Something I learned from another UA-camr (wish I could remember who so I could give them credit): when using higher gain tones on the Katana, enable the parametric EQ and set the high cut to 6.3 kHz. This tames the sizzle and sounds great. Now you can crank the amp without the ice pick highs.
Might have been Juca Nery. He has some videos where he walks through how he builds a Katana patch and the parametric EQ is one that he’s always tweaking.
You can also do it in the global EQ to remove the ice picky nature of katanas, the first thing I learned about them, you really can't knock the katana after listening to this, For the money the katana is increadable, the katana speaker is very bright and full compared with my Marshall 1912 cab, and it compares well with my JVM too People stick their noses up at katanas until they try one out properly, then they realise how wrong they are
I'm 68 and until 2 years ago played strictly tube amps since 1960. I have Marshalls, Fenders, Bugeras and more. All I will say is since I got my Katana they're all sitting in a room gathering dust unused, and nothing in this video changed my mind about my decision to stick with my Katana. ✌🤘😎
I just bought the Katana and once you get The tones set up, it competes with a tube amp, not saying it is better but it is very versatile. To my ears it is really nice sounding and I am a tube guy.
I agree, and with all of the tools available for recording,, the AUX in, and the cab simulators, not to mention that he had to turn the katana down to 50 to make things fair.
I was so obsessed with tube amps that I made a few of my own. Now I play my Katana and follow more of a "Shut up and play 'yer guitar" philosophy with a smile on my face.
The Katana stacked up nicely for sure! The edge still goes to the Tube amp imo. I've found with all amps like the Katana there's always this highend sizzle on the notes with distortion that I don't love.
That natural lo passivity and smooth harmonics of tubes it’s the taste guitarist and audiophiles crave. Guitarist tested, Mom approved .... or was that Kix?
It's one of those age old arguments. They both serve different people for different purposes. The Katana is a perfect compromise for home practice, recording and gigging. It is also a great pedal platform. A tube amp is just a different beast to be tamed. You can love both 😉
philipb i picked up the regular boss katana 100. i know the artist is better but the price was too close to a real tube amp for it to be worth it to me. at 359 i think the regular katana sounds fantastic and would be really hard to beat at that price range
Even though I preferred the Artist here, I'd still say that for bedroom jamming, the Katana is the better option as you can cut the output down to 0.5w; even on 0.5w, I can blast my neighbours out.
They both achieve good tones, the Katana is a great practice platform, but as with all modeling style amps it never really reproduces that great tube sound perfectly. The artist is a good tube amp but I am not a fan of the EL84, the losses at the top end is a hard no for me. Plenty of better tube amps out there to compare to the Katana. I use modeling amps, but I will always prefer the sound of my tube amps.
No surprise that the Katana sounded soooo good! I own a 100 watt model w/12 inch speaker. I’ve stopped playing my tube amps, the katana does it all for me now!!!
I own a Katana 50 MK2 and an Orange Rocker 15, honestly, the rocker 15 cranked up in dirty mode is something beautiful, but the Katana is insane, so much tonal options that sound as good or at least, 99.99999999999999% as good as the tube amp, make me have my tube amp disconnected most of the time. Honestly, the Katana is awesome and I think most people would fail a blind test, also, no need to think about tube replacing makes me almost abandon the idea tubes are better. I agree with you.
Great demo, as always Shane! Two items for those who think the Katana has too many highs. 1. Use the tone controls, you know, like that treble knob. It actually works. 2. Find the Sneaky Amps. Just load the live sets and try 20 additional amps. There are much better amps than the 5 on the front of the Katana, better cleans, better crunch, etc. They are free and already in the amp, so why not check them out?! I liked the sounds on the tube amp, but Katana adds more flexibility, like going from a Fender clean to a Mesa Boogie Dual Rec high gain in one button press.
I have to say, it wasn't even close. the Katana sounded better in every way. the tube amp sounded muffled to me for some reason. i might have to find a used katana on marketplace and see if i can get one used
The BIG comparison is price point. Huge difference and the value in just having a single amp for so many options of tone with the Katana is insane. Any Gen 3 folks in chat yet?
The tube amp lets the solo notes 'sing' a lot more. Very full and warm. I've been toying with selling my 100w high gain JCM900 (blisteringly loud) for a Katana. But this makes me want to keep the tube amp. Maybe I'll get a secondhand Katana and have both. Haha. Thanks Shane. Great vid once again. 😁👍
I used to think that a digital/solid state amp couldn't ever be able to mimic the sound of a nice tube amp. Then as I grew older and wiser, I realized that it was never about mimicking the sound but more of mimicking the feel and how the feel affects the sound. Today we have solid state amps that sound better than tube amps, multi effects pedals that feel better than tube amps that go direct to a P.A. It's amazing how much digital/sooud state amps and IR's have evolved and how much better than they can feel/sound than a tube amp. Nobody would have agreed with ke 10 years ago but today is a different day lol
Exactly: the tone stacks are different between the amps, and therefore they need to be dialed in separately by your ear. I'm an old guy, always have had tube amps. I also have a Katana 100 head, and I think it's absurdly versatile. I'm an old tone snob, and I go to many gigs with the Katana, a cab, a cable, and 2 guitars. Killer tone for my ears - my 71 Deluxe Reverb stays home.
@@chuckparkinson7470 There is no such thing as a "tone stack" in a digital amp. They all have the same problem, very little overtones, and brittle highs and thin mids.
@@weschilton I'm sure you know better than me - I've only had the Katana 100 head for 2 years. And yeah, it has a tone stack...and it's doesn't have to be bright and brittle. Adjust the highs, like you would turn off the bright switch on a Super Reverb.
When I was young I bought a used Fender Super Reverb... pre CBS. It weights 65lbs (still got it in the garage). Then when I was in my 40s I bought a Zinky 25 watt valve amp. It weighs about 40 lbs. Now I'm 68 and I bought a Fender Bronco 40 which weighs less than 20lbs. But when I do go out to play for senior centers I bring my Vox Mimi 3 - runs on batteries. It weighs like 2.5 lbs. Seems like the older I get the less concerned I am with my tone. I also can use the mini with my classical guitar as well as any electric. I will say that I do like the valve sound the best though. The "ice pick" description is a good one. Actually I have noticed this type of high end volume coming from the "new and improved" designed classical guitars with the double top and lattice bracing designs and I still prefer the old traditional fan braced guitars as designed by Torres. Funny though, when it comes to electric guitars I have to admit that my favorite guitar is the $400 Squire tele that I got recently. I also have a 1970 EL 335, a Heritage 575 and a PRS fitted with P 90s. I like the tele cause it cuts through even at a low volume and the trebles are unbelievable... but not "ice pick" like.
This is fair. I'd be curious to hear them both eq'ed. Makes me want to get an eq for my katana. I also want a bonzai tube screamer, but it's hard to justify a pedal that costs as much as the amp.
It may be UA-cam’s compression or the tone and eq profile of my studio monitors, but I think I preferred the Katana overall. There were areas that the tube amp had better tones, but overall the Katana just sounded better.
I run the katana artist and I use it as a pedal platform and use the gafc to switch effects on the panel to go with my existing pedal board. I crank the presence and set my eq and it sounds amazing I used to be a tube purist before owning the artist 100. I run a full-tone ocd and it gives me such warm overdrive with my american strat and my warmoth strat with pearly gates. No more tube replacements for me. Later
@@alainbrisebois8334 I largely prefer the Katana, the Artist sounds narrow IMO. And if you want narrower/warmer sound on the Katana, you just tweak the treble knob, that works perfectly. But I'm more of a "function/practicality" guy: if it works, I go for it. If I was more "material nerd", I'd go for a tube for sure ;) On the other hand, in motorbikes i'm way more interested in what I ride than how practical/fast it is.
@@bobby1970 The Artist in this video is the other amp (tube amp), not the Katana, though a "Katana Artist" exists. The Katana displayed in this video is the "Katana 100 MK2" not the "Katana Artist" ;)
I have a Katana Artist which IMHO is the way to go with Katana lineup, for gigs it has everything effects loop, line out, standby, power settings .... To me the speaker and cabinet make all the difference plus with a little time you can get the exact clean tone your looking for. I use it the same as my Fender HRD - clean with pedals. I have never cared for the HRD crunch, sounds muddy, and I really don't use the other Katana settings as my pedal board rocks. I have A/B'ed the two amps and you will be hard pressed to guess which is which listening or playing. I have been gigging with it for about 2 years now and it has been solid.
