thanks for this comparison, really enjoyed it. I pulled trigger on a MKII Artist with a GAFC a little while ago partly because of you. This rig took me from very little gear to no more excuses, just play!
Dave, i truly can never thank you enough for turning me onto the Boss Katana. After watching you and hearing you rave about it for a year i finally broke down and bought an MK2 50. It has pretty much replaced my other amps. I plug into it every day. Such an amazing amp.
Thanks for this shootout Dave. Been watching these and the tonemaster one. Brilliant. I purchased a katana 100 mk2 it arrived Monday over the moon with it and the tone studio. You were a big influence TBH. All the best. 👍🏻
To me the Nextone killed it across the board. The cleaner tones sounded richer and more tube driven, while the Katana has a more sterile, processed tone. Even on higher gain the Nextone just sounded less processed with single coils. The humbuckers in high gain seemed a more even match.
Actually thought the clean was better on the artist but the crunch an overdrive sounded better on the nextone. Great vid & beautiful playing as always Dave!
I like hearing the amp in the room sound rather than the close mic sound , I think then we hear more what u are hearing,if that makes sense, both amps sound like they are really usable. I like the low Fi approach ,when u use your camera mic . The "in the room sound" . Cheers dave (nice playing as always)
Great demo, Dave, thanks so much! Auditioning a Nextone Artist and a Katana MKII 100 combo side-by-side in my local Guitar Center, just using the panel EQ on both (clean channels), I much preferred the Nextone. I wanted to love the Katana, but I just could not get the warmth and tube-like feel that the Nextone had. I bought the Nextone Artist and love it. No regrets.
Late to the party... Did watch this a while ago. Thanks so much. I was torn between the two for a while but was able to get the Kat Artist for close to half the price of the Special. So that sort of makes it a lot easier for those still trying to decide. If the Special's price comes down I consider getting that to own and play both, then sell off the one I like best.
difficult to say with the compression you get with UA-cam, but the Nextone sounded a bit more responsive and dynamic to me, maybe a little clearer. the 4:00 comparison seemed warmer on the Nextone across the tube too. On the cleaner sounds, maybe try spending a bit more time trying to dial in exactly the same tone you got from the Katana. I'd definitely want to try both in a store before choosing. Licks were amazing as usual, you talented man!
Thanks Dave, the amps are subjective your the key. If I could play like you I’d get them both. Having Gear Acquiring syndrome it wouldn’t take much. enjoy your weekend
Nextone artist owner. Totally agree about that distracting frequency. Did not notice that when buying. 2 years trying to remove it and it drives me crazy. Found a workaround lately. You can re-EQ the overall nextone in the app and you can lower the 4K - 8K and 16K of only few dbs so the mix is more balanced. Anyway good review.
The Nextone Special on all modes for me. My preferences are towards Fender tones, scooped mids and the Nextone Special sounds closer and better to my ear towards the Fender tones.I just got sick of the maintenance and valves and fragile behavior of tube amps and pulled the trigger on a Nextone Artist for reliability and simplicity and it sounds good to my ear. I may experiment with a speaker swap, a Jensen Tornado Stealth a very light neo speaker for better tones and a lighter weighing amp. Many thanks Dave.
Here Here! Yes, Thank YOU for that observation and very good Advice indeed. I think I will begrudgingly trade in my beloved "Dream Amp", a stock Princeton '65 RI Blackface for this Nextone "New Dream" Amp for the sake of Triple convenience: Hassle and cost of maintenance, reliable longevity and Predictable performance plus its less of a potential Fire hazard if neglected too, I think. We must remember to cherish it with Surge Protection though too because so many SS Amp "failures" occur because of Surge damage and NOT the Amp itself.
DAVE! Thx for this one! Always wanted to see this side-by-side comparison. I really loved the Nextone...wasn't expecting that. Across the board for me (both guitars and tones) I felt that the Nextone sounded less compressed and open. The distorted tones were even more biting and present in the room! Wanted to ask (and apologies if I missed a video you already did) if you've tried the latest Fender Mustang GTX (100 watt)? I felt all the previous models were shit compared to BOSS (any of their amps), but I have this current (as my Solid State Amp) and it replaced my Katana MKII (which shocked me). Regardless, this is a great video!!! I got try the Nextone!!!!
Great playing as always, Dave! Katana for me - much cheaper, less complicated controls and personally prefer the tone.. The nextone looks cooler though in a bluesbreakery way.. Nice one
Nice and positive video! I have both Nextone and Katana. You defiantly should try to keep master volume after 12 o'clock on Nextone because after that it will shine like no other!
Exactly, I think all those commenting about the katana, although a great amp in its own respect, have no idea what Nextone sounds like, especially as you said, with the master turned up to 12 o'clock. The quality of the sound in room of the Nextone is just as impressive as a tube amp, although not all presets sound exactly like a particular amp, they all sound good and can be to your liking.
