Own the Katana and its a good all around amp. In this demo however, the mids sound really scooped in it. The fender sounds much better on all settings IMO.
With the MKII you really don't ever want to play with the variations off (except on the clean channel maybe), unless you want to spend forever tweaking EQs with the Tone Studio software...
The fender is clearly naturally darker and more midrangey. It would have been helpful if you attempted to get similar tones out of both instead of just comparing them with their tone controls in similar positions
I’m a owner of Boss Katana MK2. It’s my baby. I loving it. From other side the Fender amp sound awesome in diferent way. It’s very depends of personal choice. Thank you very much to the author. The best video which I found on internet.
Both sound very good. But honestly, I'd recommend to someone who wants a budget amp to buy a Monoprice 15w tube amp and add pedals or multi effects to taste. Tube amps are simply more organic. Played all solid states for 10yrs, then switched to tubes.. Can't go back! So much more responsive!
@@cosmikrelic4815 I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the feeling i got when going from digital/ss to Tubes.. The dynamics respond differently to my playing, and it sounds better. I find the only other SS amp that feels like that is the Peavey Bandit. I absolutely love the clean tones on that beast, and would be quite happy owning just that amp, I'm no Tubes snob, it's just my experience/opinion.
@@servethesongs tops you’re spending $150 to $270 for a great amp. That’s a steal. I only use a few pedals, and they are either Joyo or Mosky, pedals are the most overpriced gear out there.
One thing that ss and modeling hasn't been able to duplicate is the dynamics. Tube sounds different depending on how hard you hit the strings where as SS is like playing a recording of the same exact sound at different volumes
I have them both, I can say Fender has better clean and it's warmer in all cases, the pro I found on the Katana is that it is more versatile and if you're looking for an high gain "metal" sound go for the Katana, but if the cleans and that blues sound is what your looking for, then go with the Fender BJ
I had a blues Junior, the normal one, then I saved up for a Deluexe Reverb Custom 68, night and day difference, not even close If you think Blues Jr sounds good your jaw will drop when you have a bigger tube amp
I had this playing in the background while playing a video game. The high gain was the only place I honestly prefered the katana. Those cleans on the blues jr are just awesome.
Both are nice amps. Both sound good. From a practicality standpoint the Katana is a no-brainer. For $250 this amp has the sound you need to cover plenty of tunes, built in pedal effects, etc. Aside from a foot switch you don't need any pedals to get the sounds you need. Since I got mine I've used it to rehears with a drummer and bass player and its more than loud enough. I toss it in the back of my pickup in sub-zero weather, bounce it around, and freezing cold it starts right up. Try that with a tube amp. I've had the Katana for over a year and in that time have sold off all my very nice tube amps. For the small difference in improved sound quality I just can't justify the tube amps. If the live music scene ever picks up again I'm likely going to get the Artist version but until then the 50 is amazing for the price. My first 50 died in only a few months but was covered by warrantee.
A lot can depend on the speaker; it’s not just the amp. You can totally change the character of any amp by changing out the speaker. There’s also the starting “flatness” of the EQ curve when every knob is at 12-o’clock. In other words, does either amp “hype” the EQ curve?
yes! my blure jr has a cannabis rex I'm going to put in my katana 50mk2 to see how it sounds. Also... the tone knobs on the katana are completely different. mostly I turn thr hissy white noise treble way down... eq set in the middle is super colored wackness on katana (unless yer a metal-head)
For live gigs I have yet to find a solid state amp that will fill a room. The thick full warm sound from the blues jr will absolutely fill the room. I have both the fender and the boss. The boss is my spare and I have had to use it and it 100 percent can't keep up with a drummer. It will sound terrible cranked to max as the fender will just sound magical.
The katana has a nice, albeit thin clean sound but ive never been convinced with the katana drive sounds. They sound thin and processed to my ears. The Fender easily wins this one on sound quality.
You can eq the Katana in time studio to roll of the top end and boost the lows to get it sounding and feeling way more like a tube amp. Might not be the same, but that's what I did, and I feel like I'm playing a tube amp
I have a Katana Mini and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, so like both brands. While the Boss may be a good choice for student or beginner with all of the built-in effects, no question to my ears which amp has the better tone...Fender wins all day.
@@chrishenning9893 For a beginner I would always recommend a simple but good sounding amp. Tube or not. Under no circumstance would I advise something with 1000 options and tones. Playing is more important than tweaking endlessly. IMHO beginners are most at risk to do this since they hear those dual(or quad)-tracked mic'ed up and processed tones and misunderstand what goes into them. In fact, the less buttons and knobs on a beginner amp the better :D
I love tube amps to death, but I had Boss Katana 100 Mki head and had it for 2.5 years, sold it for $250 locally when I only paid $350, so not bad at all! So, I just bought the MKII 100 head last week. When I bought my first MKI head, 3 months later they release the MKII. So I had to hold on to the MKI for awhile. Great comparison, especially the cleans/crunch. Thanks!
What I noticed was that the knob placement was the same on each amp. Perhaps with some reconfiguring of the knobs they could sound more similar. Maybe that wasn’t to goal to begin with.
The Junior sounded better to my ears on everything except the high gain. Significantly better, in fact. The Katana is a heck of a thing, and all the built in effects are really cool too and don't sound bad. And it's way inexpensive and sounds better and is more versatile than any other $250 solid state amp I have ever heard. But I'd still rather save up a little more and be more limited and have the Junior if I was picking one. Just sounds that much better to me. Your mileage may vary!
If you play a single genre ( any genre ) you can get a cheaper and better-sounding hybrid than the Katana. The tube preamp section alone will have you drooling over anything the katana can output. Similarly, for just a bit more money ( +50%~ ) than the katana, you can probably find a genre-specific all-tube that will blow it out of the water. If you go cross-genre a lot .. some compromises need to be made and that's what the Katana is. A great practice amp needs to do just about everything at least somewhat competently. Source: Had a katana mk2 and am currently rocking a cheapo Joyo Zombie.
@@azzogathor The thing is, a tube amp that's decent at twice the price ($500-ish) isn't going to have NEAR the volume output of any of the Katanas, especially not the 100w 2x12 combo. But tonally? Yeah. Need some pedals or DAW/Fractal/whatever love to get the versatility of the multi-effects of the Katana, but eh. Price of doing business these days. It sucks, the prices of doing business these days, by the way. LOL.
