it comes from a place of not knowing what you want. I can find the tone I want in less than 30 minutes and keep the same tone for a long time without having to tweak again.
Good review mate! I'm actually torn between the mk2 100 112 vs 212. Is there a significant difference apart from the extra speaker, I mean soundwise? Cheers!
I'm very curious as well!
Sounded fine- I love my original 100, will be upgrading in a year or so to the MKll.
One thing missing in this particular vid is a quick demo of the Variations of each channel. And the acoustic channel is such a great addition.
Great test. Im old school in dialing in an amp to my guitar then just adding either reverb or delay so it was refreshing to see a review where the amp didn't have multiple drives or effects in the chain to disguise the tone. Great job Shane in keeping it an honest review much appreciated.
Totally agree ,so many of these "amps",need smart phones ,or similar to get to their functions[or USB cables to your computer/Laptop,which may add to the cost,what happened to using just the amps tones,accessible via a knob ,or button on the actual amp?
That's like saying salt and pepper disguise the taste of a good steak. No, man. They make it shine. Without the effects, every Katana is just an amp that makes silent tones louder, not more or less than a Boogie Mesa: Wood, speaker, cables, knobs, done.
The sauce sits in the effects.
I've been using the 100wMKII for a couple of years, and it covers an amazing amount of ground. In particular I love the Crunch with the gain all the way down, getting the early Beatles/Tom Petty kind of sound. I've never hooked it up to the computer because I already had effects I like and put them through the FX loop. If you use the high gain settings you would probably want a noise gate or download it from Boss. For the price? You gotta be kidding me! I bought another one used too so if there's a problem I have a backup. My assumption is that it would be too expensive to fix vs. buying a new one?
I use the original 50 with the boss me 80. It does everything I need for what I play. Sounds great. Never used the computer link. Use 25watt more mostly
Not a fan of the OD channel. Cleans with delay were decent, though.
Here's my tuppence worth, i've owned and giiged boogies for years, even a mkc+ , side by side A/B'd absolutely tube sounds better, BUT, in the 'heat of battle' at a gig the sounds are sooo good, especially the distortions, Its virtually impossible to hear the difference, awesome amp. There.
That PRS D-Chord sounds way out... either it’s out of tune or intonation is way out
I definitely liked the leads better than the cleans. I think they’re all at least useable. When talking about the gear in this price range, it starts to be a pretty crowded market. Can you get better clean tone at this price? Yeah. Can you get better crunch tones at this price? I think so. Can you get better lead tones at this price? For me that’s a close call. But probably yeah. The question is can you find one product that gives you better cleans, crunches, and leads, plus really decent effects at this price? I don’t think you can. I don’t own a katana, probably never will. I’m not a boss groupie or anything. But I totally understand why people in the low to mid priced market are all atwitter about these things. It’s got enough quality, enough versatility, and enough simplicity to really be a good practical choice.
Hey Gordon... get back with us after you've played through one for a bit...😁🤟🏻
Joe Thompson I mean, sure, happily. But don’t hold your breath. I don’t actually need a better guitar amp. Nowhere close to me stocks these, and the guitar center 2 hours away is a terrible store. I’m not a gigging guitarist. I’m a basement noodler, and I have a couple of cheap solid state amps, a blackstar 10 watt Artisan anniversary that I got on sale, and a digitech rp 360xp that I run through PA speakers. None of that is premium gear, I know, but it’s already more than I need. I’m not sure if you’re trying to insult me for liking the katana too much or for not liking it enough, but based on what I’ve heard from demos, it’s a very versatile, all around useable amp.
I am a fanboy. No other amp solidstate or tube offers the out of the box experience which is why Katana sales have destroyed all others in the past few years.
What do you mean "out of box experience"? Do some peeps play their amps "in the box"? Maybe all that cardboard unpackaging gets a bit much sometimes? Good old human laziness?
