The Best Digital Amp We've Ever Tried? | NEW Line 6 Catalyst
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- Опубліковано 15 лют 2022
- Line 6 have unveiled their brand new take on the affordable, compact and portable amp setup, with a more old-school, analog twist. Our pal Ross Bailey dropped by to talk through the new ‘Catalyst’ amp with Jack, showcasing its convincing ‘valve-like’ response and tone and clever integration with HX effects, and it’s safe to say, we were suitably impressed with the results!
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
You can find out more about the new Line 6 Catalyst by clicking HERE: bit.ly/3rSkNtm
You can hear extended playing clips of all our new arrivals over on the Peach Boutique channel, here: bit.ly/3liZRZa
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It really does amaze me this man’s abillity to allways play something fresh and musical no matter what the situation gear wise..
I agree. He’s an extremely inventive player whose reactions to a given sound are always fresh and unexpected.
He's at the top of a very big heap of guitar gear influencers
It's amazing what happens when you practice
Thanks for this video. One of the best out there for showing what all this amp can do. It comes across sounding better than its competitors in the same price range.
Came for the new amp, stayed (yet again) for Jack’s stellar playing!
Honestly! He is just so versatile! Admittedly, I fell into the trap of buying the gear in the hopes that I could sound that good. It hasn't arrived yet, but it would be great if Jack could do a demo that shows us where all those extra notes are. ;)
same here
Best demo I’ve heard. This guy plays all the genres. Perfect!
I’ve watched ALL the videos on this amp. By far the sounds with your demo have been the best . I feel everyone else either put it at noon across the eq or I don’t know. I’ve seen enough of Jack’s demos to know he knows tone. As my guitar teacher said in reference to the Katana- you just know when it’s Boss distortion( good/bad , you decide) . I like how this cleans up make your two channels able to bridge the gap vs clean and drive channels
I have wanted literally every amp I’ve heard him demo, that’s how good he is. 👏
I just found this channel about a year ago and I really like this channel. Jack is a really good guitar player and you guys really explain things well.. Thank you for that..
Regards from the midwest ( The heartland ) Indiana. USA
Tim
The first attempt at "pushing the clean a bit more" took me by surprise. Sounds very dynamic and expressive.
I think it's all thanks to the Helix/HX product line that anyone will buy these. I can't wait to try one. I think a modern, simple modeling amp is a great thing to have in 2022.
Pretty impressive. I love my Katana, but this seems like genuine competition, which should end up being good for the consumer.
Yep the amp is pretty decent but bloody hell Jacks playing is so inspiring, every time I watch one of these demos I find something to takeaway and try to play…🔥🔥🔥
Wish I could take guitar lessons with him
@Chris'sRandomGuitar virtuosos like stevie ray Vaughan and joe pass do exist yknow, this playing is average in comparison
@@Adam-ro8vjSRV definitely isn't a virtuoso, as much as I respect him as a player. I'll give ya Joe Pass, but a lot of people find virtuosic playing boring. Different strokes brotha.
Great playing..interesting sounds 👍
This has some real possibilities. I’ll probably wait for the next version/OS upgrade to see. Especially since I just grabbed a Nextone and love that
I've tried both (Cat 60 and Nextone Special) I realise they are very different concepts, but having tried the Cat, and being really impressed with it, I then tried the Nextone - and it is in a different league altogether (which yes, you would expect from at the price point etc) But to my surprise the Nextone does some of the best sounding hi-gain tones I've heard (although you need to use the Editor desktop app to select the more interesting boosts, such as the Metal Drive) But the clarity of the Waza speaker is so impressive and articulate, even with the crazy amounts of gain, that for me the Nextone is the amp for me, regardless of the price point (in other words it's worth the extra money)
UPDATE: Sold my Nextone to my steel guitarist (that amp LOVES the steel) and bought the Catalyst 60. Love that, too. It is a terrific little combo for my country/Americana/Red Dirt stuff or just as a pedal platform (fuzz being the exception, but I don’t use that anyway).
Does the Catalyst hold up next to my Dr. Z Maz 18? Weirdly, it does but not in the way you would think. Totally, the Maz is in a class all its own, but the Catalyst offers a great base tone to work with pedals, has a very nice DI for my FOH signal, and weighs about 10 lbs less than my Maz head before you add the cab. In short, it works more than just ‘well enough’ and I don’t have to worry about junk power screwing my tone or tubes.
man the intro playing is inspiring!!
