Thank you, Henning! Over the last 10 days I have been researching, scrutinizing, and comparing the Hell out of 3 amps, this one being one of them. I was in Analysis Paralysis, seriously going crazy and could not make up my mind. I even watched this video, in its entirety, 3 times. I am now done. I am getting this one. Ahhhhh, it feels so good...I have my mental faculties back. "Honey... Get dressed! I'm taking you out. We're gonna go celebrate..."
I’m doing the same thing, undecided on what to get. Have you had a chance to mess around with your new katana? How do you like it? Will it work with an I-Pad? I have no computer
@@brianmersmann76 I am ordering a guitar as well. So, on the 12th of this month, a week from today, I will order them both together. I'm hoping I will have them both delivered by the middle of this month.
I used the 100W MKII to open for late 80s MTV band the Bullet Boys a couple of months ago. They needed a backline, so I said that they were welcome to use it but didn't think they'd want to because guys from that era like standing in front of a stack. Two Marshall stacks were brought in, but the singer/guitarist ended up preferring the Katana. I watched in amazement as the Katana completely held its own against a Marshall stack dimed all the way up! And the Katana's master was only 2/3 up. Love those amps, and I will never need to turn it up that much, but it's nice to know it can.
Thank you so much. Just bought one of these for my son who is in his 20s and playing guitar more and more and getting better. He will be able to grow with this amp, and it will provide him with all he needs in terms of sounds, volume, and versatility for the forseeable future. Then he can buy his own really expensive rig, but always know that he has this sitting around and ready to go (and he'll likely still use it regularly). It just looks like Boss knocked it out of the park with this. I totally enjoyed your review and for as lengthy as it was, your humor kept it interesting throughout. Thanks again. I am goinog to subscribe to your channel.
Very nice detailed review as always Henning! By the way, theres a little trick you can do with the line out. If you activate the stereo spand switch, it actually turns off the built in cab emulation! So you can use something like a mooer radar or some IR loader in between and use whatever IR you like for lives or for recording!
By far the best all around combo amp ever made. Period. I’ve had all 3 Artist series. Nothing on this planet even comes close to comparing to the Artist combo. And those Vola guitars are 1 of the best guitars on earth as well. Japan just knows how to make the best stuff. You should do a video showing ppl what went into inventing the WAZA speaker. It’s not your average V30 or some G12. The WAZA speaker is an insane invention on its own. I put them in almost all my cabs. And having the newer, ( GAFC-EX ) pedal with the amp is an absolute must. And the Bluetooth adapter as well. I have both as well and my guitar journey, after 35 years of buying everything on earth, is finally done. Only thing I use with these amps, ( and every amp no matter what it is, ) is an EQ pedal, imo the most important pedal on any board. I use the resonance switch as a tone knob. But basically just leave it to right for everything.
I needed 2 coffees and a bottle of water. Perfect size video, reminiscent of the boss switcher series. They really do a great job these katanas. Thanks for the detail nerd. Planken.
You are a blessing man. I love your extreme geeky rabbit hole videos. I bought the head version of the Gen 3 Artist, because I wanted the flexibility with cabs at the lightest weight. Sweetwater was also having a sale on the MKll Katana Artist combo, for $399, so I grabbed one. Now, I have a great amp, in the combo, but I can also use the Gen 3 head with the combos speaker too. Take care man. :)
I’ve had the Artist Gen 3 combo for under a month now. It’s the only amp that’s cured my amp “GAS”. I will need to deep dive into this review and hopefully you liked it too :)
Great video, former tube amp snob, up until the gen 3 katana artist., I looked down on these amps for years, until I tried my buddies Gen 3 Artist, went out and bought one... Amazing, fun amp, 95% there compared to a tube amp sound and feel IMO, insane the sounds and options you get for $600 bucks...I do find that my pedals of the same digital versions of the Boss models sound slightly better than the Boss versions... But If I gigged with this, other than a preamp/dirt pedal, I wouldn't bother bringing my pedalboard in most cases.
Also being a tube amp snob, I never considered anything else. Coming from the VH I tone chaser era, I've spent literally thousands of dollars, sometimes happy, sometimes disappointed. My game changer? Literally a used Yamaha Thr10x. I couldn't believe what I heard from a table top amp with those tiny speakers. So now I'm actively searching for my Boss Katana Artist Head to try. One question, how do the older Celestion "style" speaker cabinets work? I have several
One of the best compliments I can give on this is that it didn't feel like 90 minutes! Felt far shorter and from the Katana I know, seems a realistic and very honest review.
Wow, epic! Thanks for posting. I really liked the Mk2 Artist when I tried it. I have the 100Mk2. I’ve been waiting to try the Gen3 Artist. I have a feeling I may be upgrading to it soon lol. Cheers!
I can't understand how they still didn't put a tuner there, and at least some simple 30s looper... And as good as it is for the price, why they don't put BT control (literally a 2$ chip these days) automatically at least in the upper range is quite strange.
@@LuisJimenez-pb3ge This amp series tries to present itself as 'one box for everything', esp. when you have the external pedal box. Tuner is literally the only thing that you need to think about bringing (and another pair of cables, and power source). Good luck using app on stage (after every other song) and not looking like a dumbass. Just annoying... There's no international laws banning BT, but you need to do the certification for sure. Katana Air, Marhall Code, Fender Mustang GTX... they all have it.