You missed the variation button... :)
It was just a quick out of the box test. I don't have the amp for very long so I did what I could in the time I had. Otherwise the video would have been twice as long hehe :-)
@@intheblues It doesnt take long just to push the button. I think you would have been pleasantly surprised with the different sounds.
@@salsplace I think he said he'll do a full review on this at some point.
I know I’m not going to make friends with this opinion. But I find the Boss Katana incredibly overrated. I don’t really even like it as a solid state amp. I don’t think the emulations are as good as people think they are. I just don’t enjoy the clean sound (which to me is the core of the amp) sorry if that makes anyone upset.
I bought one of the very first katana 50s in the UK. Sold all my valve combos as a result and bought a 100 1x12 and katana artist and now never use anything else!! Love them...who needs valves eh!!!(?)...
Is there a huge quality diffrence between kat 100 and artist? Im considering upgrading my kat 100.
@@petkopeet the Artist is a pro level katana...sounds amazing
@@petkopeet the standard Katana 100 1x12 is a great amp for anything but the Artist is a step above. Much bigger tone and clearly a upgraded version of the katana design. A pro version.
Ever tried a Boogie mk4b head?
@@robertmailloux3720 I've owned every model of boogie from mkI upwards...too loud, lumpy, unsweet and sound like a badly modded fender to me. They also "eat " pre-amp valves....and only like boogie tubes. Too many switch's too, but you still can't find the sound your after...and they are all way too heavy too!!!
Still loving my Fender Mustang III with an Eminence Swamp Thang speaker.
I was going to watch this, but in the thumbnail you're making clickbait face.
This is not another fanboy video, 10 minutes later..... Great sound, Amazing ahahah
After watching this I definately want a Danelectro
Yea Shane you sounded great with the amp by itself each time, with no computer stuff. Kind of shows being able to play well is just as important as tone. Good job!
Shane loves it and I don’t believe he even touched the variation button
I'm lefty also, I like that your not trying to do anything but what is natural to you...nice
That Flying V is killer! Love it!
Nice demo. Thanks for posting.
I had a kat 50 and loved it, never touched a computer.
I thought I'd try a blackstar tvp15 it's no boss...
i didn't know boss made left-handed amplifiers......
Crikey, mate, right on!! I was looking for a versatile amp that would give clean Metheny tones plus dirty Leslie West tones...saw your vid and went right out and bought one...just great and tons of fun all round!! Thanx, dude.
I notice you didn't try the variations of the amp models; they're very, very bright, but very tube-like. I imagine that they wouldn't sound great on the 2x12, but they really open up the Katana 50. Tried one yesterday and am finally on the Katana hype train, and that's after I bought and sold a 100 a while back. These rule. Great demo and video, Shane!
I have a katana 50 it’s okay but when I got to try real tube amps I realised that I’m a tube amp guy.
The katana is just lifeless in that comparison to a tube amp also it was really good at making pedals sound crap.
Had the opposite effect on me my bassbreaker and blues jr have been on hiatus but I have the 100 1x 12.
Put honestly it is a rubbish amp compared to a bandit 112 or even a valve amp.
alien Grey the problem with the katana is it’s trying to be a jack of all trades but ends up being a master of none.
Totally agree and you are dead right about the pedals thing.
@Jeff Payne Fender Mustang 3 way better than the Katana. Music store lent me a Katana to try out before I buy, returned it a day later. Sorry but Katana is a piece of junk. Non of the SS amps out there are better than the Mustang 3 especially the clean sounds.
Don’t need a PC to change settings on these amps. It is FANTASTIC at taking pedals !! I own Marshall,Fender amps and cabinets.I play my Kat112 ninety percent of the time and play out with it 100% of the time. It’s a 35lb back saving tone machine and I ALWAYS get compliments on my sound. You do have to set the eq but it has sounded great right out of the box. I USED to be a tube snob....not anymore. Oh and if you try one at the music store make sure it’s reset to factory settings...it will sound like crap if some numb nuts messed with all the settings
Hey Shane. I loved the 2nd tone out of the Danelectro on lead channel using the bridge pickup. It responded well to your difference in attack well too. I’ve got a Peavery Bandit (red stripe) which I love but I’m thinking about one of these for some variety. I recall you’re a bit of a Bandit fan and would love to hear your thoughts on how these compare. Love your stuff as always!