@@sgenetti77 Head + Cab is the way to go imho. And you can have a tiny cab for home practice and ( maybe ) something for gigs and the likes. Yes, the costs can spiral but it depends on what you're aiming for. Like I've mentioned, I've got a
@@azzogathor You talking about a Tiny Terror, perhaps? I have two, and hooked up to a 2x12 or a 4x12, yes, quite loud. Super limited amp though since gain=volume and they don't have any clean headroom (I guess by design). However, point taken. I have a 20w B.Star HT-20 combo with a V-12 in it with another 1x12 V-30 Orange cab hooked up to it. Now THAT'S plenty loud, lol.
I've owned the Kat50 and while it sounds great as a pedal platform, it lacks the responsiveness of a tube amp. One should never dismiss the feel aspect of playing through a proper tube amp, especially like the Blues Jr.
Yep. I have a Peavey Classic 30. Went to Guitar Center today to try out the Katana 100 and the Line 6 Catalyst. As nice as they sound, to my ears, they just don't compare with real tubes in terms of tonal sweetness, responsiveness and dynamics. I was hoping to buy one of these cheaper, lighter weight, effects-equipped amps and then sell my Peavey. But nope.
I've been playing a Deluxe Reverb pretty much my whole life. My wife gave me a Katana 50 MKII for Christmas. That's a lot of Amp for the money there. It sounds terrific. Boss hit a home run with this amp. Excellent comparison! Blues Jr. is a nice amp, but I got a Tube amp, now I have a fun amp!
my brother-in-law has a Deluxe Reverb and it is to die for!!!!!!!!! I freakin love that amp. I mean, I love my Peavey Classic 30, but that Fender is on another level.
@@peskypesky Hey Man....Your Peavey Classic 30 is nice amp. The Deluxe wasn't bad to drag around when I was 15, at 70 I moan. The Katana is light, another plus.
@@Frank-in-NY I think the Peavey could sound a bit better with a speaker upgrade. Same for the Katana. And yes, the Katana is a lot lighter weight, has tons of built in effects, and a headphone jack....If I was still living in NYC, the Katana would be my choice. But here in Texas I can let the Peavey roar.
@@peskypesky Then you would really love the Deluxe Reverb! I can't really run it over a volume setting of 2 1/2. This is another reason the Katana works of me, you have power reduction , and like you said a headphone jack. Keep playing, make great music!
I have the new MkII 100 Head paired with an old Carvin 15” bass cab and that combination is a beast. The lows are clean and thick and the mids and highs are extremely responsive and clear. I had my doubts about how it would pair up with the Carvin but I’m both surprised and happy with this as a combination. Maybe it’s the extra power of the MkII 100 that pushes the Carvin to perform so well as a guitar cab.
I had the fender champion 100 for a long time, which is a modeling amp similar to katana. Recently switched to blues junior and get into the pedal stuff. Have to say the latter costs more energy and money but is also way more inspiring and fun. Things like katana always lack of some “realness” in its sound, whereas a tube amp you know you are playing it and pushing it.- I think if you want a really good digital amp that feels real, the amp needs very good processors to run the complex emulation algorithms, which is not cheap. The fender tone master is a great one. It also has very good controls for volume and other modern features that let you easily record.
I've owned quite a few solid state an tube amps, some I kept, some I sold. I regret selling my JCM900 but I traded a guitar for a Marshall combo tube amp. I still have SS amps but they sound thin and hollow, compared to my tube amps. I use my SS amps for clean sounds while practicing. I've tried but tube amps always win, for me. I do have a Supernova SS that is awesome, with the vintage Eminence speakers. YMMV
What everyone seems to miss about the Katana is that it's not a modelling amp, it's not trying to sound like any specific amp, but rather giving the impression of certain amps in different styles, that's why I think it succeeds where a lot of other digital amps fall short.
Have owned both, my inclination would be to veer towards the Blues Junior, but, it has to be said, the Katana is amazing value for money, and would happily own one again.
It was pretty clear that the Fender was warmer when you first started. But when you went through the EQ of the Katana, you made it sound darker by adding bass and midrange. Pretty awesome little amp. The EQ section of the Katana was better than than the EQ section of the Fender. Thanks for sharing. I am going with the Boss. Cheers. MRT. :)
A few years ago I have sold my Fender Blues Deluxe because the bass sound was not enough to present. With the money, I have bought a Boss Katana cheaper. I have never regretted it. 'm still happy with the Katana. No lamps, lightweight, and no need of pedals..
Late to the show. They both sound ‘different’ Junior can’t do what the Katana can do, The Katana can’t do what the Junior can do. But they can both get close. Applications for different occasions.
Fender in every product they produce tend to have 1 Good Sound for that product, and it is an iconic sound. Boss/Roland assume that anybody has any patience for fiddling with knobs and menus, but for those of you who do have patience, they deliver.
the Fender Blues Junior is more clear and refined, but it's also twice the price. i think the Boss Katana is a very nice starter amp, because it's loud enough for home use that won't drive your neighbors in insane. plus with a solid state amp a beginner who isn't familiar amps and all that, won't have to deal with the headache that comes with tube amps.
The eq settings on the katana here seemed a lot different than what I use on mine. The treble is very powerful and works great with matching the amp to the guitar. I've played both amps and trust me, the katana dialed in will kill a blues junior. Solid state/digital has gotten so good at this point you really need a quality tube amp to compete.
Agreed 💯!! Kill being correct word. I I researched for a long time before I bought my Katana 100 MK2 and it smoked everyone in my opinion. So many different tones to get out of there high Gain is Awesome clean is awesome.
Katana's default built-in capabilities aren't that great in terms of distortions/overdrives but one thing it does brilliantly is it's clean sound with a bit of blues driver added (booster green mode). Master volume all up, loudness to your taste via volume knob, gain depends on your pickup.
Here’s a video idea. Start with a good tube and set it up for undeniably good clean and crunch tones. Then spend ten minutes with the katana, maybe even using the software, and see how close you can get. I bet the katana will do very good. Great amp.
You are probably right but that is also the point for some. A lot of people don't like studying menus, sub-menus, and tweaking ad-naseum... plug, set the controls, and rock on. If you are a tweaker and have the patience...
I’m pushing an old Carvin 15” bass cab with my MkII 100 head and so I’m inclined to agree with you. The bigger speaker really seems to make the MkII shine. Now I’m glad I went for the head model and took a chance to pair it with, of all things, an old big 15” bass speaker.