Don’t even get me started on Bluetooth you need a science degree to get it going ! So many ridiculous updates it’s not just a plug connect search on you need to install the latest version of katana into your computer 💻 before even starting it !!
I have a Katana Artist Mk2 for the reasons you give at the end. The question for many of us, is the Gen 3 Artist enough, if at all, of a improvement to warrent replacing a Mk 2 Artist.
Personally I upgraded mine for these features: Bluetooth connectivity to fiddle with patches, balanced XLR output and being able to personalize the feel of the line out (mic model and position) I currently don’t have a sound treated room to record in so this is my main tool for recording.
I really feel the gen3 is entirely worth the upgrade, it depends a lot on what kind of player you are perhaps but if you’ve been all through the editor it is obvious. If you today use just the panel and are perfectly satisfied don’t bother upgrading, you don’t need the complex functionality, nothing wrong with that .
Yeah but here's the thing the artist gen 3 simply sounds much better. I mean there's a lot of people on the internet saying what they want but you should try it for yourself because it definitely sounds better I've owned all of them
I made my mk1 into a 100w floor amp with the GAFC built in , I have 4 great tube heads, modellers, ....in the last 3 years, the Katana has done most of the gigs....if the mk1 is that good, the Gen3 will be amazing... you can run stereo expand into any amp wit ha fx return so you don't need 2 Katanas... makes stereo expand even better
The Studio Rats have produced a number of presets for Boss for the Mark II which are quite simply just plumb beautiful. If you got the Mark III, I'd highly recommend any new presets made by them. They are alchemists.
@chrishyde1216 the bloom feature and the pushed clean alone is yes ...but the general structure of gain has been redone in the gen 3 altogether. I simply feel the bloom feature made all cleans crunches and edge of breakup tones better.....people will disagree with me but I feel the bloom is overkill on anything with some real gain in it. But the new brown channel has been redone just a bit to the point I don't think bloom is needed......FYI I don't use tone studio I run pedals into it ...808, Precision Drive, and a RV 6 in the loop and the new NX1 gate is killer
Once you introduce a low cut at 100hz and a high cut at 4k in the post amp parametric eq the amp warms up. A very slight boost around 1k can also wake the amp up. Also it is insane that after the third update on this amp they still won’t put in there an IR loader and a stereo XLR
Come on now is it really insane? I mean just think about it they're giving you a ton of stuff you're just asking for everything and there is nothing that gives you everything
Hey Val... turning the coffee machine on shortly! 😂 I'm 3/4 of the way in on this video on my first day back in the states after vacation... awake too early.... perfect listening for my half awake brain. I have yet to own a Katana... that said, this is a pretty amazing tool! I like it a lot so far! Might have to check one out live! Thanks again Henning... great seeing you at Guitar Summit, as short as my one day visit was, it was a great experience! 🤘🎸😎🫶🎵🎶
Sure, I could have watched a movie instead. But this was entertaining enough and much more useful. I like my Katana 100 MKII even more now, and somewhere along the line, I just might upgrade to an Artist.
It’s a great amp , I have this one and a fender Princeton 65 reissue. I love them both , retubing the Princeton is expensive these days , it’s nice to have an amp I can just leave on all day and it sounds good and I don’t have to replace the power tubes every year as the quality of the tubes these days is crap.. they don’t last
I bought the Mk3 100W Head over the summer and haven't looked back. I don't have the cabinet yet for it but it hasn't mattered because of the little speaker inside of it. I'm hoping to get a 2x12 cabinet during Black Friday because I've been out of work for a while and on limited funds. Still, it's kept me going and enjoying playing guitar again.
I have the Katana MKII 100w head.. I love it! So versatile and it sounds really good ( after some EQ tweaking in the tone studio of course). I gotta say the more I hear this Gen 3 with the bloom activated.. the more I want to get the Gen 3 head. Please tell Glenn Fricker to get the Gen 3 head and demo it on his channel. I'd be interested to hear his take on it for metal specifically. Great video!
Ich will gerade von klassicher auf E-Gitarre umsteigen und die Auswahl ist wirklich erdrückend. Zuerst wollte ich eine Do-it-All Gitarre und Model Amp und bin bei PRS SE (Custom24-08 mit den 85/15 (2024) bzw. TCI (2025 Modell), SE CUSTOM 24 SEMIHOLLOW PIEZO, McCarty, Paul's Guitar, DGT, ) und dem Katana 100 gelandet. Aber nach diesem Video überlege ich, eine gebrauchte Pacifica 112 V zu holen und dafür den Artist statt Katana 100 Gen3 und wäre immer noch unter 1000 €, was weniger ist als eine PRS SE Custom mittlerweile. Dazu noch Black Friday mitnehmen. Danke für das Video, es war sehr informativ.
I had an expensive looking Roland amp back in the mid 90's that was similar, it had all kinds of FX built into the amp. I don't remember where I found it but I think it was one of those cheap garage sale/flea market finds.
Thank you for mentioning the LED colors. I am colorblind, red/green deficiency, and can confirm it is difficult to differentiate the colors. Bummer that the firmware version is referenced using the LEDs as well. "Dont update the same firmware twice over" How can I tell?
