Boss Katana Amps - User Reviews

Started by Elantric, October 11, 2016, 11:33:29 AM

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IanRamos

#201
Alright , my 2 cents here , might be useful to somebody   :) ...

Tried the Katana 100 ( the one with 2 speakers ) today at my local shop .

My experience is roughly : 20 years as a professional full time musician , have work as a luthier and as salesman in guitar shops previously ...
I played most amps ( the expensive stuff too , Marshall plexis , etc ... ) , most guitars and most effects out there , and owned quite a few , althought in the latest years , with the economic recession in Europe , in order to make a living with my music i have to avoid expensive gear as Kempers and such , i had almost every small ( and not so small ) multi fx and GK unit there is , in my endless search for the perfect tone :-) , among those , Roland gr-55 , Pod Hd , Variax guitars , etc ...

Currently gigging with a small Digitech 360xp straight to JBL speakers , i know , ludicrous , but the best tone i had in many many years .

Im well known at my local guitar shop , so i had plenty time to test the amp , still i prefered not to tinker too much with the effects ( i know how dumb i am and how long it takes me to get around my gear ) althought i would have LOVE to hear how the acoustic simulator sounds , i just didn't even know how to find it just turning knobs , my first thought : that thing with the pc editor is gonna be 100 times better , that's pretty clear ...

My second thought : that motherfxxxxr is LOUD !! i had to try it either on the 50w setting with the volumes too low or the 0.5w at 75 percent of master volume and quite low amp volume ( about 50% ) or it would have literally shattered the windows at the shop ...

I got the best sound with that last setting , which leads me to believe what Elantric said was true ( as usual ) the master volume plays a HUGE part in the sound of those amps , it brings everything to life .

So , my opinion :

It does sound good , VERY good , not at all like a 300 € amp , that thing is a bargain .
The cleans are the worst part , really unimpressive and dull , but i guess it will improve with some time fiddling around wit the fx and eq ...
The crunch is really good , but the gain knob doesn't add compression and bright with the overdrive to the sound like in the Fenders , instead it just seems to add ( LOTS ) of overdrive ...
Both distortion amps sound really good , people seem to prefer the Brown sound amp , i like better the Lead one , sounds more like overdrive while the Brown sounds more like distortion , if you know what i mean ( sounds way more scooped in the mids )

The only con i would put to it is that the amps don't really sound like modeled after any amps out there , well , the Lead makes a good Marshall , and the Brown kinda sounds like a 5150 , but that's about it , if you think that the Crunch and Clean amps sound somehow similar to Twin Reverbs , they don't ...

To be completely honest , after all the reviews of the amp , i expected something else ... i don't know what , but it just wasn't like : OH MY GOD , THAT IS THE BEST AMP I EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE .
No , it might be not , but it is a GREAT sounding amp , just as good or better than amps that cost 10 times the price , LITERALLY .
I have own several Marshalls , a Crate Blue Vodoo ,  couple Fenders , a few Peavy ... the Katana sounds JUST AS GOOD .
The only thing missing ? that sweet little thing that a cranked valve amp delivers when played at maximum volume , well , the katana have about a 60% of that ... not the 100% , but pretty close .

At first after testing it i considered not buying it , my actual rig sounds almost as good ( i know , crazy , but if you never tried the 360 , do it , you'll be surprised ) .
But then i remembered the damn thing cost only 300 € and i just had to order one !  XD  ( i ordered the one speaker version , as i'm told it sounds the same and have identical features )

Even to have just as a spare for my actual pedalboard , which cost 200 € , the Katana has the same fx plus IS A REAL AMP ... for only 100€ extra is a no brainer ... well , plus 100 more for the Roland GA-FC pedal , but you know what i mean  ;) .


myksara

That's an interesting review. What I am keen to know is if you have some good Digitech RP360 XP patches that you can share. I almost forgot I own that unit until I read your post. To give it another chance or not now depends on what patches you have for sharing... :D.

Guitars: Ibanez Prestige S5470, Ibanez Jem 7v, Ibanez JS2410, PRS SE Custom24, Cort  Ltd G16, Ibanez RG370Ahmz,
MultiFX: Roland GR55, Zoom 1on, BOSS GT00
Loopers: Digitech trio+, Line 6 JM4
MIDI:, MAudio Axiom24 keyboard, Alesis IO Dock with iPad air 2

Elantric

Quote from: myksara on August 16, 2017, 09:45:43 AM
That's an interesting review. What I am keen to know is if you have some good Digitech RP360 XP patches that you can share. I almost forgot I own that unit until I read your post. To give it another chance or not now depends on what patches you have for sharing... :D.
Try here:
http://guitarpatches.com/patches.php?unit=RP360

http://digitech.com/en-US/tone_library

IanRamos

Quote from: myksara on August 16, 2017, 09:45:43 AM
That's an interesting review. What I am keen to know is if you have some good Digitech RP360 XP patches that you can share. I almost forgot I own that unit until I read your post. To give it another chance or not now depends on what patches you have for sharing... :D.

sure , no problem !

i didn't know can you can share them , to be honest ... i'll check how to do it and send you mine , but most of them are actually quite simple : wah wah ( with the option of activate by pressing the exp. pedal ) , amp ( usually the master volume model ) with matching cabinet , reverb and delay ... that's it !
then i have one patch with harmonizer on and one with the acoustic sim straight to reverb .

aliensporebomb

#205
Tried one of the Katana's with an Ibanez Artist at a local store.

If I had to start over from scratch and had nothing at all, that guitar and that amp would be good for whatever level player you want.

Whoever came up with the distortion circuit on that amp did a bang-up job (the brown setting in particular).

It does the same thing that patch I put together for the GP-10 does - back off on the volume and it cleans up then max it out and it sings.

Anyway, wow.  So affordable you could run two for stereo.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

GuitarBuilder

Demoed my 100W Katana Head through a Marshall 4x12 cab for a friend and he was literally blown away............
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

IanRamos

#207
Alright , so my Katana 100 ( 1 speaker ) arrived yesterday afternoon  :D ...

Didn't have much time to play with it , as i had to go to my gig , but theres one thing i can tell you :

The first Katana i played , the one i tested at my local shop didn't had that informative piece of cardboard on top ( the one on the picture ) with that little help i was able to use all the fx ( the ones that you can get without using the pc editor ) right away without even looking at the instructions ... it is amazingly easy to get almost any sound you might need to use , on the fly .

However , as at home i have to play at even quieter volumes than at my local shop , i discovered that that's not a good practice amp to have at home , at all ... if you only gonna give it that use , unless you can play at whatever volume you fancy cause you don't have neighbours or something like that , i would recomend the 50w version instead ( im guessing , it might be just as loud ) .

Not really complaining , in my home studio i use Overloud TH3 anyways ... just informing .

Unless you can use it with the master volume at least at 3 ( as in 3 o'clock ) and the amplifier volume at half , that amp just doesnt sound good ...
Put the volumes up and it sings like a much more expensive amp , but at bedroom levels it just sounds ... i don't know , just not good .

The tilt stand is totally useless .