I’ve sold all my amps and went with plugins. I always carry my laptop or ipad anyway. Straight plug into the PA and jam. Neural Dsp, IR, and bias fx have changed the game for me
That's so cool for the clean at the start even on my phone i can hear the di signal in the boss it also has a very big high shelf that guitar amps just dont do. The fender is rolled off on the top end and has a lovely saturation also a little push in the lower frequencies and lower mids. Really really cool to hear them side by side like that. Also I'm not an amp snob both sound good and would have their place in a mix
The onboard effects and power scaling make the Boss super versatile, fun and useable at home. The Blues jr gets way loud quickly but has nice tube character at an affordable price. Not really comparable in some ways. You can get em both used for 500$ ish with smart shopping and have the best of both when you want it. I paid 139 for a Boss Mki and 350 for the junior. Both a little scruffy but work well.
The power scaling on it helps, yes. But it does not sound good at apartment volumes imho. The speaker needs to be driven to push that air around and the 12 inches don't do that well in this regard. I found the THR10 does MUCH better at apart. volumes for example. Some genres might sound better than others at apartment volumes. But for distorted tones, it truly does not. Nevermind high-gain.
the problem is that the clean channel sounds very similar, and where does the fender win from my point of view? in the other channels, since for me the katana does not have very nice effects, but if you put it on the clean channel and put good pedals on it, it sounds great, I have a 100 watt mk2 and it sounds tremendous, I repeat, it is not the katana what sounds bad, are the effects that it brings from the factory. instead of putting it on the crunch channel, I put it on the clean channel and put a tubescreamer on it and then tell me how it sounds. regards
I'll bet that the Katana is a lot easier to live with, and the added effects are a big bonus, and furthermore, glassware is not getting any cheaper. I do still prefer the Blues Junior in this toe to toe, but that Katana is pretty amazing sounding.
I'm all for the convenience and price of something like the Katana. But the Blues Junior sounded better in every demo IMO. "Better" is obviously subjective, but everything sounded thin with the Katana to my ears comparatively, especially the crunch setting.
@@daniellarson3068 If those are items you are looking for, then I doubt you'd be looking at the Blues Jr though. I am strictly talking tone with my comment. A lot of players don't use any of those effects, or would rather be using their own pedals than the built in ones if they do. Having every single option available in one amp it's really a selling point for a lot of people. It's basic tones will take priority.
Katana hasa lot of EQ and fx options which can help dial in a more suitable sound. I honestly prefer it just for ease of use without needing to get a pedalboard. Otherwise yea the fender blows it away on just the stock sounds
I had a Katana mk2 Artist. It was ok. IMO digital amps, though they have come a long way, lack the soul and mostly the sustain of tube amps. I’ll stick with tube. With the affordability of mini tube amps (for me, mini head) that’s what I’ve decided to go with for my practice amp. More inspiring. Jmo.
Less hassle too, overall. Digital was supposed to open up and simplify everyday playing. I find it does the exact reverse of that. You have to waste hours in software to get a decent result. As you've said, mini amps ( hybrids or full tube ) blow it out of the water *if you buy them to spec* ( aka for the genre you are playing ). They can be cheaper too and you spend less time tweaking virtual knobs and more time playing.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I like the Blues Jr. for some tones, the Katana better for other tones. I have a Blues Jr. myself, but play digital tones through a Fishman Loudbox Performer. Both Boss and Fender sound good.
High Gain goes to Katana - very Modern, fat but tight and straight, but all the others are definitely the Blues Junior in my opinion - much more natural and "full of life", the Katana doesn't sound bad, but much to digital and "fake?" to me. Great Video! :)
Boss = Fizz Master. Had one, it had a nasty mid hump nasality I couldn’t dial out. Almost bought a Blues Jr. once long time ago… A/B’d it against Fender Princeton Chorus… sales guy didn’t care which one I bought, he walked by and said “I like that one better,” pointing at the Princeton. As a solid state, in my mind it couldn’t possibly be better but there it was… I agreed and got the Princeton Chorus.
had a blond Hot Rod Blues Jr since 95 traded it for Fender Champion 20. tubes suck and the Champ is all i need and no need for peddles...i like your reviews! fair is all anyone can ask!
bit of a silly comparison. The Katana has the effects pedals built in. The Tube amp is relying solely on the amp section to achieve distortion. The Boss Katana is an amazing amp.
Katana is fizzy and thin with drive. Funny, I’ve listened to videos where I thought the Katana sounded great. But this is not even close. It’s better sounding clean, but even here the Fender is much better. For high gain it was a toss up depending what you like. Fender is thicker. Katana still sounded good. Would depend on what you’re going for. Overall, I’d go for the Blues Jr.
Perfect example showing that “out of the box” tones of a lot of modeling amps, regardless of how popular and good they are, need tweaking to sound better than they let on. If you dove into Tone Studio the ratty-ass Katana really comes alive in body and warmth, can easily ape some of my tube amps through similar/same speakers. I mean look at the studio rats channel and watch him basically make it sound like a Marshall 20w head. I really like the Katana head for clean headroom to shove pedals at. Can’t beat the versatility across a wide range of situations for the price, IMHO.
I bought the original Katana Artist plus the footswitch, but I am really not someone who likes tweaking things, so it's just sat in it's box and goes unplayed. Is there any simple resource I can go to who canb help me actually get some decent sounds out of my amp but without spending hours tweaking virtual knobs? You saound like someone who knows what they are talking about, I'd be VERY grateful for any advice, thanks.
The boss katana sou do thin in the bass but I have noticed my boss katana has less bass than like all my other solid state amps I keep the trembles and mids cut way off and bass full to make it sound kinda like my others amps Vox cambridge fender champion orange crush 20
Out of the box the Katana is passable. Dive into The Tone Studio app though and it is a totally different beast. The speaker is it’s limiting factor, but that can easily be switched out.
The speaker is designed to handle all genres at least somewhat competently. If you switch it out, you are more or less restricting the Katana in what it can do. Ultimately that's what the Katana tries to be. A middle-of-the-road solution for everything. Will a vintage sound better in it? If you're playing stuff that benefits from its characteristics? Heck yeah, it will. Otherwise, it will just change its tone, not make it any better. Tone studio also goes a long way to tailor your sound but it won't change what the katana is. A cheap, cheerful, all-rounder.
