This is as balanced of a review as I can give this amp. If you own the previous version, you don't need it. If you don't and get it, you'll enjoy it as it sounds solid. Thanks to Sky Music for the loan of this amp! Check out here using the affiliate links below. 🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/xkYW5k 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/45nYCNX 🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/eKY9Eg 🛒 Sky Music - alnk.to/eDRaCoO
I picked up a new/old stock v2 for $200 while the great inventory dump was in progress and don't see anything worthwhile as an upgrade. Same experience with the Blackstar idcore series, the upgrade is less dated connections, but still dated - no usb-c, bt? Both used (rev) and can be dialed in without additional fiddling...I've picked up a practice amp problem. 🎸😎🎸
I appreciate your candid and honest review. TBH , it seems like I might be to old for this but if I did get one it would be the 100 and probably the 2 12 version because that makes a difference. The 50 is to weak. I do think it could be worth buying a cheaper old version if the price becomes right and it should.
I bought gen 3. I owned a mk1 katana and never upgraded to mk2 so gen 3 felt like a great place to land. I picked one up the second my nearby guitar store got em. People complaining are the same people who think you have to buy the new iPhone EVERY time it comes out. If you’re not ready for/don’t need the upgrade then don’t upgrade. Simple. Some people are addicted to spending money and then complain about spending money
@@2000SkyView the Mk2 is great from what I’ve heard. If you don’t absolutely need the upgrade I’d say it’s totally pointless to get a gen 3. I had a 50w mki and have been practicing with other people so I needed to upgrade to a louder amp and that’s when I bought the Gen 3 100w. Your amp is totally fine maybe when Gen 4 releases you’ll be ready for an upgrade 👍
I like that it has Bluetooth which is xtra but you don’t have to connect to a dumb computer 🖥️ spending an hour just trying to figure out what to download! Just change sounds from your iPhone 📱
@@retro_hp5542so the 50watt wasn't loud enough?? I'm surprised and disappointed if this is true as I just bought A 50 3 hoping if I played with others it would hold up.
@@scourneene I mean it was loud enough to play with a drummer and bassist but we added another guitarist and i play lead and I just wasn’t cutting through and I also didn’t want to play at maximum volume. The 100w can comfortably play with everyone and I don’t have to worry about my speakers blowing out haha so yeah it works but 100w is just the better way to go also it can be used for most of the gigs we do.
We are living in the golden age of guitar gear for beginners. I wish I had these kinds of Amps in the '80s or '90s. Katanas are incredibly convenient for carry-on; they are very light. I was so convinced by their practicality that I bought one a couple of years back. However, I ended up selling it, because I only used it a couple of times. I am happy with my tube Amps; they are heavier, but I always keep a retractable cart in my car to carry them; there is enough space in the cart for my guitar, pedalboard, and Amp.
I'm a tube guy....but, 5 years ago I was given a Katana 50 and I was quite impressed. Used it in small club venues and it was surprising how good it sounded. I sold that amp a couple of years ago and bought a Katana Mk2, with the Katana foot pedal (which cost as much as the Katana amps) for $150! Glad to have it back. I tried the Katana 100, but the tone on the Katana 50 led me to trading the 100 for a 50 Mk 2 which happened to have the 6.button foot pedal in the back. In perfect condition, I love this amp. It won't replace my Mesas or Soldanos, but it's the best solid state amp I've ever heard! As an added plus, it's light as a feather, so great grab and go amp and easy on the back!
I have a 50mkII I bought a few years ago. I had to use it at band practice because BOTH my Fender Princeton AND Mesa Mark V were in for repairs. I got compliments from bandmates - never happened before. I bought it for a backup, but it's been more reliable than my tube amps - and it kicks ass live. I never even tried using pedals with the Katana before - I was surprised. Very Nice!
I've been a fan of my Katana 100 mk1 for a long time. I really love the sound of the clean channel - I tend to not use any of the other channels honestly. Thanks for the video Shane!
Neither do I. As someone pointed out once, the clean channel is a Roland clean, as in a Jazz Chorus, one of the best solid state amps ever. I get everything else from modeling pedals and overdrives, which are much easier to control in a live setting.
@@jasonb5898 if you don't have an amp simulator pedal, it's better to use Katana's preamp (which is quite good, actually). Currently I go directly to the poweramp, though. I have an SSS and an American Sound amp simulators that I keep switching on my pedalboard.
I also have a Mk I Artist, but I do want to swap out for a newer version for two reasons. One, I do like the added pushed channel, which is something I always felt it could use, but I really like having the dual concentric knobs for the effects, which allow you to mess with four instead of two. It's one of those really nice "quality of life" upgrades that was also in the Mk II version. Plus if I sell my old one, it funds most of the price of a new or used version of a Gen 3, or even Mk II. Have a good one!
Same here. I have a Katana Artist Gen I. I am happy with the way it sounds and I just can't keep upgrading with every new little toy Boss comes out with.
Great amps. If you are a beginner, this amp is a fantastic teaching tool as well. You get to figure out different tones, experiment with fx, its light so you can move it around easy. As of course its boss, which means these things should be able to serve you for the rest of your life.
If this is like the previous generation, hooking it up to the computer is essential purely for adjusting the global EQ. Rolling off those brittle highs makes a huge difference.
I bought the 100w Katana Mk ll head so I could use it daily and leave it on for extended periods of time without worrying about burning up tubes in my Mig-50 & Dean Markley 60-w tube amps. I got a second Katana 100w Artist along with the 6-button footswitch to run them in stereo and I am very happy with the results. I got both 100w Katana amps and the footswitch ( a must-have IMHO ) for about 1k and ended up with an excellent sounding stereo rig that I can run for hours every day without worrying about burning them up. The Boss Katana's can't be beat for dependability or price , and they sound great. I still run a stereo pedalboard because I already had it, but the effects in the Katana are definitely usable as well.
I had the Katana 50 when they first came out, and bought it as a rehearsal amp, then ended up doing many gigs with it, and left my valve amps home- they are a top amp regardless of price. Having sold that a few years ago, I just bought the Gen 3 version, and it's great. I just use the Katana a pedal platform and don't use the inbuilt effects.
Spot on review. As I own the original I have no need to change. I'm just a home player and don't like any over the top options. I set it flat, put my SRV pedal in front of it and play. Perfect.
I’m so grateful I watched your review before settling on this model for my first amplifier 😭 I’ll have to check it out in person before investing in one cause I definitely wanna get my money’s worth
Reg the Bluetooth, it's not something I'd ever use-- much like the headphone output jack (which is now stereo on the gen-3). So for me, I like that I'm not paying for a feature I would never use. Agree about the Push channel- that's the type of tone I usually dial in on the clean, or crunch. Another change that I... probably... wouldn't use is the revamped Tone Studio app. I've owned a Katana MKII for over a year and still haven't plugged into a computer, but from what I've seen online it's an improvement over the previous version. Thanks for the video!