Thank you for responding to my request. I remember asking you on your nextone special video. You are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! edit: after watching this, katana all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To me the Nextone is a step up in sound. More detailed. More valve like. The Katana is much more versatile, essentially it can be used as a four channel amp for gigs. I'm hoping the next generation will have the best of both in one amp.
Love the demo & the channel. You need to get a Epiphone with Soap Bar P90's though. I preferred the Katana Artist M2. I think it's because of the Waza Speaker in the M2. Blues On....💙
Hey Dave! Could you do a lesson on your fluttery chord type playing? You know the stuff that sounds sort of Hendrix like? Love that stuff! Also love that you rip the stuffing out of these katana amps. I was hesitant to buy one but then got one and was like holy moly this thing can do anything . My only regret is not buying the 2X12 version cause I miss the extra speaker
Mr. Simpson....Your opening chat was very informative..but.. I miss your guitar playing intro with what ever guitar or amp you care to use...it kinda sets up the show in a good way....either way I’m here for the whole show ...Keep on keeping on young man 👍😎🎸
Love your energy and videos! I had two Katana MK2's, a 100 and an Artist. I sold both and got a Boss GX100, but still kick myself daily for selling the Katana's and will likely buy either the 100 or the Artist again. I find that plus the EX foot switch is all I would use plus a Roland volume pedal for expression. The GX is awesome, but overkill for what I need. I never even used more than four of the eight channels. I may try the Nextone first though because I do love the sound of my vintage Carvin Bel Air with EL84's, but don't want to deal with tubes anymore.
I am in your camp with the Katana artist. The nextone speaker is based of the vintage American speaker where the artists speaker is based of the vintage greenback according to the specs so that might make a difference I would imagine. To me the Katana sounds more like that British amp tone were the nextone to my ears anyway sounds more like early American amps. I use a Marshall tube amp but actually I use my Katana more due to no maintenance and it has that Marshall tone the way I set it up. Love the video and thank you
The Katana excels at blues rock jazz fusion tones, the Nextones excel at a more straight up industrial rock tone. It would be easy to cop a nice AC/DC tone. For Pink Flord I would go for the Kat, for Beatles and classic Stones tone the Nextone would probably sound closer. But these amps just sound great.
I have both amps. Sold my tube amps. They are phenomenal. At volume , the Nextone smokes the Artist and smoked all my tube amps. I did hook it up to the computer to get some cracking base tones and I think it needed that to really shine.
To me the Nextone sounded more natural and less processed. The Katana had a compression happening, even while clean, that to me made it sound almost like a pedal going into an amp rather than a cleam amp sound, compared to the Nextone which had more warmth and dynamics. Both amps sounded great, and owning a blues cube artist I am sure I would be happy with either. Katana vs Tonemaster Deluxe next?
Scared to watch this .... Only as I was going to buy the standard katana then heard you on the artist and decided that's a bit of me...... so convinced the wife to let me spend the extra .... Was about to order now is see this pop up..... This could end my relationship 😂
evening Dave if you can ship both amps to me i can test them myself lol and let you know in a years time which i prefer lol,i have the Katana mk1,due to you and love it but love what i'm hearing from both amps here and it depends on what the user prefers but any of the 2 would suit me,great info and demo Dave,need to catch weds q and a missed it
Great video. Great playing. Based on your reviews and a few others I bought a Katana 50 mk2. Best amp I’ve ever owned, particularly for home volume levels. I’ve been playing for 40 years and I’ve owned a bunch, along with dozens of pedals. They’re all gone now, except for the katana and a microcube, which I’ll keep forever for the portability. Roland/Boss are just phenomenal these days. Keeps the videos coming!
For me the Katana on clean wins hands down on clarity on both style pick ups the Nextone was pretty good on the distortion side and the Blues style but not really better than the Katana just a bit different. So if I was parting with cash it would be the Katana. Brilliant revue Dave as always and awesome playing!
@Ralph Reilly Cant remeber what I listened through now, usually laptop through Focusrite and out through decent Hi Fi set up, other times through good headphones. May watch this again and compare again out of interest, but all down to personal preference on the day I guess too.
Can you do video on the Nextone (with the Bluebacky speaker) playing through the Kat's Greenbacky speaker and see if it sounds better? Or run both amps through your Marshall cab?
Hey Dave, diggin your vids. I just got the artist mkll, and very happy with it. quick question,,could you use a headrush speaker with the stereo expand thingy...keep rockin !!!
It might be an interesting experiment to go into the Boss/Roland Katana and Nextone computer websites and tweak the settings to see if it is possible to make the two amps sound as close to each other as the technology allows.