When you got to the part where you talked about, if it sounds like a tube amp, that got my thinking. I have a Fryette PS-2A, so I can run the Katana into it and then back out to the Katanas' speaker. Maybe that will add some tube goodness to the sound. Wish me luck. :)
My most sophisticated piece of gear I own is my Katana Mk2 100w. 2x12. Mine isn't the artisan one. I don't know enough about how much better an amplifier can be. I've had this amp for 3 years...,? Still love it.
My MKII will stick around until MKIV. Plus I'm tired of hearing my MKII and went back to tube amps and pedals for now. Maybe by the time MKIV comes out I'll be ready for these again. LOL
Thanks for the review! Still need to watch 90% of it, but damn, that guitar used on the noodling track looks sweet and sounds amazing (well... it helps you play it)!
Everything but the kitchen sink is correct. Everything and the kitchen sink is also correct. Katana's are lovely amps. Let's see how much better this one is than all the others.
Love this video! Thanks Henning. I've always felt the Katana (particularly the Artist) is a great solution for both the mid level gigging musician and the beginner as well. I am curious about using it as a monitoring solution for a top end monitor. How does the Waza speaker hold up to a greenback cab? How does the class AB power amp hold up to say the Orange Pedal Baby. I would love to see a comparison of the Katana v the Pedal Baby with a 1x12. Seems like this has the possibility of being a winning solution for this situation.
Can it hook up every boss effect that was ever created like the one I got 4 years ago play some program that into your boss katana well can it or does it even need it okay I better listen to the video first before I start bragging about the one I've got
I haven't finished yet, but did you mention Dual-Link? It let's you use and control 2 Artists together as 2 separate amps with one set of footswitches.
I was think of getting the head as light weight back up for my amp. My son has the Katana MK II 100. My other son has the MK1 50....They are pretty straight forward utility amps. Super flexible and useful many scenarios.
I’ve had my katana 100 112 gen 3 for about two weeks, its an incredible workhorse! Everything but a tuner and looper. Im totally loving the mobile editor! I use 2 ga fc , soo much control, i need to get a few expression pedals
I’m using my mk II as the stereo partner for, it such a beautiful pair. and of course im using a third amp into a 412 cab ascmy center dry. It’s incredibly fun!
So they finally fixed the clean channel sounding as dead as a rubber band? That was always their Achille's heel. But this sounded like it had some tube sparkle to it. Good amps! When making my choice about 5 years ago though, I went with the Blackstar ID 60 TVP (now defunct and reborn as the Silverline series, but possibly defunct again..WTH, Blackstar?) , and I'm still glad I did, great tones all around.
I have a gen 3 head and love it. I’m still trying to understand why a real tube amp should sound better. I’ve tried them out in shops, about 3-4 different types, and can’t tell an advantage. Do I need to crank them or something? Basically, I’m debating whether it’s worth it to plan on upgrading. But if it’s not worth the price then why bother?
zZsounds had a couple of Katana Artist 100 MkII combos a couple of weeks ago for just $399!!! Who ever nabbed one of those got a serious freakin' deal! BOSS's choice to use a class A/B power section, with a "power amp in" option?! Was a legitimate game changer IMO. Got a modeler you like? BAM! Any price point Katana is a fantastic powered cab. What puts the Katana Artist series amps just a push above it's siblings for me? Is the speaker. It's leaps and bounds above the standard Katana 12" speaker, and it's "bloom" feature is... Well, like Henning said... "Mo' Betta". You are making me miss my Katana 50 MkII Henning! HA! Although, it was a little limited for what I wanted. Especially compared to the new Gen 3 amps. Are they better than a tube amp? Well no, although that's completely subjective. Are they great amps? Absolutely. Especially given what you get for relatively pennies on the dollar in comparison. I personally know artist who record with tube amps in the studio, but tour with one or two Katana 100 heads or combos. Some with Tone Studio dialed in sounds and a foot controller, others with something like a Fractal (2x power amp in) running in stereo. I will go ahead and end this loooong comment rant with this... Putting a better speaker in an older Katana? Rocks! Blair, Oscar, & I freakin love you Henning! 😘
An idea for the global eq could be to set it up for different guitars… if you have that.. like Fender, Gibson, Active pickups. As they sound very different 🤓🎸
@@EytschPi42 you are right about that, but at gigs you could be forced to use your backup guitar. And maybe that’s slightly different 🤷♂️ just a thought ☺️ thank you for your many amazing videos, which I enjoy very much 👍☺️☺️
I need to get one of these exams because when they start building the places on the moon and the place is on Mars I think this app would be perfectly compatible with those places on these planets even though the moon isn't a planet but Mars is you would definitely need the setup this amp I don't think anything else would work on one of these Moon and slash planet first I just got to figure out how to get one and pay for it
The lack of a stereo Line Out is very frustrating. Clearly the internals can produce stereo, since the headphones and USB-C are stereo. Why not make the Line Out stereo too?