Problem is, it would have been cheaper for them to just include the $1.00 BT chip on the motherboard than the socket, bus interface and tooling to support the $60 adapter.
you're paying for it anyways, don't be naive. There's absolutely no reason to not include a basic feature when they were already willing to go out of their way to accommodate a socket and all the PCB finagling it involves
Thanks for the review! I’ll be keeping my Mk2 100 for now. I also have had some issues with the pushed channel, I’m glad they added something like that but I feel I can still get better tones with the old clean and crunch channels.
I really feel like you can dial in a pushed tone anyway with the Mk II and just control the level of bite with guitar volume. I'm unconvinced with the Gen III atm. I'm yet to hear it do something my Mk II can't do.
Upgraded from my 2 to 3 and I’m very pleased. The pushed amp is fab and Bluetooth (once working) is great. I could never be bothered messing with cables and laptop doing it on my phone Is so much fun. You can even stream music to it if you like. Still not the same as my valve amp but close and for the price and with all the effects wirelessly on your phone it’s genius!
I was never planning to rush out and replace my 50 Mk1, and this review more than solidifies that stance. I think you've nailed it Shane. Great for home use. I've used mine for a few jams, as well as micing it up for a party gig at work and it holds up just fine.
Tone Studio is a must with these amps. You can really beef up the tone and get a much fuller sound than the standard that comes out of the box. Global EQ is where it’s at, but it is a pain to deep dive into software, I get it. And they sound way better putting pedals into them, than using the inbuilt effects. All subjective, mind. I was going to buy the Gen 3, but instead I bought myself a cheese sandwich and a packet of pickled onion Monster Munch. Cash in the bank 👊
I'll be upgrading my 50mk2 but not with another 50, I'll get the gen3 100 this time. There simply isn't enough new options to justify getting the new 50. I was about to get the MK2 100 luckily they announced the gen 3 before I did.
Hey Shane thanks for the honest review. I know that these Amps have a pretty big following and they obviously do the thing they do very well. I am surprised that it does not have Bluetooth given the target audience. For me, I have tried both the Mk1 and Mk2 50's in store and we did not get along. I spent quite a bit of time fiddling with settings over several attempts, and yes, I got a heap of tones, but none produced a sound I liked. That was not really a surprise as I like a "Fender" clean sound with a couple of Pedals for Dirt or Modulation, rather than mimicking a particular tone. As most things in Music it's Horses for Courses. Sounds like, to those that have an earlier one, keep it. If you don't have a good versatile practice Amp check out one of these (and a few others) at your local Music Store. Cheers Pete
Thanks for the thorough review Shane. The light weight is something I find appealing as I get older! I'm leaning towards a Fender Tone Master however, as don't need all the effects. Maybe I should try one of these 1st however. 👍
Solid review. I'm new to electric guitar (coming from bass) so I have no previous bias towards the tube experience. Sounds awesome the way guitarists describe and love valves. Anyway 0:40 Hasn't been my experience as a total noob though. You can just as easily spend hours using just the panel. Plus the Boss Tone Exchange ecosystem is full of patches to download if you don't want to explore the depths of the software yourself at first. Name a guitarist you like, there's probably a Liveset for that. One can explore at one's own leisure, see how others created those sounds. I love selecting a patch and watching the software and amp reconfigure itself realtime - it's fun! 😁 Tone Exchange/Tone Studio are incredible visual learning tools that help you use the front panel _better._
If you are playing to yourself and focus on tone you’ll hear this is SS. Not bad, just different. If you are playing to a crowd not only will they not care, they won’t barely notice, if at all. Playing live, in your average bar, once your tone is good enough there are way bigger factors to a successful gig than SS vs tube.
Iv heard ppl playing with what I thought were tube amps only to find out they were a peavey bandit with a tubescreamer from a busking band playing texas srv style blues on one occasion and a boss katana recently at a nasvhille country bar
I have an Artist Mk2 and got the Airstep pedal so that I could have Bluetooth. You are right about how this is disappointing that it doesn't have Bluetooth included, especially at 3rd gen.
You have a good point about setting up the amp on the computer. It often ends up becoming overly nerdy and time-consuming..Personally, this amp with the new push channel, bloom, variation, and cab options seems like a valuable upgrade.. It seems like the sound quality is very good and suits it for recording as much as practice..
If one was in the market for an amp, this version of the Katana would work. In my opinion this amp is great for someone that doesn’t have a pedalboard. It sounds quite versatile right out of the box. Not for me but if I needed an amp, this a good choice 👍🏾! 😎🎸😎🎸🎸
Uh, I'm hoping I can get some great tones going from my audio interface (tonex plugin) into the power in section, or maybe just front input on the acoustic channel, we'll see!
Big throw of sound in the room? There's noting about an amplifier that would affect that. Maybe it's where you placed it in the room in conjunction with the open back and where you were sitting. There can be low end cancelations of up to 20dB in an untreated room. I wonder if shoving a shredded memory foam pillow behind the speaker would make a difference?
I won’t be getting one of these but I do own the 100W Mk II version and they’re good amps. Don’t be afraid of the editor software, either. It’s very easy to use, and I generally don’t like to bother with that sort of thing.
Yeah,nah! I’ll be sticking with my faithful Roland Cube 40GX. It’s versatile enough to get the sounds I need without causing choice paralysis. I can access whatever tone I need quickly and the amp models make decisions easy and no doubt about your choice. No faffing about with computers or wasting playing time. It might not sound the best but it’s good enough and I’ve played alongside a Marshall in a band and it sounded close enough. It suits my needs and that’s all that matters to me.
Thanks for your honest review. You have confirmed what I've known all along - I'm too much of an old fart for all the faffing that goes with modelling amps! I've had the Marshall code and the Line6 Catalyst and the Mustang Micro. They have all been abandoned after a couple of months. Because of that I have never been tempted by the hype surrounding the Katana.
I'm a "set and forget" kind of guy, but I get why they have so many options. I usually spend an hour or so "faffing" about (when I first get something), and when I discover that particular sound that I'm looking for, I don't usually change... at least not much.
Boss Katana is by far the most popular series of combo amps, since they came out (guitar stores say they make 80% of the amp selling volume!). So I don't think they will get abandoned any time soon. (Oh you mean you abandoned them? haha, silly me.)
I gig with my Gen 2 50 EX with the foot controller add my volume pedal and it does everything I need . It is certainly loud enough in fact I have never set it on the 50W setting I run it at 25W and its more than enough to punch up and stand out . I Also love not having mic it as it has a Line Out option that doesnt cut the speaker so what I hear on stage is what the audience hears through the PA
@scourneene at the 25 watts setting its always very loud as far as stage volume. I am running the Katana Line Out in the back to PA . Sounds great .My band is 8 piece 2 electric guitars , acoustic guitar , Fiddle , Keyboards drums & bass . Large venue , big band no problem. If I needed more juice I could kick it up to 50w but it's not necessary.
I had the V2 100w and I was underwhelmed.....I definitely prefer my DSL 40CR Marshall..... thanks for the heads up Shane because I was considering trying it.... Cheers mate !