The differences are apparent, however nothing that a decent EQ pedal can't compensate, and more. For that matter, a decent EQ pedal can compensate for any style/type of pickup or amp, or performance space. (Not to mention control pots, and various pedals you may be using) Keep that in mind, even if you love changing expensive pickups and amps all the time. Just keep that in mind.
Why bother with a pedal? The Katana has both a global and per patch 10 band graphic/5 band parametric EQs built in. Sadly, reviewers never bother to dial in the Katana properly using the EQs for these silly shootouts. Properly EQd, I have no doubt my Katana would bury a BJ.
Mother milked on tube amps hard to sway my preference the Katana is nice with the builtins and cheaper by far than a slue of pedals but the end sound quality hard to replace a valve amp imo👍🎸✌
Nice comparison. But the 12 o’clock rule is total BS, use your ears not the knobs. Blues juniors are in 700 range and a Katana is 250. I’ve been using my katana 50 for about four years as a practice amp. And for the last five years I’ve been using a Friedman 20 watter JJ Jr with a 112 cab with all my FX for live shows. I just spent 17 freaking weeks in a hospital. I’m getting back to the point where I can play out but hauling around the amps any effects… for the last 10 gigs I just bring the katana. Sometimes life tells you what to get and use. I’m thinking of getting a new katana EX and the EX pedal. And sell the high dollar amp and 2k in effects. But what do I know? I’m just an old guy! Cheers
Wow, 17 weeks? I've had multiple operations and have spent a lot of time in the hospital but never 17 weeks straight. Be good to yourself, do what you need to do for your health and sanity.
You can change the speaker of Katana into a V30 or anything if you don’t like it. Tube is still the king here as the late Mr. Dumble explained (Rest in Peace Mr. Dumble). Katana has tons of features if you’re into modern tones.
The Katana is more versatile, especially if you use the pc app to program it. But not everyone wants an amp you have to program via a cable-connected pc. And: I don‘t like the Katanas reverb. To me it sounds artificial and cheap (especially via headphones). But on the other hand: the Boss Katana is a good deal for the money. It‘s just not for everyone. I sold my Katana and got a Blackstar tube amp with headphone output and great built in reverb (and a small pedalboard with some sfx). I‘m happy witv that.
You are the first person to comment on the programability of the Katana to mention that there's a lot of players who just have no desire to do that when they get those tones just plugging in the tube amp. But either way, it's fantastic that options like the Katana are around for affordable prices.
I own a blues junior so I’m biased. Set it and play music if you need more sounds use pedals..pressing buttons and turning nobs fishing for sounds takes the fun out of playing.just my opinion
I found the katana too treble heavy and the fender too mid heavy. Backing off a bit on both of those would give both a more pleasant sound. Id love a blues jr, but i just feel no interest in having anything loud in a bedroom setting atm
Own the Katana and its a good all around amp. In this demo however, the mids sound really scooped in it. The fender sounds much better on all settings IMO.
Fender Tonemaster versus the valve version versus Katana
With the MKII you really don't ever want to play with the variations off (except on the clean channel maybe), unless you want to spend forever tweaking EQs with the Tone Studio software...
@@marklnz Now thats a great tip! I didn't even know that button existed.. Sounds like a bit of a boost w/ presence when it's engaged.
Those controls didn't do much when in dirty mode on the Blues Junior. And yet they say that's a Marshall thing.
The katana speaker is garbage. It sounds too sizzle-ly, almost fuzz esque in a bad way. The drive channels come to life with a Celestion
The fender is clearly naturally darker and more midrangey. It would have been helpful if you attempted to get similar tones out of both instead of just comparing them with their tone controls in similar positions
Absolutely. I have seen vids where they what you suggest and the tones are so similar that the difference almost become just academic
I agree but that's a tall order and subjective at best. Has to be tough to compare these things.
@@JeffKatra Not really, if you can't dial in a decent sound from the katana, why bother with it?
I don’t understand people who like katana for the sound. For practicality sure.
Yep.
I’m a owner of Boss Katana MK2. It’s my baby. I loving it. From other side the Fender amp sound awesome in diferent way. It’s very depends of personal choice. Thank you very much to the author. The best video which I found on internet.
Both sound very good. But honestly, I'd recommend to someone who wants a budget amp to buy a Monoprice 15w tube amp and add pedals or multi effects to taste. Tube amps are simply more organic. Played all solid states for 10yrs, then switched to tubes.. Can't go back! So much more responsive!
Great advice on the Monoprice.
what does organic mean?
@@cosmikrelic4815 I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the feeling i got when going from digital/ss to Tubes.. The dynamics respond differently to my playing, and it sounds better. I find the only other SS amp that feels like that is the Peavey Bandit. I absolutely love the clean tones on that beast, and would be quite happy owning just that amp, I'm no Tubes snob, it's just my experience/opinion.
@@servethesongs tops you’re spending $150 to $270 for a great amp. That’s a steal. I only use a few pedals, and they are either Joyo or Mosky, pedals are the most overpriced gear out there.
One thing that ss and modeling hasn't been able to duplicate is the dynamics. Tube sounds different depending on how hard you hit the strings where as SS is like playing a recording of the same exact sound at different volumes
I have them both, I can say Fender has better clean and it's warmer in all cases, the pro I found on the Katana is that it is more versatile and if you're looking for an high gain "metal" sound go for the Katana, but if the cleans and that blues sound is what your looking for, then go with the Fender BJ
The biggest pro is that the katana is half the price.
I agree.
Honestly, the only thing I’d prefer the Katana for is for clean jazz tones where you want an absolutely clean sound, without any amp hiss.
I have both. There's no realistic comparison in the room, the Blues Jr absolutely crushes the Boss Katana Mk2 50. Not even close.
The Blues Jr sounds pretty bad though
@@dekadens Which recording? Can you post a link?
I had a blues Junior, the normal one, then I saved up for a Deluexe Reverb Custom 68, night and day difference, not even close
If you think Blues Jr sounds good your jaw will drop when you have a bigger tube amp
@@dekadensit sounds ok, it just sounds small and boxy compared to bigger tube amps like Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb, it’s like night and day
The Boss Katana is overhyped
Watching this I'm glad I have my trusted Blues Junior and a bunch of pedals as my main gear.
Amen
great test, how it should be done with quick A/B comparisons instantly. Well done!!
If you set katana on crunch mode with gain at zero and volume at 10, you have an amazing clean sound.
Going to try this today!
