I own a Katana 50 combo marked "version 2" on the box. I'm with you on the bland solid state sounding response at higher volume. My main problem with it has been deteriorating tone over the four years I've owned it. It is now screeching and annoying at any volume. I assume the capacitors are shot. It was a good practice amp, but it didn't last. Kind of a cheap disposable amp.
Well balanced review… I have had some parallel challenges with rig/gear trying to stuff 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag then decided to up grade made all the difference.. btw I love both sounds for different applications tube vs solid state or emulation.
Totally agree with this. I have both tube amps and solid state amps. I have a Katana MKII 2 x 12, and a Katana MKII Artist 100w with the Waza speaker (and a smaller solid state practice amp). I noticed two things in regards to "responsiveness". The Artist model seems slightly more responsive than the regular Katana or Katana II (maybe due to the speaker? IDK). It should presumably mean a difference of signal processing from the pickups/ vibrations of the strings (as I believe that's what the problem is). I don't know if the electronics in the head are different, but I don't think so. The other thing is that different guitars/ pickups gave me a different "response" in responsiveness (if that makes any sense). I only have a couple of old tube amps and the Katanas and a smaller solid state practice amp. But I noticed (or believe I noticed) a difference in "responsiveness" on both tube amps compared to the solid state amps. As I added in effects loops it became more apparent. But also there was a delay in responsiveness on both tube and solid state (depending on the number of effects added). Anyway, that's my two cents and experience.
Exactly what I found on every modeling amp I played. I sold my Katana 100. The mini was the best sounds amp I’ve ever played but once again quieter anything sounds better.
I played a peavey triple xxx tube head for 3 years at live shows. Then we had a show outside, and it was kinda chilly out. I didn't realize i had to warm it up, and I didn't have a chance. And it was horrible. I already had a peavey double xx solid state head as a backup, so i played the double xx at shows for the next 15 years. And played my triple xxx for recording. The double xx was the solid state version of the triple xxx. I have 2 mk2 2x12 boss katanas. I haven't played them live. I'm use to playing with a solid state for so long that I don't think that would bother me. Maybe it won't be the same as the double xx. I remember the triple xxx being awesome. But for shows i trusted my double xx more.
I understand how it feels different solo. But as far as in a band context, If I am playing well and up on my practice, the response of the audience and my band mates is good enough for me and the 7.5% loss in tone and feel from the amp. It's so light and easy to use tech and the audience does not care. Keep your beautiful tubes at home and use the tech for the road. Just a thought.
The lack of sag was apparent to me even on clean tones even at room volumes during the two days that I spent with Katana 50. It was not giving me the chimey Fender-cleans which goes into compression and saturation when pushed, and I spent hours with the PC app trying to emulate that response using various compressor settings. In the end, it did not work, it couldn't be helped and I returned it. I was getting way better responsiveness from Positive Grid Bias Amp through studio monitors (I could get tons of sag if I needed too). I heard that Katana Mark II is different in this regard as it supposedly has clean channel variation 2 which is a better emulation of Fender clean amps. But I personnaly haven't tried it. I would be glad to learn from someone who did if MkII made a difference.
the katana 50 mk2 is cool, easily one of the best practice amps for the money and even better when i found mine used for only $100 from a guy that just didnt want to deal with the app. But i agree with everything stated here for the katana 50mk2.. then i got the katana artist mk2 with the waza craft speaker........such a huggggggge difference from the 50 1X12 sound wise and sooo much louder at 100w! sounds great running through a different cab. tried it through a mesa boogie cab and a marshall and it sounds great. i do miss my 5150 and kick myself for selling it in the early 2000's but i didn't miss the upkeep and lugging it around. would still love to own both of those heads you have just because i love gear...but the katana artist mk2 and my pedal board with my own boost and effects work so well for whatever style im feeling. well worth the money.
Act I agree and disagree. I played with a tube and solid state for a long time. I got used to both of the sounds. The tube sounds awesome. But used the tube head to record with and the solid state to play out because it was lighter. The crowds never noticed. The katana is great if you go internal with it and dial it in good.
I heard the 100 watt combo & head deliver ROCK LOUD RICH TONES in live setting. Obviously, nothing will BEAT a tube amp tone. But IF ya wanna a more compact rig for the price & load convenience, BOSS KATANA slices the competition as far as solid-state amps go!