About the fx : the delays and reverb are great , the distortion and overdrive not so much , however , the Blues drive sounds GREAT ( im not a blues player , it just sounds better ) .
Can't wait to have time to install the editor and try the other effects ...

Can't wait to have the chance to play it loud , after so many years playing i can tell when an amp is gonna sound great when crancked up , and that one is totally the case   :)

vtgearhead


Elantric

http://line6.com/support/topic/24375-worst-amp-ever/page-2
QuotePosted 23 September 2017 - 11:25 AM

I have a spider IV 15W, and used to have a Spider V 120W.

I assumed the Spider V would be a good step up. Wrong! Best advice I once was given, and can only suggest here is, if you're going to buy any kind of audio equipment - go listen first!

I didn't, not for the Spider V anyway. As soon as I switched it on I knew I didn't like it.

So I read the reviews. Not good. I took on-board the positive advice. I played with the settings. I downloaded hundreds of tones. I downloaded the 'rated' tones. I stuck with it for a year. I struggled.

One night my wife needed the room where my gear is. For convenience I took my Spider IV 15W downstairs to practice. Hadn't switched it on in months, but OMW it sounded good. That is - compared to the Spider V!

I knew then I had to change!

I traded in my Spider V 120W, Shortboard mkII, & Relay G10 - toward a Boss Katana 100/212.

I've not stopped smiling since!!!

This time I went to the shop & listened. I shortlisted a Marshall, Blackstar & Orange tube amp (all 5W to 15W - home & small venue). Didn't like the Marshall or Blackstar in the end. Orange was only ok for me. Turns out I prefer open back combos over closed back. This isn't the reason why the Spider V doesn't work for me though. Spider V = lots of fizz, poor tone & no cut through!

Big shout out to Reidys, Blackburn, UK here. The guy gave me 15 mins on each amp, listened to my comments - then said - I know what you'll like.

As soon as I heard the Katana 100/212 I was smiling. As I said - I've not stopped smiling since. Not a modelling amp - but 4 (+acoustic) styles + effects, & geesh it's loud!!!! Wife hates it!!!! smile.gif

Main things - good tone at all gains and volumes! I might be a Boss/Roland convert. Going to listen to a GT-100 next week.

My advice - go listen!! My suggestion - don't buy a Spider V - buy a Boss Katana. Buy a 100W. Buy the 100/212 if you can!

Note - I had lots of tech with my Spider V setup. I had the radio link, tuner, and volume/wah pedals and more... I don't have these with the Katana. (I did buy the GA-FC on day one to be able to select the channels). But so what - sound quality is king. Tech is 2nd. I'll add those other features back over time. But - only after I've listened first!!!

rolandvg99

The Katana range is phenomenal for what it delivers in tonal quality and bang for the buck. But unlike what the majority of musicians not familiar with COSM might think it is a modelling amplifier. The "pre-amp" is modelled to emulate certain amp responses and is digital. Poweramp is an analogy circuit designed to simulate EL34s.


I bet this denial lies within the false roumors/hearsay of COSM being "crap" and "vastly inferior" to their preferred modeller. "The sneaky amps" are a direct result of its COSM modelling heritage and so are all on-board FX, but the five direct selectable amp models are tailored to make a unique sounding, versatile amp for beginners, semipros and pros. All this at an insane low price and class leading build quality.


Not endorsed by Roland/BOSS in any way, but the gear they deliver had some of the lowest failure rates during my 14 years as a multi brand retailer. Yamaha was/is up there as well.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

jwhitcomb3

#211
Quote from: rolandvg99 on October 17, 2017, 12:30:12 PM
The Katana range is phenomenal for what it delivers in tonal quality and bang for the buck. But unlike what the majority of musicians not familiar with COSM might think it is a modelling amplifier. The "pre-amp" is modelled to emulate certain amp responses and is digital. Poweramp is an analogy circuit designed to simulate EL34s.


I bet this denial lies within the false roumors/hearsay of COSM being "crap" and "vastly inferior" to their preferred modeller. "The sneaky amps" are a direct result of its COSM modelling heritage and so are all on-board FX, but the five direct selectable amp models are tailored to make a unique sounding, versatile amp for beginners, semipros and pros. All this at an insane low price and class leading build quality.
Boss marketing is at least partly to blame for the misconceptions. They have been very careful to dissociate the Katana from its COSM (and hence, modeling) heritage. Mob mentality has convinced most guitarists that not only do modeling amps not sound good, but that they can't sound good. All this is rooted in the myth that analog="warm and smooth," and that digital="cold and brittle." And sure, early modeling amps were crippled by low sampling rates, low bit resolution, crappy converters, expensive memory, slow processors, and lack of know-how from merely being an immature technology. Guitarists forget (or never knew) that most of the qualities they covet in guitar amps are based in the audio reproduction errors introduced into an amplifier circuitry by analog components (tubes, tone stacks, transformers, speakers, etc.). It's just taken digital modeling a bit of time to figure out how to screw up a pristine audio signal in ways that appeal to guitarists.

So it makes sense that Boss marketing chose not to trumpet that "we finally figured out how to f*ck up a guitar signal just right!"

Elantric

#212
QuoteBoss marketing is at least partly to blame for the misconceptions. They have been very careful to dissociate the Katana from its COSM (and hence, modeling) heritage. Mob mentality has convinced most guitarists that not only do modeling amps not sound good, but that they can't sound good.

Based upon public opinion polls on every other forum  - Roland / Boss dropping the COSM branding on Katana  amp was probably among their best ideas in recent memory

jwhitcomb3

Quote from: Elantric on October 20, 2017, 12:42:46 PM
Based upon public opinion polls on every other forum  - Roland / Boss dropping the COSM branding on Katana  amp was probably among their best ideas in recent memory
Yep, big marketing win for a great amp. 'Tis always easier to manipulate than to educate.


admin


rolandvg99

#216


Some video/audio from our Friday night jam.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

admin

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?posts/25337472/
ledzep618 wrote>
QuoteI took delivery of a 100 head last night, played it for a bit through my 4x12 with a quad of greenbacks. Sounds really, really good. Like makes me think twice and three times about the $3000 worth of tube heads it is currently sitting on top of. I'm going to take it to band practice tonight to see how it actually holds up, but in my little home office studio I could make it sound identical to my Friedman dirty channel and I think I dialed it in to sound better than the Friedman clean channel, which is really alarming. It doesn't feel exactly like the Friedman (which has exceptional feel relative to most tube amps I've owned) and that was immediately obvious, but honestly the feel is still like 90+% of the way there. No one would ever be able to tell live or on a recording. It feels more like a tube amp than the Marshall DSL40C I owned. I have not hooked it up to the computer and messed with anything, this is just stock settings.

admin

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/katana-100-at-band-volume.1903310/

Several months ago I bought a Katana 100. I picked the 100 over the 50 because only the 100 has the direct out/cab modeling option, which I thought I might use at my church gig sometime (haven't yet). So far, I had only been using the Katana at home, at home practice volume levels. That said, I was already a big fan of this amp.

Fast forward to this week, I have been using my AC30 for a modern country cover project that is just about ready to start booking out. I have been battling the super mids-focus of the AC30 the entire time, using a multitude of different amp settings, pedals and guitars/pickups. Still hadn't landed on a tone I was happy with in this context.