Nice. Priced nice, too. Worth the few weeks wait.
Wow, Line 6 have come a long way. This definitely has a brighter character than the Katana, and it's more to my personal taste, so I've added one to my shopping list!
Jack is a bad boy , great player that makes all the patches sound good !
I’ve been sold on this amp since I first heard a demo. I haven’t heard anything this good for $300.
Thanks for the review guys. I have just sold my Cornell Romany Plus and bought the Catalyst 60w. I am flabbergasted by how good it sounds. Did I miss the review of the Boutique setting btw? Feel like I didn't hear you talk about it, and that is THE best setting imo. Great, great amp Line 6 😁
How do you find the high gain amp? I have issues with it sounding harsh and rattly.
Love the sound of this amp in all the demos. A bit brighter sounding then the.katana but not shrill or edgy,,,.very natural sound. The fact that it shine’s with pedals puts it on the top of my list. The amp sims with a bit of reverb is all I’ll ever use. Perfect amp for me.
Yyyyeah, you need to try it in person without some salesman adding eq and compression to hide how unusable the high gain amp is. Harsh and rattly.
@@Crabfather really? so you prefer the Katana? im on the same boat. But i have the katana, and want to get a line 6 Catalyst. from what i heard, the Catalyst is bassier, and deeper, a bit muddy but not bright at all
@@tyt2lynnin1 no I'm.not keen on the katana at all. I've spent more time with the cat and it's not a bad am p actually. It sounds better in a band than on your own, and you have to play around with bias and sag. I do like the simplicity of it, for jams etc.
@@CrabfatherWhats your opinion on the vox valvetronix amps?
@@topnug7626 no idea at all to be honest.
I‘m still taking my Flextone II to sessions. Hasn’t lost any of its charm and sounds extremely natural. Line6 makes cool stuff that catapults newer players into a sound universe that they only knew from listening to records.
I had the Flextone II Plus (single 12, but with a second power amp). With an extension cable connected for true stereo, it sounded amazing. I found it too heavy, but it’s still being gigged regularly by the guy I sold it to…
I have a Flextone 11 and a Duoverb... They do a great job of emulating valve amps...
This line 6 guy has been very well travelled as of late! 🤪👍He's everywhere on the high profile channels talking about this amp line as I'm sure alot is riding on this amp to top the katana mk2 so I wouldn't leave the details to anyone else either...lol..great product support is the deal maker or breaker for many
if I would have to choose, it would be this fantastic Suhr !
Please do the Helix part 2 and A/B the Helix version vs the same models from the amp. That is the use case I've been asking for since I first got my Helix a few years ago. Great demo guys!
Man, this guy is an amazing player. Holy moly
yeah, he is very talented
Just bought the 1x12 today. It's every bit as good as it sounds here.
@SOAMLE Did you buy the 60 or the 100 please?
You are such an impressive guitar player I totally enjoy all your videos. Do you have anything recorded that I could buy. Maybe your own music or you as a player on someone elses project?
I like these amps… I have a Line 6 Helix (ok not exactly an “amp”) that I really like. Imho, you really have to climb the learning curve with these types of rigs, but once you do, you can dial them in and make them sound good. Took me about 1 year to really wrap myself around the Helix. The biggest limitation I’ve found are the clean tones…I just can’t get them to compete with Fenders or Plexi tube amps.
Completely disagree. I have had a helix now for about 4 years and have gotten some fantastic clean tones out of it. Yes, it’s different than an amp in the room but it’s still great nonetheless.
Re: turning on the hum simulation… In 2008/2009, I built a narrow-panel 5E3 Tweed Deluxe copy. One of my most successful tweaks was a Hoffman turret board, which relocates the filter capacitors to reduce noise without changing components. Sure enough, it rages in typical tweed fashion when dimed, without noise. Everyone who has heard it is impressed….
The concept seems fine and the sounds are reasonably good too. Prefer this to the Katana, to be honest.
Pretty much a competitor for the Katana. Will be interesting to see how that pans out.
Ross has been a busy boy!! He's all over youtube lol
Now we need an A B comparison with the Boss Katana
Saw a comparison and the Katana software seemed much more advanced while the Line 6 was limited. In the review I saw - don't quote me on it - but I believe the reviewer said that in the software there were only like 6 pedal effect you could add and that you could only use one at a time for a specific effect....so you can't have several in a row layered on top of each other.