@@randall7853 set it to acoustic and run your distortions thru it thank me later
Peavey Classic 30 112 30W
I had this playing in the background while playing a video game. The high gain was the only place I honestly prefered the katana. Those cleans on the blues jr are just awesome.
Both are nice amps. Both sound good. From a practicality standpoint the Katana is a no-brainer. For $250 this amp has the sound you need to cover plenty of tunes, built in pedal effects, etc. Aside from a foot switch you don't need any pedals to get the sounds you need. Since I got mine I've used it to rehears with a drummer and bass player and its more than loud enough. I toss it in the back of my pickup in sub-zero weather, bounce it around, and freezing cold it starts right up. Try that with a tube amp. I've had the Katana for over a year and in that time have sold off all my very nice tube amps. For the small difference in improved sound quality I just can't justify the tube amps. If the live music scene ever picks up again I'm likely going to get the Artist version but until then the 50 is amazing for the price. My first 50 died in only a few months but was covered by warrantee.
A lot can depend on the speaker; it’s not just the amp. You can totally change the character of any amp by changing out the speaker. There’s also the starting “flatness” of the EQ curve when every knob is at 12-o’clock. In other words, does either amp “hype” the EQ curve?
yes! my blure jr has a cannabis rex I'm going to put in my katana 50mk2 to see how it sounds. Also... the tone knobs on the katana are completely different. mostly I turn thr hissy white noise treble way down... eq set in the middle is super colored wackness on katana (unless yer a metal-head)
For live gigs I have yet to find a solid state amp that will fill a room. The thick full warm sound from the blues jr will absolutely fill the room. I have both the fender and the boss. The boss is my spare and I have had to use it and it 100 percent can't keep up with a drummer. It will sound terrible cranked to max as the fender will just sound magical.
Solid state has no life
I have the MKII 100 watt. Love it and still discovering the versatility. The foot switch is a must have add-on.
The katana has a nice, albeit thin clean sound but ive never been convinced with the katana drive sounds. They sound thin and processed to my ears. The Fender easily wins this one on sound quality.
For 1/3 the price and all the effects though the katana is amazing
@@acquitz2208 cant fault it on value.
Yep but it only costs 300 bucks Lol
I've got the katana downstairs for playing with headphones, upstairs is my blackstar for the really nice sounds
@@JAF2991 you get what you pay for
Fender Blues Jr has more body in the sound.
"Body"? It sounds as if someone dumped an amp in tar and tried to sell it for new. 😅
Agreed. This is the headroom actually. Sounds fuller
I love my junior….put a Texas heat speaker in it and use it with my HX effects….easy to haul, sounds great
It has less body. More midrange
It also had more tail mate.
You can eq the Katana in time studio to roll of the top end and boost the lows to get it sounding and feeling way more like a tube amp. Might not be the same, but that's what I did, and I feel like I'm playing a tube amp
Do you have settings you wanna share? I've been trying for months to dial in a great warm tube sound.
Suitable impressed with the Blues Jr, I thought it'd be closer, the Katana sounds a lot fizzier than I remember.
I have a Katana Mini and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, so like both brands. While the Boss may be a good choice for student or beginner with all of the built-in effects, no question to my ears which amp has the better tone...Fender wins all day.
I revise my statement, if you're a beginner or student, start with a real amp like the Blues JR, you won't be sorry...TUBES!
@@chrishenning9893 For a beginner I would always recommend a simple but good sounding amp. Tube or not. Under no circumstance would I advise something with 1000 options and tones.
Playing is more important than tweaking endlessly. IMHO beginners are most at risk to do this since they hear those dual(or quad)-tracked mic'ed up and processed tones and misunderstand what goes into them.
In fact, the less buttons and knobs on a beginner amp the better :D
I prefer the cleans in katana lol, but the fender sounds more "vintage" I think
Hated my Blues Junior until I swapped the stock speaker for an Eminence Texas Heat. Magic.
Most honest comparison video I have seen! Well done, thanks!
Not really honest. he made no effort to get the katana up to scratch, which it defs can do. That's what tone studios for...
I heard a Real Friends riff at the start of the video and knew I was in the right place
I love tube amps to death, but I had Boss Katana 100 Mki head and had it for 2.5 years, sold it for $250 locally when I only paid $350, so not bad at all! So, I just bought the MKII 100 head last week. When I bought my first MKI head, 3 months later they release the MKII. So I had to hold on to the MKI for awhile. Great comparison, especially the cleans/crunch. Thanks!
Now that I just bought a MKII, they will come out with a MKIII, hahaha. Oh well, thats how it goes.
@@Superjet113 They will? Lol sorry if it's a dumb question
@@s0da.-. Oh I have no clue, but it would be my luck is all I'm saying. haha
@@Superjet113hey, at least they were nice enough to wait another two years this time XD
I've been a tube hound for many years but the damn Katana....it's truly amazing how much amp you can get for $250 these days.
Both are nice amps, so it just comes down to style of music you play and personal preference. For me, it's the Blues Jr.
What I noticed was that the knob placement was the same on each amp. Perhaps with some reconfiguring of the knobs they could sound more similar. Maybe that wasn’t to goal to begin with.
The Junior sounded better to my ears on everything except the high gain. Significantly better, in fact. The Katana is a heck of a thing, and all the built in effects are really cool too and don't sound bad. And it's way inexpensive and sounds better and is more versatile than any other $250 solid state amp I have ever heard. But I'd still rather save up a little more and be more limited and have the Junior if I was picking one. Just sounds that much better to me.
Your mileage may vary!
If you play a single genre ( any genre ) you can get a cheaper and better-sounding hybrid than the Katana. The tube preamp section alone will have you drooling over anything the katana can output. Similarly, for just a bit more money ( +50%~ ) than the katana, you can probably find a genre-specific all-tube that will blow it out of the water.
If you go cross-genre a lot .. some compromises need to be made and that's what the Katana is. A great practice amp needs to do just about everything at least somewhat competently.
Source: Had a katana mk2 and am currently rocking a cheapo Joyo Zombie.
@@azzogathor The thing is, a tube amp that's decent at twice the price ($500-ish) isn't going to have NEAR the volume output of any of the Katanas, especially not the 100w 2x12 combo.
But tonally? Yeah. Need some pedals or DAW/Fractal/whatever love to get the versatility of the multi-effects of the Katana, but eh. Price of doing business these days.
It sucks, the prices of doing business these days, by the way. LOL.