Hi, really pleased the Artist is serving you well. I've been trying to make up my mind about the Artist 100 or the 100 2x12, so I asked Andertons for advice. I was wondering if the extra speaker would make up for lack of a Waza speaker. I was told that if I just wanted to record at home then definitely go for the Artist, but the 2x12 is the way to go for gigging. I'm still keen on getting the Artist though, how does it cope with a band, is it loud enough to cope with a loud drummer? I appreciate your help in this matter. Cheers, Ronnie.
Gary I agree with you in that of all the Katana amps the Artist with the single waza speaker has a much better tone than the 2x12 100w. I am a tone snob and while people seem to think me crazy the design of your cabinet and the choice of speaker makes all the difference in the world. I like the upgrades that you get with the MKII series but truthfully the series one Artist is still better than the MKII 2x12 100w. In my opinion.
@@davidhaolai You have to seek out a .TSL file for the Katana Tone Studio. Look for the Sneaky Amps and the Dumble Amps. When you download them, open up your Tone Studio and bring those files in. You can then create a new live set and insert those amps in your Katana.
@@brandonlesko3126 with a ton of tweaking to the sneaky amps. they aren't that special if you ask me. you can get better tones just knowing how to eq the amp properly
I've had my 100 mark 2 for about 6 months now and FINALLY got to have a jam with a full band recently! I was up against and 800 watt ampeg bass amp, a 36 watt tubemeister and a brand new set of tama hyper drives. Had it on 50 watt mode and experienced zero issues! Tons of volume to boot and no "high end sizzle" as Robert put it, lol! Granted, I dont have quite the ear he has but it my 25 plus years of playing with bands this is by far the best bang for my buck I've ever had!
I just bought a Katana head and had a first jam with last week. I was thrilled with the tone I got with it. I used the clean channel with some of the blues driver effect and a little reverb. I was running the Katana at 100 watts with master on full and channel volume very low. Yes the amp is bright but this meant I could roll off the volume and tone on my LP. I was getting a really nice tone. And unlike my low wattage valve heads the Katana has ludicrous amounts of clean power. I just sold my Jet City 20 watt head and now wondering if I need My Ibanez 15 watt head any more. Katana head is also compact and not too heavy. Last point, the valve heads tend to sound worse over time as the valves wear. It is expensive replacing valves.
there's no "better", you can appreciate both but in terms of bang for buck the Katana is a killer amp. If the tube amp you like costs way more, pay the difference with a smile and enjoy it.
As a player I don't have a lot of experience with tube amps, just the Mesa Boogie Mark IV I owned for about four months. That amp seemed like a lot of money for something my Amplitube 4 does just as well in the mix. I now own a Katan 50 mark 1 a Katana 100 212 MARK 2 and a Katana Artist 100 MARK 2 with the GAFC foot switch and all three of those amps combined cost less that the Mesa Boogie, and are more versatile and cover more situations than the Boogie. Thankfully I'm not plagued with the Valve maintenance and weight. I'll take take the Katana all day over a valve amp!
Great review, thanks. I ended up selling my Blues Junior and getting a Fender GTX 50, which I chose over the Katana. Yes, the valve amp sounded great but I couldn't get past the power consumption. I don't gig but I play a lot at home. Now I can walk out of the room and not have to worry about turning the amp off.
I totally get the idea behind this video. I have a music room full of tube amplifiers and 98% of the time I am playing this little Orange Crush 12 solid state right now. Takes pedals amazingly! At one point I was playing an MXR distortion + and it’s this incredibly compressed sound which is a lot of fun. So I was like, well this little amplifier as great as it is lacks a lot of headroom. Then I plugged in a modded boss blues driver, and man it sounded as loud and open as a 12 watts fender tube amplifier. Really great little amp. Will never ever sell my tube amplifiers, but I get this different technology. This Boss katana will do all those bar gigs just fine and nobody will care. And best of all you won’t care if someone slops beer onto it.
I got a Katana. And the key for dialing it in (for my taste) was high cut. I set it to 5 kHz. And it removed that unpleasant high end sizzle and fattened things up a lot.
I turn down the tone on my guitar. Also on my LP the last little bit of volume to 10 adds top end sizzle, so I don’t go there. The Katana is not mushy at all and makes my neck pickup a lot more useable. I am using a celestion cream back speaker in a homemade pine cabinet.
Very true! I have a 100 mk2 1x12 and I play at the 0.5w setting at rehearsal with my full band even. 2 guitars, bass, drums and 3 vocals. It is cranked at that setting but I couldn't believe it would keep up. I can't imagine fully cranking the 100w setting.
@@brandonlesko3126 I am considerate neighbor too and even a cranked .5 w setting is too loud. I crank the master full and keep my practive volume around 4-5...plenty loud!
Great vid man , awesome comparison. I was worried about this vid. 2 weeks ago I sold my katana 100 and got the Artist tweed tone. But now.....after watching this..... I made the right choice in my opinion. Haven’t stopped playing my Artist.
Good to hear thanks. My own journey was from a GT8 with a Cube amp to a Katana 100 mk2. The satisfaction of the solid stock sound is amazing . The flexibility is great value and its good enough for live. Had to get rid of the gt8...just sounded like digital mush. I'd stay with my Kat over this tube anyday
I just gigged with the Katana mkII 50. Soundman miked it as theres no direct out. Im an old school guitarist playin since the 70’s. I had to fit the amp in my small car so my Marshall tube amp was out. I took a chance and never gigged with a SS amp. I was impressed. I rolled the treble back to keep it from sounding like a ss amp. I set sounds in the amp and chose my presets for Skynyrd, Trower, Bad Co and Country twang and it delivered! I was so impressed something so small and light weight came through. Not as cool as my Marshall stack but my old back and small car thanked me.
Bought myself a Boss Katana KTN-100 Mk II the year before last year as a birthday present to myself, it's a wonderful amp once you get to know it, I also bought the optional Boss GA-FC Foot Controller and vinyl amp cover while I was at it, all up it cost me about Au$800.00, it has a total of eight user programmable channels, each one of them can have up to five effects chained in a row, you also get two different voicings/variations of each of the amp types (Modern/Vintage), amp types are Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown, you also get a total of 60 virtual pedals as well as an external FX Loop, not only that, there's also a stereo link feature where you can link two KTN-100 Mk II amps together for stereo sound, and there's a headphone/line out socket on the back that includes speaker cab emulation, there's a power switch where you can set the output power of the amp from .5W to 50W to the full 100W, my KTN-100 Mk II is the 1 X 12 model, I have already tried it in a live band gigging situation and it is more than loud enough to cut through a live band mix, best of all, it is easier to tote to a gig because it is lighter than my Marshall MA100C 100W 2 X 12 all Tube amp.
I'll take the Katana every day of the week! With fine tweeting...there you are. As a long time user of valve amps I see no need anymore. 68 Princeton, Baseman, Ampeg V4, (2) Twins to name a few. I'm 68 years young and am not a snob.
I had the Katana 50, 100, 100 MKII and finally the Artist MKII. I liked the tones but always had problems in the band context of my 2 bands to „cut through“ the mix. I got the Artist for my 40th Birthday to finally buy a great amp. I never bonded. The Artist reveals so much of the fizziness of the solid state technique because of the better speaker. So I recently sold the Artist and bought a small cheap tube amp (monoprice 15w). I LOVE it. No more tone studio fiddling, it just sounds great as it is. For me after years of Katanas I’m now in tube town. I also bought a Bugera V22 and I’m now building my first pedalboard. Can’t wait 😄
I had the Boss Katana ....the one with 2x12" speakers. It weighed a ton! lol! So much for saving my back! I'm now using the Marshall DSL 40. Something about seeing that Marshall sitting there that makes me want to play more. idk? I guess it just looks more inspiring? Both sounded good!
