I will never buy another tube amp (game changer!)

[jazzguy]

So I am mainly an acoustic player but I play my MIJ 1962 Reissue Stratocaster (circa 1992) mainly to blues tracks etc at home. So I'm not SRV, but I don't completely suck either. More importantly, I know what good tone is. Over the years I have owned many tube amps (Fender Deluxe Reverb, Blues Deluxe, Princeton Reverb (10 in), Mesa Boogie, Bugera V22, Blackstar Artist 15, and finally a Limited Edition Princeton Reverb with 12in speaker and pine cabinet. They have all been fine amps especially the last one.

However, I'm sort of an audiophile and don't like noisy amps. I know there is inherent noise in tube amps (some more than others), but when you are not gigging and playing at home at low-mid volume, noise is a factor.

So I viewed all the reviews on the Boss Katana series from very respected players on Youtube. Guys and gals who have infinitely more chops than I have. I was attracted to the tone, simplicity and the fact that it also has a legitimate acoustic pre-amp channel (not just a simulator). So I took the plunge and bought the Boss Katana 100 1x12. A solid state amp. OH.MY.GOSH.! It is dead quiet and the tone....WOW. It goes from crystal cleans to high-gain very, very well. I got great clean, edge of break up, and crunch tones in minutes. I don't do any high-gain stuff but I can tell you it sounds very legit to Mesa Boogie and Marshall tones. No need to hook up to a computer (unless you want to). I also bought the GA-FC Foot Controller which gives you up to 8 amp presets, each with the capability to switch on/off various effects / OD's / Mod / Reverb etc.

Then I thought - what the heck - let's download the Tone Studio software and hook it up. ( I watched a short YT video on the software and it looked fairly straight forward). But I braced myself for a long day of frustration because I have some familiarity of doing this with a Line 6 Pod X3 Live I used to have. The learning curve was steep on that device. Not so with the Katana and Tone Studio. Within less than 2 hours I was done setting up 8 usable presets based upon different amp models with different effects. There are a ton of original Boss effects, delays, OD's, compressor, reverbs, etc. I swear I dialed in a Princeton Reverb patch that is as good (if not better) than the original. I know that sounds crazy but it's the truth. Plus - I was able to add various effects and access them from the GA-FC without a huge pedal board. From a ROI perspective, there is probably at least $2000 worth of pedals included in the amp and they are all VERY legit.

Oh - and this thing has .5 watt, 50 watt, and 100 watt modes. And it gets LOUD, LOUD, LOUD. I'm also a drummer and this amp would punish a drummer for sure.

The Acoustic Channel is incredible too! It has global EQ with deep para-metric EQ, plus there is a parametric eq pedal with Q. This makes a HUGE difference for dialing in a great acoustic tone. I dialed in a great acoustic tone with effect options for reverb, chorus, delay and compression. It doesn't sound like an electric amp trying to be an acoustic amp, it sounds like a true acoustic amp. I'm not sure how they are doing this with out a tweeter but there is plenty of "air" in the acoustic tone. Warm and sweet.

Ok - I think you get it. If you think you can get tube tone only from a quality tube amp - think again. Now I see what all the hype about the Boss Katana is - it is true. If you want to buy a tube amp - no problem - I love tube amps, but for me, I was done with the maintenance of tubes and inherent noise. The Boss Katana checked all the boxes of tone, flexibility, reliability, low noise, effects, and price....and then some. I could not be more pleased.

This is the perfect amp regardless of genre and whether you are an acoustic or electric player.

[GHS]

Wow...nice post. I have read many posts/comments on various sites about the Boss Katana line of amps, most are very positive. Since I am new/back to electric and I dont play out I will look at the smaller versions of this line, used most likely. Thanks for the info..

[raysachs]

You should check out the "sneaky amps" software. It dives into the guts of the Katana and pulls up several other "models" beyond the four defaults they use for clean, crunch, lead, and brown - not sure if there are additional options for the acoustic channel. I had a K50 for a while and found a great early Marshall emulation in sneaky amps.

I ended up selling it though, and getting an early Marshall voiced Roland Blues Cube Hot. I found myself just sticking to one preset on the Katana and running a couple of pedals into it (yeah, I know it's got a zillion built in effects, but I just found a pedal board more convenient and intuitive) and the Blues Cube sounded even better (to me - not everyone shares this opinion) at that basic sound. The Blues Cube is a better amp for me, but if you need more versatility than I do, the Katanas are a great way to go.

But don't look now, Boss has just release a "Nextone" line of two amps that seem like they're trying to combine the best features of the Katana and Blues Cube amps into a slightly higher end package than the Katana and lower than the Blues Cube. But with a choice of four different tube voicings and I believe a bunch of the same effects the Katana has. Waaaaay overkill for me, but the gadget lover in me is intrigued by them anyway.

-Ray

[jazzguy]

Yeah Ray - I literally got an email from Boss on the Nextone about 2 hours after I ordered my Katana. My heart sank. But since I do not have a pedal board, the Katana fit the bill. Still though I love the look of the new Nextone. Classy.

[muscmp]

with all of those amps, wouldn't think you need another. but, to each their own. i have tube amps and solid state. i never think about this one being tube and that one being solid state. and, if they are noisy, i fix them.

play music!

[BoneDigger]

I had a Katana 50 and it was a VERY nice sounding amp. I did end up trading it in once I got back into tube amps. Side by side, the tube amps just seem to have a warmth that the Katana lacks, but it's not very noticeable if played by itself. Really, I like the Katana series a lot and highly recommend them.