Both amps sound wonderful ala clean tone. Hard pressed to make a choice for blues tone but the Katana wins for the brown sound full distortion. The next tone has an underlying midrange ring to it either from the cabinet or speaker which the microphone seems to pick up vs the Katana.
Hi Dave, great comparison, I just think they’re both great amps , I just bought the artist and was disappointed to see the way the have the internal speaker jack protruding from the back I can see problems with that if you lie in down on its back getting it in and out of the car, does the nextone jack stick out the same? Dave or anyone? Great channel tho Dave
I'm getting very tempted to buy a Katana 212. Be cool to see if I can dial in better metal tones than I get on the old Randall Heads.... good price for these Katana's for what you get!
Huge difference in the clean channel, Katana won by far for me. With more gain, the Nextone made some ground, but I still prefer the Katana. The sound in the room may be quite different so it's all about personal preference. I would keep them both.
I really thought the katana was a more creamy and warm with spangle and oomph than the Nextone,subtle but but apparent….great comparison super Dave love your chops,rocking
Massive Thanks Dave For a really Good comparison! Here is what i don't understand the Nextone sells for 899.00 and has enough knobs in the eq section to get any sound and is advertised as getting a clean sound and a brown van Halen sound. For that price you should be able to get that being a more expensive amplifier! As I listened more, the Katana Artist sounded a lot better especially on the distortion channel. It sounded more robust to me Dave. Do you think Boss should include a waza craft speaker option for the Boss Nextone special or do you think you could have made it sound better than the katana artist by experimenting more with the tone knobs. What about adding your pedals to the Nextone Special would that have given you the sound you were looking for?
@@armandom28 yeah i don't get it wtf is wrong with this video. He made the katana look like shit compared to the newtone and it doesn't sound like that. maybe he s getting paid or maybe it's the mic position
I bought a katana before the nextone came out and took it back with in a week. Just sounded to muddy. At the time I had 3 tube amps and still have them. Since I pick up a nextone stage the near purity of the sound of it on all the different tube type sounds on it
I plugged into my 120 watt Peavey Deuce and blew the dust off my Katana MK II Head from across the room. Every time i do a side by side comparison with any of my tube amps against numerous solid state amps the tubes win every single time. Cool video here however and i preferred the Katana Artist myself.
Dave, love your playing. Just a question. where do you live and are able to crank these that loud? I used to live in country and cranked my marshalls all the time, but now in the city , I would have my neighbors all in my case.
Loved the sound of the Red Oswald through the Katana Artist, sounded more ful of life to me, the Epiphoney sounded God, but I prefer the Oswald all day every day
The Katana had a more open sound on the clean channel. When it came to a Blues tone, both amps sounded fine. Where overdrive sounds were concerned, the Nextone won out. This applied to both single coils and humbuckers.
One thing I did notice Dave, just by adjusting the tone knobs on the Cr-120 you can get massive tonal Changes! The nextone has twice as many tone knobs and eq but when you change between tubes types there is only a mild difference. You thoughts on this Dave?
Tube types don't affect EQ, they affect headroom and distortion. The EQ stacks on the Nextone are meant to be the same general idea as old American (e.g. Fender) and British (e.g. Marshall) with a switch between the two. The Nextone does a good job with what it is trying to achieve - emulating old valve amps. The Orange tone stack is voiced the way Orange wanted it (modern) and as you say, it gives a huge range. They are different beasts.
I thought the Nextone just sounded more refined and clear, but really interested in your preference for katana. I know it’s a different thing, but what happens if you add the deluxe tonemaster in to this battle? Come to that, I know you love the katanas, is the artist worth twice the price of a katana 50?
Both are awesome 👍 love the sounds on both but the I think your right the katana seems it could push out more fully clean tube sound but not to take away from nextone cause next tone can push out other features the katana can't, so both are great amps, all depends on the application you want to play??? But I need to try out the katana cause I haven't tried it yet 🤔
Hi Dave, wonderful playing as allways. A difficult choice today - after a few minutes I had tagged the Nextone as 'Fenderish' and the Katana as 'Marshallish'. In some cases, with the Strat/Oswald it sounded better thrugh the Nextone but moments later was better through the the Katana. The Nextone sounded 'cleaner/clearer'? whereas the Katana sounded rougher/more powerful. The weird thing is that, with the Epiphone, the positions were reversed, with the Nextone sounding better! I appreciate that you would have a much better feel for the quality as you were next to the amps whereas I'm listening to a pair of 15+ years old Harman Kardon computer speakers which are far from hi-fi! I've done this response before looking at your conclusion - I wonder what you've decided? I suspect, based on past videos, you'll probably opt for the Artist - amyway, the Nextone has FAR too many knobs on!