Played (and lugged about) a laney gh100l for over a decade, and a touch more lol. Recently bought a katana head and GAFC. Took some getting used to but the katana is a fantastic piece of kit for a gigging (and ageing) musican. I play in a covers pub rock band and an original stoner metal band. I had bought the boss for the pub band, because of the flexibility sound wise, everything from blues to hard rock and metal. I now use it in the stoner band too lol!! It's just sounds great and saves the back! Plus no more tap dancing a string of fx etc. I just lift the head, pedal and a tuner. That's all I need! I urge anyone to try one. Keep an open mind!! It'll never replace valves and my laney, althought semi retired, will be pulled out for recording etc! \m/
Download the Sneaky Amps. Download the Dumble Amps. Always crank the Master Volume as it does sound better. Lighter gain settings work best in my opinion.
sorry I have to disagree with that . Better is quite subjective . In my opinion both of them sound good at certain taste of individual. Overall i will go for katana for it versatility, of course for me. cheers
Shane, it would be very helpful if in future you give the eq settings for the amps....the way you dial them in may not be how others would do it. For example, Dave Simpson, who you know, dials the katana in with 0 eq for a lot of tones and gets a great sound....equal to the artist imo....cheers
Great comp Shane! BOTH sound great in their own way! I think a lot comes down to SPEAKER! Katana way more treble, the Tweedy more low mid thump! BUT both the clean and o/d on the Artist, had a nicer 'character' as it were, even tho it COULD have been brighter. TRY with the same speaker as the constant in the comparison, THEN it comes down to circuits! But I like BOTH amps! Nice jam too! \m/
I'll squeeze my Katana tones for a little while more. It's a very flexible amp to use and can allow you to play a lot. Tubes are tubes, hey sound great.
The Artist is a cool concept, but the Katana is the way to go. Especially if you have half a mind for computers and get into the tone editing software. Katana goes from bedroom to stage, has great FX built in. Takes pedals well. Has a wide range of gain options. I regret selling my original katana 1, but now have an excuse to get the II ;)
Is it time up for tubes? There are still plenty being bought out there. Without doubt versatility goes to the Katana and witout all the heat build up ..but we'll see
I got the Katana Artist because of Shanes review of these. I parked my tube amps and sold all of them but my EVH. It’s unbelievable how good these are especially for a player who doesn’t play out anymore. Takes pedals amazingly too.
If you ever decide to buy one of these Boss Katana KTN-100 amps I very highly recommend also buying the optional Boss GA-FC Foot Controller, it makes things much more convenient with regards to switching channels on the amp, I have a GA-FC and it works great.
Greetings from the UK 😊 I'm a great fan of your channel, and of valve amps, but, finding myself in my late 60s, my back muscles are not what they were, so I recently acquired a Roland Cube 60 because it's half the weight of my favourite valve amp. I pretty much only use the JC clean channel, which is stunning in its own right as well as being a fantastic pedal platform. The Boss Katana range seem to be a logical progression from the Roland Cubes, and the sounds/facilities aren't a million miles apart either! However, as you said in the video, you turn the valve amp on and pretty much get what you get. So yes, the valve amp sounds/feels the best when settings are at their optimum, but the solid state amps are capable of retaining their best tones right across a much wider volume spectrum 😊
Man. I always say I'm going to start using solid state stuff like the Katana, but man...when I hear it back to back with a decent tube amp, I just can't do it. There is something about that warmth in tube amps... I just can't let go of it. my 2 cents.
Me too. Was on the fence about the katana 2x12 Mkii. Ended up with a blackstar ht club 40 mkii. Tube amps are where it’s at and no one can honestly deny that...
Still Livin' The Blues That’s because you’ve convinced yourself that tubes are just better, warmer and so on. When Solid-state has just as much warmth and punch these days. Tubes are becoming less popular these days, with advancements in technology and that’s a good thing for us guitarists. The main difference here is the Katana is just voiced differently and has a completely different speaker. It’s like comparing two completely different tube amps with different cabs!
I agree. To me it’s more about feel. Valves just react in a much more organic way than transistors do. This is because of the a tube works. Your guitar has a much more direct connection.
Benjamin Holladay organic? It’s just an electrical signal going in and one coming out at the end of the day. All that organic, warmth and whatever tube snobby people come out with can be easily replicated with today’s technology. Solid-state is the future and ever guitarist should be happy amazing guitar tone can be had with SS tec. Price, weight, reliability and being much more flexible tone wise! Embrace the future 👍🏻
@@jazznotes3802 - "you've just convinced yourself that tubes are just better..." - Not when I compared a tube amp, and a solid state amp side by side, and actually like the tube amp better. I own plenty of solid states, I've even built some... On several occasions, I have compared side-by-side a good tube amp with a good solid state...and for me, the good tube amp has always won. I haven't "Convinced" myself of anything. I just prefer that sound. You may prefer the solid state...and that's fine. But to say, I've "convinced" myself of something before, or even after comparing, is just utter ridiculousness. I have no idea why you'd want to argue with personal preference. At no point do I put down solid state amps. I use them often.
There were times when the Katana sounded better, but one place it absolutely did not was clean. I have a Katana because it's quiet, but the cleans weren't so good. I fixed that with a compressor and the venerable Joyo American Sound. Really livened it up and made it feel better. I think the Katana is a pretty good pedal platform. When I first got it I used to mess around with the tone studio, but I haven't opened that in months and months. I have a bunch of other amps but for playing and home without annoying the people who live with me, I play through the Boss. If nobody else is home I play through a Super Reverb or an AC30 without giving the Boss a second thought. If I lived in an apartment I may not own any tube amps at all.
I've had several Katana's and I think they are great for certain types of music - Clean - Blues - low gain rock. Also if you're the only guitar player on stage. If you're playing with someone who has a proper tube amp you will find yourself chasing their tone and never matching it. Also, when it comes to hard rock or heavier they fall apart at gig volumes. The way a tube amp compresses and naturally rolls off the high end is almost the opposite with a digital amp. They become buzz saws with too much rumble and that's why I've never kept one. Great for home use and practice, mainly for their weight advantage and built in FX but just cant hang with a good tube amp live. And this may not be others experience but for me, digital amps don't feedback the same pleasant way. But the huge caveat is the audience wont care either way.
They both sound great but as a one time gigging guitarist I would find the Katana a more practical pick for it's versatility and ability to keep up with the rest of the band. I preferred solid state Peaveys and Fenders for durability and volume. The Fender Champion 100 was a favorite. Let's be honest...you make any amp sound cool.
I have a boss katana 50 MkII, super versatile this amp, im country rock player, and this amp can do everithing you want, i can play from classic traditional country, passing to Country Rock, to Classic rock or Heavy Rock music, it can do everything.
I can definitely hear the difference. I’m just not sure how much is due to the tubes vs speaker and cab. The Tube amp had a much more vocal quality. More depth.That being said,I’m not sure many non musicians would notice the difference. And the katana 50 mkii is a great value. Recently had to sell my ac15🥺 but am now able to purchase a new amp. Was thinking about a katana but decided (so far) on a Laney cub 10.
I had a strange observation during the initial "in the mix" demos. With the Strat on the clean Katana, I felt like it sounded sterile, but the Strat sounded very stratty, as you'd expect. With the Artist, my immediate impression was that the cleans were way better, but the "stratty" sound was gone. When you played the Strat isolated on both amps, it was clear why: the brighter Katana preserves the strat tone, where the Artist is darker, which kills the strat tone.
I have a katana and I also have owned tube amps, they're both great for different things. Quite honestly I like the tone of the tube amp isolated, but I honestly felt a lot of the tube qualities disappeared once it was in the mix and it sounded a bit mushy compared to the katana. If I would have heard these tracks without knowing, I would have guessed the katana was the tube amp. it's great to have a great sounding amp out of the box but how many of us honestly play straight into a amp without no EQ, effects or anything else for that matter... this is where the katana shines, the fact so versatile. I've had great tube amps that should have gave me the wow factor but they just didn't... my boss Katana produces tones I could never really get out of my tube amps.
I liked them both. Mind you I was blind folded and had ear plugs in so I couldn't see or hear any difference at all! But seriously, I think I preferred the Katana in most cases, but I'm sure in the room sound would have been different.
Through my Bose headphones, the tube amp has a slight edge when played totally clean. But all the other tones were better on the Katana. The tube amp sounded muddy by comparison.
I have an Artist Tweedtone 20, and I've noticed something about the tones which people might find useful to know. The tone controls are really effective, by which I mean the treble control adds a lot of treble, the bass and mid likewise. IIRC, you can silence the amp by turning all the tone controls to zero. So you can dial in a good tone on the gain channel. I have never tried for a jangly tone, so I'm not saying it can go as bright as anyone could possibly want. BUT The tone controls are shared between the two channels, and the crunch is way darker than the clean. This might be a problem if you use the channel switch to toggle between clean and crunch, and you want similar EQ on each. I've bought an EQ pedal to compensate for the different tones. I use it with the crunch because I really like the cleans and don't want to tinker with them. It works well like that. Overall, I really like the tones I get out of it.
Dont get the katana even if you are in a small apartment with paper thin walls. Get a silvertone with 50C5 output tube, will not be more then 1-2 watts
I'm a 54 yr old Aussie that grew up with a jcm 800 half stack and a couple of Boss pedals for my first rig back in the 80s. I just cannot feel right without valves. I've tried some of these modelling things, I even played around with a mate's Kemper but for me, it will always need to be the real thing - valves/tubes. Maybe I'm just too old and my ears are just geared to what they grew up listening to and playing with.
