Boss Katana 50 works well for acoustic!

Rpt50 · #1 07-20-2018, 02:38 PM

I was previously told by a GC employee that the "acoustic" setting on the Boss Katana 50 amp in the electric amp section was an "emulation", rather than a setting for acoustic-electric guitars. I later found out from the Boss website that he was wrong (I know...shocking). Anyway, I went back today and set up the Katana 50 and the Fishman Loudbox mini right next to each other in the acoustic room. Much to my surprise, as I really like the Fishman, I think the Boss amp sounded a little better. It was fuller and more robust! The fact that it costs $110 LESS and sounds great with my Tele makes it a no-brainer--the Boss is coming home with me.

Anyway, if you are looking for a budget acoustic amp like I was, don't overlook the Katana models that reside in the electric guitar amp section.

BoneDigger · #2 07-20-2018, 04:50 PM

I own the Katana 50 and the Mini Charge. I haven't tried the acoustic on the Boss yet. I'll have to give that a try!

Petty1818 · #3 07-20-2018, 05:37 PM

Good to know! I am a teacher and often perform at school. The problem is, the genres tend to be all over the place so I am often forced to bring a tube amp and effects. I have been eyeing the katana as a possible school amp. The fact that it can handle acoustic guitar is icing on the cake.

lukeap69 · #4 07-21-2018, 12:21 AM

Good to know. I play both electric acoustic and electric guitar so this one would be a good choice for both. Thanks for the heads up!

Rpt50 · #5 07-21-2018, 07:23 AM

I've been playing with the amp a bit now that I have it home. It really seems to serve double duty (electric and acoustic) very well. The main drawback I've come across is that you have to remember to put it on standby to activate effects when playing an acoustic, as the irrelevant effects (for acoustic) can cause massive feedback when switching. For example, to get to "chorus" you have to turn the knob though "blues boost" (or something like that), which prompts a feedback burst shocking enough to make you spill your coffee on the couch...

lkingston · #6 07-21-2018, 11:49 AM

The big thing for me would be not having a mic channel.

capefisherman · #7 07-22-2018, 06:06 AM

I posted the same endorsement of the Katana 50 a while back. One thing to watch out for - as this is primarily an electric guitar amp the gain is naturally quite a bit higher than your typical amp designed for acoustics. So be very careful about increasing the gain to avoid feedback, regardless of whether you're using pedals or not. But the sound is really good overall and the reverb is very pleasing. Try the "clean" setting rather than the acoustic guitar setting for the best sound. No mic input unfortunately as stated in this thread but considering the price, way above average sound, and the fact that it's reasonably light weight this amp is a winner, in my opinion anyway.

Dave L · #8 07-24-2018, 09:32 AM

I bought the Katana 100 to use as a back up and have on stage for acoustic. I tried to use it for acoustic and in a live setting, it was unusable. It might be ok for home, if you were so inclined to use an acoustic amp at home, but for stage work it is not a viable option.

JackB1 · #9 01-22-2020, 09:47 AM

Does it give you a nice dirty sound with your Tele?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rpt50

I was previously told by a GC employee that the "acoustic" setting on the Boss Katana 50 amp in the electric amp section was an "emulation", rather than a setting for acoustic-electric guitars. I later found out from the Boss website that he was wrong (I know...shocking). Anyway, I went back today and set up the Katana 50 and the Fishman Loudbox mini right next to each other in the acoustic room. Much to my surprise, as I really like the Fishman, I think the Boss amp sounded a little better. It was fuller and more robust! The fact that it costs $110 LESS and sounds great with my Tele makes it a no-brainer--the Boss is coming home with me.

Anyway, if you are looking for a budget acoustic amp like I was, don't overlook the Katana models that reside in the electric guitar amp section.

buzzardwhiskey · #10 01-22-2020, 01:10 PM

I wouldn't hestitate to use my Katana 100 as an acoustic amp. Its fidelity isn't as high as my Schertler, or a PA speaker driven by my Tonedexter, but I've used plenty of other non-acoustic amps for acoustic guitars, and they can sound groovy.

andydepressant · #11 01-22-2020, 06:07 PM

Great to know! Definitely abandoning tube amps as soon as spring reverb gets a decent emulation with the "palm mute drip" sound.

JackB1 · #12 01-23-2020, 08:47 AM

These amps would be great for someone who wants to play both electric and acoustic at small gigs

merlin666 · #13 01-23-2020, 09:50 AM

Thanks for the heads-up.

lkingston · #14 01-23-2020, 10:05 AM

What you give up is the mic channel.

lschwart · #15 01-23-2020, 02:39 PM

I recently picked up a Katana 100 mk2 to use with a new electric guitar (a PRS S2 Custom 24).

Since I was planning to use the new electric in the same band in which I've been playing an acoustic with heavy effects, I was hoping that the Katana acoustic channel would let me use the amp for both guitars.

So far, so good. I just got an A/B/Y switch so I can plug both guitars into the Katana, and the Katana footswitch lets me switch between electric and acoustic patches easily.

I don't know how the Katana would work for a more conventional acoustic guitar application (I doubt I'll ever need that given that it has no mic input for singing), but for the above purposes, the Katana actually beats out the sound I was getting with my Fishman Loudbox artist. The Loudbox sounds really good, but the Katana beats it in this context (atmospheric, psychedelic improv.).

Louis