So this week, I thought what the heck, let me give the Katana a try. My plan was to run it as my clean tone and then Wampler Paisley Drive and OCD in front as mid- and heavy-OD options. None of the on-board effects other than just a bit of reverb; I just used my pedalboard in front of it just like normal. My concern was whether the Katana would hang volume-wise. We have pretty loud practices--other guitarist with a Peavey Classic 50 cranked, bass has a GK head and 4x10 cab, and drummer is a heavy drummer.

Happy to say the Katana 100 had plenty of volume. But the part I was really surprised about, as much as I like the Katana at home, I LOVED it at full band practice volume. That has been my problem with some modeling-type options in the past--they sound great at home practice volume, but super loud volume starts to expose the weaknesses. The Katana sounded even better at those volumes.

The other guys in the band were a little skeptical when I started taking my 2x12 AC30 off the stand and putting this little 1x12 non-tube amp in its place. During and after practice, they couldn't stop singing its praises. Surprise at how it hung with the band volume-wise, and also repeatedly commenting that it cut through the mix better than my AC30 did because the tone wasn't so mid-focused.

admin

stratguitar577 wrote>

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?posts/25666130/

First gig/use report:
(Sorry for long post)

I used my Katana 100 112 for the first time outside the house last night. Haven't been in a band for 6 months since our singer moved away in June, but the bass player and drummer got back together with the singer/guitarist from their band before the last one, and they've been trying to recruit me to join the new band.

Their first gig was last night and they asked me to bring my equipment to join them for one of the songs we wrote in the last band, so I agreed and brought my Katana and trusty strat. Just guitar in a Mono gig bag on my back (holding GA-FC), and the light Katana in my hand. Best load in I've ever had.

Well when I get there, it turns out they want me to play the second half of the first set since I know most of the songs. Alright, no problem but I am a bit worried that I've never used the Katana above bedroom volumes and that my patches might be way off. Not to mention that I've never played these songs with these guys and have enough to think about. Whatever, I say, I will just wing it and adjust on the panel as need be.

So they call me on stage and I plug in...

——————————————————

Now full disclosure, I've used a Kemper with a Yamaha DXR10 FRFR speaker for the past 2 years at practice and live. That rig is no slouch, but has a more involved setup time and is overkill for a lot of places our band played over the past couple years. I mainly got the Katana for practice and smaller pub gigs like this one. I've had a bunch of tube amps and pedal boards over the years (DSL 50, Classic 30, PRRI, Suhr Corso, etc), but moved to the Kemper for a more consistent sound without having to keep track of every knob on every pedal, and to eliminate the tap dance to change sounds back and forth. The Katana was appealing to me because it also has built in effects and saved patches, just like the Kemper. I also found it used at a Guitar Center an hour away including the GA-FC for $250, and I had a $50 gift card so only paid $200 plus tax. Couldn't pass it up.

I've really only played the Katana a handful of times before last night (still use the Kemper with headphones 90% of the time at home), and spent about 2 hours one time creating 8 patches in tone studio and configuring the effects that I can turn on with the GA-FC. I think I set the hi-pass filter in the global EQ around 8k and used the patch EQ a little bit to match each amp model with the others in other patches, but that was it. I use every amp model except the acoustic one, and decided not to go down the sneaky amps rabbit hole after trying them out a little bit. Just want to use the amp as designed and choose the preamps that were enhanced specifically for the Kat power amp. I also have the channel volume cranked (relative to each patch for volume consistency) and decided to use the master for, well a master volume. Sounds good enough for me that way and I think doing the inverse goes against functional use of the amp - I want to have each patch leveled with the others and use the master to control overall stage volume.

——————————————————

Now I'm on stage, I set the power control to 50w, set the master vol to 12 o'clock and immediately realize that it's way too loud. I can't believe it. So I set it to about 9:30 and we're off into the first song.

All I can say is WOW. Everything worked flawlessly and I didn't have to touch a single knob. Don't know how I beat the Fletcher Munson curve going from bedroom to stage, but everything was perfect.

I ended up playing the rest of the first set, and the full second set (and I'm officially in the band now, so more rehearsals and gigs to come). I got to spend time with each patch I set up and they all were so good! The GA-FC is all I need and going into effects mode works very well. Not quite as nice as my Kemper setup where I have a second row of switches for effects, but it's simple enough to work for me.

I usually use a medium gain 5150 for rhythm sounds and it was great, but I was most impressed with the dynamics of the clean and crunch amps. The input section feels just as good as any tube amp I've played, and the power amp really is awesome. My strat has EMG SAs with the SPC mid boost knob, so I can add either volume when clean, or more drive when the amp is slightly dirty, all on my guitar. That plus the tube screamer that I set up for the boost switch covered almost everything drive wise.

I need to spend more time dialing in the delay for a couple patches, as I couldn't get a more syncopated rhythm with a shimmer on top like I could with my Kemper, but I think Ill be able to get very close.

I had a blast with a low octave effect ready to kick on in one crunch patch that is set to only work for a certain range (basically any note below the G string 12th fret).

——————————————————

I never thought I would believe the hype with these amps, but all I'm going to say is that my Kemper will now be safe in the confines of my home studio, probably for good. I did briefly try the Kemper going into the Katana effects return (my original plan to just use the Katana as a powered speaker) and while it sounded really good, I was able to get the Katana to sound almost as good, but good enough for me and everybody in the audience.

So is my new $200 rig just as good as my $2000 Kemper rig?

For live use, yes, definitely. It had everything I needed and let's me focus on covering a few different sounds limited to 8 patches. It's so easy to dial in great tones that don't need much if any tweaking.

For studio use, the Katana is nowhere close. The line out even with the different cab options just sucks. They really need to have an OFF option so you can use impulse responses. That is really the only thing I think they need to do in a future firmware update.

Long story short, the Katana isn't going anywhere and will be my new streamlined rig. I plan to add my Line 6 Relay G10 wireless going into a tuner pedal into the Katana, then I will be all set. I honestly could get by with the 50w version if it still had the 8 patches. Don't think I will ever need the 100w mode or get the 50w mode much over 12 o'clock.

If you don't have a Katana, go buy one now.

admin

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?posts/25697215/

Sold my K100 112 combo after I bought the K100h and K212 cab on sale over the holidays. Not surprisingly, the head + 212 cab sounds bigger and has A LOT of bottom end on tap. It's as good as the combo for low volume play, but takes things up a notch at higher volumes. I've created a great heavy preset using the modern rec amp. I run an A/B box to play this in stereo with a pristine Fender clean coming out of a SuperSonic 60 to get a really complex mixture of heavy gain tone with great note articulation.

I really like the Kat 212 cab. I got it for just under $300 new. With open or closed back option, feels like a great deal at this price.

Kinda wish I had kept the combo as well, but that's how I've accumulated gear in the past...trying to stay off that road!

I do not intend to look at the Kat Artist. I think I have a great setup right now and will resist the temptation...

carlb

Quote from: admsustainiac on January 25, 2018, 08:14:57 AM
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?posts/25697215/

<...> I do not intend to look at the Kat Artist. I think I have a great setup right now and will resist the temptation...