The Katana has a much nicer clean tone. The tube amp sounds small in comparison and has less highs and lows. You could of course dial the Katana’s EQ to make it sound narrower like that. For the crunch and lead tones the tube amp sounds small and fizzy. That’s not a great sounding amp at all. If you turn the treble down on the Katana it will sound muddy like that tube amp.
@@LostMyMojo100 It's because the price of gear in Australia is ridiculously high, and Artist offer quality at prices that don't break the bank. Nothing to do with herd behaviour (or flocks, whatever).
You summed it up pretty much as I heard it. I have the Katana 50 Mk1 and tried connecting an Art Gold tube preamp to it. It sounds great, plus it’s boosted the over all volume. Being a pre it is hard to get the tubes to break up, but you can get a nice crunch. I only play clean so it suites me fine. Noticed you played the drums right handed. I’m a lefty and play golf right handed. Thanks Shane for the comparison, it further makes me want to stick with my Katana, I love mine.
My secret for budget TOAN is a Bugera V22 tube amp with a Katana 100 running in wet/dry config. I get clean or crunch tube amp goodness with the katana adding whatever wet effects i want on top, like vibrato or even (low)octave fuzz, etc. Sounds pretty great to me and all told both amps together were under 1k
When you mentioned the Katana was better if you live in an apartment, I was thinking a good guitarist tip is that if you are applying to rent a detached house, don't tell the landlord it's because you want to play your tube amp full volume :-) I did have 50w tube amp in an apartment but it had a good master volume knob so it was ok
I do mainly clean tones, I'm keen to have the ease of solid state but as this video shows solid state just can do the singing clean tones that tubes can.
I liked the ice pick reference. The tube amp's high end sounds like the high end rounds off into a space it can't fully expand in, but it's presence is still there to "glaze" the sound.
The one thing I've noticed... Playing live, solid state amps tend to grate my ears. Especially at volume and with any sort of gain/drive. Tube amps have so much more sonic mojo in the mids, low mid-high mid, and I think they compress the pick attack. Solid state seems to have so much more high mids though high-highs haha... The pick attack is crisp and doesn't compress. Generally I prefer the tube amp... In a mix solid state has some advantages, but overall I prefer the tube sound. Being in the room... I would bet big money I would prefer tube. The final piece... Playing, without a doubt I prefer playing a raging responsive tube amp but that is another discussion.
I have a Katana 50 mkii sitting on top of my Marshall DSL40CR. Now, with respect to price points they are in a different league, and of course the DSL blows the Katana out of the water. My biggest issue with the Katana is the ice picky tones it gets when gain is added. I really only use it as a speaking volume amp for late night practice. Any time i have cranked up the volume I want to throw it out the window. I have a love hate relationship with it. Great features, lots of "sounds" but I wouldn't call a single one a usable tone. I actually would prefer my Fender Mustang 3 back. I swore off digital a while back but based on reviews I picked up the Katana after dumping a Bugera V5. In hind site this was a mistake. I am right back to wanting to trade it for something else. I see a blues jr in my future.
@@sixslinger9951 I did, but in my personal opinion it really wasn't worth the hassle. I now own a Princeton Reverb, Mesa Boogie Cali Tweed, Super Reverb, Ac15c1, Marshall DSL40CR and a Blackstar HT1. I have no interest in ever looking back. For 250 bucks for what it is, sure go for it and spend the time to dial it in. Keep in mind my comment was over a year ago I obviously moved on and upward.
Artist- lower notes more audible mids more dynamic and richer. Unsurprisingly too, less high order distortion in the treble (less sizzle). However, the Katana sounds better than I expected.
ive owned a katana mk2 50 for about 3 months ,the one thing i think people miss is ,its not designed to emulate any particular amp ,its its own beast ,that is one reason i bought it ,normally im a tube amp guy ,but its been exciting/frustrating at times trying to find a unique sound
I lean Katana only because it’s also great at low volumes and has built in EQ, tube amps are great for louder volume and give off greater character in their tones for sure, but theres also a price difference for that.
It's all about digital VS analog. Analog has more mid ranges, because of the nature of the signal, digital is more compact. But i got to say that modelling amplifiers are getting better and improving over the years.
After years of following you because of some cool videos, your choice of topics in the last few months made me a very regular viewer! :) Well done. And I am actually not that much 'into the blues' by the way. But I guess now I am 'in the blues' !
Something I learned from another UA-camr (wish I could remember who so I could give them credit): when using higher gain tones on the Katana, enable the parametric EQ and set the high cut to 6.3 kHz. This tames the sizzle and sounds great. Now you can crank the amp without the ice pick highs.
Might have been Juca Nery. He has some videos where he walks through how he builds a Katana patch and the parametric EQ is one that he’s always tweaking.
I had to do that on the Nextone as well before I sent it back to Roland.
great point, i feel these amps try to get too hi-fi and sound unnatural. same as using IR's. tame top and bottom for most natural tones
You can also do it in the global EQ to remove the ice picky nature of katanas, the first thing I learned about them, you really can't knock the katana after listening to this,
For the money the katana is increadable, the katana speaker is very bright and full compared with my Marshall 1912 cab, and it compares well with my JVM too
People stick their noses up at katanas until they try one out properly, then they realise how wrong they are
@@capitanvonchickenpants8492 only issue i have with using global eq is it affects the tone of every channel setting. acoustic guitar likes full range.
and both of these amps come in left handed versions?
Nice
@Jonathon doe the left handed ones do smell different.
I dunno, but I've always needed left handed picks.
@@JAF2991 I use those for the Hendrix tone
@off spec these are the tips they don't put in the instruction manual
I'm 68 and until 2 years ago played strictly tube amps since 1960. I have Marshalls, Fenders, Bugeras and more. All I will say is since I got my Katana they're all sitting in a room gathering dust unused, and nothing in this video changed my mind about my decision to stick with my Katana. ✌🤘😎
I know the feeling.. 😊👌👍
Have you downloaded the Sneaky Amps or the Dumble Amps? They are both totally worth it.
I just bought the Katana and once you get The tones set up, it competes with a tube amp, not saying it is better but it is very versatile. To my ears it is really nice sounding and I am a tube guy.
I agree, and with all of the tools available for recording,, the AUX in, and the cab simulators, not to mention that he had to turn the katana down to 50 to make things fair.
I was so obsessed with tube amps that I made a few of my own. Now I play my Katana and follow more of a "Shut up and play 'yer guitar" philosophy with a smile on my face.
The Katana stacked up nicely for sure! The edge still goes to the Tube amp imo. I've found with all amps like the Katana there's always this highend sizzle on the notes with distortion that I don't love.
I feel the same way. It has a bit of a laser beam of death in the live mix and the recording captured that. :)
That natural lo passivity and smooth harmonics of tubes it’s the taste guitarist and audiophiles crave.
Guitarist tested, Mom approved .... or was that Kix?
Holy Moly, my two favorite guitar youtubers in the same place! What a day to be alive!
Two of my fav. Guitar UA-camrs. Keep up the good work, cheers.
Yep...thanks to both of you guys!
It's one of those age old arguments. They both serve different people for different purposes. The Katana is a perfect compromise for home practice, recording and gigging. It is also a great pedal platform. A tube amp is just a different beast to be tamed. You can love both 😉
yes you can love both but often you dont have the money or room for both so sometimes you just have to pick one
philipb i picked up the regular boss katana 100. i know the artist is better but the price was too close to a real tube amp for it to be worth it to me. at 359 i think the regular katana sounds fantastic and would be really hard to beat at that price range
Even though I preferred the Artist here, I'd still say that for bedroom jamming, the Katana is the better option as you can cut the output down to 0.5w; even on 0.5w, I can blast my neighbours out.
They both achieve good tones, the Katana is a great practice platform, but as with all modeling style amps it never really reproduces that great tube sound perfectly. The artist is a good tube amp but I am not a fan of the EL84, the losses at the top end is a hard no for me. Plenty of better tube amps out there to compare to the Katana.
I use modeling amps, but I will always prefer the sound of my tube amps.
@@Firemedic361 EVER heard a VOX AC wound up?
No surprise that the Katana sounded soooo good! I own a 100 watt model w/12 inch speaker. I’ve stopped playing my tube amps, the katana does it all for me now!!!