I've only played the Katana, but for sound, I think the Nextone sounds more open. But I'm sure the Katana is more forgiving. EDIT: Just noticed the Epi Black Beauty - do you get the bridge and middle pickups combined in the middle selector position? My favorite clean sound.
the nextone special is almost double the price of the Katana artist. it better sound better ! I still like my KAT ARTIST but I only use the clean channel and run OD pedals through the front. the internal od's suck imo.
I’d have to agree with you. The katana is a little bit better. Seams like it has more percussive punch with overdrive and distortion sounds. Beautiful clean sound as well
Upon listening to both amps on my end the Artist sounds more throatier ( is that a word ? ) over the Nextone . Are both amps using similar speakers or are they different ? May or may not make a difference here ? I sometimes find original circuitry sounds a lot better than later model designs of similar amp designs. They get in there and change enough around inside that it can just take the heart out of it. 😁
I liked the sound of the nextone in this and do personally prefer the nextone having owned and played both before, however I think Dave's settings he uses on the katana gain channels is what is making everyone say the katana sounds too muffled compared to the nextone. He has all the EQ knobs turned all the way down it looks like. To each their own as tone is subjective and dave is a way better player than me, but I think those settings result in this very muffled katana sound.
Dave, I have an Artist MK1. Im not a great player yet. Based on that do you think its worth upgrading to an MK2 or Nextone! My inclination is to just work on my playing. Appreciate your channel. Thanks.
It's so easy to underestimate the Katana because it's all digital solid state mimicry, I do it too, but with a blindfold on you'd have a difficult time telling it from an actual tube amp. Nextone sounds great too, but going off of cost comparison the Katana is just a winning amp.
Hey Dave, The main problem is that you are using a mic on the Katana. The reputation and expectation is that the line out is so good it does not need a mic so please do this again with a mic on the nextone and only a line out for the Katana.
Great demo comparison. In your opinion how much harc rock or metal can the Nextone do? I know that the Katana's lead channel and Brown Sound channel are voiced to doing 80s hard rock and modern metal, but is the nexttone only for vintagey classic rock and classic hard rock or can it get gain-ier than that?
thanks for this comparison, really enjoyed it. I pulled trigger on a MKII Artist with a GAFC a little while ago partly because of you. This rig took me from very little gear to no more excuses, just play!
Appreciate you making this comparison video Dave. Awesome playing and so helpful to so many people out there.
Dave, i truly can never thank you enough for turning me onto the Boss Katana. After watching you and hearing you rave about it for a year i finally broke down and bought an MK2 50. It has pretty much replaced my other amps. I plug into it every day. Such an amazing amp.
Cool,, and ditto
Same here, bought my katana in January because of you Dave :) and it's still my favourite amp ❤
Thanks for this shootout Dave. Been watching these and the tonemaster one. Brilliant. I purchased a katana 100 mk2 it arrived Monday over the moon with it and the tone studio. You were a big influence TBH. All the best. 👍🏻
I love clarity so the nextone wins for me! Sounds more Organic to my ears
To me the Nextone killed it across the board. The cleaner tones sounded richer and more tube driven, while the Katana has a more sterile, processed tone. Even on higher gain the Nextone just sounded less processed with single coils. The humbuckers in high gain seemed a more even match.
Actually thought the clean was better on the artist but the crunch an overdrive sounded better on the nextone. Great vid & beautiful playing as always Dave!
Excellent Dave! Thank you again! 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Awesome stuff Dave!!. Thank you
I like hearing the amp in the room sound rather than the close mic sound , I think then we hear more what u are hearing,if that makes sense, both amps sound like they are really usable. I like the low Fi approach ,when u use your camera mic . The "in the room sound" .
Cheers dave (nice playing as always)
Great demo, Dave, thanks so much! Auditioning a Nextone Artist and a Katana MKII 100 combo side-by-side in my local Guitar Center, just using the panel EQ on both (clean channels), I much preferred the Nextone. I wanted to love the Katana, but I just could not get the warmth and tube-like feel that the Nextone had. I bought the Nextone Artist and love it. No regrets.
Amazing guitar playing my friend... I hear a LOT of Hendrix influence in there and love it.
I’ve got a Katana 50 mk1 and still love it completely. Of these two I’d go Artist. Great job, thank you sir!
Next-One Special gets my support.
Especially with single coils 👍😎
Has more body and less processed tones as its base👍
👍😎❤🖖
Love brother
I love that black epiphony....its awesome dave😲👍
Nice review. I just bought a used Artist. Your video helped me decide the best amp for me. Thanks.
Hey I enjoyed the comparison! I would really enjoy a follow up video regarding your settings on the amps
Hi Dave . Thanks for doing this video.
I haven't watched the video yet... but I've been chewing my nails down to bloody nubs in anticipation of this one!
I apreciate your honest review Dave!