If kitty cat didn't come into the room when you were playing that ref to the backing tracks then your cat probably isn't even at the house right now might be out in the field chasing butterflies or field mice and just having a kitty cat time
The high gain on these is complete trash. I owned it for 2 days and returned. I have the Axe fx 3, a 5153 to watt (6L6) and a Dual Rect. It's amazing how close the Axe fx comes to reproducing these amps. I'd believe they were the actual amps until I play through the real amps. Then I can just barely hear a difference. The katana isn't a bad amp but it's garbage compared to the Axe fx or real amps. Bedroom noodling is all.
THIS is a proper Katana review. You can't review a Katana in 10 minutes. You have to spend time with the Tone Studio software, to know what this unit can do. Katana is the best value on the market. Definitely get the GA-FC footswitch for it.
You know I always see these product demo videos and most of them nowadays are digital. It strikes me interesting that so many people are hung up with yesterday like it has to be a 59 Gibson Les Paul or it has to be a strat from the 70s or it has to be on Marshall jcm whatever. Here's the thing those are sounds that we all grew up with and admired but they are sounds and the new sounds that digital equipment gives us our sounds in and of themselves. In other words every sound is a sound if you're only psychologically married to getting something from the 50s or 60s you're not going to do very much to make yourself sound original or different if you keep going for amps and guitars and effects that have been around for 30 or 40 years. Drive the digital realm and see what new sounds you can create that may not sound like tubes but who cares? Just consider that concept for 2 minutes
It is truly the Swiss army knife of guitar amps. But do you really want a screwdriver digging into your wrist while you attempt to open a bottle of wine? If they'd just use 1% of the budget on hiring a decent UI designer. (you can contact me here Boss...) You seemed most enthusiastic using it as a cab for your UA Dumble, and I absolutely get that :D
toneX und sonstiger software wumms nervt mich,ich will analoge potis zum fummeln , an der front + usb für DAW -blackstar hat mir zu wenig zum zwirbel , line 6 schmeckt mir die haptik optisch schon nicht-was gäbs denn da noch-gut, HT-5R MkIII Combo käm hin und is sogar n röhren amp, was soll ich da nu machen? ich hab eben für einen Amp schon keine kohle wenn ich so als full time adult drüber nachdenke und will doch am liebsten nen fender blackface mit diesen geilen skirted knobs-oh yeah-skirted
Problem is actually sound. Wooly, spongy, plastic. Not real. It would be unbeatable if it had some modern tone capturing possibilities or using NAM or Tonex captures. I would buy it instantly.
Thank you, Henning! Over the last 10 days I have been researching, scrutinizing, and comparing the Hell out of 3 amps, this one being one of them. I was in Analysis Paralysis, seriously going crazy and could not make up my mind. I even watched this video, in its entirety, 3 times. I am now done. I am getting this one. Ahhhhh, it feels so good...I have my mental faculties back. "Honey... Get dressed! I'm taking you out. We're gonna go celebrate..."
I’m doing the same thing, undecided on what to get. Have you had a chance to mess around with your new katana? How do you like it? Will it work with an I-Pad? I have no computer
@@brianmersmann76 I am ordering a guitar as well. So, on the 12th of this month, a week from today, I will order them both together. I'm hoping I will have them both delivered by the middle of this month.
No matter how much you give people, they will always want more
I used the 100W MKII to open for late 80s MTV band the Bullet Boys a couple of months ago. They needed a backline, so I said that they were welcome to use it but didn't think they'd want to because guys from that era like standing in front of a stack. Two Marshall stacks were brought in, but the singer/guitarist ended up preferring the Katana. I watched in amazement as the Katana completely held its own against a Marshall stack dimed all the way up! And the Katana's master was only 2/3 up. Love those amps, and I will never need to turn it up that much, but it's nice to know it can.
Thank you so much. Just bought one of these for my son who is in his 20s and playing guitar more and more and getting better. He will be able to grow with this amp, and it will provide him with all he needs in terms of sounds, volume, and versatility for the forseeable future. Then he can buy his own really expensive rig, but always know that he has this sitting around and ready to go (and he'll likely still use it regularly). It just looks like Boss knocked it out of the park with this.
I totally enjoyed your review and for as lengthy as it was, your humor kept it interesting throughout. Thanks again. I am goinog to subscribe to your channel.
Very nice detailed review as always Henning!
By the way, theres a little trick you can do with the line out. If you activate the stereo spand switch, it actually turns off the built in cab emulation! So you can use something like a mooer radar or some IR loader in between and use whatever IR you like for lives or for recording!
By far the best all around combo amp ever made. Period. I’ve had all 3 Artist series. Nothing on this planet even comes close to comparing to the Artist combo. And those Vola guitars are 1 of the best guitars on earth as well. Japan just knows how to make the best stuff. You should do a video showing ppl what went into inventing the WAZA speaker. It’s not your average V30 or some G12. The WAZA speaker is an insane invention on its own. I put them in almost all my cabs. And having the newer, ( GAFC-EX ) pedal with the amp is an absolute must. And the Bluetooth adapter as well. I have both as well and my guitar journey, after 35 years of buying everything on earth, is finally done. Only thing I use with these amps, ( and every amp no matter what it is, ) is an EQ pedal, imo the most important pedal on any board. I use the resonance switch as a tone knob. But basically just leave it to right for everything.