This is a pretty nice amp. Easy to use, the sounds are very usable as you say. To tell you the truth, alot of your overdriven tones, through UA-cam, sound so close to each other that it's not much to impress. But, it's totally usable for practice, or even as a recording device mic'ed up. For the price and utility i'd definitely give it a thumbs up. Of course, absolutely no comparison to a "real" (tube) amp, which nobody should be surprised at, or even care, since someone looking at this amp would immediately be able to see it for what it is. (good point on the "cash grab" aspect. But pretty much all manufacturers are competing with each other, so maximizing cash flows is forefront in their business.) Thanks as always. Love your vid's 🙂
nice good/bad review. I will be getting one for my birthday (at least based on questions I have gotten about this amp) For home use I think it wil be pretty good. I have a tube amp (Wangs VT 10) which I like but this is something for home and I think usable. I appreciate your vids
If youre a beginner who still wants to sound good and experiment with effects this is great, or if youre experienced but are flat broke and have a tight budget.
Found your report very interesting... I have the previous katana and a blues junior... I find the katana really useful for recording using the line out directly into recording... I think the really important missing feature is the lack of fx in/out which I don't think you mentioned...
Feels like a paywall deal, as they've always kept the effects loop on the 100 only. This would have been a great time to add that as a standard feature on the 50. The Line6 Catalyst 60, which is ever cheaper, has it!
I can tell exactly what Line 6 would do, because they just did it: They would add the new amp models via firmware. That's what they did when the introduced the CX version of the Catalyst. The same day the Catalyst CX was released, Line 6 released firmware which added all the same features to the "legacy" version that the new CX had.
@@castleanthrax1833 old Catalysts are in game too. As for me, they sound better than Katanas (at least, mkI and mkII), maybe except for high gain amp models. And now after start of Catalyst CX sales, old Catalyst 100 could be purchased for about 250$.
I don’t think any amp will ever replace my Soldano or Synergy amps, but I do have a Katana head that I use as a practice amp once in awhile, and I am always surprised how good it sounds compared to other solid state amps.
The 3rd party katana librarian app gives you a phone/tablet UI (not quite as pretty as tonestudio but more than usable), though its old school usb cable.
Just recently bought the 100 gen 3. Bought the Bluetooth dongle too-cost $92 on top. For the convenience of being able to stream audio and access tone studio through my phone it’s definitely worth it. Sold my mkii for the Bluetooth convenience and for me anyway it’s worth the upgrade.
Great review...i just bought and enjoying it. I had the hope that it would would up alright in a jamming situation with bass player and drums but you seem to think otherwise. Lots of folks say it does fine online but good to get another perspective, wondering if i should if got tge 100 watt. I mostly play on my own anyhow. Thabks!
I have a few tube amps including a fender pre cbs 1965 twin reverb and a couple of others I did buy a boss Katana mkii artis head. after some tweaking on the computer, I found some very comparable tones. I am waiting to see how the Artist gen3 head sounds as it adds more tonal options. I found it to be a great amp on stage but two things it is lacking. I tuner built into the foot switch and a more useful expression pedal that could easily be switch between wah and volume. and if that could be built into a foot controller would be even better.
I have the Katana 100 MKII and I really like it. I mostly go in between the clean channel cranked and the crunch one. If I haven't already had the MKII I'd definitely get this one with the extra bluetooth dongle (which I think it's sold separately to keep the prices a bit lower, but I definitely would prefer it to be included) but as it is I'm fine with my MKII and my Katana Go 🙂 I think it's a product more aimed at new buyers than "replacers", let's say
I thumbed my nose at molders/digital amps for years after buying the Line 6 Spider when it first came out, because of the hype back then, it sounded horrible with my drive and fuzz pedals, paid them no mind ever since, didn't even bother looking into the Katana in 2016 when it came out, then recently I started seeing pro guitarists talk about using Katana 100 and Artists live, and for clinics., and that they sound amazing, I didn't believe the hype, I tried the gen 3 Artist just the other day, I was blown away, I bought it on the spot, it's amazing how far these amps have come since the fake/digital sounding Line 6 spiders.... The only one I can compare, is the Gen 3 Artist that I bought..... Feel and tone, It is 90-95% there, works great with drive and fuzz pedals.... But I will say, using my boosters, something seems a little off to me compared to my tube amps, but it's fine, it's not annoying like how the tone of the spider used to annoy me. Obviously i'm late to the game being a former tube amp snob, this is gonna dethrone the Hot Rod Deluxe as the goto amp in a little club, it's the only solid state amp that has inspired me since the Peavey Bandit, which I still have mine, rarely play it because it's really not that great sounding of an amp, but when I was starting out, I liked it, took pedals great.... And i'm not a Line 6 hater, just not for me, but i loved my Line 6 Guitarport when it first came out, it didn't sound that great, but it was amazing, the backing tracks, and lessons, Line 6 should have expanded on that.
The other option I guess, is plug a good guitar processor or multi-pedal into it, and use those sounds and presets or set your own up. If you want options but don't want to deal with messing with the PC or MAC constantly to get tones. That might be fun at home, if you have time, but live? Nah.
Shane, I watched a British guy do a review yestersay. He's a good player like you. TBH, I though the thing sounded like crap. I'm an old cranky TUBE only guy and thus far, not a single moedeler I've played through or heard has stoked me up enough to actually buy 1. I bought the Fender Mustang v.iii based on yoru reviews and it's still int he box brand new....7 or 8 years later. This stuff is all 100% subjective, so to all who disagree with my opinion, I'm good. If you have the newest Boss and love it, that's all that counts.
I don't think anyone disagrees that this is subjective. The one thing that amps like the Katana do much better than tube amps is allow you to get a decent tone without having to crank them. You can use the same amount for a gig or at home, which isn't often possible with a tube amp. For someone who just wants to use it at home and never have the issue of replacing tubes... it's perfect.
@@castleanthrax1833 I agree to an extent. I have several tube amps that get great sound at home volumes just by using the master volume as my main control.Not all respond well, but a lot do. I'm old and very set in my ways too, which isn't helpful when it comes to liking new tech.LOL
First Katana I am ready willing and able to buy. The BT does it. For about 100 credits more a Laney Cub 10 (10" 6 watts) is interesting when nice tuby sound for a fair price.
Great video and great playing as always! I've played plenty of tube amps over the years and I currently have the Katana MKII 50w. Like you said, definitely a different beast than tube amps, but they're simple and have tons of tone options. I love the "Swiss army knife" kinda-does-everything (including acoustic!) aspect of it, along with being able to output it straight to a PA or DAW for recording. For my uses it works. If I was playing out with a band I'd probably have an Artist version or a tube amp. But the Katanas are fun too and can hold their own. I'm a fan. That said, do I need the Gen III? Probably not. lol
Wow - that Lead tone with the variation on (you call it 'muddy'😉) is a nice hot Plexi sound... Same goes for the Brown tone. You should try lowering the gain a bit for those two...
I prefer the Micro cube, for at home practice. Its plenty loud enough, can run on batteries and be taken anywhere, and it has more sounds, effects, features, and is less expensive. The Katana looks nicer though, and is good if someone needs a bigger amp to gig with. But I see tons of used Katanas for sale everywhere I go. Seems like a lot of people aren't keeping them.