Late to the party... Did watch this a while ago. Thanks so much. I was torn between the two for a while but was able to get the Kat Artist for close to half the price of the Special. So that sort of makes it a lot easier for those still trying to decide. If the Special's price comes down I consider getting that to own and play both, then sell off the one I like best.
difficult to say with the compression you get with UA-cam, but the Nextone sounded a bit more responsive and dynamic to me, maybe a little clearer. the 4:00 comparison seemed warmer on the Nextone across the tube too. On the cleaner sounds, maybe try spending a bit more time trying to dial in exactly the same tone you got from the Katana. I'd definitely want to try both in a store before choosing. Licks were amazing as usual, you talented man!
I think I am also staying in Camp Katana with you, Mr. Dave. I'm still itching to try out the Nextone, but the Katana sings better to my ears.
Thanks Dave, the amps are subjective your the key. If I could play like you I’d get them both. Having Gear Acquiring syndrome it wouldn’t take much. enjoy your weekend
Nextone artist owner. Totally agree about that distracting frequency. Did not notice that when buying. 2 years trying to remove it and it drives me crazy. Found a workaround lately. You can re-EQ the overall nextone in the app and you can lower the 4K - 8K and 16K of only few dbs so the mix is more balanced. Anyway good review.
Why not get an EQ pedal? I bought one and got three dummy sent me three.
@@stewarttomkinson3356 Send one my way? How much?
To me the Artist had the richer sound and it felt better to me. Awesome playing as always Dave.
The Nextone Special on all modes for me. My preferences are towards Fender tones, scooped mids and the Nextone Special sounds closer and better to my ear towards the Fender tones.I just got sick of the maintenance and valves and fragile behavior of tube amps and pulled the trigger on a Nextone Artist for reliability and simplicity and it sounds good to my ear. I may experiment with a speaker swap, a Jensen Tornado Stealth a very light neo speaker for better tones and a lighter weighing amp. Many thanks Dave.
Here Here! Yes, Thank YOU for that observation and very good Advice indeed. I think I will begrudgingly trade in my beloved "Dream Amp", a stock Princeton '65 RI Blackface for this Nextone "New Dream" Amp for the sake of Triple convenience: Hassle and cost of maintenance, reliable longevity and Predictable performance plus its less of a potential Fire hazard if neglected too, I think. We must remember to cherish it with Surge Protection though too because so many SS Amp "failures" occur because of Surge damage and NOT the Amp itself.
DAVE! Thx for this one! Always wanted to see this side-by-side comparison. I really loved the Nextone...wasn't expecting that. Across the board for me (both guitars and tones) I felt that the Nextone sounded less compressed and open. The distorted tones were even more biting and present in the room! Wanted to ask (and apologies if I missed a video you already did) if you've tried the latest Fender Mustang GTX (100 watt)? I felt all the previous models were shit compared to BOSS (any of their amps), but I have this current (as my Solid State Amp) and it replaced my Katana MKII (which shocked me). Regardless, this is a great video!!! I got try the Nextone!!!!
Great playing as always, Dave! Katana for me - much cheaper, less complicated controls and personally prefer the tone.. The nextone looks cooler though in a bluesbreakery way.. Nice one
Top job, you helped me make my mind up🎸👍
Epic been waiting for this
Nice and positive video! I have both Nextone and Katana. You defiantly should try to keep master volume after 12 o'clock on Nextone because after that it will shine like no other!
Exactly, I think all those commenting about the katana, although a great amp in its own respect, have no idea what Nextone sounds like, especially as you said, with the master turned up to 12 o'clock. The quality of the sound in room of the Nextone is just as impressive as a tube amp, although not all presets sound exactly like a particular amp, they all sound good and can be to your liking.
Dave complains about the clean, although he never bothered turning up, to push the headroom on the nextone.
Thank you for responding to my request. I remember asking you on your nextone special video. You are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
edit: after watching this, katana all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To me the Nextone is a step up in sound. More detailed. More valve like. The Katana is much more versatile, essentially it can be used as a four channel amp for gigs. I'm hoping the next generation will have the best of both in one amp.
Great , I’ll have something to watch when I pop out of the rack in morning guitar 🎸 😎 🤘
Dave kills it every time .......love his playing ! He is up there with the Best !
Thank you for attractive demos．I planed to buy Katana Artist. But now I'm changing my mind to buy Nextone... Both have the nice tone.