I own a Katana 50 MK2 and an Orange Rocker 15, honestly, the rocker 15 cranked up in dirty mode is something beautiful, but the Katana is insane, so much tonal options that sound as good or at least, 99.99999999999999% as good as the tube amp, make me have my tube amp disconnected most of the time. Honestly, the Katana is awesome and I think most people would fail a blind test, also, no need to think about tube replacing makes me almost abandon the idea tubes are better.
I agree with you.
How better is Katana as a pedal platform?
I do prefer the Katana here. The Tube amp sounded like it had a damp towel over it. Normally I like that, but not in this case.
YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR EARS CHECK
@@junito1957 nah hes right tube amps are overhyped
Speaker change that’s it a Celestion Blue will be better on that amp
@@NerdFaceEmoji lol, or you have never owned a quality tube amp. Thats more likely judging by that statement.
@@justinTime077 I've borrowed some nice 2000+ ones I jus don't see it unless your a tone snob
The Audience wouldn‘t care ;)
Good point.
But the artist does... and if he ain’t feelin’ it, then you ain’t getting his best.
For the most part, nobody would ever know!
Great demo, as always Shane! Two items for those who think the Katana has too many highs. 1. Use the tone controls, you know, like that treble knob. It actually works. 2. Find the Sneaky Amps. Just load the live sets and try 20 additional amps. There are much better amps than the 5 on the front of the Katana, better cleans, better crunch, etc. They are free and already in the amp, so why not check them out?!
I liked the sounds on the tube amp, but Katana adds more flexibility, like going from a Fender clean to a Mesa Boogie Dual Rec high gain in one button press.
The fact it’s so hard to pick a clear winner says a lot about the Katana
Listen again
@@jimrhondaorozco309 Tone preference is subjective buddy.
I have to say, it wasn't even close. the Katana sounded better in every way. the tube amp sounded muffled to me for some reason. i might have to find a used katana on marketplace and see if i can get one used
The BIG comparison is price point. Huge difference and the value in just having a single amp for so many options of tone with the Katana is insane. Any Gen 3 folks in chat yet?
Got a crazy thing on these amps . It’s called an equalizer .
The tube amp lets the solo notes 'sing' a lot more. Very full and warm. I've been toying with selling my 100w high gain JCM900 (blisteringly loud) for a Katana. But this makes me want to keep the tube amp. Maybe I'll get a secondhand Katana and have both. Haha. Thanks Shane. Great vid once again. 😁👍
I used to think that a digital/solid state amp couldn't ever be able to mimic the sound of a nice tube amp. Then as I grew older and wiser, I realized that it was never about mimicking the sound but more of mimicking the feel and how the feel affects the sound. Today we have solid state amps that sound better than tube amps, multi effects pedals that feel better than tube amps that go direct to a P.A. It's amazing how much digital/sooud state amps and IR's have evolved and how much better than they can feel/sound than a tube amp. Nobody would have agreed with ke 10 years ago but today is a different day lol
The Artist has a tube compressed warmth ...only achieved preamp and power amp tubes.... I just love the sound of tube amps.
The Katana sounds better to me since the Artist does have the top end rolled off. The Katana can be dialed in to take some of that top end off anyway.
Exactly: the tone stacks are different between the amps, and therefore they need to be dialed in separately by your ear.
I'm an old guy, always have had tube amps. I also have a Katana 100 head, and I think it's absurdly versatile. I'm an old tone snob, and I go to many gigs with the Katana, a cab, a cable, and 2 guitars. Killer tone for my ears - my 71 Deluxe Reverb stays home.
@@chuckparkinson7470 There is no such thing as a "tone stack" in a digital amp. They all have the same problem, very little overtones, and brittle highs and thin mids.
@@weschilton All hail the tone god. He knows everything. There have never been any famous albums using solid state, digital amps.
@@weschilton sure.
@@weschilton I'm sure you know better than me - I've only had the Katana 100 head for 2 years.
And yeah, it has a tone stack...and it's doesn't have to be bright and brittle. Adjust the highs, like you would turn off the bright switch on a Super Reverb.
When I was young I bought a used Fender Super Reverb... pre CBS. It weights 65lbs (still got it in the garage). Then when I was in my 40s I bought a Zinky 25 watt valve amp. It weighs about 40 lbs. Now I'm 68 and I bought a Fender Bronco 40 which weighs less than 20lbs. But when I do go out to play for senior centers I bring my Vox Mimi 3 - runs on batteries. It weighs like 2.5 lbs. Seems like the older I get the less concerned I am with my tone. I also can use the mini with my classical guitar as well as any electric.
I will say that I do like the valve sound the best though. The "ice pick" description is a good one. Actually I have noticed this type of high end volume coming from the "new and improved" designed classical guitars with the double top and lattice bracing designs and I still prefer the old traditional fan braced guitars as designed by Torres.
Funny though, when it comes to electric guitars I have to admit that my favorite guitar is the $400 Squire tele that I got recently. I also have a 1970 EL 335, a Heritage 575 and a PRS fitted with P 90s. I like the tele cause it cuts through even at a low volume and the trebles are unbelievable... but not "ice pick" like.
Honestly, in my oppinion the Katana wins. By far!
But booth sound nice!
Cheers from Portugal 🍺🤘
EQ settings can adjust any kinds of differences these 2 amps have. They're VERY close.
This is fair. I'd be curious to hear them both eq'ed. Makes me want to get an eq for my katana. I also want a bonzai tube screamer, but it's hard to justify a pedal that costs as much as the amp.
@@tonybowen455 Don't need a pedal, there's a 10 band EQ built into the software.
@@SynZ777 If you need an EQ somewhere in your physical pedal chain then it would make sense to have a pedal EQ too.
It may be UA-cam’s compression or the tone and eq profile of my studio monitors, but I think I preferred the Katana overall. There were areas that the tube amp had better tones, but overall the Katana just sounded better.
I run the katana artist and I use it as a pedal platform and use the gafc to switch effects on the panel to go with my existing pedal board. I crank the presence and set my eq and it sounds amazing I used to be a tube purist before owning the artist 100. I run a full-tone ocd and it gives me such warm overdrive with my american strat and my warmoth strat with pearly gates. No more tube replacements for me. Later
Loved the Tube Amp cleans and the Drives of the Katana.
In isolation I prefer the Artist Tweed Tone but in a mix doesn’t really matter too much in my opinion both sound as good as each other.
@@lucid_delirium976 Nope, the Artist is better sounding, my opinion.
@@alainbrisebois8334 I largely prefer the Katana, the Artist sounds narrow IMO.
And if you want narrower/warmer sound on the Katana, you just tweak the treble knob, that works perfectly.
But I'm more of a "function/practicality" guy: if it works, I go for it. If I was more "material nerd", I'd go for a tube for sure ;)
On the other hand, in motorbikes i'm way more interested in what I ride than how practical/fast it is.
@@Haplo59 When you mentioned the Katana Artist, are you talking about the normal Katana Artist, or the Katana Artist MK2?
@@bobby1970 The Artist in this video is the other amp (tube amp), not the Katana, though a "Katana Artist" exists.
The Katana displayed in this video is the "Katana 100 MK2" not the "Katana Artist" ;)
I have a Katana Artist which IMHO is the way to go with Katana lineup, for gigs it has everything effects loop, line out, standby, power settings .... To me the speaker and cabinet make all the difference plus with a little time you can get the exact clean tone your looking for. I use it the same as my Fender HRD - clean with pedals. I have never cared for the HRD crunch, sounds muddy, and I really don't use the other Katana settings as my pedal board rocks. I have A/B'ed the two amps and you will be hard pressed to guess which is which listening or playing. I have been gigging with it for about 2 years now and it has been solid.
Hi, really pleased the Artist is serving you well. I've been trying to make up my mind about the Artist 100 or the 100 2x12, so I asked Andertons for advice. I was wondering if the extra speaker would make up for lack of a Waza speaker. I was told that if I just wanted to record at home then definitely go for the Artist, but the 2x12 is the way to go for gigging. I'm still keen on getting the Artist though, how does it cope with a band, is it loud enough to cope with a loud drummer? I appreciate your help in this matter. Cheers, Ronnie.
The Artist has a better speaker. That is why when I got my mkii head I opted to try it with the Harley Benton vintage cab. I dig it
Gary I agree with you in that of all the Katana amps the Artist with the single waza speaker has a much better tone than the 2x12 100w. I am a tone snob and while people seem to think me crazy the design of your cabinet and the choice of speaker makes all the difference in the world. I like the upgrades that you get with the MKII series but truthfully the series one Artist is still better than the MKII 2x12 100w. In my opinion.