But the Line 6 does have dedicated in-out looper ports in the back which allows you to bypass any effects/reverb/etc and only have effects/reverb/etc effect your guitar solo over the looper. The Boss 50 does not have dedicated in-out looper ports so you have to plug your guitar into the looper and then have the looper go directly into the guitar input of the amp which results in everything....loop and guitar being effected the voicing and effects you have set on the amp. The Boss 100 does have dedicated looper ports but that is $100 more and a bit much for a small, portable practice type amp.
I think both katana and line 6 50 amp only have a 2 channel switcher pedal. And the Catalyst is less intuitive when switching effects on the amp. You have to hold down a small button until it starts to blink and then press it again to change color....and the color pertains to a certain effect. One issue is that the button is small and the light on the button is on top, yet you have to press and hold the button until it starts to blink....so you have to push the small button down at the very edge of the button in order to see the light change. They actually show that here in this video but don't make mention of it.
But all that said, I like the sound of the Catalyst over the Katana a bit more. However, I've only heard them over youtube
Dude, the tone when he activates the pedal at 10:19
Jack is truly and awesome player
Don’t touch Jack! 🤓
I may need one of these next to my Katana MKII 100. :)
How’s the saying go, ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’. I will probably try one out for gigging, though I do feel L6 has missed a trick with the limited effects chain. The competition (?😉) is more fully featured, but certainly the quality of delays and reverbs in this will be superior.
Those are some sweet old-school Asics he's wearing!
The earlier line 6 combos totally took them off my radar. Pushed me towards the Vypyr series. I've owned The mustang. Valvetronix. Wasn't very impressed. The peavey always seemed to sound more organic. Wonder how this New line 6 compares to peavey new X series. 🤔 Nice review. Looks promising.
22:14 - That tone right there...
Interesting Petrucci-esque MkV overdrive channel. Oh sorry, “high gain”. You’d get by with that I reckon in modern day rock.
Cleans pretty nice too! Roland JC meets ..?
In between crunch sounds are difficult to nail, not there yet imho, but overall a solid product.
Jack, you’re a wizard man.
Cheers!
I'd love to see a 4x10 or 2x10 , or even 1x15..bass version! Any chance?
I have a Helix I really never played until now. The volume wasn't cutting through. I bought a Katana 2 12 last week, this week I bought a Catalyst 200. I tried the 4 cable method on the Helix. Problem solved. I set my eQ settings on my Helix, level set the patches, and I'm good to go. It sounds so good and full coming through the Catalyst...Next stereo with the Katana in the mix..
Frankly if an amp came with that Channel 1 (plus all the Reverbs) then I'd be a happy camper..... Cheers from an Essex bloke in New York, Pete.
I just want dumble tones and a British plexi crunch with a good spring reverb from an Essex bloke who wishes he was in New York 🤣
it sounds like it has the compression sag that my vintage super has...i hear how it feels almost...im intrigued
Is it a known music at 22:11? I really enjoy it!
Would be great for a stereo set up or wet/dry
The random delay on the other guy’s voice 😂
Wishing for a head version.
Id be interested to know how you EQ'd this, because my catalyst sounds nothing like that on the gainier amps, it's harsh and rattly.
It's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, the Line 6 Catalyst. Sort of like the Boss Katana, but will wait for version 2.0 where you can get some separation of effects and upgrades.
for a few hundred bucks... why wait?
It kind of look like a katana with a different name… but sounds better than a katana 👍🏾
16:50 - clever! ;-)
Geisha Drive into the amp sounded great.
Does it suffer from mute during channel changes with the footswitch? I had a katana and truly hated it because of the latency in channel changing with the footswitch
purchase the 212 version of the line 6 catalyst about 2 months ago. I like the amp models better than what I like on the Boss katana 112 100 watt model. But boss Mark II katana 212 model. you can set 4 independent channels with at least four different effects on each channel. Also the GA/FC foot controller allows you to access all of that in real time on the floor. line 6 seems to have looked at the engineering on the katana Mark II series they have improved on the sound of amp models more organic I would say than the katana. I feel that the katana effects are a lot better. the catalyst has better amp models the katana is better for gigging because you can access a lot more things in a real gig situation. the catalyst has a XLR direct out with a ground lift and a built-in tuner that really works. that's how they measure up against each other the boss katana Mark ll series the line 6 catalyst.
My FBV MKII isn't compatible that I bought with My Spider V120 I assume! I do not see a cAT5 Connection on the Amp for it ????