I had a similar experience of lack of responsiveness, but it was with a cheap amp sim device (can't remember the exact name, kind of looked like an Omnichord/Qchord lol). There was an obvious latency problem that killed the feeling of playing guitar so much that I couldn't use it to record. I haven't had a high-end tube amplifier, but between a Marshall DSL 40CR and a Boss Katana Artist MkII, I don't feel much difference in the responsiveness. It might have something to do with playing styles though (I tend to stay in the extremes of high-gain distortion or completely clean). That iconic edge-of-breakup sound is where a high-end tube amp might always beat everything else.
Thank you for sharing. Same amp, same version of Katana. Same outcome. The only difference was: I was chugging my acoustic electric Takamine (not pro series) through it. Sealing/plugging the soundhole of course. With all its acoustic clean modeling and effects it sounded gorgeous for the audience (their feedback), but I couldn't reach the stage comfort, which was achievable for me DI through PA. My conclusion: great for home use and annoying the neighbors (it is beautifully and awefully loud), but not ok for stage presence.
In my experience, the Katana 50 has a poor cabinet and speaker. It has an especially bad speaker. Fridge magnet. The Kat 100 and up is where it gets better.
I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying but for playing at home it sounds great and it’s easy to dial in a good tone. As well I play 20-30 gigs a year and hauling around heavy tube amps was killing my back lol.
My last few years of live playing, having a easy/light set up was way better than the 5% improvement in sound. Like you, playing under 50 gigs a year makes it well worth any drawbacks. The audience doesn't care and I guess my ear is not as refined as many of my fellow players. Personally I found that when I practiced more and played better, the response didn't matter because I helped the band and I didn't care about anything else.
@@chopperdeath That’s exactly what I’m saying too. For the weight difference it’s totally worth it. In all reality the only people who ever would hear a difference would be guitar tone snobs and at 99% of gigs you won’t run into anyone with that skill level.
All solid state amps flub out at high volumes . There's no sweet spot . That's the difference in price & what it's used for compared to a tube amp in a band setting . But at low volumes in a practice setting , I'd put my 100 W Artist MK II up against any amp on the market !!
Your mistake was the Mark I, Buy the Mark II. You paid $150ish and maybe expected the playability of a 68 $10K Plexi or 59 Tweed Bassman? I also prefer Tube/Valves but the digital amp has it's place in the music world.
Mine had a real lack of volume on 100 watts its weird ,I have seen a few tutorials on it Do i will try a few things ,Being digital it has to be used a bit differently like it will through a hissy fit and you have to factory reset it .Anyway i jammed with it tonight playing metal punk kinda stuff and it was so muddy there was no real tonal control and the volume difference from mid to fully cranked was nothing it was a real let down .I even ran my hm2 through the return just to see if it would make a difference to the volume the speaker was putting out but no dice..Its loud but not 100 watt loud ..So yeah il try the things i have since looked at re set it and go from there and we will see.Heres hoping ..cheers for your video
I do not agree, but i would also never buy the 50watt version for a band situation. I bought the Artist Mk2 combo and gig with it. It sounds amazing in all aspects. The 50 watt amp IS a practice amp. Not to mention you had version 1. To each their own but if you are a player why not get the best and latest version?? Then you rag on the amp when you obviously went on the cheap and tried to push it. Not a fair take IMO
Nice to hear someone tell the truth about solid state amplifiers. I just watched a video of a Katana with a Telecaster. It sounded nothing like a Telecaster, but like a Les Paul. Then another video of a guy shaming those of us who hate solid state amps. Nice. These amp are land fill amps. Techs won't work on them, they don't last, they don't have sag, they are for teenage boys. My amps are 50 and 60 years old tube amps, There is no solid state amp that can match what they do, they will still be making music for another 50 years as long as they are maintained. You can't maintain a PC board with proprietary chips that won't exist 20 years from now, and doubtful these amps will last that long. Every time I bought a solid state amp, I ended up hating them. The Blackstar Amps full of chips, are hybrid amps and they don't sound like tube amps either. You make a LOT of great points and am sure you'll get shamed by Katana owners. Follow your EARS, amen. The other part of this is that PC board amps don't sound as good as hand wired vintage amps do, they are always harsher notably, though some aren't too bad.....
I use the Katana mk2 head into a Orange 2x12 cab with my band. It sounds incredible! You need the head. The cabinet is the key.
I own a Katana 50 combo marked "version 2" on the box. I'm with you on the bland solid state sounding response at higher volume. My main problem with it has been deteriorating tone over the four years I've owned it. It is now screeching and annoying at any volume. I assume the capacitors are shot. It was a good practice amp, but it didn't last. Kind of a cheap disposable amp.