The artist is another level. The speaker and cab are better. Actually, the speaker is much better and normal katana speaker is not average at all.
@@killacoiler1707 same with me...the Artist is worth the $200 upgrade. the waza speaker alone costs that much.
On crunch and lead, the tube amp sounded muddy 🤷🏻♂️. The difference in clean was marginal. I am glad I have my Katana 50 😁
You've convinced me I'm buying a Katana!
Do yourself a favor and download the Sneaky Amps and the Dumble Amps. You won't be disappointed.
@@brandonlesko3126 kindly do share how to do this
@@davidhaolai You have to seek out a .TSL file for the Katana Tone Studio. Look for the Sneaky Amps and the Dumble Amps. When you download them, open up your Tone Studio and bring those files in. You can then create a new live set and insert those amps in your Katana.
@@brandonlesko3126 thanks....
@@brandonlesko3126 with a ton of tweaking to the sneaky amps. they aren't that special if you ask me. you can get better tones just knowing how to eq the amp properly
I've had my 100 mark 2 for about 6 months now and FINALLY got to have a jam with a full band recently! I was up against and 800 watt ampeg bass amp, a 36 watt tubemeister and a brand new set of tama hyper drives. Had it on 50 watt mode and experienced zero issues! Tons of volume to boot and no "high end sizzle" as Robert put it, lol! Granted, I dont have quite the ear he has but it my 25 plus years of playing with bands this is by far the best bang for my buck I've ever had!
'Ice pick attack on the high end' - damn if that's not a perfect phrase. You nailed. And I agree - the clean tube is untouchable.
I just bought a Katana head and had a first jam with last week. I was thrilled with the tone I got with it. I used the clean channel with some of the blues driver effect and a little reverb. I was running the Katana at 100 watts with master on full and channel volume very low. Yes the amp is bright but this meant I could roll off the volume and tone on my LP. I was getting a really nice tone. And unlike my low wattage valve heads the Katana has ludicrous amounts of clean power. I just sold my Jet City 20 watt head and now wondering if I need My Ibanez 15 watt head any more. Katana head is also compact and not too heavy. Last point, the valve heads tend to sound worse over time as the valves wear. It is expensive replacing valves.
Just like your user name.
there's no "better", you can appreciate both but in terms of bang for buck the Katana is a killer amp. If the tube amp you like costs way more, pay the difference with a smile and enjoy it.
As a player I don't have a lot of experience with tube amps, just the Mesa Boogie Mark IV I owned for about four months. That amp seemed like a lot of money for something my Amplitube 4 does just as well in the mix.
I now own a Katan 50 mark 1 a Katana 100 212 MARK 2 and a Katana Artist 100 MARK 2 with the GAFC foot switch and all three of those amps combined cost less that the Mesa Boogie, and are more versatile and cover more situations than the Boogie.
Thankfully I'm not plagued with the Valve maintenance and weight.
I'll take take the Katana all day over a valve amp!
same.....my marshalls are collecting dust
Great review, thanks. I ended up selling my Blues Junior and getting a Fender GTX 50, which I chose over the Katana. Yes, the valve amp sounded great but I couldn't get past the power consumption. I don't gig but I play a lot at home. Now I can walk out of the room and not have to worry about turning the amp off.
I totally get the idea behind this video. I have a music room full of tube amplifiers and 98% of the time I am playing this little Orange Crush 12 solid state right now. Takes pedals amazingly! At one point I was playing an MXR distortion + and it’s this incredibly compressed sound which is a lot of fun. So I was like, well this little amplifier as great as it is lacks a lot of headroom. Then I plugged in a modded boss blues driver, and man it sounded as loud and open as a 12 watts fender tube amplifier. Really great little amp. Will never ever sell my tube amplifiers, but I get this different technology. This Boss katana will do all those bar gigs just fine and nobody will care. And best of all you won’t care if someone slops beer onto it.
The best A/B test of all time! ... A big thanks to Shane's right-handed twin brother for the great guitar work!
I got a Katana. And the key for dialing it in (for my taste) was high cut. I set it to 5 kHz. And it removed that unpleasant high end sizzle and fattened things up a lot.
@ Christan: Is this hicut setting modied via Tone Studio?
@@johnfeole1971 yes
@@johnfeole1971, yes, it is. In the last EQ section.
@@WatchesnguitarsDK thanks..
I turn down the tone on my guitar. Also on my LP the last little bit of volume to 10 adds top end sizzle, so I don’t go there. The Katana is not mushy at all and makes my neck pickup a lot more useable. I am using a celestion cream back speaker in a homemade pine cabinet.
I have the 100 MK1 X 1 2" and even on the .05 watt setting it gets damned loud, it is a beast
Very true! I have a 100 mk2 1x12 and I play at the 0.5w setting at rehearsal with my full band even. 2 guitars, bass, drums and 3 vocals. It is cranked at that setting but I couldn't believe it would keep up. I can't imagine fully cranking the 100w setting.
I have the same amp and I usually keep it at the 0.5 watt setting. I am a considerate neighbour though.
@@brandonlesko3126 I am considerate neighbor too and even a cranked .5 w setting is too loud. I crank the master full and keep my practive volume around 4-5...plenty loud!
Great vid man , awesome comparison. I was worried about this vid. 2 weeks ago I sold my katana 100 and got the Artist tweed tone. But now.....after watching this..... I made the right choice in my opinion. Haven’t stopped playing my Artist.
They both sounded like you playing through my pc speakers on youTube... :)
Good to hear thanks.
My own journey was from a GT8 with a Cube amp to a Katana 100 mk2.
The satisfaction of the solid stock sound is amazing . The flexibility is great value and its good enough for live. Had to get rid of the gt8...just sounded like digital mush.
I'd stay with my Kat over this tube anyday
I just gigged with the Katana mkII 50. Soundman miked it as theres no direct out. Im an old school guitarist playin since the 70’s. I had to fit the amp in my small car so my Marshall tube amp was out. I took a chance and never gigged with a SS amp. I was impressed. I rolled the treble back to keep it from sounding like a ss amp. I set sounds in the amp and chose my presets for Skynyrd, Trower, Bad Co and Country twang and it delivered! I was so impressed something so small and light weight came through. Not as cool as my Marshall stack but my old back and small car thanked me.
I forgot to compliment you on the drumming.
Every Indie band in New Zealand just put you at the top of their "drummer wanted" list. :)
I swear you're everywhere, Matt Gilbert
@@sebastianibanez3206
I see all
Bought myself a Boss Katana KTN-100 Mk II the year before last year as a birthday present to myself, it's a wonderful amp once you get to know it, I also bought the optional Boss GA-FC Foot Controller and vinyl amp cover while I was at it, all up it cost me about Au$800.00, it has a total of eight user programmable channels, each one of them can have up to five effects chained in a row, you also get two different voicings/variations of each of the amp types (Modern/Vintage), amp types are Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown, you also get a total of 60 virtual pedals as well as an external FX Loop, not only that, there's also a stereo link feature where you can link two KTN-100 Mk II amps together for stereo sound, and there's a headphone/line out socket on the back that includes speaker cab emulation, there's a power switch where you can set the output power of the amp from .5W to 50W to the full 100W, my KTN-100 Mk II is the 1 X 12 model, I have already tried it in a live band gigging situation and it is more than loud enough to cut through a live band mix, best of all, it is easier to tote to a gig because it is lighter than my Marshall MA100C 100W 2 X 12 all Tube amp.
Excellent production. The Artist wins for me.
Thanks, Mark! :)
Just ordered my katana 50 Mkii. Love how you compared the katana to a valve amp called the artist, when katana makes an artist amplifier.
I'll take the Katana every day of the week! With fine tweeting...there you are. As a long time user of valve amps I see no need anymore. 68 Princeton, Baseman, Ampeg V4, (2) Twins to name a few. I'm 68 years young and am not a snob.
I had the Katana 50, 100, 100 MKII and finally the Artist MKII. I liked the tones but always had problems in the band context of my 2 bands to „cut through“ the mix. I got the Artist for my 40th Birthday to finally buy a great amp. I never bonded. The Artist reveals so much of the fizziness of the solid state technique because of the better speaker. So I recently sold the Artist and bought a small cheap tube amp (monoprice 15w). I LOVE it. No more tone studio fiddling, it just sounds great as it is. For me after years of Katanas I’m now in tube town. I also bought a Bugera V22 and I’m now building my first pedalboard. Can’t wait 😄
I had the Boss Katana ....the one with 2x12" speakers. It weighed a ton! lol! So much for saving my back! I'm now using the Marshall DSL 40. Something about seeing that Marshall sitting there that makes me want to play more. idk? I guess it just looks more inspiring? Both sounded good!