Love your style,Nextone for me, I had a 65 Twin Reverb. Loved it
Thank you. :)
Love the demo & the channel. You need to get a Epiphone with Soap Bar P90's though. I preferred the Katana Artist M2. I think it's because of the Waza Speaker in the M2. Blues On....💙
Epic battle, l agree Mr S very close but the Katana wins!... could easily live with both amps and big shout for the epiphoney it sounds immense!👍😀
Hey Dave! Could you do a lesson on your fluttery chord type playing? You know the stuff that sounds sort of Hendrix like? Love that stuff! Also love that you rip the stuffing out of these katana amps. I was hesitant to buy one but then got one and was like holy moly this thing can do anything . My only regret is not buying the 2X12 version cause I miss the extra speaker
Duuude!... I was hoping you'd do this
I agree with you... The Katana was the right choices. Thank You for doing the comparison video .
Dave, the Epiphoney and the Nextone sounded great!! The Katana sounded better with the single coils. Cheers!
So cool that Andertons have collaborated with Dave, he needs more exposure to the "good people of the tube"😎🤘
Mr. Simpson....Your opening chat was very informative..but.. I miss your guitar playing intro with what ever guitar or amp you care to use...it kinda sets up the show in a good way....either way I’m here for the whole show ...Keep on keeping on young man 👍😎🎸
That Katana Artist MK2, the footswitch for it, the new boss looper and a vox silvertop wah. Dream setup. Someday..
Thanks Dave 👍.
Love your energy and videos! I had two Katana MK2's, a 100 and an Artist. I sold both and got a Boss GX100, but still kick myself daily for selling the Katana's and will likely buy either the 100 or the Artist again. I find that plus the EX foot switch is all I would use plus a Roland volume pedal for expression. The GX is awesome, but overkill for what I need. I never even used more than four of the eight channels. I may try the Nextone first though because I do love the sound of my vintage Carvin Bel Air with EL84's, but don't want to deal with tubes anymore.
I am in your camp with the Katana artist. The nextone speaker is based of the vintage American speaker where the artists speaker is based of the vintage greenback according to the specs so that might make a difference I would imagine. To me the Katana sounds more like that British amp tone were the nextone to my ears anyway sounds more like early American amps. I use a Marshall tube amp but actually I use my Katana more due to no maintenance and it has that Marshall tone the way I set it up. Love the video and thank you
The Katana excels at blues rock jazz fusion tones, the Nextones excel at a more straight up industrial rock tone. It would be easy to cop a nice AC/DC tone. For Pink Flord I would go for the Kat, for Beatles and classic Stones tone the Nextone would probably sound closer. But these amps just sound great.
Thanks for being so honest!!!
I have both amps. Sold my tube amps. They are phenomenal. At volume , the Nextone smokes the Artist and smoked all my tube amps. I did hook it up to the computer to get some cracking base tones and I think it needed that to really shine.
To me the Nextone sounded more natural and less processed. The Katana had a compression happening, even while clean, that to me made it sound almost like a pedal going into an amp rather than a cleam amp sound, compared to the Nextone which had more warmth and dynamics. Both amps sounded great, and owning a blues cube artist I am sure I would be happy with either.
Katana vs Tonemaster Deluxe next?
Scared to watch this .... Only as I was going to buy the standard katana then heard you on the artist and decided that's a bit of me...... so convinced the wife to let me spend the extra .... Was about to order now is see this pop up..... This could end my relationship 😂
I've had the Katana Artist for 8 months now and have totally been in love with it. Can't go wrong with it!
Wife, Katana,,,,🤔
You will love the a Katana artist mk2. It is the go to amp. Will make your life more simple.
evening Dave if you can ship both amps to me i can test them myself lol and let you know in a years time which i prefer lol,i have the Katana mk1,due to you and love it but love what i'm hearing from both amps here and it depends on what the user prefers but any of the 2 would suit me,great info and demo Dave,need to catch weds q and a missed it
Dave, have you played on the Roland Blues Cube yet? Being a Solid State kinda guy I really think you should check them out if you haven't yet.
I haven't yet no.
@@thedavesimpson - would also like to add my recommendation that you try out the Roland Blues Cube Artist amp.
Blues cubes are awesome. Gorgeous sounds, not as versatile as these but a better fundamental tone imho 👍
Great video. Great playing.
Based on your reviews and a few others I bought a Katana 50 mk2.
Best amp I’ve ever owned, particularly for home volume levels. I’ve been playing for 40 years and I’ve owned a bunch, along with dozens of pedals. They’re all gone now, except for the katana and a microcube, which I’ll keep forever for the portability.
Roland/Boss are just phenomenal these days.
Keeps the videos coming!
I'd be interested to see if they sounded closer with the same speaker, as they have slightly different waza ones in. I like them both tho.
For me the Katana on clean wins hands down on clarity on both style pick ups the Nextone was pretty good on the distortion side and the Blues style but not really better than the Katana just a bit different. So if I was parting with cash it would be the Katana. Brilliant revue Dave as always and awesome playing!