I've been gigging my mk100 combo for 4 years now , best amp I've ever had
This is awesome Henning! I'm gonna get one. I've used the mini katana as a practice amp for years and I love it.
Video length? Not a problem. I save these so I can go back to them anytime I want. I like thorough...👍✌️
Henning You did all the work............I bought the Amp! Many Thanks!!😁
I needed 2 coffees and a bottle of water. Perfect size video, reminiscent of the boss switcher series. They really do a great job these katanas. Thanks for the detail nerd. Planken.
You are a blessing man. I love your extreme geeky rabbit hole videos. I bought the head version of the Gen 3 Artist, because I wanted the flexibility with cabs at the lightest weight. Sweetwater was also having a sale on the MKll Katana Artist combo, for $399, so I grabbed one. Now, I have a great amp, in the combo, but I can also use the Gen 3 head with the combos speaker too. Take care man. :)
I’ve had the Artist Gen 3 combo for under a month now. It’s the only amp that’s cured my amp “GAS”. I will need to deep dive into this review and hopefully you liked it too :)
Nice, thank you Henning - great review!
Thanks!The best Video about Katana Boss gen3 Artist on UA-cam ✌️🫶🔥🎸👯!!!
Great video, former tube amp snob, up until the gen 3 katana artist., I looked down on these amps for years, until I tried my buddies Gen 3 Artist, went out and bought one... Amazing, fun amp, 95% there compared to a tube amp sound and feel IMO, insane the sounds and options you get for $600 bucks...I do find that my pedals of the same digital versions of the Boss models sound slightly better than the Boss versions... But If I gigged with this, other than a preamp/dirt pedal, I wouldn't bother bringing my pedalboard in most cases.
Also being a tube amp snob, I never considered anything else. Coming from the VH I tone chaser era, I've spent literally thousands of dollars, sometimes happy, sometimes disappointed. My game changer? Literally a used Yamaha Thr10x. I couldn't believe what I heard from a table top amp with those tiny speakers. So now I'm actively searching for my Boss Katana Artist Head to try. One question, how do the older Celestion "style" speaker cabinets work? I have several
One of the best compliments I can give on this is that it didn't feel like 90 minutes! Felt far shorter and from the Katana I know, seems a realistic and very honest review.
Glad you clarified later that there ARE MICS and you can set to position.
Wow, epic! Thanks for posting. I really liked the Mk2 Artist when I tried it. I have the 100Mk2. I’ve been waiting to try the Gen3 Artist. I have a feeling I may be upgrading to it soon lol. Cheers!
@@dmac3316 I debated trading my mk2 but just got both, the mk2 is my stereo partner for the gen 3 and they play very well together.
I can't understand how they still didn't put a tuner there, and at least some simple 30s looper... And as good as it is for the price, why they don't put BT control (literally a 2$ chip these days) automatically at least in the upper range is quite strange.
my gripe is that it's so heavy. in this price range and weight class a tube amp seems more desirable at least for me.
BT had to do with international laws. Tuner just use a freakin free app dude.
@@LuisJimenez-pb3ge This amp series tries to present itself as 'one box for everything', esp. when you have the external pedal box. Tuner is literally the only thing that you need to think about bringing (and another pair of cables, and power source). Good luck using app on stage (after every other song) and not looking like a dumbass. Just annoying...
There's no international laws banning BT, but you need to do the certification for sure. Katana Air, Marhall Code, Fender Mustang GTX... they all have it.
@@andree182 Marshall Code and Fender Mustang sound like freakin toy amps lol
Don’t even get me started on Bluetooth you need a science degree to get it going ! So many ridiculous updates it’s not just a plug connect search on you need to install the latest version of katana into your computer 💻 before even starting it !!
I have a Katana Artist Mk2 for the reasons you give at the end. The question for many of us, is the Gen 3 Artist enough, if at all, of a improvement to warrent replacing a Mk 2 Artist.
I'm keeping my MK2.
@@charlesharper7292 Same... in fact, it'll be the last amp I own
Personally I upgraded mine for these features: Bluetooth connectivity to fiddle with patches, balanced XLR output and being able to personalize the feel of the line out (mic model and position)
I currently don’t have a sound treated room to record in so this is my main tool for recording.
I really feel the gen3 is entirely worth the upgrade, it depends a lot on what kind of player you are perhaps but if you’ve been all through the editor it is obvious. If you today use just the panel and are perfectly satisfied don’t bother upgrading, you don’t need the complex functionality, nothing wrong with that .
Yeah but here's the thing the artist gen 3 simply sounds much better. I mean there's a lot of people on the internet saying what they want but you should try it for yourself because it definitely sounds better I've owned all of them
That what I like about your stuff, Henning: down to earth, no bullshit (erm, nopt too much BS) and my2cents - so brilliant! Thank youuuuuuuuuu!!!
I made my mk1 into a 100w floor amp with the GAFC built in , I have 4 great tube heads, modellers, ....in the last 3 years, the Katana has done most of the gigs....if the mk1 is that good, the Gen3 will be amazing... you can run stereo expand into any amp wit ha fx return so you don't need 2 Katanas... makes stereo expand even better
The Studio Rats have produced a number of presets for Boss for the Mark II which are quite simply just plumb beautiful. If you got the Mark III, I'd highly recommend any new presets made by them. They are alchemists.