I feel slightly the same way...I need to get out of my own head!
Katana 2x12 is heavy?
A Fender The Twin IS REAL HEAVY...37.5 kg
@Greg Heidt I haven't had any problems! It sounds great! Never overheats or anything!
@Greg Heidt the DSL40CR is fantastic. Must better than the previous generation
my artist weighs around 40 lbs...how is that back breaking? my marshall head alone weighs over 50 lbs
Played (and lugged about) a laney gh100l for over a decade, and a touch more lol. Recently bought a katana head and GAFC. Took some getting used to but the katana is a fantastic piece of kit for a gigging (and ageing) musican. I play in a covers pub rock band and an original stoner metal band. I had bought the boss for the pub band, because of the flexibility sound wise, everything from blues to hard rock and metal. I now use it in the stoner band too lol!! It's just sounds great and saves the back! Plus no more tap dancing a string of fx etc. I just lift the head, pedal and a tuner. That's all I need! I urge anyone to try one. Keep an open mind!! It'll never replace valves and my laney, althought semi retired, will be pulled out for recording etc! \m/
For me it's about understanding your gear. Idea for a new video: tips and tricks for getting great tones from the Katana
Download the Sneaky Amps. Download the Dumble Amps.
Always crank the Master Volume as it does sound better.
Lighter gain settings work best in my opinion.
tube amp definitely sounds better. more character, warmth, depth to the tone.
sorry I have to disagree with that . Better is quite subjective . In my opinion both of them sound good at certain taste of individual. Overall i will go for katana for it versatility, of course for me. cheers
I have both tube and Katana. The Katana wins on versatility, and with the right eq'ing, on tone too.
*better for your ears
Shane, it would be very helpful if in future you give the eq settings for the amps....the way you dial them in may not be how others would do it. For example, Dave Simpson, who you know, dials the katana in with 0 eq for a lot of tones and gets a great sound....equal to the artist imo....cheers
Great comp Shane! BOTH sound great in their own way! I think a lot comes down to SPEAKER! Katana way more treble, the Tweedy more low mid thump! BUT both the clean and o/d on the Artist, had a nicer 'character' as it were, even tho it COULD have been brighter.
TRY with the same speaker as the constant in the comparison, THEN it comes down to circuits!
But I like BOTH amps!
Nice jam too!
\m/
I definitely liked the Katana in both the cleans and the crunch settings. the Tube amp just sounded way to muddy on the gained up tones.
I'll squeeze my Katana tones for a little while more. It's a very flexible amp to use and can allow you to play a lot. Tubes are tubes, hey sound great.
The Artist is a cool concept, but the Katana is the way to go. Especially if you have half a mind for computers and get into the tone editing software. Katana goes from bedroom to stage, has great FX built in. Takes pedals well. Has a wide range of gain options. I regret selling my original katana 1, but now have an excuse to get the II ;)
Is it time up for tubes? There are still plenty being bought out there. Without doubt versatility goes to the Katana and witout all the heat build up ..but we'll see
I got the Katana Artist because of Shanes review of these. I parked my tube amps and sold all of them but my EVH. It’s unbelievable how good these are especially for a player who doesn’t play out anymore. Takes pedals amazingly too.
Fun video! For my ears, the tube amp wins easily on the cleans, but the Katana wins on higher gain settings.
If you ever decide to buy one of these Boss Katana KTN-100 amps I very highly recommend also buying the optional Boss GA-FC Foot Controller, it makes things much more convenient with regards to switching channels on the amp, I have a GA-FC and it works great.
Greetings from the UK 😊 I'm a great fan of your channel, and of valve amps, but, finding myself in my late 60s, my back muscles are not what they were, so I recently acquired a Roland Cube 60 because it's half the weight of my favourite valve amp. I pretty much only use the JC clean channel, which is stunning in its own right as well as being a fantastic pedal platform. The Boss Katana range seem to be a logical progression from the Roland Cubes, and the sounds/facilities aren't a million miles apart either! However, as you said in the video, you turn the valve amp on and pretty much get what you get. So yes, the valve amp sounds/feels the best when settings are at their optimum, but the solid state amps are capable of retaining their best tones right across a much wider volume spectrum 😊
Man. I always say I'm going to start using solid state stuff like the Katana, but man...when I hear it back to back with a decent tube amp, I just can't do it. There is something about that warmth in tube amps... I just can't let go of it. my 2 cents.
Me too. Was on the fence about the katana 2x12 Mkii. Ended up with a blackstar ht club 40 mkii. Tube amps are where it’s at and no one can honestly deny that...
Still Livin' The Blues That’s because you’ve convinced yourself that tubes are just better, warmer and so on. When Solid-state has just as much warmth and punch these days.
Tubes are becoming less popular these days, with advancements in technology and that’s a good thing for us guitarists.
The main difference here is the Katana is just voiced differently and has a completely different speaker. It’s like comparing two completely different tube amps with different cabs!
I agree. To me it’s more about feel. Valves just react in a much more organic way than transistors do. This is because of the a tube works. Your guitar has a much more direct connection.
Benjamin Holladay organic? It’s just an electrical signal going in and one coming out at the end of the day. All that organic, warmth and whatever tube snobby people come out with can be easily replicated with today’s technology. Solid-state is the future and ever guitarist should be happy amazing guitar tone can be had with SS tec.
Price, weight, reliability and being much more flexible tone wise! Embrace the future 👍🏻
@@jazznotes3802 - "you've just convinced yourself that tubes are just better..." - Not when I compared a tube amp, and a solid state amp side by side, and actually like the tube amp better. I own plenty of solid states, I've even built some... On several occasions, I have compared side-by-side a good tube amp with a good solid state...and for me, the good tube amp has always won. I haven't "Convinced" myself of anything. I just prefer that sound. You may prefer the solid state...and that's fine. But to say, I've "convinced" myself of something before, or even after comparing, is just utter ridiculousness.
I have no idea why you'd want to argue with personal preference. At no point do I put down solid state amps. I use them often.
There were times when the Katana sounded better, but one place it absolutely did not was clean. I have a Katana because it's quiet, but the cleans weren't so good. I fixed that with a compressor and the venerable Joyo American Sound. Really livened it up and made it feel better. I think the Katana is a pretty good pedal platform. When I first got it I used to mess around with the tone studio, but I haven't opened that in months and months. I have a bunch of other amps but for playing and home without annoying the people who live with me, I play through the Boss. If nobody else is home I play through a Super Reverb or an AC30 without giving the Boss a second thought. If I lived in an apartment I may not own any tube amps at all.
I've had several Katana's and I think they are great for certain types of music - Clean - Blues - low gain rock. Also if you're the only guitar player on stage. If you're playing with someone who has a proper tube amp you will find yourself chasing their tone and never matching it. Also, when it comes to hard rock or heavier they fall apart at gig volumes. The way a tube amp compresses and naturally rolls off the high end is almost the opposite with a digital amp. They become buzz saws with too much rumble and that's why I've never kept one. Great for home use and practice, mainly for their weight advantage and built in FX but just cant hang with a good tube amp live. And this may not be others experience but for me, digital amps don't feedback the same pleasant way. But the huge caveat is the audience wont care either way.
Proud to be a left handed 🙏 thanks for the video Shane really helped my choice, 🇧🇷
Can the Katana Keep Up? Yes it can! Here i just feel needed more bass on Katana against tube amp...just little tweeks. Cool demo!
They both sound great but as a one time gigging guitarist I would find the Katana a more practical pick for it's versatility and ability to keep up with the rest of the band. I preferred solid state Peaveys and Fenders for durability and volume. The Fender Champion 100 was a favorite. Let's be honest...you make any amp sound cool.
I liked the Katana! I was so impressed I bought one and I love it!
I have a boss katana 50 MkII, super versatile this amp, im country rock player, and this amp can do everithing you want, i can play from classic traditional country, passing to Country Rock, to Classic rock or Heavy Rock music, it can do everything.
I can definitely hear the difference. I’m just not sure how much is due to the tubes vs speaker and cab. The Tube amp had a much more vocal quality. More depth.That being said,I’m not sure many non musicians would notice the difference. And the katana 50 mkii is a great value. Recently had to sell my ac15🥺 but am now able to purchase a new amp. Was thinking about a katana but decided (so far) on a Laney cub 10.