Heh. Heh-heh. Oh, yah.  ;D
ES Les Paul, internal Roland GK
Boss SY-1000, Valeton Coral Amp pedal
Morningstar MC8 & MC6
QSC CP8 powered speaker

admin

#222
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Boss Katana 100 - 100/50/0.5-watt 1x12" COSM Combo Amp Reviews
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Customer Reviews   Sort By Date Sort By Rating Write Your Review
Brian C.
from Picayune, MS
December 17, 2017
Yes...believe the hype. (Tube snobs take notice.)
5 stars for the sound with one small gripe in operation.

So if you're looking for a solid state amp and the Katana is on your radar, you've no doubt come across heaps of online praise for this amp. Well, the glowing reviews are to be believed. This amp is not a modeling amp, but rather a solid state amp with five distinct amp characters. Starting with the Clean channel, you can get a wide range of tones with the gain knob. From clean to breakup this channel is very versatile and can be used without any overdrive or distortion. It's best to spend a lot of time getting the EQ just right because once you find that nice sweet spot you will have a hard time keeping that grin off your face.
Compared to the Clean channel the three dirt channels range from more gain to lots more gain and all have a lot of variation in their overdriven/distorted tones on offer. For me, less is more when it comes to gain as my tastes have matured. I like the amp to be producing most of the overdrive, and pedals are used to enhance what is already there. Unless a fuzz or high gain pedal is required, basically I want the amp to be doing the heavy lifting. I was having trouble getting a nice overdriven tone from my Mustang GT 100, when I stacked two boosts from my Zoom G5n both with low gain dialed up. The results were just what I was looking for. So the point is, less is more for me and I know I'm on the right path.

Basically, the Katana 100 can cover a lot of ground, including plugging in an acoustic. Unfortunately it has always been my experience when amplifying an acoustic guitar the results are seemingly lacking. It takes running the signal through a pedal to get the best results. Same story here. No worries as I have no plans to pug in my acoustic. It will be mic city when the time comes.

As for other ins and outs there is an effects loop, a record out, and line out to the PA. Boss pretty much thought of everything. Everything that is except for a way to adjust the onboard effects. All you can do is adjust the intensity of the effects but not the individual parameters. Hmm. Seems rather limiting unless I'm just doing it wrong. I know there is the Tone Studio to tweak effects but what if you want to teak the parameters of each effect? Sorry. No dice. If all you want to do is add some reverb fine. You can adjust the tap tempo for chorus and other time-based effects, but that appears to be it from the top panel. I'd like to see a software tweak enabling the three knobs to allow you to adjust parameters of each effect.

Oh, and the included kick stand is a nice touch but it doesn't instill confidence. It's a bit of a pain to get it extended and once it's engaged the thumbscrew keeps it in place, but it just doesn't feel very sturdy. I have yet to experience it falling back in place though.

So overall, this amp is a game changer and will forever make you think twice about what a solid state amp can do. Worried about a solid state amp not being loud enough? Download a decibel measuring app and while on the 0.5 watt setting crank it to see how loud it gets. I measured 90 db and the Master wasn't fully cranked. The amp is very loud even at the 0.5 watt setting. That loud drummer you have to contend with? He won't be a problem.

Tube snobs (and yes I used to be one): you've been put on notice. The Katana has arrived.

cp
from Cincinnati
December 11, 2017
Music Background:
Metal, ska, punk
I'm kinda mad about this amp.
The reviews are too good to be believed. But I bought one and have been won over. I sold my old combo that weighs twice as much and costs twice as much. My wallets happier, my ears are happier, my back is happier, and the kid in me gets to play with tons of sounds. Very cool.

I was not blown away by the sound when I first got it using the panel settings. It was fun to tweak, though. After loading the tone studio software (which wasn't super intuitive, but works no problem if you actually read Boss' instructions like I didn't), I spent a couple of hours just playing around with cool sounds instead of going to bed on time.

I was able to set up channel 1 with a clean tone with some light compression, slapback delay, and eq. That's 3 pedals off my board. Channel 2 is a nice dirty tone using one of the hidden Marshall amps, some warm OD, noise suppression, and different eq. There's another 2 pedals I don't need anymore.

I was concerned that it wouldn't be loud enough, or not enough air would be pushed. This is definitely not a problem. My old tube combo would need the volume on about 7 to keep up with our drummer. This one, on the 100w setting, is at about 4 on the dial (estimated, not numbered) for the same loudness and body part vibrations. The 50w setting sounds about as loud, but doesn't have as much beef to it to my ears.

Another concern I had was delay in channel switching. I've had modeling amps before that had considerable lag when switching channels. With the Roland GA-FC foot controller, there's some almost undetectable lag. If I stomp the switch on the downbeat like I'm used to, I lose a little bit of the attack on that first note. I was able to compensate for this, but it was a little awkward at first.

Alternatively, you can use a mechanical footswitch that will only toggle between channels 1 and 2. There's no lag here - it feels like it does on my 6505+. So I'll definitely be using the mechanical footswitch live, but the GA-FC will still have a place at home for exploration.

And I'm keeping my pedals because they're fun to tweak. But I'm a little upset that they've been made obsolete for live settings.

Austin R.
from
December 3, 2017
Boss Katana 100
This amp was everything I was hoping it would be. The 0.5 watt setting is a really awesome feature for when I"m playing it inside the house. I have never been this pleased with an amp before. I want to thank Khaleed for all of his help. Sweetwater has the best service around and I will be doing all my shopping with them from now on.

david
from texas
October 31, 2017
Music Background:
pro
katana 100 combo amp
Love the amp people at Sweetwater are the best

Mike Mintz
from
October 31, 2017
Great sound with simple operation and lots of options
I don't have a lot of experience to compare it against, but to me this has a great sound. I'm also really enjoying having the ability to try out different effects without all the different options getting in the way when I just want to plug in and play/practice.

rgrace
from Tacoma, WA
October 30, 2017
Music Background:
40 years
The Poor Man's Quilter
I've owned the Katana 100 for two weeks now, used it for my first band rehearsal, and I'm simply blown away. I'm not sure there isn't anything this amp can't do, and I haven't even dug into the effects much yet. In fact, I've only been using the clean channel and the 0.5W setting. Yeah, right. THAT'S 0.5W? Uh huh. Sure it is. Four-piece band at significant volume, using the practice-amp setting, the sound was unbelievable. I barely had the volume at 12:00. If, as some reviewers said, the speaker takes awhile to 'break in,' I find that difficult to believe. Out of the box, it sounds rich and full to my ears. And it gets BETTER? Wow.
For this price, who cares about finicky, overweight tube amps? Boy, after getting this, I sure don't. Takes my 13-piece pedalboard like a champ, and the effects loop works just perfectly. The effects are super easy to use, though I don't have much need for them, or the amp's drive channels or amp emulators, me being a high-end pedal hound. Incredibly quiet and clean sounding for home use, by far the best home practice amp I've ever had, but I can take it to my local bar jam and to gigs without any doubt of its performance. It is packed with features and has USB connectivity to your computer, another thing I haven't even touched yet. Boss deserves to sell a ton of these, and companies like Quilter should be very concerned, because Boss is going to take a lot of their potential customers. I have friends with Quilters, and I can't see how they're superior to this thing - especially for 3X the money. The Katanas are likely the best quality-for-value amp around. Love this thing.