@@sgenetti77 Head + Cab is the way to go imho. And you can have a tiny cab for home practice and ( maybe ) something for gigs and the likes.
Yes, the costs can spiral but it depends on what you're aiming for. Like I've mentioned, I've got a
@@azzogathor You talking about a Tiny Terror, perhaps? I have two, and hooked up to a 2x12 or a 4x12, yes, quite loud. Super limited amp though since gain=volume and they don't have any clean headroom (I guess by design).
However, point taken. I have a 20w B.Star HT-20 combo with a V-12 in it with another 1x12 V-30 Orange cab hooked up to it. Now THAT'S plenty loud, lol.
@@sgenetti77 I'm using a Joyo Zombie V1 actually. Had a Tiny Terror but, while a good little amp, the sound was not what I was looking for.
I've owned the Kat50 and while it sounds great as a pedal platform, it lacks the responsiveness of a tube amp. One should never dismiss the feel aspect of playing through a proper tube amp, especially like the Blues Jr.
Yep. I have a Peavey Classic 30. Went to Guitar Center today to try out the Katana 100 and the Line 6 Catalyst. As nice as they sound, to my ears, they just don't compare with real tubes in terms of tonal sweetness, responsiveness and dynamics. I was hoping to buy one of these cheaper, lighter weight, effects-equipped amps and then sell my Peavey. But nope.
Agree..the 'touch tone'
I've been playing a Deluxe Reverb pretty much my whole life. My wife gave me a Katana 50 MKII for Christmas. That's a lot of Amp for the money there. It sounds terrific. Boss hit a home run with this amp. Excellent comparison! Blues Jr. is a nice amp, but I got a Tube amp, now I have a fun amp!
Yeah the price blew my mind. i had to have it.
my brother-in-law has a Deluxe Reverb and it is to die for!!!!!!!!! I freakin love that amp. I mean, I love my Peavey Classic 30, but that Fender is on another level.
@@peskypesky Hey Man....Your Peavey Classic 30 is nice amp. The Deluxe wasn't bad to drag around when I was 15, at 70 I moan. The Katana is light, another plus.
@@Frank-in-NY I think the Peavey could sound a bit better with a speaker upgrade. Same for the Katana. And yes, the Katana is a lot lighter weight, has tons of built in effects, and a headphone jack....If I was still living in NYC, the Katana would be my choice. But here in Texas I can let the Peavey roar.
@@peskypesky Then you would really love the Deluxe Reverb! I can't really run it over a volume setting of 2 1/2. This is another reason the Katana works of me, you have power reduction , and like you said a headphone jack. Keep playing, make great music!
I have the new MkII 100 Head paired with an old Carvin 15” bass cab and that combination is a beast. The lows are clean and thick and the mids and highs are extremely responsive and clear. I had my doubts about how it would pair up with the Carvin but I’m both surprised and happy with this as a combination. Maybe it’s the extra power of the MkII 100 that pushes the Carvin to perform so well as a guitar cab.
I'm sure it sounds killer. My late 90s amp (don't laugh) a Peavey bandit into a Peavey TnT bass amp. A very full tone.
I have mk100 head paired with HK tube amp. Sounds great..would be nice to see the boss katana 100 head vs katana combo amp.
@@slimsantilli4476 Peavey Bandits were fantastic
I had the fender champion 100 for a long time, which is a modeling amp similar to katana. Recently switched to blues junior and get into the pedal stuff. Have to say the latter costs more energy and money but is also way more inspiring and fun. Things like katana always lack of some “realness” in its sound, whereas a tube amp you know you are playing it and pushing it.- I think if you want a really good digital amp that feels real, the amp needs very good processors to run the complex emulation algorithms, which is not cheap. The fender tone master is a great one. It also has very good controls for volume and other modern features that let you easily record.
I've owned quite a few solid state an tube amps, some I kept, some I sold.
I regret selling my JCM900 but I traded a guitar for a Marshall combo tube amp.
I still have SS amps but they sound thin and hollow, compared to my tube amps.
I use my SS amps for clean sounds while practicing.
I've tried but tube amps always win, for me. I do have a Supernova SS that is awesome, with the vintage Eminence speakers.
YMMV
What everyone seems to miss about the Katana is that it's not a modelling amp, it's not trying to sound like any specific amp, but rather giving the impression of certain amps in different styles, that's why I think it succeeds where a lot of other digital amps fall short.
That's what a modeling amp is
Have owned both, my inclination would be to veer towards the Blues Junior, but, it has to be said, the Katana is amazing value for money, and would happily own one again.
People talk smack on the blues jr. I don't get it. It's a great little versatile tube amp.
Really good drive when cranked up all the way.
It was pretty clear that the Fender was warmer when you first started. But when you went through the EQ of the Katana, you made it sound darker by adding bass and midrange. Pretty awesome little amp. The EQ section of the Katana was better than than the EQ section of the Fender. Thanks for sharing. I am going with the Boss. Cheers. MRT. :)
The Kat Mk2 100 works for me, wonderfully
Blend both amps and it'll compliment each other perfectly.
Toby, Great side by side. So nice to hear the Clean Sounds available from both amps!
AWSOME Video! Thx💥👍🤙
A few years ago I have sold my Fender Blues Deluxe because the bass sound was not enough to present. With the money, I have bought a Boss Katana cheaper. I have never regretted it. 'm still happy with the Katana. No lamps, lightweight, and no need of pedals..
when we add it all up and subtract it, yet the naturalness of the tone cannot be questioned, which is why there are tube amplifiers
Late to the show. They both sound ‘different’ Junior can’t do what the Katana can do, The Katana can’t do what the Junior can do. But they can both get close. Applications for different occasions.
Fender in every product they produce tend to have 1 Good Sound for that product, and it is an iconic sound. Boss/Roland assume that anybody has any patience for fiddling with knobs and menus, but for those of you who do have patience, they deliver.
the Fender Blues Junior is more clear and refined, but it's also twice the price.
i think the Boss Katana is a very nice starter amp, because it's loud enough for home use that won't drive your neighbors in insane. plus with a solid state amp a beginner who isn't familiar amps and all that, won't have to deal with the headache that comes with tube amps.
The eq settings on the katana here seemed a lot different than what I use on mine. The treble is very powerful and works great with matching the amp to the guitar. I've played both amps and trust me, the katana dialed in will kill a blues junior. Solid state/digital has gotten so good at this point you really need a quality tube amp to compete.