Did you do this video without fiddling with the app settings? There's a system setting in the app which has a load of settings. I ask cause I recently picked one of these up, but something sounds off. I think the bottom end sounds a little weak, but the few tones and such I've ran through it sound a tad off.
Decent review and i agree with what you said about the bluetooth. They definitely should have added that. But you did not mention a few things. They upgraded the speaker and the construction of the cabinet, and revoiced the whole amp including the variations. It would be cool if you did comparison vid with the MK2 Version.
I think it sounds pretty good. Whenever I’ve played one though, I’ve always much prefered the 2x12. I would say if you’re looking to buy a new solid state amp, this should be a contender. If you already have one, I wouldn’t be bothered to upgrade.
I’d like to hear a professional opinion. Which amp would you recommend for Neo-soul, R&B, and Lofi music? I’ve previously used a Roland Micro Cube GX, but I’m now looking for something with better sound quality. I’m currently considering the Boss Katana-50 MkIII or the Fender Mustang GTX100, but I’m open to other suggestions if these options aren’t the best fit for my needs.
One thing i don't like about the Katana is the Crunch amp cuts the bass, which I presume they do so that it doesn't sound bad when you distort it. But I have two EQs that I could put one in front of the distortion and one after and let me choose how much to put in there. I thought the push would be more distortion and less mid-range. But it doesn't sound like it.
My spark amp blew up last week,so I was considering a gen 3, but then I noticed my local store are dropping the price of gen 2? So might grab the gen 2 if the differences aren't that huge between them.
Great video, cheers. For the blues/low gain tones, what sounds more natural (closest to a tube amp) to you...the Roland Blues Cube Artist or a Gen 3 Katana 100/50? I don't play high gain. Thanks in advance, love the channel.
It might just be my age (50s) but every ti me I hear modeling amps all I can hear is a thin, brittle high end and and what seems like a lot of missing frequencies. That crunch sounds fizzy to me. Maybe more-so what I don't like are the options. I prefer simple gear that does one or two things really well.
I have katana mk2 100 combo that I use as a pedal platform. I just need an amp that works. All my tube amps have let me down: hot Rod deluxe, egnater, and lastly a Marshall dsl40cr died on the second week of the honeymoon…
First, graet video again Shane! Strangely, I have never bought into the Katana amps, oh, aside from the Katana Mini which is immense! I like them, they always sound "good" but, meh, I got enough crap kicking around doing nothing already lol My go to is my PG Spark 40, its just amazing! Ok, it does have the app thing that many don´t like but I can play through the night and not disturb anyone, even without headphones. I totally agree on the cash grab comment! Come on, everything has bluetooth these days built in! Expecting another 50 quid for bluetooth add on is just criminal. Just another Boss amp that I will pass on, but I dont like the cash grab and that puts them very low in my book!
I owned the second generation model and I felt a bit underwhelmed. It wasn't a bad amp, but I didn't see it being all that much better than my Fender Mustang or my Vox Valetronix. The price was nice, however.
@@brucehayes7251Try the Artist. I have played and used a Mustang GTX100, as well, had the Katana 50w and 100W. The Katana Artist sounds best overall (to me) except for the Deluxe and Twin tones on the GTX. That said, I prefer the Katana layout to the GTX and the amp is built better than any of the others mentioned.
Thankyou for an objective review. I will stick with my Marshall tube amps. I get interested in these amps because of the weight. Who doesn't want to gig with a small combo...
The problem with the 50 watt mk2 amp was that there was no effects loop for my RC 5 looper. So i ended ip buying the 100 mk2 instead. I still think that the 50 watt sounded better for some reason. !?
I owned the artist version of the mk2 and although it was packed with features, after a certain volume level, i could never get it to sound good. For me its in the same category as the line 6 spider amps.
Currently choosing between this one and Marshall Dsl5cr. Very hard choice! I feel like the only effects I need are reverb and delay (and booster sometimes). But there's a 10-inch speaker in Marshall Dsl5cr and that's a problem. And I'm concerned about the tubes in Marshall. Will they sound worse in time?
Crunch with the gain all the way down is a great, early Beatles, Tom Petty kind of not reeeeally clean but not reeeeeally distorted. I get lots of use from that at gigs
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This is as balanced of a review as I can give this amp. If you own the previous version, you don't need it. If you don't and get it, you'll enjoy it as it sounds solid. Thanks to Sky Music for the loan of this amp! Check out here using the affiliate links below.
🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/xkYW5k
🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/45nYCNX
🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/eKY9Eg
🛒 Sky Music - alnk.to/eDRaCoO
I picked up a new/old stock v2 for $200 while the great inventory dump was in progress and don't see anything worthwhile as an upgrade.
Same experience with the Blackstar idcore series, the upgrade is less dated connections, but still dated - no usb-c, bt?
Both used (rev) and can be dialed in without additional fiddling...I've picked up a practice amp problem. 🎸😎🎸
I appreciate your candid and honest review. TBH , it seems like I might be to old for this but if I did get one it would be the 100 and probably the 2 12 version because that makes a difference. The 50 is to weak. I do think it could be worth buying a cheaper old version if the price becomes right and it should.
Have you reviewed any quilter amps? Specifically superblock or cubs?
I bought gen 3. I owned a mk1 katana and never upgraded to mk2 so gen 3 felt like a great place to land. I picked one up the second my nearby guitar store got em. People complaining are the same people who think you have to buy the new iPhone EVERY time it comes out. If you’re not ready for/don’t need the upgrade then don’t upgrade. Simple. Some people are addicted to spending money and then complain about spending money
I bought the MKII, I'm thinking I should wait for the GEN 4
@@2000SkyView the Mk2 is great from what I’ve heard. If you don’t absolutely need the upgrade I’d say it’s totally pointless to get a gen 3. I had a 50w mki and have been practicing with other people so I needed to upgrade to a louder amp and that’s when I bought the Gen 3 100w. Your amp is totally fine maybe when Gen 4 releases you’ll be ready for an upgrade 👍
I like that it has Bluetooth which is xtra but you don’t have to connect to a dumb computer 🖥️ spending an hour just trying to figure out what to download! Just change sounds from your iPhone 📱
@@retro_hp5542so the 50watt wasn't loud enough?? I'm surprised and disappointed if this is true as I just bought A 50 3 hoping if I played with others it would hold up.
@@scourneene I mean it was loud enough to play with a drummer and bassist but we added another guitarist and i play lead and I just wasn’t cutting through and I also didn’t want to play at maximum volume. The 100w can comfortably play with everyone and I don’t have to worry about my speakers blowing out haha so yeah it works but 100w is just the better way to go also it can be used for most of the gigs we do.
We are living in the golden age of guitar gear for beginners. I wish I had these kinds of Amps in the '80s or '90s.
Katanas are incredibly convenient for carry-on; they are very light. I was so convinced by their practicality that I bought one a couple of years back. However, I ended up selling it, because I only used it a couple of times.
I am happy with my tube Amps; they are heavier, but I always keep a retractable cart in my car to carry them; there is enough space in the cart for my guitar, pedalboard, and Amp.
and so many people are hating on this amp, I think it's very decent!