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#223
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Customer
from
September 8, 2017
Just What I needed
I've been playing through a Hot Rod Deluxe and a pedal board for many years. I really liked the sound I was getting but it just felt like there were a ton of things that could (and constantly would) go wrong....tons of wires everywhere....just too complicated. On top of that, I recently formed a "just for fun" cover band and I need more effects than what I had. Basically, for a similar price, I could have bought the extra pedals I would have needed and an upgraded power supply or I could have gone with this amp and the GA-FC foot controller. I wasn't prepared to be as happy with the sound of the Boss as I am. I was worried that I wouldn't sound "like myself" anymore but I can still get it to sound like I want, but with more variety than what I was getting before. It is honestly really impressive.

J
from Pensy
August 27, 2017
Music Background:
Singer/Song Writer/ Guitarist
Awesome n Loud!!!
I went "Katana nutz" and bought 4 different Katana s. The 100 1x12 is stellar and loud!! It takes any guitar pedal superbly and my Line 6 Helix processor sounded great through it. The availability of 55 different Boss effects really makes this 34 pound Solid State amp a must have. The "acoustic channel" is Superb. I played a Steinberger with a piezo at the bridge and it sounded terrific. I own a bunch of Mesa Amps and of course the Katana isn t going to replace any of them, BUT, I d gig with the Katana no problem and record with it as well. And the price!!! Wow!!!

Alan Hatley
from Washington
August 13, 2017
Boss Katana 100
Great Amp! It truly is a Gem. Very happy with it.
Sweetwater Rocks!

Fivetoes
from Indy
August 4, 2017
Music Background:
Novice but learning
Versatile
Buy it has everything you want and more at this price point.

Dr. Tim
from Minnesota
August 2, 2017
Music Background:
Professional/Semi Professional for over 50 years
It Ain't Tube, But It Still Rocks
I needed something I could grab-and-go for rehearsals and parties to simplify my life. I'm blown away by this little monster. Loud enough to keep up with any drummer and really nice guitar tone too. I have a Mark V, a Victoria, and a Vintage Sound 35sc which are all amazing in their own right. But the Katana is now my main practice amp and I actually did a gig with it too. Nice effects, good crunch, and lead tones. Don't overlook this guy because it's digital and doesn't have valves. Also get the GA-FC foot controller; it will make your life a little easier. I grab my Les Paul and this amp with the controller and a couple of cables tucked in the back and I'm out the door ready to rock. Plus the customer service at Sweetwater is the best.

MIKE
from SW MI
July 31, 2017
Music Background:
play at church
BOSS 100/50/0.5 watt Katana 1 X 12 Amp !
Very good amp....a lot of useable sounds instantly without experience...and it does "cut" through the mix.
The headline of this amp should be the "line-out" feature.Very hard to find on amps these days and
it does actually work and does not cancel the speaker like almost all other amps, tube or solid state....that is, even if they offer a line - out. It really does work as a stage monitor, and goes through the sound system!! It is long overdue and I think a lot of other manufacturers will follow suit on this one feature.
Too many things to discuss with this amp but I would highly recommend this amp for many reasons. Will list a few.......cost, sounds great, extremely loud (really loud), good clean, or however dirty and grungy you want to get, nice handle, not too heavy, don`t need to replace tubes, and did I mention the cost ? This thing is crazy. If you do recording, there are great possibilities with this amp as well. Thank You Sweetwater for your service.

Robert Field
from Rockport, TX
July 17, 2017
Katana 100
I've played a lot of amps this amp is a small package but packs a powerful punch I bought just for that I have a pedal board that has everything known to man on it so the on board effects are a plus they are good solid effects to gig with but I just choose my pedals over the on board effects. this is one powerful amp I played live last night and played my violin thru it with a touch of reverb " TC hall of fame " and a bit of delay " TC flash back wow what a sound dial the mid 3/4 to half on the bass treble straight up great sound live. had a Exotic EP boost and a Exotic Compressor these made the guitar way stranger than what was needed but for the violin it was great , believe me this amp has what you need for a live show, line out to the PA amp behind me for monitoring great set up

george taylor
from Farmington, NM
July 14, 2017
killer amp
I have already commented on my Katana 100 when I first got it. I I have since played some outdoor gigs and this amp has not let me down. I cannot say enough! I love this amp!!!!

Edwin Martinez
from FL
June 28, 2017
katana 100
Fantastic amp been for 6 year looking for the right amp searching the soundhad so many tube amp stop counting. yes my dream amp is Mesa boogie but the price kills me.Play Santana Hendrix Gilmore this Katana nails it Brown sound is a plus takes pedals well much better with the foot control great for home or gig

Matt Mercen
from APO, AE
June 23, 2017
Great Amp!
Amazing amp, way better than i was expecting. I really like the brown sound, its great for rock and classic metal.

Customer
from
June 9, 2017
Super cool drive
I demo this amp and I get speechless​ with the sound and the effects, this is the first amp that for sure you can play you rock and heavy metal song with out a single pedal. The delay, is insane and the od better that the od-1

The combination to set different watts is very practically to practice at home

Alexis Santos
from Roswell, GA
May 14, 2017
Music Background:
Occasional Live Act
Best amp for the money
I'm more than amazed by the tones you can get from this thing just from factory settings. I mostly play clean with some added modulation but this amp knows how to really bite with higher gain. Adding an overdrive on top or as a booster to the crunch channel makes this amp sound immense. The clean tones on this amp are glorious. Since I mostly play clean that is always what I look out for and this amp has been nothing short of amazing. The added effects are fantastic and can add so much to an already great amp. The attenuator makes this a joy for a mostly bedroom player like myself. It still holds itself even at its lowest wattage. As far as bang for the buck amps go, it's hard to top this and my sales rep, Chris Nunley, gave me stellar service and gave me a great deal too. Sweetwater will have my business until I die

Yohan
from
April 16, 2017
Boss 100
Affordable amp, heavy duty speaker, amazing effects, I've tried tube amps and paid the price for the sound quality but still had to buy pedals to get the effects. Still only at 15watts with weak looking speakers. The Boss K 100 gave me all I wanted, and more at 1/3 the price of a tube amp. It's the future here today. Very pleased.

LAGuitar
from Mansfield, PA
March 20, 2017
Music Background:
Pro
Live-Show-Update
This is a follow-up review for a Katana 100. My second live outing with the amp was no less than impressive. I played a smaller hall with the .5 Watt option selected. Playing next to a full drum kit, I had no problem with stage volume – I did have the channel and master volumes close to 10, but the amp was singing. One of the characteristics I look for in a premium amp is its ability to produce tasty, harmonic sustain, Santana-like. The Katana did everything I asked for, channel switching from tasty cleans to over-driven rock heaven. I'm looking forward to an outside concert where I can use the 50 or 100 watt setting – this amp is LOUD! The build quality of Roland and Boss products is exceptional and one of the reasons they are industry leaders, and the incredible analog amp circuits they design is another. I can leave my pricey, vintage tube amps at home, grab the Katana and have a great playing experience...