I’m a Peavey Vortex 1 fan Myself and I just ordered one of these amps today I also got a Kerry King Marshall stack but I wanted this for a bedroom practice and some tinkering around with computer and Internet stuff I gotta admit for a transistor amp though it sounds like it’s got some features of a good tube amp
It wasn't overhyped. I only got the 50watts because I don't want to get in trouble in our neighborhood. Haven't hooked it in a computer and I think it already sounds amazing! No more tweeking.
Can’t wait to get one of these to replace my champion 20
That song you played at the beginning was straight JUICY
I just ordered one today, arriving in two days. I can't wait. 👍🤘🤘🤘🤘
Shane, I believe that you're leaving some money on the table with your Sweetwater Affiliate Link above. I'm an old IT guy, and I tend to look at this kind of stuff. The link in the description box above takes me to the "Boss Katana Mkii" portal page inside of Sweetwater with your link on it. But, if I click into the page for the 100 watt 1x12 (KTN-100-2), your Affiliate link disappears and it looks the same as if I had gotten there from inside of Google. If I bought the amp at that point I don't think you would get any Affiliate credit for the sale. I believe that you need individual Affiliate Links in the description box for at least the 50 watt and 100 watt 1x12 amps. On the date that I watched this (11/6/2019) you had 44,000 views of this video. You should check and see how many Affiliate sales you got credit for on this with Sweetwater. I could call my Sweetwater rep directly and tell him to send me this amp and make sure that the InTheBlues channel gets credit for it. But, that's not how the Affiliate link is supposed to work.
Real test: take this, plus a Bandit, plus a valve amp of choice to a gig, then play and compare. Next gig... which amp do you choose?
I have Marshall JCM 800 DSL 40 Combo Fender Champ X2H Katana 50 I now Only Gig With the Kat 50
@@frankdeitsch6869 Thanks for posting your response. I have a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue and an old solid state Marshall 75 Reverb. Of these, I've gigged with the Fender, and used to gig with a solid state Sessionette 75 for many years. I'm sceptical about modelling amps, having heard some poor tones from them at others' gigs. I only use one basic sound too, so all the effects etc. would be wasted on me!
valve amp
frank deitsch I’m the same, but I have the 100 artist! Only pedals I run is my boss noise gate, phase 90, and Eq boost!
I've had my Katana 100 combo Mk1 for several months, still haven't plugged it in to my computer. Don't intend to either.
Good stuff!
You should. So many features there (including a noise suppressor) which have enhanced my tone immensely
I think it beats the Fender Mustang hands down and for the old weekend warrior it's a godsend. It's basically the sounds of a good Cube in a better more user friendly layout.
I do like these amps but my next one will not be able to hook to a laptop. Option paralysis is very real and it sucks hours/days/weeks/months from just prcticing
I agree, I want to sell mine in the near future and buy a cab and a tube head something simple.
This probably goes against the grain of this vid but I find a 'deep dive' was needed to extract the best tones from my Kat amps.
I didn't have time for that right now. I have spoken to BOSS about a deep-dive review down the track all being well. This was a loaner than I needed to get back really quickly.
I am not a BOSS fanboy, sure there is great features and software, but I still love my VOX VT20X sound over the Katana , to each their own,
those VT Amps are great I regret selling mine
@@INVERTEDBUKAKI when I use the Dumble amp setting wow the sound
Had a katana 50 before I really got to decide whether I was a solid state or a tube guy. I really did like the katana for everything except for the clean sound. It does seem like they have tried to emulate the legendary king of clean sound in the mark two. The other thing I didn't like about the katana at all was the software it eventually came to a point where I just gave up on trying to install it I had everything correct I had all the proper setup and the studio never worked for me.