I had a gorilla amp. If you don’t remember it, search it. They were horrible
@@ToneChaser79 ya I'll check that out
I'm a tube guy....but, 5 years ago I was given a Katana 50 and I was quite impressed. Used it in small club venues and it was surprising how good it sounded. I sold that amp a couple of years ago and bought a Katana Mk2, with the Katana foot pedal (which cost as much as the Katana amps) for $150! Glad to have it back. I tried the Katana 100, but the tone on the Katana 50 led me to trading the 100 for a 50 Mk 2 which happened to have the 6.button foot pedal in the back. In perfect condition, I love this amp. It won't replace my Mesas or Soldanos, but it's the best solid state amp I've ever heard! As an added plus, it's light as a feather, so great grab and go amp and easy on the back!
Try the Artist, it holds it own against British voiced tube amps. Amazing combo and head.
Yeah right Mr paid poster, GMAFB!😅
The katana mk50 is not compatible with the GAFC
I just don't get how can 50 and 100 be different? There should be only a power difference (and some tech specs), not the tone.
@@vmx23 the mk2 ex is i think
I have a 50mkII I bought a few years ago. I had to use it at band practice because BOTH my Fender Princeton AND Mesa Mark V were in for repairs. I got compliments from bandmates - never happened before. I bought it for a backup, but it's been more reliable than my tube amps - and it kicks ass live. I never even tried using pedals with the Katana before - I was surprised. Very Nice!
I've been a fan of my Katana 100 mk1 for a long time. I really love the sound of the clean channel - I tend to not use any of the other channels honestly. Thanks for the video Shane!
Neither do I. As someone pointed out once, the clean channel is a Roland clean, as in a Jazz Chorus, one of the best solid state amps ever. I get everything else from modeling pedals and overdrives, which are much easier to control in a live setting.
Then why not just use a SD power stage? Just curious.
Me too, I only use the clean channel with off board FX, sounds good to me.
Im the opposite, lol
I prefer my mesa boogie clean tones... the Katana sounds a bit sterile compared...just sayin
@@jasonb5898 if you don't have an amp simulator pedal, it's better to use Katana's preamp (which is quite good, actually). Currently I go directly to the poweramp, though. I have an SSS and an American Sound amp simulators that I keep switching on my pedalboard.
Still playing my first generation Artist I bought in 2017. Still sounds brand new. I love it and don't need to upgrade.
I also have a Mk I Artist, but I do want to swap out for a newer version for two reasons. One, I do like the added pushed channel, which is something I always felt it could use, but I really like having the dual concentric knobs for the effects, which allow you to mess with four instead of two. It's one of those really nice "quality of life" upgrades that was also in the Mk II version. Plus if I sell my old one, it funds most of the price of a new or used version of a Gen 3, or even Mk II.
Have a good one!
"Still sounds brand new."?
It'll sound exactly the same forever.
I have an mkII artist. Keeping it till the wheels fall off.
Same here. I have a Katana Artist Gen I. I am happy with the way it sounds and I just can't keep upgrading with every new little toy Boss comes out with.
I respect your honesty with regards to this one, especially about how it plays in a band.
Great amps. If you are a beginner, this amp is a fantastic teaching tool as well. You get to figure out different tones, experiment with fx, its light so you can move it around easy. As of course its boss, which means these things should be able to serve you for the rest of your life.
If this is like the previous generation, hooking it up to the computer is essential purely for adjusting the global EQ. Rolling off those brittle highs makes a huge difference.
This is a great amp for clean, rock and blues. Sounds amazing. I upgraded from the MK1.
I have the Katana head and it's all I need for gigs!!! From clean to Metal I get all the sounds I need and it so easy to carry! I Love it!!!
I bought the 100w Katana Mk ll head so I could use it daily and leave it on for extended periods of time without worrying about burning up tubes in my Mig-50 & Dean Markley 60-w tube amps. I got a second Katana 100w Artist along with the 6-button footswitch to run them in stereo and I am very happy with the results. I got both 100w Katana amps and the footswitch ( a must-have IMHO ) for about 1k and ended up with an excellent sounding stereo rig that I can run for hours every day without worrying about burning them up. The Boss Katana's can't be beat for dependability or price , and they sound great. I still run a stereo pedalboard because I already had it, but the effects in the Katana are definitely usable as well.
I had the Katana 50 when they first came out, and bought it as a rehearsal amp, then ended up doing many gigs with it, and left my valve amps home- they are a top amp regardless of price. Having sold that a few years ago, I just bought the Gen 3 version, and it's great. I just use the Katana a pedal platform and don't use the inbuilt effects.
So loud enough to play with others?
Spot on review. As I own the original I have no need to change. I'm just a home player and don't like any over the top options. I set it flat, put my SRV pedal in front of it and play. Perfect.
Great bang for bucks amps, I've used the original 50 for many gigs, sold it to a mate a couple of years back, and now grabbed the Gen 3 great.
i own the 100 gen 3, 100 mk2 and 50 mk2 ex, they are a great gigging amp, coming from a delxue reverb and a hot rod deville i wont miss the back pain!
I’m so grateful I watched your review before settling on this model for my first amplifier 😭 I’ll have to check it out in person before investing in one cause I definitely wanna get my money’s worth
Reg the Bluetooth, it's not something I'd ever use-- much like the headphone output jack (which is now stereo on the gen-3). So for me, I like that I'm not paying for a feature I would never use. Agree about the Push channel- that's the type of tone I usually dial in on the clean, or crunch. Another change that I... probably... wouldn't use is the revamped Tone Studio app. I've owned a Katana MKII for over a year and still haven't plugged into a computer, but from what I've seen online it's an improvement over the previous version. Thanks for the video!
I never use any amp but clean and maybe crunch and a few drive pedals, why do I have to pay for all the high gain amps and pedals I don't use.
Problem is, it would have been cheaper for them to just include the $1.00 BT chip on the motherboard than the socket, bus interface and tooling to support the $60 adapter.
you're paying for it anyways, don't be naive. There's absolutely no reason to not include a basic feature when they were already willing to go out of their way to accommodate a socket and all the PCB finagling it involves
It's great to see this unsponsored video. I don't love the "OMG IT'S THE SECOND COMING!" videos about the Gen 3.
Thanks for the review! I’ll be keeping my Mk2 100 for now. I also have had some issues with the pushed channel, I’m glad they added something like that but I feel I can still get better tones with the old clean and crunch channels.
I really feel like you can dial in a pushed tone anyway with the Mk II and just control the level of bite with guitar volume.
I'm unconvinced with the Gen III atm. I'm yet to hear it do something my Mk II can't do.
This is what I call an honest reivew! ❤
Upgraded from my 2 to 3 and I’m very pleased. The pushed amp is fab and Bluetooth (once working) is great. I could never be bothered messing with cables and laptop doing it on my phone Is so much fun. You can even stream music to it if you like. Still not the same as my valve amp but close and for the price and with all the effects wirelessly on your phone it’s genius!
I was never planning to rush out and replace my 50 Mk1, and this review more than solidifies that stance. I think you've nailed it Shane. Great for home use. I've used mine for a few jams, as well as micing it up for a party gig at work and it holds up just fine.