[jazzguy]

Originally Posted by muscmp

with all of those amps, wouldn't think you need another. but, to each their own. i have tube amps and solid state. i never think about this one being tube and that one being solid state. and, if they are noisy, i fix them.



play music!

I don’t have those amps anymore. I only have the Katana

[The Old Anglo]

I use my Fender Champion 100 amp for both Acoustic and Electric. Coupla tweaks here and there and Good to Go!. Love Fender amps!.

[muscmp]

Originally Posted by jazzguy

I don’t have those amps anymore. I only have the Katana

oh, i didn't know you no longer had them. too bad. would have made great pairings.

play music!

[jricc]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I ended up selling it though, and getting an early Marshall voiced Roland Blues Cube Hot. I found myself just sticking to one preset on the Katana and running a couple of pedals into it (yeah, I know it's got a zillion built in effects, but I just found a pedal board more convenient and intuitive) and the Blues Cube sounded even better (to me - not everyone shares this opinion) at that basic sound. The Blues Cube is a better amp for me, but if you need more versatility than I do, the Katanas are a great way to go.


-Ray

i have read the Katana amps are good amps. However like you, I went from a tube amp, mine was a Fender Blues Jr (after spending too much to have it serviced) to the Roland Blues Cube Hot and love it as well.

One thing, I thought the Blues Cube Hot was voiced like a Fender tweed amp... I mean it doesn't matter, whatever it's voiced like, it's a really good sounding amp.

[rwmct]

Lots of people love those Katanas. I can't think of a single amp I have read so many positive posts about. The Katana thread over at The Gear Page has 800 pages (!). If one is interested in a modeling amp, it seems almost mandatory to at least check one out. It is clearly an amazing product.

That said, the whole idea of a modeling amp leaves me cold. Give me a smallish tube amp and I am good. I just want to plug in and be "there." I don't want lots of settings and modes and the idea of using a computer to tweak an amp is borderline incomprehensible to me. To me, each amp should have its own signature sound. If you want that sound, you get one of those amps.

I feel the same way about guitars.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by jricc

i have read the Katana amps are good amps. However like you, I went from a tube amp, mine was a Fender Blues Jr (after spending too much to have it serviced) to the Roland Blues Cube Hot and love it as well.

One thing, I thought the Blues Cube Hot was voiced like a Fender tweed amp... I mean it doesn't matter, whatever it's voiced like, it's a really good sounding amp.

The original one was. Now there are three of them. They still sell the most of the original that's voiced like a Bassman. There's another they sell only in the UK that's voiced like a Vox - you can often find these on Ebay but not sold retail in the US. And the third, introduced about a year ago, is sold through Guitar Center and affiliates (like Musician's Friend), is called the "Boss Drive Special" and is voiced like an early KT-66 era Marshall. I have that last one. I've spent some time with the original and the Marshall voiced one has a notably hotter boost channel and little bit tighter bottom end. They're both great sounding amps, as I'd imagine the Vox voiced one is. I think they offered three different versions because you couldn't use the tone capsules in the "hot" like you could in the stage and artist versions of the amp.

I think this new Boss Nextone is trying to give you all of these options in one amp, although it's just got an EL-84 and EL-34 emulation for the British sounds, not the KT-66. I wouldn't be shocked if they're getting ready to phase out the Blues Cubes. But if I've learned anything about myself in the couple years since I've been playing a lot again, it's that if I have options, I tend not to use them - I zero in on a sound I like and tend to just ride it, with slight variations with pedals and using different guitars into it. So the Katana was way overkill for me and I think the Nextone would be too. I'm real happy with the Blues Cube - I almost never touch it other than to turn it on and off. I have a boost and OD pedal I kick on and off as needed, a reverb and delay I keep a small amount of dialed in almost all the time, and other than that I control volume and tone with my guitars. I'm a pretty simple player, though - I like a good sound but don't need a lot of different ones because I wouldn't know what to do with them...

-Ray

[jricc]

Thanks for that info RAY, learn something new everyday here at AGF

[jazzguy]

Originally Posted by rwmct

Lots of people love those Katanas. I can't think of a single amp I have read so many positive posts about. The Katana thread over at The Gear Page has 800 pages (!). If one is interested in a modeling amp, it seems almost mandatory to at least check one out. It is clearly an amazing product.



That said, the whole idea of a modeling amp leaves me cold. Give me a smallish tube amp and I am good. I just want to plug in and be "there." I don't want lots of settings and modes and the idea of using a computer to tweak an amp is borderline incomprehensible to me. To me, each amp should have its own signature sound. If you want that sound, you get one of those amps.



I feel the same way about guitars.

Actually, I totally agree with this which is why I went with the Katana. First of all, I understand it is technically not a modeling amp. Rather, it has different analog tone stacks. Second, you absolutely do not have to hook it up to a computer. It really is plug and play. Give it a try.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by jazzguy

Actually, I totally agree with this which is why I went with the Katana. First of all, I understand it is technically not a modeling amp. Rather, it has different analog tone stacks. Second, you absolutely do not have to hook it up to a computer. It really is plug and play. Give it a try.

While it does have an enthusiastic following and is a plug in and play. I have yet to find a solid state amp that really rings my bell.

I think the term "modeling amp" has expanded from its original meaning so may need to be clarified a bit further. At first a modeling amp meant recording a real amp and then digitally creating an IR from that recording, Kemper being a flagship model of this type

But the term has come to also mean any digital DSP that emulates ( models) generic "amp like" qualities i.e. British - American - Vox ,Marshall, Fender, etc. For the Katana 50 and 100 this DSP modeling is one of the features


(Also the term "tone stack" feature seems to referring to the Katana Mini" ) on the Boss website.