Stoney
from
March 12, 2017
Best amp to come along on years,
This is the best amp you can get for the price, but don't be fooled about the low price. This amp stands head to toe with amps that cost three times as much. I got the Katana 100 watt 1×12, and have yet had to run it at 100 watts with the band. This amp cuts through the mix and sounds amazing. I could go on and on about it, but my best advice is to just try one. The acoustic guitar setting gives you two amps in one and trust me sounds incredible.

Tim Ott
from SHREVEPORT,LA
March 11, 2017
KATANA 100 1-12
I've been a guitar player for almost 50 years. I've owned and still own a bunch of amps. But I'm blown away by the Boss Katana 112. I've been using a pedal board with 15 pedals and looper to get the sounds I want. But now All I need is this Katana and the GA foot controller. All the effects pedals are built into an amp that weighs 32 lbs. The sounds are awesome. I'll give it 10 stars if it was available. Love , love ,love it. The only amp anyone would ever need.

Chris
from Princeton
March 10, 2017
Best Non-Tube Amp I've ever used
This amplifier is simply the best-sounding non-tube amp I have ever played through. What sets it apart from other non-tube amps is the fact that even the clean sounds are excellent. I have the 100-watt model and I plan on using it for all my gigs. Can I tell the difference in tone between this and my Mesa Boogie? Yes, but this thing still sounds amazing and is both more versatile and more convenient than my Mesa or my Supersonic...and its lighter too! My only complaint is that they do not sell an amp cover for this amp - and since I plan on taking it out at least once a week its important for me to find some kind of cover that will fit.

george
from
March 2, 2017
killer amp
I have had Fender, Peavey, Musicman, Ampeg, all good amps! My Boss Katana is the best!

peter dadswell
from QLD
February 27, 2017
The Ducks Nuts
I read a lot of reviews and hate writing them but its time to give back. I build Valve amps like Dumble, Fender, Bad Cat, Marshall but all clones and all point to point hand wired and I still have a couple but this Katana 100 head through a 2 x 12 Cab loaded with a Gold and a Cream Back is the Ducks Nuts, The real deal and bloody awesome. The valve amps are still King for pure harmonic string separating chime but this Katana is the best thing I have bought in a long time. You have to go and buy the foot controller though cause that just takes you to another level. The cleans are clean and warm and it goes from crunch to down right filth, I mean ChugaChug to Metal to great Blues. The effects are as good as any stand alone pedals and all built in. The firmware upgrade was a bit of a ***** but once it was done the connectivity to the software was seamless. Is it a Valve amp, No, of course its not but it is Analogue and not Digital. You will Gig with this and be just as happy and you can leave all your pedals at home and you wont need your back brace to lug around your heavy Valve heads. You wont be disappointed...

Customer
from
February 7, 2017
Great amp
Great sound and tone. Great distortion and clean. Acoustic preamp sounds great too.

Brian
from Delaware
January 25, 2017
Music Background:
Rock
Fantastic product!!
I have been playing guitar for over 13 years now and have owned several amps (Fender, Roland, Blackstar, and Marshall) for the price this Boss amp cannot be beaten! Just the sheer harmonic tone is truly impressive. I have yet to try the Boss Studio; however, the basic sounds you can dial in are enough for me to gig with. I just ordered the Roland foot switch to add to my pedal board. I can see myself with this for a long long time!!

Dan-O
from Northeastern, PA
January 14, 2017
Music Background:
Casual Musician, Light Gigging
Awesome 100W Combo Amp!
I received mine about a week ago and haven't stopped playing it...maybe that's why Boss added a standby switch to the power control section. It's so easy to quickly dial-in whatever tone your're looking for and speaking of tone, I've always liked Boss effects and the effects in the Katana Series are amazing! The straight-forward layout of the controls makes this amp so easy to use.

I have not used the Boss Tone Studio effects editor software yet so I can't comment on it except for the artist tone section where I was not too impressed with the samples I heard.

I originally ordered the Katana 50 and then changed it to the 112-100. My Sales Engineer Robert took great care of the details, shipping, etc. Thanks Robert and Sweetwater for another flawless order and the best amp I've owned in years...lovin' it!

Tim
from So Cal
January 11, 2017
Music Background:
pro
the do everything amp
I started playing jazz a few years ago, and moved to a Roland Cube 80XL for the clean JC sound, and the Marshall was relegated to the closet. For distortion, the Roland amp models were acceptable enough, and I am sure that the audiences never knew the difference. But being a tube player for years, I myself, could feel and hear the difference. From the reviews, the Katana seemed to be the best of both worlds, so I decided to give it a try.
The Katana gets it right in all the places I need it to be. The concept seems to be a Waza/Cube hybrid on steroids. The clean sound is clean and full and punchy. The distorted sounds feel and sound like a tube amp. Also, this thing is a beast! I will probably NEVER have to use this at 100 watts. I am sure that 50 watts is more than enough for anything that I can see doing in the future.
The range of effects is amazing, and they have the amazing industry standard Boss sound.
And, not just 4 channels, but 4 COMPLETELY PROGRAMMABLE channels creates a quandary (too many choices!).
I have used this amp for a few gigs already, and I feel it is flexible enough to be my workhorse for the next few years, or more.

Customer
from
January 8, 2017
Katana 100
Fantastic amp ! I'm playing more than I have in years.

Dan
from New York
January 4, 2017
Music Background:
Experienced
Great Amp!
This amp is simply great! Sure it's no expensive tube amp but it's just as loud and capable of pulling off any genre of music you play. I've never fully liked any digital amp because something was just too horrible sounding and buzzy but this is all around fantastic. I bought it to use in a band setting and didn't want to lug around an expensive and heavy amp but wanted a decent sound. This fits the bill!

Bailey
from S.E. Michigan
January 1, 2017
Music Background:
working musician for almost 50 years
the amp I've been needing!
I needed a solid-state amp the was small, light, and powerful. After some research, I got the Katana 100 from Sweetwater with the help of my good friend, Nick Church. I am extremely happy with it--plus it was in the perfect price range. So far, I have only used the default panel setting on "clean," and manually set the amp's EQs/gain/master/presence/reverb according to the room--that's the way I prefer to set up all of my amps; I rely more on my stompbox pedal board (Keeley Red Dirt + Fulltone Fat Boost + vintage Boss ME-50) to get all of the effects/sustain I need (vs. using the amp's pre-sets, which sound wonderful, by the way). I also combine the Katana in stereo with a Bugera Vintage 22 tube amp to round things out (for the best overall balance between clean solid-state & warm tube sounds).

I plan on doing some studio recording with this amp, at which time I will delve deeper into the amp's effects. For my current needs, however (lots of live performances), this amp is perfect for my guitar setup. Finally, I must say that I only need to keep the amp at 50 watts for the small/medium clubs. One of these nights I'll try it at 100 watts, but I'm afraid I'd blow out some windows--this sucker cranks at 50 watts!

Customer
from
December 23, 2016
Awesome
This was a gift for my son. He hasn't stopped playing since the day it arrived.