Tone Studio is a must with these amps. You can really beef up the tone and get a much fuller sound than the standard that comes out of the box. Global EQ is where it’s at, but it is a pain to deep dive into software, I get it. And they sound way better putting pedals into them, than using the inbuilt effects. All subjective, mind.
I was going to buy the Gen 3, but instead I bought myself a cheese sandwich and a packet of pickled onion Monster Munch.
Cash in the bank 👊
Tuna and sweetcorn with cheesy wotsits would have been better.
I'll be upgrading my 50mk2 but not with another 50, I'll get the gen3 100 this time. There simply isn't enough new options to justify getting the new 50. I was about to get the MK2 100 luckily they announced the gen 3 before I did.
Great honest review!
Hey Shane thanks for the honest review.
I know that these Amps have a pretty big following and they obviously do the thing they do very well.
I am surprised that it does not have Bluetooth given the target audience.
For me, I have tried both the Mk1 and Mk2 50's in store and we did not get along.
I spent quite a bit of time fiddling with settings over several attempts, and yes, I got a heap of tones, but none produced a sound I liked.
That was not really a surprise as I like a "Fender" clean sound with a couple of Pedals for Dirt or Modulation, rather than mimicking a particular tone.
As most things in Music it's Horses for Courses.
Sounds like, to those that have an earlier one, keep it.
If you don't have a good versatile practice Amp check out one of these (and a few others) at your local Music Store.
Cheers
Pete
Thanks for the thorough review Shane. The light weight is something I find appealing as I get older! I'm leaning towards a Fender Tone Master however, as don't need all the effects. Maybe I should try one of these 1st however. 👍
Solid review. I'm new to electric guitar (coming from bass) so I have no previous bias towards the tube experience. Sounds awesome the way guitarists describe and love valves.
Anyway 0:40 Hasn't been my experience as a total noob though. You can just as easily spend hours using just the panel. Plus the Boss Tone Exchange ecosystem is full of patches to download if you don't want to explore the depths of the software yourself at first. Name a guitarist you like, there's probably a Liveset for that. One can explore at one's own leisure, see how others created those sounds. I love selecting a patch and watching the software and amp reconfigure itself realtime - it's fun! 😁
Tone Exchange/Tone Studio are incredible visual learning tools that help you use the front panel _better._
If you are playing to yourself and focus on tone you’ll hear this is SS. Not bad, just different. If you are playing to a crowd not only will they not care, they won’t barely notice, if at all. Playing live, in your average bar, once your tone is good enough there are way bigger factors to a successful gig than SS vs tube.
People hear with their eyes, not their ears.
Iv heard ppl playing with what I thought were tube amps only to find out they were a peavey bandit with a tubescreamer from a busking band playing texas srv style blues on one occasion and a boss katana recently at a nasvhille country bar
@@Hornet135 True, but most of the crowd won't see this detail.
I have an Artist Mk2 and got the Airstep pedal so that I could have Bluetooth. You are right about how this is disappointing that it doesn't have Bluetooth included, especially at 3rd gen.
Thanks Shane I’ve got the Mk11 for practicing and was looking for an unbiased view on the new Mk111 - now won’t be upgrading soon 👍
You have a good point about setting up the amp on the computer. It often ends up becoming overly nerdy and time-consuming..Personally, this amp with the new push channel, bloom, variation, and cab options seems like a valuable upgrade.. It seems like the sound quality is very good and suits it for recording as much as practice..
If one was in the market for an amp, this version of the Katana would work. In my opinion this amp is great for someone that doesn’t have a pedalboard. It sounds quite versatile right out of the box. Not for me but if I needed an amp, this a good choice 👍🏾! 😎🎸😎🎸🎸
A 50 MK2 is worth it for the Class A/B Power Amp Input alone. It’s sounds amazing with my Tonex 👍
Uh, I'm hoping I can get some great tones going from my audio interface (tonex plugin) into the power in section, or maybe just front input on the acoustic channel, we'll see!
I PLAYED LIVE WITH THE KATANA MK2 50 AND I HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. SOUNDS GREAT. I OWN TUBE AMPS MOSTLY. BUT THIS KATANAS ARE FANTASTIC. SAY NO MORE.
And does it do well playing with a bass player and drummer? Volume wise.
Big throw of sound in the room? There's noting about an amplifier that would affect that. Maybe it's where you placed it in the room in conjunction with the open back and where you were sitting. There can be low end cancelations of up to 20dB in an untreated room. I wonder if shoving a shredded memory foam pillow behind the speaker would make a difference?
I won’t be getting one of these but I do own the 100W Mk II version and they’re good amps. Don’t be afraid of the editor software, either. It’s very easy to use, and I generally don’t like to bother with that sort of thing.
Yeah,nah! I’ll be sticking with my faithful Roland Cube 40GX. It’s versatile enough to get the sounds I need without causing choice paralysis. I can access whatever tone I need quickly and the amp models make decisions easy and no doubt about your choice. No faffing about with computers or wasting playing time. It might not sound the best but it’s good enough and I’ve played alongside a Marshall in a band and it sounded close enough. It suits my needs and that’s all that matters to me.
I have a Bass Cube, and it's great for playing live!
Again "Thank you Sky Music" ❤
Thanks for your honest review. You have confirmed what I've known all along - I'm too much of an old fart for all the faffing that goes with modelling amps! I've had the Marshall code and the Line6 Catalyst and the Mustang Micro. They have all been abandoned after a couple of months. Because of that I have never been tempted by the hype surrounding the Katana.
I'm a "set and forget" kind of guy, but I get why they have so many options. I usually spend an hour or so "faffing" about (when I first get something), and when I discover that particular sound that I'm looking for, I don't usually change... at least not much.
Boss Katana is by far the most popular series of combo amps, since they came out (guitar stores say they make 80% of the amp selling volume!).
So I don't think they will get abandoned any time soon. (Oh you mean you abandoned them? haha, silly me.)
I gig with my Gen 2 50 EX with the foot controller add my volume pedal and it does everything I need . It is certainly loud enough in fact I have never set it on the 50W setting I run it at 25W and its more than enough to punch up and stand out . I Also love not having mic it as it has a Line Out option that doesnt cut the speaker so what I hear on stage is what the audience hears through the PA
and it's loud enough to jam with others as well? I assumed you were referring to playing solo?
@scourneene at the 25 watts setting its always very loud as far as stage volume. I am running the Katana Line Out in the back to PA . Sounds great .My band is 8 piece 2 electric guitars , acoustic guitar , Fiddle , Keyboards drums & bass . Large venue , big band no problem. If I needed more juice I could kick it up to 50w but it's not necessary.
I had the V2 100w and I was underwhelmed.....I definitely prefer my DSL 40CR Marshall..... thanks for the heads up Shane because I was considering trying it.... Cheers mate !
Try the Katana Artist. Shocking improvement over the 50.