@Ralph Reilly Cant remeber what I listened through now, usually laptop through Focusrite and out through decent Hi Fi set up, other times through good headphones. May watch this again and compare again out of interest, but all down to personal preference on the day I guess too.
Can you do video on the Nextone (with the Bluebacky speaker) playing through the Kat's Greenbacky speaker and see if it sounds better? Or run both amps through your Marshall cab?
I just bought a Katana 50. So far I like it. Haven't used the on line tools tough.
Hey Dave, diggin your vids. I just got the artist mkll, and very happy with it. quick question,,could you use a headrush speaker with the stereo expand thingy...keep rockin !!!
I'm sure you could but not sure I'd recommend it. The head rush speaker might not pair very well.
Get another Artist to do the Stereo Exandy Thing, two Artists in Stereo would be real cool!
Dave what about your Tonemaster vs the Artist. Na that would be a serious battle ;-)
It might be an interesting experiment to go into the Boss/Roland Katana and Nextone computer websites and tweak the settings to see if it is possible to make the two amps sound as close to each other as the technology allows.
Both amps sound wonderful ala clean tone. Hard pressed to make a choice for blues tone but the Katana wins for the brown sound full distortion. The next tone has an underlying midrange ring to it either from the cabinet or speaker which the microphone seems to pick up vs the Katana.
Hi Dave, great comparison, I just think they’re both great amps , I just bought the artist and was disappointed to see the way the have the internal speaker jack protruding from the back I can see problems with that if you lie in down on its back getting it in and out of the car, does the nextone jack stick out the same? Dave or anyone? Great channel tho Dave
Sublime playing.
Dear Dave... you need to try a Quilter, trust me! Thank you for your videos...
Brilliant
Loved the katana! Trying to find the Settings you used on the katana? All three of them if possible
Pretty please 🙏🏽
I'm getting very tempted to buy a Katana 212. Be cool to see if I can dial in better metal tones than I get on the old Randall Heads.... good price for these Katana's for what you get!
Huge difference in the clean channel, Katana won by far for me. With more gain, the Nextone made some ground, but I still prefer the Katana. The sound in the room may be quite different so it's all about personal preference. I would keep them both.
I own both!!!
Katana artist more versatile.
Special nextone better for vintage 50s and 60s tones.
Perfect
What Soy boy said - bwaaaahhhhAaaaaaaa
I really thought the katana was a more creamy and warm with spangle and oomph than the Nextone,subtle but but apparent….great comparison super Dave love your chops,rocking
Massive Thanks Dave For a really Good comparison! Here is what i don't understand the Nextone sells for 899.00 and has enough knobs in the eq section to get any sound and is advertised as getting a clean sound and a brown van Halen sound. For that price you should be able to get that being a more expensive amplifier! As I listened more, the Katana Artist sounded a lot better especially on the distortion channel. It sounded more robust to me Dave. Do you think Boss should include a waza craft speaker option for the Boss Nextone special or do you think you could have made it sound better than the katana artist by experimenting more with the tone knobs. What about adding your pedals to the Nextone Special would that have given you the sound you were looking for?
On the record Nextone sounds more open and more "real-amp". Katana sounds some muffled on drive sounds.
Glad I'm not alone in thinking that.
That’s because the treble is most likely turned off
@@armandom28 maybe I'm already deaf, but I like high frequencies in amp sound. Like Johan Segeborn's sound.
@@armandom28 yeah i don't get it wtf is wrong with this video. He made the katana look like shit compared to the newtone and it doesn't sound like that. maybe he s getting paid or maybe it's the mic position
I bought a katana before the nextone came out and took it back with in a week. Just sounded to muddy. At the time I had 3 tube amps and still have them. Since I pick up a nextone stage the near purity of the sound of it on all the different tube type sounds on it
I plugged into my 120 watt Peavey Deuce and blew the dust off my Katana MK II Head from across the room. Every time i do a side by side comparison with any of my tube amps against numerous solid state amps the tubes win every single time. Cool video here however and i preferred the Katana Artist myself.
Dave, love your playing. Just a question. where do you live and are able to crank these that loud? I used to live in country and cranked my marshalls all the time, but now in the city , I would have my neighbors all in my case.
I thought I liked my Katana, until I bought the G3 pedal... now I ONLY run the FX loop 🤣
Loved the sound of the Red Oswald through the Katana Artist, sounded more ful of life to me, the Epiphoney sounded God, but I prefer the Oswald all day every day
The Katana had a more open sound on the clean channel. When it came to a Blues tone, both amps sounded fine. Where overdrive sounds were concerned, the Nextone won out. This applied to both single coils and humbuckers.
I thought i was the only one who could hear that really high hissing frequency, but it never comes through in recordings.
Dave how would you think these would be paired with a synergy preamp?