NoizyB
from Virginia
December 4, 2016
Music Background:
Semi-Pro
Cured the Digital "Cold"...
Long story short..I play at home at a lower volume more than gigging, but like most, I enjoy the tones associated with driving a tube. A solid state amp is just more practical and versatile for me. The journey to the Katana involved leaving the Fender Mustang from the past few years (got discouraged that it wouldn't take pedals), and trying an Orange Crush 35RT, VOX Valvetronix40, and a Yamaha THR10C (which was really cool, just too small).

The Katana came out of the blue and has delivered the flexibility of a solid state amp and the range of tones that are endless. No models, just very tweakable settings and effects that are greatly expanded and versatile when used with the software. I've coaxed wonderful varieties of tones out of my Strat and Gretsch semi-hollow, and have increased the time I play ten-fold just from the sheer enjoyment of the responsive sound the Katana delivers. 0.5 setting gets it done at home, but I've experimented with the 50 and it's explosive, so I have no doubt 100 delivers in a stage setting. The tube purists will surely scoff at the notion that this amp can be as satisfying as a valve rig. I've had both, and I'm tickled too death with the Katana, and will look forward to broadening it's tonal palette with some pedal purchases in the near future. Something I couldn't do with the Mustang and recent modelers.


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LA Guitar
from Mansfield, PA
November 18, 2016
Music Background:
Pro
Amp Industry Game Changer!
Boss has changed the amplifier game. For everything Katana, surf to the Boss website for full details. As a pro guitarist and experience with many premium amps, the Katana falls into the category of one of my favorite amps. While not a two thousand dollar Mesa, the Katana is a mid-priced amp that competes with some of the best amps on the market. From JC-120 cleans to all-out Waza saturation, this amp performs with a great organic feel. The industry changer is the Boss Tone Studio! This app allows you to completely customize your channel patches with incremental settings all while connected to your computer. Use any of the 55 pedal effects in the library to customize your sound and assign it to one of four channels. Simply amazing, adjust the setting, patch the setting into the signal chain, play your guitar to hear the change and assign it when happy! The dashboard also shows all of the amp controls positions in real-time. To purchase these pedals would cost thousands, to buy a mid-priced Katana and get free pedal patches, a no brainer. The practicality of four amp channels and a panel select is that you can play tasty cleans, select a channel or use the GA-FC footswitch and rock as hard as you want! No amp adjustments necessary. The line out and headphone out allows a direct connection to a stage PA or direct mix into a studio board. The sonic results are excellent. Boss has raised the bar; they didn�t create a modeling amp, but a customizable amp you can make your own. This will change the industry.

Customer
from
November 1, 2016
So good it replaced a Marshall DSL40c
Just bought a new Boss Katana 100. Actually we bought two. I sold two awesome tube amps, a Marshall DSL40c and a Vox Nighttrain 15 G2 and an old Vox Valvetronix VT40+ I also sold three pedals, a Zoom PD01, an EHX Soul Food and a TC Electronic HOF.

We now have to Boss Katana 100 with GA-FC foot switches and big smiles on our faces.

These new amps simply and categorically and I believe permanently destroy the paradigm that tube amps are superior to solid state amps.

I was a bit of a tube snob and had over the years bought and sold lots of tube amps and some solid state and had reached a point where I was quite satisfied. That is until the Boss Katana came along.

The Vox Night train was an easy amp to replace. While for a Vox it is is a very versatile amp, it is not versatile in absolute terms. It has one of the most lush clean sounds in the world and some of the most distinctive at the edge of breakup sounds but it cannot do metal and hard rock and it has a tone that is very distinctive. It really needs a pedal such as a Soul Food or even an SD1 to get it to be more versatile. It also is not very good at sounding truly dynamic at low volume. Its not bad at low volumes but also not sensational.

The Vox VT40+ was also easy to say good bye to. Its only purpose was to provide extremely low volume tones that was reasonably authentic. The Boss Katana does that a million times better so no tears shed there.

The Marshall was harder to say good bye to. It was a stunning amp with a blood curdling tone, thumping and deep bass and personality oozing out of its grilles. It was just a tad temperamental and sometimes would just not sound that good. It was also not the best amp to play very quietly. Even at its lowest quietest setting it would resonate through the wall into the adjoining room.

It had some really great tones but also some that were quite sharp and harsh that had to be dialled back. Its reverb was also quite weak but in all it was a truly great amp.

After replacing the Night Train I was able to do a back to back comparison of the Marshall and the Boss and here is what I found.

The Boss has the same organic tone that the Marshall has but it is easier to dial in and does not have any sounds that are unbalanced. On the Marshall there is a huge difference in EQ between the Crunch and the Lead channel. One is warm and the other is trebly. The Boss is very consistent and a steady progression from clean through to crunch, lead and then brown. The clean has a bit more headroom than the Marshall. The Crunch, Lead and Brown cover a bit more sonic territory than the Marshall does by getting into modern metal territory earlier easily. Surprisingly the Boss is very sensitive to picking dynamics and to turning down the volume on the guitar, even more so, albeit by a narrow margin, than the Marshall. I would have settled for it being in the same ball park but was not prepared for it being better than the Marshall.

Interestingly the Boss has none of the digital artefacts some modelling amps are notorious for. Its sustaining notes decay naturally and very musically just like the Marshall.

Where the Marshall wins is by having a deeper and more thundering bass. This is quite noticeable but ultimately was not able to make me keep it. Remember it was the bass that was making it difficult to practice quietly.

I�m not sure how it would be on a stage but I can tell you that the Boss is quite a bit louder.

Now the Marshall is an extremely loud 40W amp and you would expect, according to conventional wisdom, that it should be equivalent to 100W or more of solid state amp. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the Boss is significantly louder than the Marshall. On the Marshall I have managed to turn it up to half way in the full power mode (pentode mode) and standing at the end of the 2m cable it was all I could tolerate. On the Boss at full power mode I could only turn it up to about 1/3rd of the way on the dial before I could not stand it any longer and the guitar was feeding back like crazy. I know this is not scientific but I am quite certain a full test at stage volume would prove me right.

What is really great is that like the Marshall the Boss is obviously designed for very high volumes because the sound actually improved and the speaker did not in any way show any signs of flubbing out or of any cabin resonance. The only thing that resonated was everything in the room.


What got me over the line in the end was the huge advantages in versatility that the Boss has over the Marshall. It is effectively 5 channels vs 2, with a far better reverb, direct out monitoring, headphone jack, a master volume, 0.5W setting, stunningly great sounding onboard effects. It is lighter and more compact and has a tilt feature for better projection. It is far less hissy and would record better and cleaner than the Marshall even with a mic. The icing on the cake is a very nice sounding acoustic setting where it sounds like a proper acoustic amp. It does not have tweeters but the speaker has sufficient range that this is not really a problem. My Maton Mini sounded awesome through the amp. About the only thing it does not have is that evocative Marshall logo.

I did have a lump in my throat when the person who bought the Marshall from me drove off. I truly loved it but I think I will love the Boss even more and possibly for far longer.