This is a pretty nice amp. Easy to use, the sounds are very usable as you say. To tell you the truth, alot of your overdriven tones, through UA-cam, sound so close to each other that it's not much to impress. But, it's totally usable for practice, or even as a recording device mic'ed up. For the price and utility i'd definitely give it a thumbs up. Of course, absolutely no comparison to a "real" (tube) amp, which nobody should be surprised at, or even care, since someone looking at this amp would immediately be able to see it for what it is. (good point on the "cash grab" aspect. But pretty much all manufacturers are competing with each other, so maximizing cash flows is forefront in their business.) Thanks as always. Love your vid's 🙂
nice good/bad review. I will be getting one for my birthday (at least based on questions I have gotten about this amp) For home use I think it wil be pretty good. I have a tube amp (Wangs VT 10) which I like but this is something for home and I think usable. I appreciate your vids
If youre a beginner who still wants to sound good and experiment with effects this is great, or if youre experienced but are flat broke and have a tight budget.
Found your report very interesting... I have the previous katana and a blues junior... I find the katana really useful for recording using the line out directly into recording... I think the really important missing feature is the lack of fx in/out which I don't think you mentioned...
Feels like a paywall deal, as they've always kept the effects loop on the 100 only. This would have been a great time to add that as a standard feature on the 50. The Line6 Catalyst 60, which is ever cheaper, has it!
I can tell exactly what Line 6 would do, because they just did it: They would add the new amp models via firmware. That's what they did when the introduced the CX version of the Catalyst. The same day the Catalyst CX was released, Line 6 released firmware which added all the same features to the "legacy" version that the new CX had.
This firmware you mentioned... is it just an upgrade to the CX models, or will it upgrade the older Catalyst iterations?
@@castleanthrax1833 old Catalysts are in game too. As for me, they sound better than Katanas (at least, mkI and mkII), maybe except for high gain amp models. And now after start of Catalyst CX sales, old Catalyst 100 could be purchased for about 250$.
I don’t think any amp will ever replace my Soldano or Synergy amps, but I do have a Katana head that I use as a practice amp once in awhile, and I am always surprised how good it sounds compared to other solid state amps.
Every single Katana Gen 3 video I've seen so far just glazes it so much. Thank you for giving an actual honest opinion!
For me having the mobile app makes it worth adding another katana to my rig.
Even if i gotta spend a bit more for the dongle. 🤳🏽🔊
Beautiful playing Sir
The 3rd party katana librarian app gives you a phone/tablet UI (not quite as pretty as tonestudio but more than usable), though its old school usb cable.
Just recently bought the 100 gen 3. Bought the Bluetooth dongle too-cost $92 on top. For the convenience of being able to stream audio and access tone studio through my phone it’s definitely worth it. Sold my mkii for the Bluetooth convenience and for me anyway it’s worth the upgrade.
@@pheonix3302 i plan to use my mkII as a stereo slave amp
This is what I call an honest reivew!
Great review...i just bought and enjoying it. I had the hope that it would would up alright in a jamming situation with bass player and drums but you seem to think otherwise. Lots of folks say it does fine online but good to get another perspective, wondering if i should if got tge 100 watt. I mostly play on my own anyhow. Thabks!
I had a Mk 2. I play acoustic and electric guitars so I like that it's switchable between the two amps.
Thank you for the honesty!
I have a few tube amps including a fender pre cbs 1965 twin reverb and a couple of others I did buy a boss Katana mkii artis head. after some tweaking on the computer, I found some very comparable tones. I am waiting to see how the Artist gen3 head sounds as it adds more tonal options. I found it to be a great amp on stage but two things it is lacking. I tuner built into the foot switch and a more useful expression pedal that could easily be switch between wah and volume. and if that could be built into a foot controller would be even better.
100%. Same experience. Overall spectacular amp
Good video Shane. I bought one of these when they came out. They're decent amps, but I traded it in for the same reasons you mention here
I have the Katana 100 MKII and I really like it. I mostly go in between the clean channel cranked and the crunch one. If I haven't already had the MKII I'd definitely get this one with the extra bluetooth dongle (which I think it's sold separately to keep the prices a bit lower, but I definitely would prefer it to be included) but as it is I'm fine with my MKII and my Katana Go 🙂 I think it's a product more aimed at new buyers than "replacers", let's say
The 100 MK1 can be gigged really easily, but works best as a pedal platform. But mk2 and mk3 just don't seem a big enough shift to warrant the move.
I thumbed my nose at molders/digital amps for years after buying the Line 6 Spider when it first came out, because of the hype back then, it sounded horrible with my drive and fuzz pedals, paid them no mind ever since,
didn't even bother looking into the Katana in 2016 when it came out, then recently I started seeing pro guitarists talk about using Katana 100 and Artists live, and for clinics., and that they sound amazing, I didn't believe the hype, I tried the gen 3 Artist just the other day, I was blown away, I bought it on the spot, it's amazing how far these amps have come since the fake/digital sounding Line 6 spiders.... The only one I can compare, is the Gen 3 Artist that I bought..... Feel and tone, It is 90-95% there, works great with drive and fuzz pedals.... But I will say, using my boosters, something seems a little off to me compared to my tube amps, but it's fine, it's not annoying like how the tone of the spider used to annoy me.
Obviously i'm late to the game being a former tube amp snob, this is gonna dethrone the Hot Rod Deluxe as the goto amp in a little club, it's the only solid state amp that has inspired me since the Peavey Bandit, which I still have mine, rarely play it because it's really not that great sounding of an amp, but when I was starting out, I liked it, took pedals great.... And i'm not a Line 6 hater, just not for me, but i loved my Line 6 Guitarport when it first came out, it didn't sound that great, but it was amazing, the backing tracks, and lessons, Line 6 should have expanded on that.
Thanks for the video - yes i agree with you
The other option I guess, is plug a good guitar processor or multi-pedal into it, and use those sounds and presets or set your own up. If you want options but don't want
to deal with messing with the PC or MAC constantly to get tones. That might be fun at home, if you have time, but live? Nah.
Hi Shane, great demo as always. I'm struggling to buy a amp for home practice. Which would you recommend. Best sound etc. Many thanks, Dave
Shane, I watched a British guy do a review yestersay. He's a good player like you. TBH, I though the thing sounded like crap. I'm an old cranky TUBE only guy and thus far, not a single moedeler I've played through or heard has stoked me up enough to actually buy 1. I bought the Fender Mustang v.iii based on yoru reviews and it's still int he box brand new....7 or 8 years later. This stuff is all 100% subjective, so to all who disagree with my opinion, I'm good. If you have the newest Boss and love it, that's all that counts.
I don't think anyone disagrees that this is subjective. The one thing that amps like the Katana do much better than tube amps is allow you to get a decent tone without having to crank them. You can use the same amount for a gig or at home, which isn't often possible with a tube amp.
For someone who just wants to use it at home and never have the issue of replacing tubes... it's perfect.
@@castleanthrax1833 I agree to an extent. I have several tube amps that get great sound at home volumes just by using the master volume as my main control.Not all respond well, but a lot do. I'm old and very set in my ways too, which isn't helpful when it comes to liking new tech.LOL
Would love to hear how the headphone output sounds.
All I can establish from this video is you have a great Telecaster and your playing is gorgeous. Now what is the amp like?