Well balanced review… I have had some parallel challenges with rig/gear trying to stuff 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag then decided to up grade made all the difference.. btw I love both sounds for different applications tube vs solid state or emulation.
Totally agree with this. I have both tube amps and solid state amps. I have a Katana MKII 2 x 12, and a Katana MKII Artist 100w with the Waza speaker (and a smaller solid state practice amp). I noticed two things in regards to "responsiveness". The Artist model seems slightly more responsive than the regular Katana or Katana II (maybe due to the speaker? IDK). It should presumably mean a difference of signal processing from the pickups/ vibrations of the strings (as I believe that's what the problem is). I don't know if the electronics in the head are different, but I don't think so.
The other thing is that different guitars/ pickups gave me a different "response" in responsiveness (if that makes any sense). I only have a couple of old tube amps and the Katanas and a smaller solid state practice amp. But I noticed (or believe I noticed) a difference in "responsiveness" on both tube amps compared to the solid state amps. As I added in effects loops it became more apparent. But also there was a delay in responsiveness on both tube and solid state (depending on the number of effects added). Anyway, that's my two cents and experience.
Exactly what I found on every modeling amp I played. I sold my Katana 100. The mini was the best sounds amp I’ve ever played but once again quieter anything sounds better.
I played a peavey triple xxx tube head for 3 years at live shows. Then we had a show outside, and it was kinda chilly out. I didn't realize i had to warm it up, and I didn't have a chance. And it was horrible. I already had a peavey double xx solid state head as a backup, so i played the double xx at shows for the next 15 years. And played my triple xxx for recording. The double xx was the solid state version of the triple xxx. I have 2 mk2 2x12 boss katanas. I haven't played them live. I'm use to playing with a solid state for so long that I don't think that would bother me. Maybe it won't be the same as the double xx. I remember the triple xxx being awesome. But for shows i trusted my double xx more.
Great explanation! Same problem i had with the Katana. Great for recording and messing around with.
Great video and truth. I recently experienced the same result with the Katana.
I understand how it feels different solo. But as far as in a band context, If I am playing well and up on my practice, the response of the audience and my band mates is good enough for me and the 7.5% loss in tone and feel from the amp. It's so light and easy to use tech and the audience does not care. Keep your beautiful tubes at home and use the tech for the road. Just a thought.
The lack of sag was apparent to me even on clean tones even at room volumes during the two days that I spent with Katana 50. It was not giving me the chimey Fender-cleans which goes into compression and saturation when pushed, and I spent hours with the PC app trying to emulate that response using various compressor settings. In the end, it did not work, it couldn't be helped and I returned it. I was getting way better responsiveness from Positive Grid Bias Amp through studio monitors (I could get tons of sag if I needed too). I heard that Katana Mark II is different in this regard as it supposedly has clean channel variation 2 which is a better emulation of Fender clean amps. But I personnaly haven't tried it. I would be glad to learn from someone who did if MkII made a difference.
the katana 50 mk2 is cool, easily one of the best practice amps for the money and even better when i found mine used for only $100 from a guy that just didnt want to deal with the app. But i agree with everything stated here for the katana 50mk2..
then i got the katana artist mk2 with the waza craft speaker........such a huggggggge difference from the 50 1X12 sound wise and sooo much louder at 100w! sounds great running through a different cab. tried it through a mesa boogie cab and a marshall and it sounds great. i do miss my 5150 and kick myself for selling it in the early 2000's but i didn't miss the upkeep and lugging it around. would still love to own both of those heads you have just because i love gear...but the katana artist mk2 and my pedal board with my own boost and effects work so well for whatever style im feeling. well worth the money.
I had this exact experience
The Katana is for people who haven’t had experience with anything better and/or can’t dial in a proper tube amp
Act I agree and disagree. I played with a tube and solid state for a long time. I got used to both of the sounds. The tube sounds awesome. But used the tube head to record with and the solid state to play out because it was lighter. The crowds never noticed. The katana is great if you go internal with it and dial it in good.
I heard the 100 watt combo & head deliver ROCK LOUD RICH TONES in live setting. Obviously, nothing will BEAT a tube amp tone. But IF ya wanna a more compact rig for the price & load convenience, BOSS KATANA slices the competition as far as solid-state amps go!
I had a similar experience of lack of responsiveness, but it was with a cheap amp sim device (can't remember the exact name, kind of looked like an Omnichord/Qchord lol). There was an obvious latency problem that killed the feeling of playing guitar so much that I couldn't use it to record.