One thing I did notice Dave, just by adjusting the tone knobs on the Cr-120 you can get massive tonal Changes! The nextone has twice as many tone knobs and eq but when you change between tubes types there is only a mild difference. You thoughts on this Dave?
Tube types don't affect EQ, they affect headroom and distortion. The EQ stacks on the Nextone are meant to be the same general idea as old American (e.g. Fender) and British (e.g. Marshall) with a switch between the two.
The Nextone does a good job with what it is trying to achieve - emulating old valve amps.
The Orange tone stack is voiced the way Orange wanted it (modern) and as you say, it gives a huge range. They are different beasts.
hey dave for me the nextone was much clearer and crisp sounding with the katana sounding a bit more muffled.
I thought this as well except when it came to the clean tone.
I thought the Nextone just sounded more refined and clear, but really interested in your preference for katana.
I know it’s a different thing, but what happens if you add the deluxe tonemaster in to this battle? Come to that,
I know you love the katanas, is the artist worth twice the price of a katana 50?
IMO yes.
Both are awesome 👍 love the sounds on both but the I think your right the katana seems it could push out more fully clean tube sound but not to take away from nextone cause next tone can push out other features the katana can't, so both are great amps, all depends on the application you want to play??? But I need to try out the katana cause I haven't tried it yet 🤔
Hi Dave, wonderful playing as allways. A difficult choice today - after a few minutes I had tagged the Nextone as 'Fenderish' and the Katana as 'Marshallish'. In some cases, with the Strat/Oswald it sounded better thrugh the Nextone but moments later was better through the the Katana. The Nextone sounded 'cleaner/clearer'? whereas the Katana sounded rougher/more powerful. The weird thing is that, with the Epiphone, the positions were reversed, with the Nextone sounding better! I appreciate that you would have a much better feel for the quality as you were next to the amps whereas I'm listening to a pair of 15+ years old Harman Kardon computer speakers which are far from hi-fi! I've done this response before looking at your conclusion - I wonder what you've decided? I suspect, based on past videos, you'll probably opt for the Artist - amyway, the Nextone has FAR too many knobs on!
I agree! Strat sounded better through the Kat! LP sounded better through the Nextone!
I've only played the Katana, but for sound, I think the Nextone sounds more open. But I'm sure the Katana is more forgiving. EDIT: Just noticed the Epi Black Beauty - do you get the bridge and middle pickups combined in the middle selector position? My favorite clean sound.
Nextone is really the only one to get here, unless you NEED the effects built in the Kat.
the nextone special is almost double the price of the Katana artist. it better sound better ! I still like my KAT ARTIST but I only use the clean channel and run OD pedals through the front. the internal od's suck imo.
I’d have to agree with you. The katana is a little bit better. Seams like it has more percussive punch with overdrive and distortion sounds. Beautiful clean sound as well
I dont know if it can be EQ'd out or its the recording but to me all the katana high gain tones sound like there's a pillow over the speaker.
Upon listening to both amps on my end the Artist sounds more throatier ( is that a word ? ) over the Nextone . Are both amps using similar speakers or are they different ? May or may not make a difference here ? I sometimes find original circuitry sounds a lot better than later model designs of similar amp designs. They get in there and change enough around inside that it can just take the heart out of it. 😁
I liked the sound of the nextone in this and do personally prefer the nextone having owned and played both before, however I think Dave's settings he uses on the katana gain channels is what is making everyone say the katana sounds too muffled compared to the nextone. He has all the EQ knobs turned all the way down it looks like. To each their own as tone is subjective and dave is a way better player than me, but I think those settings result in this very muffled katana sound.
Both of these amps are impressive
Dave, I have an Artist MK1. Im not a great player yet. Based on that do you think its worth upgrading to an MK2 or Nextone! My inclination is to just work on my playing. Appreciate your channel. Thanks.
I'd stick with the mk1. ;)
It's so easy to underestimate the Katana because it's all digital solid state mimicry, I do it too, but with a blindfold on you'd have a difficult time telling it from an actual tube amp. Nextone sounds great too, but going off of cost comparison the Katana is just a winning amp.
Hey Dave, The main problem is that you are using a mic on the Katana. The reputation and expectation is that the line out is so good it does not need a mic so please do this again with a mic on the nextone and only a line out for the Katana.
Great demo comparison. In your opinion how much harc rock or metal can the Nextone do? I know that the Katana's lead channel and Brown Sound channel are voiced to doing 80s hard rock and modern metal, but is the nexttone only for vintagey classic rock and classic hard rock or can it get gain-ier than that?
The nextone can't really do hard rock sadly. Well. Unless you add pedals.
@@thedavesimpson thanks for the info
Nice Shootout and playing. I'm curious if you have ever tried the newer Katana Artist MKII to compare to the MKI?
This ones a mkii.
@@thedavesimpson 👍 Thanks