Brett Kingman too
I had the MK2 and now Gen 3 Artist....I have no need for a tube amp for 8 years now 👍🏻💯
Is that an upgrade from the MkII Artist? Was it worth it?
@chrishyde1216 the bloom feature and the pushed clean alone is yes ...but the general structure of gain has been redone in the gen 3 altogether. I simply feel the bloom feature made all cleans crunches and edge of breakup tones better.....people will disagree with me but I feel the bloom is overkill on anything with some real gain in it. But the new brown channel has been redone just a bit to the point I don't think bloom is needed......FYI I don't use tone studio I run pedals into it ...808, Precision Drive, and a RV 6 in the loop and the new NX1 gate is killer
Once you introduce a low cut at 100hz and a high cut at 4k in the post amp parametric eq the amp warms up. A very slight boost around 1k can also wake the amp up.
Also it is insane that after the third update on this amp they still won’t put in there an IR loader and a stereo XLR
Come on now is it really insane? I mean just think about it they're giving you a ton of stuff you're just asking for everything and there is nothing that gives you everything
The amp doesn't need an IR loader, it's not a DAW, you can use this amp with your IRs lol.
This is a $600 hundred dollar entry level amp, dafuq lmao.
@@ogrish76 I'm afraid Europeans pay a lot more at this moment.
@@ogrish76 I agree with your first sentence but not the second one. Artist range is not entry level. The Katana Gen 3 50W is.
Great video. Definitely needed the coffee. It baffles me what a guitarist nowadays can do with so little money. Cheers!
Woooooow....ok I knew this video was gonna end up being long but sheeesh...coffee ready to go! 🤘
Hey Val... turning the coffee machine on shortly! 😂 I'm 3/4 of the way in on this video on my first day back in the states after vacation... awake too early.... perfect listening for my half awake brain. I have yet to own a Katana... that said, this is a pretty amazing tool! I like it a lot so far! Might have to check one out live! Thanks again Henning... great seeing you at Guitar Summit, as short as my one day visit was, it was a great experience! 🤘🎸😎🫶🎵🎶
Sure, I could have watched a movie instead. But this was entertaining enough and much more useful. I like my Katana 100 MKII even more now, and somewhere along the line, I just might upgrade to an Artist.
I thumbs upped as soon as I saw that shirt
It’s a great amp , I have this one and a fender Princeton 65 reissue.
I love them both , retubing the Princeton is expensive these days , it’s nice to have an amp I can just leave on all day and it sounds good and I don’t have to replace the power tubes every year as the quality of the tubes these days is crap.. they don’t last
It’s a great piece of equiptment. When they put a tuner in it I’ll get on board. Until then I’m gonna wait on Gen 4.
I bought the Mk3 100W Head over the summer and haven't looked back. I don't have the cabinet yet for it but it hasn't mattered because of the little speaker inside of it. I'm hoping to get a 2x12 cabinet during Black Friday because I've been out of work for a while and on limited funds.
Still, it's kept me going and enjoying playing guitar again.
My coffee is hot and I’m sitting through the entire video 🎸🤘🏼
I have the Katana MKII 100w head.. I love it! So versatile and it sounds really good ( after some EQ tweaking in the tone studio of course). I gotta say the more I hear this Gen 3 with the bloom activated.. the more I want to get the Gen 3 head. Please tell Glenn Fricker to get the Gen 3 head and demo it on his channel. I'd be interested to hear his take on it for metal specifically. Great video!
Ich will gerade von klassicher auf E-Gitarre umsteigen und die Auswahl ist wirklich erdrückend. Zuerst wollte ich eine Do-it-All Gitarre und Model Amp und bin bei PRS SE (Custom24-08 mit den 85/15 (2024) bzw. TCI (2025 Modell), SE CUSTOM 24 SEMIHOLLOW PIEZO, McCarty, Paul's Guitar, DGT, ) und dem Katana 100 gelandet. Aber nach diesem Video überlege ich, eine gebrauchte Pacifica 112 V zu holen und dafür den Artist statt Katana 100 Gen3 und wäre immer noch unter 1000 €, was weniger ist als eine PRS SE Custom mittlerweile. Dazu noch Black Friday mitnehmen.
Danke für das Video, es war sehr informativ.
I had an expensive looking Roland amp back in the mid 90's that was similar, it had all kinds of FX built into the amp. I don't remember where I found it but I think it was one of those cheap garage sale/flea market finds.
coffee and snack needed while watching this 🙂
Thank you for mentioning the LED colors. I am colorblind, red/green deficiency, and can confirm it is difficult to differentiate the colors. Bummer that the firmware version is referenced using the LEDs as well.
"Dont update the same firmware twice over" How can I tell?
Sounded so right.
I bought a gen3 50 as my AC15 broke down again. Very nice tones I’m getting outta this thing cool stuff
When you got to the part where you talked about, if it sounds like a tube amp, that got my thinking. I have a Fryette PS-2A, so I can run the Katana into it and then back out to the Katanas' speaker. Maybe that will add some tube goodness to the sound. Wish me luck. :)
Yes
My most sophisticated piece of gear I own is my Katana Mk2 100w. 2x12. Mine isn't the artisan one. I don't know enough about how much better an amplifier can be. I've had this amp for 3 years...,? Still love it.