I had a strange observation during the initial "in the mix" demos. With the Strat on the clean Katana, I felt like it sounded sterile, but the Strat sounded very stratty, as you'd expect. With the Artist, my immediate impression was that the cleans were way better, but the "stratty" sound was gone. When you played the Strat isolated on both amps, it was clear why: the brighter Katana preserves the strat tone, where the Artist is darker, which kills the strat tone.
Budget RC interesting, I've noticed that with mine, it sounds really good with my strat and teles.
It sounds to me like the two amps together would sound glorious on the heavy/wah section of the song.
I have a katana and I also have owned tube amps, they're both great for different things. Quite honestly I like the tone of the tube amp isolated, but I honestly felt a lot of the tube qualities disappeared once it was in the mix and it sounded a bit mushy compared to the katana. If I would have heard these tracks without knowing, I would have guessed the katana was the tube amp. it's great to have a great sounding amp out of the box but how many of us honestly play straight into a amp without no EQ, effects or anything else for that matter... this is where the katana shines, the fact so versatile. I've had great tube amps that should have gave me the wow factor but they just didn't... my boss Katana produces tones I could never really get out of my tube amps.
Shane your multi talented as well as a good guitarist you play drums.
I liked them both. Mind you I was blind folded and had ear plugs in so I couldn't see or hear any difference at all!
But seriously, I think I preferred the Katana in most cases, but I'm sure in the room sound would have been different.
Through my Bose headphones, the tube amp has a slight edge when played totally clean. But all the other tones were better on the Katana. The tube amp sounded muddy by comparison.
I have an Artist Tweedtone 20, and I've noticed something about the tones which people might find useful to know.
The tone controls are really effective, by which I mean the treble control adds a lot of treble, the bass and mid likewise. IIRC, you can silence the amp by turning all the tone controls to zero. So you can dial in a good tone on the gain channel. I have never tried for a jangly tone, so I'm not saying it can go as bright as anyone could possibly want.
BUT
The tone controls are shared between the two channels, and the crunch is way darker than the clean. This might be a problem if you use the channel switch to toggle between clean and crunch, and you want similar EQ on each. I've bought an EQ pedal to compensate for the different tones. I use it with the crunch because I really like the cleans and don't want to tinker with them. It works well like that.
Overall, I really like the tones I get out of it.
The muddyness is what u are supposed to want
Dont get the katana even if you are in a small apartment with paper thin walls. Get a silvertone with 50C5 output tube, will not be more then 1-2 watts
@@abubakr6939 actually in an apt sitution, go with Neural DSP and Quality headphones. You'll never get a sound complaint.
@@sixslinger9951 I can’t stand them
Always great reviews and playing. Thanks a bunch. I bought the Artist 5W upon your recommendation.
My amateur opinion of what sounded better is:
Clean: Tube Amp
Crunch: Katana
Lead: Tube Amp
I would feel great playing either one.
Shane, this is a great comparison video, well thought out and really helpful for many of us. Thanks man, keep up the good work!
The katana seemed more aggressive in the top end on the higher gain settings the tube amp was smooth.
I'm a 54 yr old Aussie that grew up with a jcm 800 half stack and a couple of Boss pedals for my first rig back in the 80s. I just cannot feel right without valves. I've tried some of these modelling things, I even played around with a mate's Kemper but for me, it will always need to be the real thing - valves/tubes. Maybe I'm just too old and my ears are just geared to what they grew up listening to and playing with.
Try using the katana with an IR loader. Big improvement.
The Katana has a much nicer clean tone. The tube amp sounds small in comparison and has less highs and lows. You could of course dial the Katana’s EQ to make it sound narrower like that.
For the crunch and lead tones the tube amp sounds small and fizzy. That’s not a great sounding amp at all.
If you turn the treble down on the Katana it will sound muddy like that tube amp.
It seems you can cut off the 10K+ Hz in the software, that will sort this out.
Half of all the young guitarists I meet or play with in Sydney are always talking up Artist. And for good reason.
young musicians are like a flock of birds.... if one does it, they all do it....😉
@@LostMyMojo100
It's because the price of gear in Australia is ridiculously high, and Artist offer quality at prices that don't break the bank.
Nothing to do with herd behaviour (or flocks, whatever).
You summed it up pretty much as I heard it. I have the Katana 50 Mk1 and tried connecting an Art Gold tube preamp to it. It sounds great, plus it’s boosted the over all volume. Being a pre it is hard to get the tubes to break up, but you can get a nice crunch. I only play clean so it suites me fine. Noticed you played the drums right handed. I’m a lefty and play golf right handed. Thanks Shane for the comparison, it further makes me want to stick with my Katana, I love mine.
My secret for budget TOAN is a Bugera V22 tube amp with a Katana 100 running in wet/dry config. I get clean or crunch tube amp goodness with the katana adding whatever wet effects i want on top, like vibrato or even (low)octave fuzz, etc.
Sounds pretty great to me and all told both amps together were under 1k
More impressed by his versatility than amps. Good jams
When you mentioned the Katana was better if you live in an apartment, I was thinking a good guitarist tip is that if you are applying to rent a detached house, don't tell the landlord it's because you want to play your tube amp full volume :-)
I did have 50w tube amp in an apartment but it had a good master volume knob so it was ok
I do mainly clean tones, I'm keen to have the ease of solid state but as this video shows solid state just can do the singing clean tones that tubes can.
I enjoy very much you're videos, You always bring useful information. Thanks!!
I liked the ice pick reference. The tube amp's high end sounds like the high end rounds off into a space it can't fully expand in, but it's presence is still there to "glaze" the sound.
The one thing I've noticed... Playing live, solid state amps tend to grate my ears. Especially at volume and with any sort of gain/drive. Tube amps have so much more sonic mojo in the mids, low mid-high mid, and I think they compress the pick attack. Solid state seems to have so much more high mids though high-highs haha... The pick attack is crisp and doesn't compress. Generally I prefer the tube amp... In a mix solid state has some advantages, but overall I prefer the tube sound. Being in the room... I would bet big money I would prefer tube. The final piece... Playing, without a doubt I prefer playing a raging responsive tube amp but that is another discussion.
True. That's actually why a lot of metal guys like SS amps. Very sharp and biting tone.
I have a Katana 50 mkii sitting on top of my Marshall DSL40CR. Now, with respect to price points they are in a different league, and of course the DSL blows the Katana out of the water. My biggest issue with the Katana is the ice picky tones it gets when gain is added. I really only use it as a speaking volume amp for late night practice. Any time i have cranked up the volume I want to throw it out the window. I have a love hate relationship with it. Great features, lots of "sounds" but I wouldn't call a single one a usable tone. I actually would prefer my Fender Mustang 3 back. I swore off digital a while back but based on reviews I picked up the Katana after dumping a Bugera V5. In hind site this was a mistake. I am right back to wanting to trade it for something else. I see a blues jr in my future.
I guess you never found the para eq or knew how to use it ?
@@sixslinger9951 I did, but in my personal opinion it really wasn't worth the hassle. I now own a Princeton Reverb, Mesa Boogie Cali Tweed, Super Reverb, Ac15c1, Marshall DSL40CR and a Blackstar HT1. I have no interest in ever looking back. For 250 bucks for what it is, sure go for it and spend the time to dial it in. Keep in mind my comment was over a year ago I obviously moved on and upward.
Artist- lower notes more audible mids more dynamic and richer. Unsurprisingly too, less high order distortion in the treble (less sizzle). However, the Katana sounds better than I expected.
Thank god for your Informative Channel without an Intro etc...good!
ive owned a katana mk2 50 for about 3 months ,the one thing i think people miss is ,its not designed to emulate any particular amp ,its its own beast ,that is one reason i bought it ,normally im a tube amp guy ,but its been exciting/frustrating at times trying to find a unique sound
Thank you for using multiple guitars and pickups. I liked the attack of Katana.
Play them both. Pair a Katana with a tube 12” Deluxe or similar. Use ABY or stereo pedal to play both amps together.
With overdrive, the difference is dramatic! Every time there is a desire to switch to digital, I watch such videos and the desire goes away)))
I lean Katana only because it’s also great at low volumes and has built in EQ, tube amps are great for louder volume and give off greater character in their tones for sure, but theres also a price difference for that.
It's all about digital VS analog. Analog has more mid ranges, because of the nature of the signal, digital is more compact.
But i got to say that modelling amplifiers are getting better and improving over the years.
After years of following you because of some cool videos, your choice of topics in the last few months made me a very regular viewer! :) Well done. And I am actually not that much 'into the blues' by the way. But I guess now I am 'in the blues' !