Boss also gave a very vague video guide on how to install it.The final thing I didn't like about the katana that they still carry over here is that the controls are right underneath the blasted handle for the amplifier. All in all I think they're cool I'm glad I got rid of my katana 50 when I did considering I used it to trade towards a Princeton. These are not bad amplifiers and they have made some improvements mainly the ability to have multiple effects on at once. I don't really see the big deal with the variation switch.
matt manley IIRC, the Anderton’s video had some some nice demos of the variation button making an appreciable difference. I don’t remember them trying to replicate one variation using another, though, so maybe it ends up not being that big of a deal?
I share your disappointment WRT the controls’ location... Top panels in general disappoint me since it means you can’t stack anything on top of your amp on narrow stages, and it encourages the player to place their amp so it mostly projects the high frequencies towards the back of their knees (and the first row of the audience) which almost inevitably leads to it being set _way_ too bright.
Top panel controls are the easiest to see on a gig unless your amp is set high up on a ext cabinet...
Joe Blogs Only if it’s pointed at the back of your knees, which it shouldn’t be. (Unless you’ve fixed the speaker so it doesn’t beam the highs, but most people don’t even know it’s possible to mitigate the issue, let alone bother to do it.)
@@OtherTheDave Hi, I like my amps on the floor tilted back at the back of the stage. This gives great cross stage projection., doesn't deafen the audience, I can hear myself real well, and I can get to the controls too!!
Joe Blogs On behalf of FOH engineers and audience members everywhere: thank you! That’s a fine way to deal with HF beaming.
You’re the exception rather than the rule, though. I did live audio, both as a freelance and house engineer for years. Most of the guitarists I’ve worked with whose amp had controls on the top just point their amp at their knees and turn the treble up until it sounds good at their ears. Not all (obviously), but most. That’s my biggest issue with top controls: they make it really easy to get bad EQ.
Enjoyed this review mightily. The issue I have with most reviews is that we only get to hear the close mic'd sound. Your inclusion of room mic'd sound for comparison is very helpful. The sound in my room is nothing like the close mic'd sound. But, and apologies for going slightly off-topic, my problem with the Boss Katana 100/212 (original) is that the completely open-backed flimsy cabinet mars the sound of a good pre- and power amplifier. The mk2 version does nothing to improve the cabinet or speakers (these are unchanged save the change to red labeIs). I now have a Boss Katana Artist standing alongside my Boss Katana 100/212 (original) and the Artist is incomparably better - much sturdier cabinet only partially open at back and that fabulous Waza speaker plus the connectivity that allows me the luxury of driving my Waza 212 Cabinet.
Any chance of reviewing the Blackstar sliverline?
If you can’t get a bangin tone on a katana for literally any genre, straight out of the box, then it’s operator error. The amp is ridiculously good in every aspect. I have a room full of heads and quad boxes and that thing still amazes me every time I use it. I’ve had mine for 18 months now and have never hooked it up to a computer. So I’m missing out on the vast majority of what this amp does and it’s still a bangin amp.
Impressive, thanks.
I have the original Katana 50 - I needed an easy to carry and maintain amp for band practice and small gigs. Works and sounds great - I stuffed around with the computer connection and have ended up just using it as a straight amp. I'm looking to upgrade to the K 50 Mk2 - I like the stereo function, good excuse to buy two! :-) I play in a 20 piece folk ensemble and a blues band - it's easy to get good tones for both.
You chose marshall code 50 or boss katana 50 mk2 or fender mustang gt40 ?
I would say boss katana 50 mk2
the guitar geek did a video comparing the boss katana to the marshal code and the marshal code on the heavy tones just crapped out and sounded awful. They also did a video of the boss katana and the fender mustang and the fender mustang did not do to well with the heavy tones unfortunately.
The boss katana is probably the best allrounder of the three.
It’s not too bad, way better than the Mustang for sure, line 6 has a new amp that compares to the Katana.