The speaker in the artist is drastically improved, it is a g12w waza speaker, basically a supped up greenback.
😂😂
@@areallyboredguy5825 that's something I can easily replace if I decided.👍
My MKII will stick around until MKIV. Plus I'm tired of hearing my MKII and went back to tube amps and pedals for now. Maybe by the time MKIV comes out I'll be ready for these again. LOL
My brain melted at the 21 minute mark. This is why I plug my Strat straight into my tube amp and enjoy myself
Thanks for the review! Still need to watch 90% of it, but damn, that guitar used on the noodling track looks sweet and sounds amazing (well... it helps you play it)!
Great tone! Thanks!!
Everything but the kitchen sink is correct.
Everything and the kitchen sink is also correct.
Katana's are lovely amps. Let's see how much better this one is than all the others.
Love this video! Thanks Henning. I've always felt the Katana (particularly the Artist) is a great solution for both the mid level gigging musician and the beginner as well. I am curious about using it as a monitoring solution for a top end monitor. How does the Waza speaker hold up to a greenback cab? How does the class AB power amp hold up to say the Orange Pedal Baby. I would love to see a comparison of the Katana v the Pedal Baby with a 1x12. Seems like this has the possibility of being a winning solution for this situation.
I like that song nobody ever came to my funeral either you should see the look on their faces
Curious the Gen 3 appears to have 2 additional Amp voicings, USB-C and the bluetooth module option over the previous model. Anything else?
One of the perfect "option paralysis" amps. A good one though.
Can it hook up every boss effect that was ever created like the one I got 4 years ago play some program that into your boss katana well can it or does it even need it okay I better listen to the video first before I start bragging about the one I've got
I haven't finished yet, but did you mention Dual-Link? It let's you use and control 2 Artists together as 2 separate amps with one set of footswitches.
Maybe you could show every effect/everything if you got on with it already.
Knobs on the front. It matters. Also, you can see all the pretty lights when you switch it on.
I was think of getting the head as light weight back up for my amp. My son has the Katana MK II 100. My other son has the MK1 50....They are pretty straight forward utility amps. Super flexible and useful many scenarios.
I’ve had my katana 100 112 gen 3 for about two weeks, its an incredible workhorse! Everything but a tuner and looper. Im totally loving the mobile editor!
I use 2 ga fc , soo much control, i need to get a few expression pedals
I’m using my mk II as the stereo partner for, it such a beautiful pair. and of course im using a third amp into a 412 cab ascmy center dry. It’s incredibly fun!
This is the second time I'm watching, I know its decadent but I love this shit😂
So they finally fixed the clean channel sounding as dead as a rubber band? That was always their Achille's heel. But this sounded like it had some tube sparkle to it.
Good amps!
When making my choice about 5 years ago though, I went with the Blackstar ID 60 TVP (now defunct and reborn as the Silverline series, but possibly defunct again..WTH, Blackstar?) , and I'm still glad I did, great tones all around.
Woolmilkpig im gonna use that its such a utilitarian concept
I have a gen 3 head and love it. I’m still trying to understand why a real tube amp should sound better. I’ve tried them out in shops, about 3-4 different types, and can’t tell an advantage. Do I need to crank them or something? Basically, I’m debating whether it’s worth it to plan on upgrading. But if it’s not worth the price then why bother?
You have to A/B them and the difference will be rather obvious…. But not obviously depends on which tube amp you are testing
zZsounds had a couple of Katana Artist 100 MkII combos a couple of weeks ago for just $399!!!
Who ever nabbed one of those got a serious freakin' deal!
BOSS's choice to use a class A/B power section, with a "power amp in" option?!
Was a legitimate game changer IMO.
Got a modeler you like? BAM! Any price point Katana is a fantastic powered cab.
What puts the Katana Artist series amps just a push above it's siblings for me?
Is the speaker. It's leaps and bounds above the standard Katana 12" speaker, and it's "bloom" feature is...
Well, like Henning said...
"Mo' Betta".
You are making me miss my Katana 50 MkII Henning! HA!
Although, it was a little limited for what I wanted.
Especially compared to the new Gen 3 amps.
Are they better than a tube amp?
Well no, although that's completely subjective.
Are they great amps?
Absolutely.
Especially given what you get for relatively pennies on the dollar in comparison.
I personally know artist who record with tube amps in the studio, but tour with one or two Katana 100 heads or combos.
Some with Tone Studio dialed in sounds and a foot controller, others with something like a Fractal (2x power amp in) running in stereo.
I will go ahead and end this loooong comment rant with this...
Putting a better speaker in an older Katana?
Rocks!
Blair, Oscar, & I freakin love you Henning!
😘
"Toight loke a toiger" 😂 love it
Get the head and a good cab with an Eminence Texas Heat speaker. That’s a top rig.
Can you imagine what this would sound like on the moon where There is almost zero gravity wow
would love to hear your thoughts on the laney super 60
1h23' ? I'm gonna watch this like a Netflix limited series :))
oh that sounds NIIIIIICEEEE
Very nice Jazzmastery/Cougarish guitar thingy!