Jack could play thru a crate amp and sound great
Outstanding playing, but I don't like the dirty sounds at all. And I love my HX Stomp.
I’m waiting for line 7 to go digital
I wish they didnt discontinue the DT50 amp. It was a great affordable tube amp that I thought sounded better than a Katana and digital stuff.
It just needed a few more years of R&D and they probably could have sold them for even cheaper. They're hot commodities on the used market right now.
One of the things that generally turn me off of these kind of "jack of all trade" amps is that I usually only find about two of the amp models to be sounds I personally would use. Usually the "clean" and the next one up in gain from there, be it "blues" or "crunch" or whatever a particular company has called it. Then they typically offer more levels of "metal" tones from there onward, which I would never use, and so tend to make it seem like I'd be paying for a lot of stuff that's never going to be used. This amp fared a little better for my tastes - the last high gain model is the kind of thing I just would *never* have a use for. And the "Dynamic" didn't really sound like something I would get along with either - a little raspy or something, (maybe with some tweaking). I did like the fact that the clean wasn't clinical clean, but could venture into a nice mild drive, and I was quite impressed with the fact that the Chime went kind of into cranked Tweed territory when cranked. I would like it if more companies would start making at least one of the model/gain offerings more of a squishy Tweed drive instead of several degrees of high gain, tight metal distortion.
Why don’t you just play metal?
@@Ottophil Hah! The only metal I'd be playing would be Doom, and I'd be using something nasty like a Sunn Beta Lead, not a little digital combo! Although most likely I'd be playing bass through my old Traynor Mono Block, haha
Agreed normally. I have a line6 Firehawk fx pedal though with amp modeling and effects. I mostly use the cleans and things with mid gain. Otherwise I'm making a lot of adjustments, but I really like the new line 6 cleans. And I do use the effects and I love that the 60w of this amp comes with the fx loop so I can add a looper pedal. But I'm with you. I'm not playing metal. Not interested in it at all, however I love this amp
I wish Line 6 would release a Helix Valve/Tube combination pedal or amp, using helix for modelling but with pre amp valves.. have helix model all the caps and components minus the Valves.. maybe class D power section or 6v6 or EL84s…
Use tubes for the power section . That’s what I have done
Check out the old Line 6 DT-25 or DT-50. They are still an amazing option.
I’m currently trying to decide between the Boss Katana Artist Mk ii and the Catalyst.
It’s clear that Line 6 specifically is targeting the Katana series with the Catalyst. So why offer an amp with FEWER features than the Katana?
For example, the Catalyst doesn’t feature an “Acoustic” amp model, a key feature for those who also need to play acoustic guitar. Also the physical user interface is more user friendly on the Katana.
I have a Helix Floor and an Stomp XL. So I love the Line 6 stuff. But it seems like they missed the mark with Catalyst, at least as far as competing with the Katana.
FX loop for a looper pedal?
What was the analogue pedal?
So I bought a Catalyst 100. Here is my wish list... Firmware Update ???
1. Ability to run two to three effects per channel. I like the simple Channel A Channel B switching using the Line 6 foot pedal. Two effects plus the separate Reverb would be a big help in tone shaping.
1a. Ability to scroll thru the six preset channels with an Up/Down footswitch.
2. Swap Effects from a library, I will never use the Synth or Growler effect and I don't need a Leslie etc. If I could trade those effects for ones I would use that would be nice.
3. Acoustic Simulation option. I'd trade the Synth effect for a decent Acoustic Simulation in a heartbeat.
For the money and available options, it is a really good value. However, the above options would keep it with me long term. The Catalyst Editor works great and is easy to use. As is, I'm still saving for an Fractal Audio FM9 or the full blown Helix model.
But acoustic will work probably with external multieffect like NUX MG30? I am planning to buy something and I am considering between:
VOX CAMBRIDGE 50 - Ok it have acoustic, good sound but what is making me not glad is lack of looper, LINE OUT like LINE 6 or Katana have... I wanted to have something versatile...
LINE 6 CATALYST 60 have loop and no acoustic - but i heard that connecting directly to AMP IN at back will give clear tone from acoustic or via multieffect? Do You know that maybe?
BOSS MKII 100 - have loop and acoustic
Could You please maybe help here?
Have to be honest. I was expecting distortion to sound like fart. Actually quite suprised sounded very good!!