Shane I’d like to see you during review of the new Fender Tune master amplifiers
I want those danelectros. This would be a great first amp but of no real use to me. ps Sweetwater rules(i'm in USA) and they have the best customer service I have ever experienced. That is great that they even support you. Have a crackin' day! (BTW, nice Dr John pic, RIP. we boogie-blues piano players really took a hit when we lost him..damn)
Great!!
After much thinking on which tube amp to get (and talking to you in instagram) I think for the investment it is better to get the Katana 50 than a 5w tube. Since they are almost the same price in mt country.
Thanks.
And by the way I think it was a great video. He didn't use variations but who cares. Honestly it's just more to adjust. You don't need it. If you want a different tone move some knobs or select different pick up. If u know how to play guitar you don't need a variation button.
Sounds fine to me. I love living in a time with so much selection for gear. That delay was quite awesome👍🤘
I think I would still rather use my money on a Superchamp.
I have a Mark I and II side by side, not a huge difference, but they both sound amazing, just that the Mark II has more of everything, still fantastic amps no matter which one you have. If Boss was trying to reinvent it they would have probably named it differently, they were simply giving it more features, just like the Mark iterations Mesa Boogie does; aptly named.
Best part, I don't have to bring my whammy pedal with my amp anymore :)
You can get an app for the mk 1 called katana librarian that lets you make changes from your phone with an otg cable. Much more convenient than a laptop and just as much functionality as running through tone studio.
Shane! Would you please Do a one on one comparison between Boss katana MKII and Blackstar Silverline?
I don't have access to Blackstar stuff but I will see if it comes up down the track. :-)
I recently bought the Katana 50 MKII and compared it to the new Blackstar Silverline in the store. I loved the instant lead tones I got on the Silverline--very quick to dial in a good tone and it had great responsiveness and a tube-like sound--but when I played rhythm on the Silverline it didn't sound like it could handle all those notes/strings at once and sounded digitally overwhelmed, whereas the Katana takes a bit longer to dial in a good tone, but it seems to process multiple strings better and more pleasingly.
@@AnkurWow Interesting.
Computer!?? I've seen many reviews of this amp and this is the FIRST review that said anything about needing a computer to download stuff onto it!
My advice sell it, I paid $500 brand new Boss Katana 100 2x12 in November 2022 and had nothing but trouble out of it, headphone jack no longer works, then one day it stopped connecting to the internet for tone studio, wish I never bought the thing. It's a 50 lb headache
Yep, im’e in. Love the Boss as it’s not as hard to use as a profiler or effects board. Simple or complicated as you want it to be... 👍🇦🇺🐨
I'd like to hear someone demo the acoustic channel on a Katana MkII - with an acoustic guitar, of course. Being able to use acoustic guitars once in a while - without needed a dedicated acoustic -amp is potentially a huge selling point... IF the acoustic channel sounds good!
Boss Katana cuts and slashes thru the competition like a Samurai.
Hi, thanks for the video. Very Informative. I was just wondering if it is possible to connect another cabinet so the amp has more power and low end, but I guess it is not. What a pity
Your smile at the 6 minute mark says it all. I have got the 50 just to noodle around on and couldn't be happier.🤘
Lefty Mike I was thinking the same
But what about the channel variations? You know... the NEW ‘Mark II’ stuff???
Katanas make cracking practice and backup amps or if you know the venue has dirty power, they’re not going to replace a nice tube amp but they are worth having in the collection, and are an excellent first amp for beginners.
Wow. Better then Mustang GT 200? 3d sound?
What do u mean Mustang has stereo also no?? How is this "three D"?
How this being 100 watt louder then 200 watt?
C'mon Shane... you're grinning and smiling the whole video... you were impressed, dude! Admit it! 😀 I have the MK I 100 and its the best digital amp you can get for the money. I also own a Blackstar IDCode 40 (good sounds, but lacks volume and the software didn't work at all 😑) and a Fender Mustang V Mk II (really good, but I can't use that beast past volume 3!). Great vid, man! 😎
Does it have a speaker out jack? No. Worthless...OK, maybe not that bad, next to useless then. Very tasty playing as usual Shane.