First Katana I am ready willing and able to buy. The BT does it. For about 100 credits more a Laney Cub 10 (10" 6 watts) is interesting when nice tuby sound for a fair price.
Great video and great playing as always! I've played plenty of tube amps over the years and I currently have the Katana MKII 50w. Like you said, definitely a different beast than tube amps, but they're simple and have tons of tone options. I love the "Swiss army knife" kinda-does-everything (including acoustic!) aspect of it, along with being able to output it straight to a PA or DAW for recording. For my uses it works. If I was playing out with a band I'd probably have an Artist version or a tube amp. But the Katanas are fun too and can hold their own. I'm a fan. That said, do I need the Gen III? Probably not. lol
Wow - that Lead tone with the variation on (you call it 'muddy'😉) is a nice hot Plexi sound... Same goes for the Brown tone. You should try lowering the gain a bit for those two...
I hope you enjoyed your stay here in the states!
I prefer the Micro cube, for at home practice. Its plenty loud enough, can run on batteries and be taken anywhere, and it has more sounds, effects, features, and is less expensive. The Katana looks nicer though, and is good if someone needs a bigger amp to gig with. But I see tons of used Katanas for sale everywhere I go. Seems like a lot of people aren't keeping them.
They're great amps, I have a Blues Cube from Roland for the tweed sound but the Katana is by far more versatile and its a quality amp.
Did you do this video without fiddling with the app settings? There's a system setting in the app which has a load of settings. I ask cause I recently picked one of these up, but something sounds off. I think the bottom end sounds a little weak, but the few tones and such I've ran through it sound a tad off.
Decent review and i agree with what you said about the bluetooth. They definitely should have added that. But you did not mention a few things. They upgraded the speaker and the construction of the cabinet, and revoiced the whole amp including the variations. It would be cool if you did comparison vid with the MK2 Version.
Stereo headphone out
I think it sounds pretty good. Whenever I’ve played one though, I’ve always much prefered the 2x12. I would say if you’re looking to buy a new solid state amp, this should be a contender. If you already have one, I wouldn’t be bothered to upgrade.
I’d like to hear a professional opinion. Which amp would you recommend for Neo-soul, R&B, and Lofi music? I’ve previously used a Roland Micro Cube GX, but I’m now looking for something with better sound quality. I’m currently considering the Boss Katana-50 MkIII or the Fender Mustang GTX100, but I’m open to other suggestions if these options aren’t the best fit for my needs.
I’m still happy I have a Fender GTX 100.
Agreed
I sold my katana mk1 50 and bought a fender champion 40,...now i can get very nice blues tweed tones.
The Boss FS-6 is not fully compatible with Boss Katana 50w gen3. You cannot switch banks using the footswitch, only channels. What a shame.
The amount of people saying they dont need gen 3 because gen 2 is so great already, says a lot.
One thing i don't like about the Katana is the Crunch amp cuts the bass, which I presume they do so that it doesn't sound bad when you distort it. But I have two EQs that I could put one in front of the distortion and one after and let me choose how much to put in there.
I thought the push would be more distortion and less mid-range. But it doesn't sound like it.
My spark amp blew up last week,so I was considering a gen 3, but then I noticed my local store are dropping the price of gen 2? So might grab the gen 2 if the differences aren't that huge between them.
I have a Gen 2 and I love it. I have a Boogie MKV. I like the Katana almost as much and it’s so much more useable at all volumes, and reliable.
@@TheMasonator777 ended up picking the gen 3 this week, very easy and great sounding little beast 👍🤘🎸🙏
Great video, cheers. For the blues/low gain tones, what sounds more natural (closest to a tube amp) to you...the Roland Blues Cube Artist or a Gen 3 Katana 100/50? I don't play high gain. Thanks in advance, love the channel.
Nice review.. Your Playing is so tasty..
It might just be my age (50s) but every ti me I hear modeling amps all I can hear is a thin, brittle high end and and what seems like a lot of missing frequencies. That crunch sounds fizzy to me. Maybe more-so what I don't like are the options. I prefer simple gear that does one or two things really well.
4:50-5:09 😮 pretty sweet!
I have katana mk2 100 combo that I use as a pedal platform. I just need an amp that works. All my tube amps have let me down: hot Rod deluxe, egnater, and lastly a Marshall dsl40cr died on the second week of the honeymoon…
I have the V2 100. I only use the clean channel and the acoustic - with effects.
First, graet video again Shane! Strangely, I have never bought into the Katana amps, oh, aside from the Katana Mini which is immense! I like them, they always sound "good" but, meh, I got enough crap kicking around doing nothing already lol My go to is my PG Spark 40, its just amazing! Ok, it does have the app thing that many don´t like but I can play through the night and not disturb anyone, even without headphones. I totally agree on the cash grab comment! Come on, everything has bluetooth these days built in! Expecting another 50 quid for bluetooth add on is just criminal. Just another Boss amp that I will pass on, but I dont like the cash grab and that puts them very low in my book!
I owned the second generation model and I felt a bit underwhelmed. It wasn't a bad amp, but I didn't see it being all that much better than my Fender Mustang or my Vox Valetronix. The price was nice, however.
I agree, not bad but not the 8th wonder of the world.A good platform to add to but I’ll head for my old v3 mustang
@@brucehayes7251Try the Artist. I have played and used a Mustang GTX100, as well, had the Katana 50w and 100W. The Katana Artist sounds best overall (to me) except for the Deluxe and Twin tones on the GTX. That said, I prefer the Katana layout to the GTX and the amp is built better than any of the others mentioned.
Thankyou for an objective review. I will stick with my Marshall tube amps. I get interested in these amps because of the weight. Who doesn't want to gig with a small combo...
Does it clean up when you dial down the volume on the guitar? It was hard to tell in the video.
Yes
I’ve got the Mk ii and the trick is to roll back the mids for a nice clean sound. These amps are amazing and I can play any style on mine
The artist gen3 is a different monster! Can’t seem to find any reviews on it unfortunately!
The problem with the 50 watt mk2 amp was that there was no effects loop for my RC 5 looper. So i ended ip buying the 100 mk2 instead. I still think that the 50 watt sounded better for some reason. !?
I use it at home pretty much only on clean channel with some reverb for practice. Might add a blues driver pedal but that’s about it for my level.
This monster will give those Marshall amplifiers a run for it's money 🤘
Thanks for review! What compared to boss nextone artist amp? Which is best of them as a pedal platform, and filling, dynamics etc for live venues?
I owned the artist version of the mk2 and although it was packed with features, after a certain volume level, i could never get it to sound good. For me its in the same category as the line 6 spider amps.
Currently choosing between this one and Marshall Dsl5cr. Very hard choice! I feel like the only effects I need are reverb and delay (and booster sometimes). But there's a 10-inch speaker in Marshall Dsl5cr and that's a problem. And I'm concerned about the tubes in Marshall. Will they sound worse in time?
Crunch with the gain all the way down is a great, early Beatles, Tom Petty kind of not reeeeally clean but not reeeeeally distorted. I get lots of use from that at gigs
I have to import the third gen, but i can buy the second gen locally. Is it worth it? First katana purchase so i kinda want the third gen