Agreed 💯!! Kill being correct word. I I researched for a long time before I bought my Katana 100 MK2 and it smoked everyone in my opinion. So many different tones to get out of there high Gain is Awesome clean is awesome.
Depends what you want to play. For metal - Katana. For blues - Fender.
Katana's default built-in capabilities aren't that great in terms of distortions/overdrives but one thing it does brilliantly is it's clean sound with a bit of blues driver added (booster green mode). Master volume all up, loudness to your taste via volume knob, gain depends on your pickup.
Here’s a video idea.
Start with a good tube and set it up for undeniably good clean and crunch tones.
Then spend ten minutes with the katana, maybe even using the software, and see how close you can get.
I bet the katana will do very good.
Great amp.
You are probably right but that is also the point for some. A lot of people don't like studying menus, sub-menus, and tweaking ad-naseum... plug, set the controls, and rock on. If you are a tweaker and have the patience...
Blues Jr all day, every day and twice a day at the weekend 😎
I've been playing through a Mustang ll.
But I just bought the Katana....I'm way impressed!!
100 w out of this little cube!!!
The big problem with the Katana is the speaker - it cannot handle the low end which really ruins it.
I’m pushing an old Carvin 15” bass cab with my MkII 100 head and so I’m inclined to agree with you. The bigger speaker really seems to make the MkII shine. Now I’m glad I went for the head model and took a chance to pair it with, of all things, an old big 15” bass speaker.
I replaced the speaker in my Katana 50 Mk2 with a Eminence Texas Heat speaker , and it made a major difference in the tone and made the amp louder.
I wonder how similar they would sound through the same speaker and cab?
shoutout to the real friends riff in the beginning
I’ve sold all my amps and went with plugins. I always carry my laptop or ipad anyway. Straight plug into the PA and jam. Neural Dsp, IR, and bias fx have changed the game for me
That's so cool for the clean at the start even on my phone i can hear the di signal in the boss it also has a very big high shelf that guitar amps just dont do. The fender is rolled off on the top end and has a lovely saturation also a little push in the lower frequencies and lower mids. Really really cool to hear them side by side like that. Also I'm not an amp snob both sound good and would have their place in a mix
The onboard effects and power scaling make the Boss super versatile, fun and useable at home. The Blues jr gets way loud quickly but has nice tube character at an affordable price. Not really comparable in some ways. You can get em both used for 500$ ish with smart shopping and have the best of both when you want it. I paid 139 for a Boss Mki and 350 for the junior. Both a little scruffy but work well.
The Blues Junior is also a superb amp with pedals. I have a Jensen-voiced tweed version and it's incredibly versatile.
The power scaling on it helps, yes. But it does not sound good at apartment volumes imho. The speaker needs to be driven to push that air around and the 12 inches don't do that well in this regard. I found the THR10 does MUCH better at apart. volumes for example.
Some genres might sound better than others at apartment volumes. But for distorted tones, it truly does not. Nevermind high-gain.
It ain’t the car, it’s the driver.
An amazingly versatile amp
Blues jr👍
Boss sounds good for some modern metal applications but loses in every other context. Thin, computerish, cold, lacks clarity whith gain.
the problem is that the clean channel sounds very similar, and where does the fender win from my point of view? in the other channels, since for me the katana does not have very nice effects, but if you put it on the clean channel and put good pedals on it, it sounds great, I have a 100 watt mk2 and it sounds tremendous, I repeat, it is not the katana what sounds bad, are the effects that it brings from the factory. instead of putting it on the crunch channel, I put it on the clean channel and put a tubescreamer on it and then tell me how it sounds. regards
I'll bet that the Katana is a lot easier to live with, and the added effects are a big bonus, and furthermore, glassware is not getting any cheaper. I do still prefer the Blues Junior in this toe to toe, but that Katana is pretty amazing sounding.
remembering, it's a comparison of a good transistor against a cheap tube
BiAmp them through a stereo Chorus and run some preamps and a effects processor or board into your mix and get the best of both words.
The reverb on the katana blows the blues jnr away... but its always going to be tube tones for me.. katana is pretty good though
I'm all for the convenience and price of something like the Katana. But the Blues Junior sounded better in every demo IMO. "Better" is obviously subjective, but everything sounded thin with the Katana to my ears comparatively, especially the crunch setting.
I think the tremolo, vibrato, phaser, auto wah, etc. are better on the Katana. I wonder how much of the sound difference is due to the speaker.
@@daniellarson3068 If those are items you are looking for, then I doubt you'd be looking at the Blues Jr though. I am strictly talking tone with my comment. A lot of players don't use any of those effects, or would rather be using their own pedals than the built in ones if they do. Having every single option available in one amp it's really a selling point for a lot of people. It's basic tones will take priority.
Katana hasa lot of EQ and fx options which can help dial in a more suitable sound. I honestly prefer it just for ease of use without needing to get a pedalboard. Otherwise yea the fender blows it away on just the stock sounds
I feel like I could dial in the tube sound on the Katana with the tone studio. The Fender does sound great.
The red Booster is what does it for me on the Katana.
Best amp comparison videos on UA-cam! In this case, I think both of these amps can benefit from good overdrive and distortion pedals.
I had a Katana mk2 Artist. It was ok. IMO digital amps, though they have come a long way, lack the soul and mostly the sustain of tube amps. I’ll stick with tube. With the affordability of mini tube amps (for me,
mini head) that’s what I’ve decided to go with for my practice amp. More inspiring. Jmo.
Less hassle too, overall. Digital was supposed to open up and simplify everyday playing. I find it does the exact reverse of that. You have to waste hours in software to get a decent result.
As you've said, mini amps ( hybrids or full tube ) blow it out of the water *if you buy them to spec* ( aka for the genre you are playing ). They can be cheaper too and you spend less time tweaking virtual knobs and more time playing.
Distortion on the katana like an amp sim with bad IR. Fender more natural sounding.
The secret to the katana is to set the internal parametric eq before the amp and I get much better tone.
solid state a sterill reaction, tube is vive reaction! love tube!
I like the Orange they're both sitting on 😂
Both good sounding amps but to me only one sounds like tubes. Pretty close but not close enough for me. The Fender has character in its sound.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I like the Blues Jr. for some tones, the Katana better for other tones. I have a Blues Jr. myself, but play digital tones through a Fishman Loudbox Performer. Both Boss and Fender sound good.