I haven't had a high-end tube amplifier, but between a Marshall DSL 40CR and a Boss Katana Artist MkII, I don't feel much difference in the responsiveness. It might have something to do with playing styles though (I tend to stay in the extremes of high-gain distortion or completely clean). That iconic edge-of-breakup sound is where a high-end tube amp might always beat everything else.
Thank you for sharing. Same amp, same version of Katana. Same outcome. The only difference was: I was chugging my acoustic electric Takamine (not pro series) through it. Sealing/plugging the soundhole of course. With all its acoustic clean modeling and effects it sounded gorgeous for the audience (their feedback), but I couldn't reach the stage comfort, which was achievable for me DI through PA. My conclusion: great for home use and annoying the neighbors (it is beautifully and awefully loud), but not ok for stage presence.
I have the mark II head and 2X12 cabinet I have to dial in all settings concert loud because if you set at low volume it changes when you crank up
In my experience, the Katana 50 has a poor cabinet and speaker. It has an especially bad speaker. Fridge magnet.
The Kat 100 and up is where it gets better.
I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying but for playing at home it sounds great and it’s easy to dial in a good tone. As well I play 20-30 gigs a year and hauling around heavy tube amps was killing my back lol.
My last few years of live playing, having a easy/light set up was way better than the 5% improvement in sound. Like you, playing under 50 gigs a year makes it well worth any drawbacks. The audience doesn't care and I guess my ear is not as refined as many of my fellow players. Personally I found that when I practiced more and played better, the response didn't matter because I helped the band and I didn't care about anything else.
@@chopperdeath That’s exactly what I’m saying too. For the weight difference it’s totally worth it. In all reality the only people who ever would hear a difference would be guitar tone snobs and at 99% of gigs you won’t run into anyone with that skill level.
All solid state amps flub out at high volumes . There's no sweet spot . That's the difference in price & what it's used for compared to a tube amp in a band setting . But at low volumes in a practice setting , I'd put my 100 W Artist MK II up against any amp on the market !!
The only good Katana is the 100 W Artist MK II . Those other ones don't have that great sound
@@chuckpon4910 Perhaps the speaker is a core component of the improved tone for the artist MK II?
Your mistake was the Mark I, Buy the Mark II. You paid $150ish and maybe expected the playability of a 68 $10K Plexi or 59 Tweed Bassman? I also prefer Tube/Valves but the digital amp has it's place in the music world.
Mine had a real lack of volume on 100 watts its weird ,I have seen a few tutorials on it Do i will try a few things ,Being digital it has to be used a bit differently like it will through a hissy fit and you have to factory reset it .Anyway i jammed with it tonight playing metal punk kinda stuff and it was so muddy there was no real tonal control and the volume difference from mid to fully cranked was nothing it was a real let down .I even ran my hm2 through the return just to see if it would make a difference to the volume the speaker was putting out but no dice..Its loud but not 100 watt loud ..So yeah il try the things i have since looked at re set it and go from there and we will see.Heres hoping ..cheers for your video
I do not agree, but i would also never buy the 50watt version for a band situation. I bought the Artist Mk2 combo and gig with it. It sounds amazing in all aspects. The 50 watt amp IS a practice amp. Not to mention you had version 1. To each their own but if you are a player why not get the best and latest version?? Then you rag on the amp when you obviously went on the cheap and tried to push it. Not a fair take IMO
I had the 50 mkii one, but I found it very uninspiring to play. I quickly sold it, and they are certainly overrated.
I hated my Katana
God, another one mispronouncing the amp name
Never felt any difference
Nice to hear someone tell the truth about solid state amplifiers. I just watched a video of a Katana with a Telecaster. It sounded nothing like a Telecaster, but like a Les Paul. Then another video of a guy shaming those of us who hate solid state amps. Nice. These amp are land fill amps. Techs won't work on them, they don't last, they don't have sag, they are for teenage boys. My amps are 50 and 60 years old tube amps, There is no solid state amp that can match what they do, they will still be making music for another 50 years as long as they are maintained. You can't maintain a PC board with proprietary chips that won't exist 20 years from now, and doubtful these amps will last that long. Every time I bought a solid state amp, I ended up hating them. The Blackstar Amps full of chips, are hybrid amps and they don't sound like tube amps either. You make a LOT of great points and am sure you'll get shamed by Katana owners. Follow your EARS, amen. The other part of this is that PC board amps don't sound as good as hand wired vintage amps do, they are always harsher notably, though some aren't too bad.....