The Boss does have a few things that bug me. For instance I need to set some of the delay parameters using the tone editor software and the stompboxes should each have had two knobs instead of one for better control but that is nitpicking. I can

I used to own a Roland Cube 80XL. That amp was in its own rights a very nice sounding amp with some great effects. If it hadn�t been for a few of the effects that were not so nice I might have kept it and sold the Marshall earlier. The Boss Katana has no such problem. It does not try to emulate any other amp and so there is never a question of how well it emulates something. I did speak to a Boss representative who told me that it was not in the traditional sense of the word a modelling amp (it doesn�t use COSM) like the Cube series but rather an analogue amp with several preamp stages representing Clean, Crunch, Lead and Brown sounds. This is supplemented with digital signal processing to emulate how a tube amp sounds. The preamp stage is apparently also designed to act under load exactly like a tube amp. I didn�t quite understand from the description but can vouch for its effectiveness.

My thoughts have a few times turned to its price. The amps cost me just under less than half what a Blackstar ID or Orange Crush Pro would have cost. This is also less what the outgoing Roland 80GX would have cost. I have not found any place on the amp that feels like cost has been taken out or corners cut. It is also apparently made in the same factory that the Cubes were so I cannot understand why it is so cheap but I have a theory and its related to the name and branding change. Roland seems to try to move its guitar amps to the Boss name consistent with its pedals and multi-effects units. By sacrificing a bit of profit margin they have guaranteed that these amps will make a huge splash in the amp market thus ensuring that the name change is well received and recognised. I guess another way of looking at it is that this amp is actually reasonably priced, it is other amps that are too expensive, My prediction is that come this time next year many competing amps will magically reduce in price or go out of production.

Jake
from
January 25, 2018
Music Background:
Guitarist (6 Years)
Best Modeling Amp On The Market
This amp is fantastic. I've been playing modeling amps since I started with guitar and have used everything from Line 6 to Fender to Blackstar.

The Katana blows them all out of the water. The selection of tones is very diverse and they all sound great. The high gain and distorted sounds are extremely clear and not too harsh (unlike Line 6 and Blackstar where everything sounds like scrambled eggs).

The effects are amazing (as you should expect considering BOSS pedals are the industry standard). I love how simple it is to add effects to a channel. No confusing LCD displays or convoluted preset menus.

There are a host of other great features like the included software (really lets you dive into dialing your perfect tones), the way the digital modeling behaves like a tube amp, and the USB-out recording quality.

My only complaint is that you can't have a booster effect paired with a modulation effect (i.e. an overdrive with a phaser). However this isn't hard to counter as you can always throw a physical OD between your guitar and the amp and use the built in modulation effects.

Overall, I'd say this is the best option if you don't want to drop the money on an expensive tube setup. You could easily play a small venue with this, it's great for practicing, and you can use this in place of an audio interface to get great guitar tracks into your DAW.

DDP
from Edgewood, WA
January 15, 2018
Music Background:
studio Musician, Producer
Fills a need
The Katana 100 is a very versatile tool. Sure it sounds great but I've got a collection of great sounding tube amps sitting around. I needed something light, low maintenance and versatile to take out for live shows and rehearsals. The Katana is all about convenience for me- todays modeling/SS/digital amps all make useable sounds. It's not a question of "is it as good as tubes", it's more of can I quickly and easily get a sound that will fit what's needed- in that case the Katana is a great tool for me. With the added foot switch I'm pretty much covered with 8 saved presets for just about any scenario.
I did ding it 1/2 a star for the odd electronic smell I got when cranking it up. My hope is it's some kind of excess internal coating that's burning off but if not, I've got no worries Sweetwater won't handle it for me.

Customer
from
July 17, 2017
Good amp, bad at low power
The Katana sounds amazing on 50w and 100w mode. It sounds awful in 0.5w mode. Not enough power! But when you do put enough power through it, it trades blows with my Marshall DSL40C. The effects library is pretty sweet. I couldn't figure out USB recording bc a lot of static but I'm probably just dumb. If I were to choose again, I might go with the 50w instead. 100w is a lootttt of power

Mario
from
March 23, 2017
Boss Katana 100
Great amp! Great price! Great service. Thank you!

Carlos Conde
from Puerto Rico
March 1, 2017
Music Background:
Active Guitar Player
Tube Amp Sound with Solid State Dynamics (still...)
This little amp sounds really good, all the 5 different voicings.
Again, sound is great, and if you do not have $ for a tube amp or if you are not bothered about tube amp dynamics, then this amplifier is for you.
If you want an amp that responds to your pick dynamics (cleaning with soft picking and breaking up with hard picking), then get a tube amp.
Another point, if you want sag, then get a tube amp.
To summarize, this is a SOLID STATE amp that sounds great, with really good features, light, flexible, but if you want DYNAMICS of a tube amp, then test it, because to me it is still solid state.
I currently own: Peavey Classic 20W, Peavey 6505 MH, Peavey JSX 120W, EVH 5153, Mesa Mark V, Mesa Rectifier and some others. Those are my references and I think you should try it.

Shane
from
February 24, 2017
Response to the "Great but.." review re: EFX Loop
An earlier review states having issues with the Effects Loop however, I think the issue mentioned is easily (and only) resolved by using the Boss Tone Pro Studio. If you click "SYSTEM" in right bottom corner and choose the "Send/Return" option, the Send/Return levels can be adjusted to 100. This will solve the volume issue customer was talking about. My factory settings were not 100 so I had to adjust them using the studio. The Effects Loop works great.

Additionally there is a "Direct Mix" for each effect which also adjusts volume level of effect. I hope this is helpful.

Overall, I really like the amp. It's a great alternative to my only tube amp, but I'm still keeping the tube amp. I like having options of both.

I highly recommend the Boss Katana 100. Rated 4.5 only because nothing is perfect in my opinion!

Customer
from
February 12, 2017
Fantatic Deal
This puppy is one heck of a steal. All of the on-board tones are great, although I will only ever use the clean channel. I have a pedal board that I use with my own drives and mods (the drive channels on this thing are killer though. I could totally get away with not using my board and still have great results) The clean is very full and dark, which I love. I'm also able to add just enough sparkle with the presence knob. Very modern American sound, which I'm a fan of. I not sure I could get a good vintage tone to ever come out of it, but I have a pignose for that. It certainly doesn't feel like a tube amp when you play, but it is extremely responsive. Dynamic contrast is a little stronger on a tube amp I'd say. Responds very well to the volume control unless you have an overdrive in front of the amp. The kickstand is "cute". Really small and doesn't cut it if you're really trying to aim your amp upwards like an onstage monitor.
All in all, solid product. Totally worth the cash. Light weight, intuitive, and sounds great right out of the box.
Its replacing by old peavy renown 400, which finally bit the dust. I can guarantee you I don't miss it with the Katana around.

Paul
from Holly, Mi
December 28, 2016
Katana 100w combo
Very, very, very close to a Tube amp.. Great gigging amp

brian hunt
from California
December 5, 2016
Music Background:
love music and making my own noise better than tv
katana 100
this thing is awsome loves to play loud very simple to use. has its own unique sound unlike some others. now to get into my downloaded software and dial in my tones