I can mever get used to left handed players🤪
I feel uncomfortable even thinking about it 😂
I don't know about the 100 or Gen 3, but I just picked up a MKII 50w and it has the worst distortion I've ever heard. It's shrill and fizzy. It sounds like I'm running through a rather unpleasant sounding fuzz or something.
I'm hoping Its ignorance and I'll figure it out. As for now it's an okay sounding clean amp. I might be able to use it to slave other preamps to it, but on its own its all but useless.
I totally eschewed most digital way back when the Pod 2 came out. Since then everyone has been telling me how great they are. This is the first digital modeler I decided to buy, and it's certainly not coming itself with glory.😮
No bridge humbucker test. Thanks a lot.
Exactly..
This is my Amp exactly after doing 2 months of research before seeing your video, your skeptical...so was I....I will watch and see what your going to say. For a non-gigging rig it has everything I need.
I wonder what would you choose between this and Blackstar's Silverline amps.
I have the kattana mk1 could not sync it with my laptopwindows7 at the time turned out the harddrive in my laptop was too outdated to accept the software for the katana even do I had the files and tone studio on my computer wrecked my head for ages. Also had to bring laptop and kattana to a laptop repair guy to find this out. It was even melting his head trying to work out what was wrong . new harddrive and updated to windows 10. 50euro it cost so he didn't rip me off doing the job, as soon as harddrive in and updated laptop downloaded zip files and software/tone studio and went through launch set up to link laptop with computer and it finally worked .I also had a vox amp before this and just downloaded everything and worked right off the bat on old harddrive and windows7 and I wound up exchanged for the kattana.
declan mc cormack I’m considering getting this amp and currently have an old laptop with windows 7. I seemed to have successfully downloaded the software and the drivers. Were you able to download that stuff at all before you found out you couldn’t sync the amp? I don’t want to run into this same issue
@@Hooper12911 yes I was able to do that. The problem was installing the file you extract files from the system software then you drag zip files into tone studio that was the problem. The guy doing it said it needed windows ten to run and hard drive was changed to help windows ten run on my computer even now laptop slow as I have stop being cheap and buy a new one
declan mc cormack dang! I do not want to buy a new computer just to have the amp
@@Hooper12911 I said I need a new computer if you grp
Ask around try borrow one try linking to you're computer some online store let you return goods if they don't suit no problem. I swapped a vox for it when I wasn't happy with vox amp it's annoying waiting shipping stuff back and forth if it doesn't suit best of luck with it
Can you get the Clapton Cream era tone and his Bluesbreakers Beano tone. Thinking of getting the 50 watt version if you can get these tones though I somehow doubt it.
I have a question for you. I have a Randall Diavlo rd20h head amp with the matching Randall rd 112-v30 diavlo 1x12 angled guitar cab. Not sure if you're familiar with it but I'm contemplating trading it in for the Boss Katana 2x12 100w. What might your thoughts be on this?
Honestly, the crunch doesn't sound like crunch. It is way to fuzzy. Sounds like a bag of bees. I just picked one of these up. Probably gonna take it back. It squeaks and squeals when it should have warm feedback and overtones. Blah. $230...so I guess it's good for the price.
Cl an is very nice reminiscent of a Jazz chorus Roland, crunch is where the digital modeling pokes out like a sore thumb. Its not “bad” tone, its a tone, useful in many situations, its just not preferable tone for me, but it would do in a pinch or living room practice, jam sessions etc. but Im a 15/30w crank it and cook tubes guy. But for more modern stuff. Yeah. Absolutely. Its not bad. It has that spongy tube compression thing on your Gibson. Whatever setting that was. Does it come with a foot switch and full FX suite? I think its best suited for cleans though personally.