High Gain goes to Katana - very Modern, fat but tight and straight, but all the others are definitely the Blues Junior in my opinion - much more natural and "full of life", the Katana doesn't sound bad, but much to digital and "fake?" to me. Great Video! :)
For the cost of the Blues Junior, you could have a Katana Artist series...there would be no comparison.
I like warm tones, the Fender Blues for me, I played on the Katana and I loved the tones, effects, and the pedalboard that you can get for it.
The fender Wins This hands-down! Not even really any comparison.
Boss = Fizz Master. Had one, it had a nasty mid hump nasality I couldn’t dial out. Almost bought a Blues Jr. once long time ago… A/B’d it against Fender Princeton Chorus… sales guy didn’t care which one I bought, he walked by and said “I like that one better,” pointing at the Princeton. As a solid state, in my mind it couldn’t possibly be better but there it was… I agreed and got the Princeton Chorus.
You can get the fizz out with (paramatric) EQ's
Fender Blues Jr have that 'honk' that Katana doesn't. That's interesting color of a Fender amp.
Use the global eq and cut the highs 8k and the lows 80.
had a blond Hot Rod Blues Jr since 95 traded it for Fender Champion 20. tubes suck and the Champ is all i need and no need for peddles...i like your reviews! fair is all anyone can ask!
bit of a silly comparison. The Katana has the effects pedals built in. The Tube amp is relying solely on the amp section to achieve distortion.
The Boss Katana is an amazing amp.
Katana is fizzy and thin with drive. Funny, I’ve listened to videos where I thought the Katana sounded great. But this is not even close. It’s better sounding clean, but even here the Fender is much better. For high gain it was a toss up depending what you like. Fender is thicker. Katana still sounded good. Would depend on what you’re going for. Overall, I’d go for the Blues Jr.
I like the fender blues junior
Perfect example showing that “out of the box” tones of a lot of modeling amps, regardless of how popular and good they are, need tweaking to sound better than they let on. If you dove into Tone Studio the ratty-ass Katana really comes alive in body and warmth, can easily ape some of my tube amps through similar/same speakers. I mean look at the studio rats channel and watch him basically make it sound like a Marshall 20w head.
I really like the Katana head for clean headroom to shove pedals at. Can’t beat the versatility across a wide range of situations for the price, IMHO.
I bought the original Katana Artist plus the footswitch, but I am really not someone who likes tweaking things, so it's just sat in it's box and goes unplayed. Is there any simple resource I can go to who canb help me actually get some decent sounds out of my amp but without spending hours tweaking virtual knobs? You saound like someone who knows what they are talking about, I'd be VERY grateful for any advice, thanks.
The boss katana sou do thin in the bass but I have noticed my boss katana has less bass than like all my other solid state amps
I keep the trembles and mids cut way off and bass full to make it sound kinda like my others amps
Vox cambridge fender champion orange crush 20
I own a hot rod deluxe and was thinking about buying a katana as my gigging-carry-around amp but nevermind.. -_- lol
Out of the box the Katana is passable. Dive into The Tone Studio app though and it is a totally different beast. The speaker is it’s limiting factor, but that can easily be switched out.
The speaker is designed to handle all genres at least somewhat competently. If you switch it out, you are more or less restricting the Katana in what it can do. Ultimately that's what the Katana tries to be. A middle-of-the-road solution for everything.
Will a vintage sound better in it? If you're playing stuff that benefits from its characteristics? Heck yeah, it will. Otherwise, it will just change its tone, not make it any better.
Tone studio also goes a long way to tailor your sound but it won't change what the katana is. A cheap, cheerful, all-rounder.
The differences are apparent, however nothing that a decent EQ pedal can't compensate, and more. For that matter, a decent EQ pedal can compensate for any style/type of pickup or amp, or performance space. (Not to mention control pots, and various pedals you may be using) Keep that in mind, even if you love changing expensive pickups and amps all the time. Just keep that in mind.
Why bother with a pedal? The Katana has both a global and per patch 10 band graphic/5 band parametric EQs built in. Sadly, reviewers never bother to dial in the Katana properly using the EQs for these silly shootouts. Properly EQd, I have no doubt my Katana would bury a BJ.
Mother milked on tube amps hard to sway my preference the Katana is nice with the builtins and cheaper by far than a slue of pedals but the end sound quality hard to replace a valve amp imo👍🎸✌
Nice comparison. But the 12 o’clock rule is total BS, use your ears not the knobs. Blues juniors are in 700 range and a Katana is 250. I’ve been using my katana 50 for about four years as a practice amp. And for the last five years I’ve been using a Friedman 20 watter JJ Jr with a 112 cab with all my FX for live shows. I just spent 17 freaking weeks in a hospital. I’m getting back to the point where I can play out but hauling around the amps any effects… for the last 10 gigs I just bring the katana. Sometimes life tells you what to get and use. I’m thinking of getting a new katana EX and the EX pedal. And sell the high dollar amp and 2k in effects. But what do I know?
I’m just an old guy! Cheers
Wow, 17 weeks? I've had multiple operations and have spent a lot of time in the hospital but never 17 weeks straight. Be good to yourself, do what you need to do for your health and sanity.
You can change the speaker of Katana into a V30 or anything if you don’t like it. Tube is still the king here as the late Mr. Dumble explained (Rest in Peace Mr. Dumble). Katana has tons of features if you’re into modern tones.
The Katana is more versatile, especially if you use the pc app to program it. But not everyone wants an amp you have to program via a cable-connected pc. And: I don‘t like the Katanas reverb. To me it sounds artificial and cheap (especially via headphones). But on the other hand: the Boss Katana is a good deal for the money. It‘s just not for everyone. I sold my Katana and got a Blackstar tube amp with headphone output and great built in reverb (and a small pedalboard with some sfx). I‘m happy witv that.
You are the first person to comment on the programability of the Katana to mention that there's a lot of players who just have no desire to do that when they get those tones just plugging in the tube amp. But either way, it's fantastic that options like the Katana are around for affordable prices.
Is the intro tune "Late nights in my car" by Real Friends? sounds exactly like it !
I own a blues junior so I’m biased. Set it and play music if you need more sounds use pedals..pressing buttons and turning nobs fishing for sounds takes the fun out of playing.just my opinion
I found the katana too treble heavy and the fender too mid heavy. Backing off a bit on both of those would give both a more pleasant sound. Id love a blues jr, but i just feel no interest in having anything loud in a bedroom setting atm