This amp doesn't seem to be able to sound bad in ANY demo! That's all the convincing I need, time to surf Sweetwater...
I have one arriving tomorrow with an Ibanez S-Series- follow this comment if u want a vanilla person's reaction
@@vividvulpe9842 hey buddy - what was the verdict?!
The clean sounds alright, but the higher gain tones aren't hitting me in the feels.
Someone have a good metal preset to share ? Like metallica for exemple
Will this amp compliment the old Line 6 PodXTLive board?
no different than running your Pod through any other power amp.
Will there be a head?
Never liked Katanas gain tones. Ill give this a try bc GC will be loaded w them. My local GC loves cheap amps even when players w money want to demo nice tube heads. But I doubt it can touch the Spark for tones and features in a practice amp with actual learning and jamming features.
How many watts is this?
could this amp switch to FRFR mode so that i can use my helix if i wish to do so?
No.
Otherwise, it will be a friendly fire to their powered cab line especially for the price of those Catalyst amps.
Chances are the special speaker is as flat as possible to begin with. I will likely buy one of these and I own an LT and frfr.
Never heard “tube amps” referred to as “valve amps”. Had to look that one up.
🇬🇧 🇬🇧 🇬🇧
i just got my line 6 60 on sale at the guitar center . was on sale for 239.00 i have a stack of old marshalls i have had since 1974 and my super beatles and those were thousands of dollars. this line 6? is better than those marshalls and vox super beatlles. i am beyound impressed, for 239.00? think i screwed line 6 catalyst.worth to me anyway 3 times the price id take this to the studio anytime it is that nice clear percise lots of good toys built into it. love it
I have a catalyst and while it does sound good better than the boss katana in my opinion I have found that after a month or so a super light use and not taking it anywhere all of the plastic pieces have begun to crumble off
I've not tried one of these amps but definitely impressed with the demo sounds so far.
Which plastic pieces are crumbling? This sounds like a genuine concern to me. TIA
What's that guitar?
At low volume I wasn’t a fan. Smoothed out nicely with the volume increase.
With every single amp I 've tried since 1966 I've found this to hold true. After all Eric Clapton said about the Marshall "Bluesbreaker": " I just turn it up until it starts sounding good".
Easy really unless you've never moved your playing out of the bedroom. Best, Pete.
Bought this amp based on Jack’s reaction. What was the pedal that they wouldn’t name?
Way Huge Electronics Geisha
I've got a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 36 as well as Fender Bassbreaker 30R (and a large handful of pedals), but this amp is the one I mostly go to when I just want to play at home. The other two have been gathering dust since I don't gig as much anymore. The search for tones with valve amps, and the astronomical cost of buying pedals just gets tiresome after a while, and having an amp like this with everything built in has just become too damn convenient.
It’s an updated flextone.
It actually looks good too. Most digital amps are tacky-looking.
Jack could make a Gorilla amp enviable.
Jack could sell a cardboard box he's so lovely talented. You are a sweet picker
Circa 16:50 ~ delay.. delay .. delay.
Hear what you did there 😉
Don't know if it was the recording but that had a little harshness that I don't know if I liked it.
Sorry...but the demo you guys did of the Boss Katana Artist MK1 wipes the floor totally with this....lol
Just a bit thin for me.Missing that warmth.But fine for practice.
Didn't know Master Frodo could RIP!
But the import question is....does it go up to 11?...🤔
So much hype about this new amp. I think you could make a shitty amp sound great. :)
Is this the geezer who had the temerity to touch Jacky Boy on the knee ? No assertiveness training needed if I recall. Lovely boy.
What is that guitar?? I need it
It's like 40 hundred dollars.
boutique line of guitars and amps by Suhr- professional-grade equipment most us playing at home really...really don't need.
@@vividvulpe9842 but it looks so pretty and therefore is necessary...
(Joke, as soon as I saw the price of one I noped out and went back to my trusty Jaguar!)
@@barryw4254 Yeah, they're sorta ridiculous. You're paying for a hand-made guitar from California that's going to have been gone over with a fine-toothed comb. Honestly, the only reason I'd order from Suhr or any other boutique luthier shop is for a custom made instrument.
No eq, compressor. No delay+ reverb and modulation at same time.
I regret selling my Way Huge Geisha Drive... Especially since it's collecting huge dollars now. Regardless, these amps seem promising.
Imagine buying a guitar pedal as an investment. Lol.
Jack, were you afraid Ross would touch you again? lol