Use the Coupon Code "Henning" to save 5% more on top of the big saving already!
volaguitars.com/Henning
I have the waza air and that’s changed the way I practice guitar.
An idea for the global eq could be to set it up for different guitars… if you have that.. like Fender, Gibson, Active pickups. As they sound very different 🤓🎸
But you want them to sound different, that’s why you have different guitars
@@EytschPi42 you are right about that, but at gigs you could be forced to use your backup guitar. And maybe that’s slightly different 🤷♂️ just a thought ☺️ thank you for your many amazing videos, which I enjoy very much 👍☺️☺️
Appreciate your efforts. Takes some serious faffin about to make a video like this I know haha
I have the 100 Artist Mk2 Head. Would consider upgrading to Gen 3 f a tuner was built in. But then I got a Fender Tone Master Pro.......
Links to the guitars? Especially the white one?
Thanks!
Link is under the video… with a coupon code
The 50EX does not have an effects loop. You need a 100 for that.
I'm waiting for the Dishwasher upgrade. The Kitchen Sink doesn't cut it for me.
I need to get one of these exams because when they start building the places on the moon and the place is on Mars I think this app would be perfectly compatible with those places on these planets even though the moon isn't a planet but Mars is you would definitely need the setup this amp I don't think anything else would work on one of these Moon and slash planet first I just got to figure out how to get one and pay for it
The lack of a stereo Line Out is very frustrating. Clearly the internals can produce stereo, since the headphones and USB-C are stereo. Why not make the Line Out stereo too?
If kitty cat didn't come into the room when you were playing that ref to the backing tracks then your cat probably isn't even at the house right now might be out in the field chasing butterflies or field mice and just having a kitty cat time
Tuner?
Nope
Everything ' but ' the kitchen sink' ...you are correct Sir'
Is that an AEA R92?
Yes!
Of course not when you're trying to unbox the thing when it's all set up and you start playing through the katana
I don't need a 100W amp but love my Katana Mk2 100 Combo ... Lol !!!
The high gain on these is complete trash. I owned it for 2 days and returned. I have the Axe fx 3, a 5153 to watt (6L6) and a Dual Rect. It's amazing how close the Axe fx comes to reproducing these amps. I'd believe they were the actual amps until I play through the real amps. Then I can just barely hear a difference.
The katana isn't a bad amp but it's garbage compared to the Axe fx or real amps. Bedroom noodling is all.
Have you looked at the price?
Is it worth upgrading my m2 50 for this?
i wouldn’t tbh . mk 2 still a beast
I love you lmao nitty gritty picking it is great, makes much sense keep doing this manufactures need to be called out in there stupidity.
THIS is a proper Katana review. You can't review a Katana in 10 minutes. You have to spend time with the Tone Studio software, to know what this unit can do. Katana is the best value on the market. Definitely get the GA-FC footswitch for it.
You know I always see these product demo videos and most of them nowadays are digital. It strikes me interesting that so many people are hung up with yesterday like it has to be a 59 Gibson Les Paul or it has to be a strat from the 70s or it has to be on Marshall jcm whatever. Here's the thing those are sounds that we all grew up with and admired but they are sounds and the new sounds that digital equipment gives us our sounds in and of themselves. In other words every sound is a sound if you're only psychologically married to getting something from the 50s or 60s you're not going to do very much to make yourself sound original or different if you keep going for amps and guitars and effects that have been around for 30 or 40 years. Drive the digital realm and see what new sounds you can create that may not sound like tubes but who cares? Just consider that concept for 2 minutes
To play in stereo, I need another Katana. It might as well be the artist. Unless... I can do this with just a cab.
Now shall I bite the bullet and sell my JVM half stack to buy one ?
There needs to be a stereo Katana head/combo
It is truly the Swiss army knife of guitar amps. But do you really want a screwdriver digging into your wrist while you attempt to open a bottle of wine?
If they'd just use 1% of the budget on hiring a decent UI designer. (you can contact me here Boss...)
You seemed most enthusiastic using it as a cab for your UA Dumble, and I absolutely get that :D
Come on BOSS -- include a tuner and we have the perfect gigging amp. Guitar - Cable - Amp.
I hate the user interface with every fiber of my being. Get with it Boss
I want more I want more I want more and all I got was some smores well you got to start someplace right right all right your bloody well right
Ze bloom is good ya
I HATE my Katana MkII 😆
Jetzt muss ich also das ding kaufen obwohl nicht Fender oder Marshall drauf steht.
@@Sick_Dude-l1w musste net
toneX und sonstiger software wumms nervt mich,ich will analoge potis zum fummeln , an der front + usb für DAW -blackstar hat mir zu wenig zum zwirbel , line 6 schmeckt mir die haptik optisch schon nicht-was gäbs denn da noch-gut, HT-5R MkIII Combo käm hin und is sogar n röhren amp, was soll ich da nu machen? ich hab eben für einen Amp schon keine kohle wenn ich so als full time adult drüber nachdenke und will doch am liebsten nen fender blackface mit diesen geilen skirted knobs-oh yeah-skirted
Problem is actually sound. Wooly, spongy, plastic. Not real. It would be unbeatable if it had some modern tone capturing possibilities or using NAM or Tonex captures. I would buy it instantly.