Katana owners.

markj

Really tempted by the 2x12 combo. Do they have the warmth of a valve amp or do they come no way near. I know they are digital but are there any valve amp owners who have bought a Katana and wont go back to valve amps? They sound excellent on youtube videos but these are always miked up. Do the drive channels sound good without any fizziness. 

djspecialist

Paging @p90fool ;

p90fool

Hi @markj , here's my rather rambling thread on the subject...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/116545/boss-katana-100-gig-report/p1

...so it's probably better if you plough through that rather than repeat myself here, but to summarise I think it sounds and feels excellent.

My thread is primarily about getting it to work consistently in a variety of (mainly crap) venues at gig volume, but I'm really splitting hairs in terms of what I'm asking from it.

I'm not getting rid of all my valve amps in a hurry though it has effortlessly replaced a couple of them, and for home and rehearsal use I'd genuinely be happy to use it exclusively. 

darthed1981

I'm not an expert but to me my K50 sounds great.

Word of warning on the 2x12 is that one of the big advantage of the 50w and 100w 1x12 is that they are light, really very light for a 12 inch combo in the 50s case.  The 212 is quite heavy in comparison.

JayGee

I’ve got a Katana 212. It’s very usable, it’s a perfectly viable, usable alternative to my big 100 Watt head + 2x12 cab + pedalboard rig for rehearsals, gigs where space is tight, or gigs where we need to be in and out quickly. it’s also (size aside) a bloody brilliant home amp.

For my money it’s about 95% of the way to a “consumer” level valve amp (say, something like a Blackstar HT) as a rock amp and a perfectly fine sounding thing in its own right but lacks a bit of the responsiveness, dynamics, and ‘feel’ of a more expensive amp (like say my Blackstar Series One or Mesa 5:25), and definitely missing some depth and complexity[1] of tone of something like Eldest Son’s Swart AST or Dr Z Z-Wreck, but then considering the difference in price that’s not exactly a damning criticism.

I don’t know about “won’t go back to valve amps”, but I’m perfectly happy switching between the Katana and a valve amp on a regular basis...


[1] I hate trying to write or talk about this sort of highly subjective stuff because it always ends up sounding/looking horribly pretentious...

markj

When I’ve tried digital amps before they sound good on the clean channels but the overdrive leave a lot to me a desired.

djspecialist

Are you thinking of replacing your Puretone?  (Writing this as I prepare to put mine in the car and head to band practice!)

markj

Definely not. Just looking for something different. I don’t want to buy a katana and regretting it.

JayGee

markj said:

When I’ve tried digital amps before they sound good on the clean channels but the overdrive leave a lot to me a desired.

For what it’s worth I’ve found that previous efforts have been fine with clean or outright filth but tended to struggle on anything in between or on the transition between one and the other...

The Katana however is definitely a leap forward over anything I’ve previously encountered at anywhere near it’s price point. It brings the sort of performance (if not the outright flexibility) I’ve previously associated with something like an AxeFX, a big power amp, and a separate speaker cab to something far, far more accessible in terms of expense, portability, and plug-and-go usability...

markj

djspecialist said:

Are you thinking of replacing your Puretone?  (Writing this as I prepare to put mine in the car and head to band practice!)

Are you still enjoying your puretone? It’s a superb amp, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.

djspecialist

markj said:

Are you still enjoying your puretone?

Love it.

It's the first amp I've owned which consistently gives me what I want, without needing to fiddle about trying to find an elusive "sweet spot".  I don't plan to move it on any time soon.

absolutpepper

I have 2 K50s which i'm currently running in stereo.  I have to say that I love them however I use them almost exclusively as a clean platform to put pedals on (which they take really well).  In terms of the drives, the crunch tones are pretty nice and imho they come reasonably close to a valve amp but they do lack that last little extra that you can only really get from pushing glass (the feel, responsiveness, etc).  That being said, they don't sound bad at all and so far appear super reliable. They also have a wealth of tones and effects if desired but without an obtrusive panel to give you option paralysis.  Mine, I've incorporated them into my rig as a main part but for some I think they'd make excellent backups to their gigging valve amp as opposed to a replacement.

They're insanely good value for money and I picked my second up last week as there seemed to be a bit of a price drop.  Just remember, the speakers need some time to break in but once they do the amps sound great on the whole...they just aren't a golden bullet that'll work for everyone equally.

I guess im saying its all about expectations.  If you go in expecting it to compete with a high end valve amp tonally you will probably be disappointed...however if you are looking for great tones in an affordable package that has both home and gig versatility then its brilliant.  Also, being SS, its going to be more consistent night after night sound wise, so if you try one and like the drives there is very little else to complain about.

PS, I would recommend them as a clean platform for anyone, i'm just conscious the OP is more interested in the driven tones.

monquixote

djspecialist said:

markj said:

Are you still enjoying your puretone?

Love it.

It's the first amp I've owned which consistently gives me what I want, without needing to fiddle about trying to find an elusive "sweet spot".  I don't plan to move it on any time soon.

Yep, I think the Puretone is an absolute undiscovered gem.

On the subject of the Katana.

I bought the 100w 1x12 before Christmas.

I absolutely love it. As I may have mentioned on here before I've practically given up the guitar after leaving my previous band at the end of 2016. Buying the Katana has been the one thing that's got me interested in playing again.

The clean sounds are really impressive and it can do some great rock sounds especially the silly EVH shreddy tones which are really fun. I don't think it's especially good for metal (but then I'm not a great judge of that sort of thing).
I played it back to back with the MJW I've just sold and it can't keep up on the crunchy edge of breakup tones at at all, but then you are comparing a really top end valve amp with a budget modeller so what do you expect. When I play the Katana without a reference to compare it to I just spend my time having fun and enjoying the sounds.

The best bit is it's really easy to dial in and it doesn't pretend to be modelling specific amps. My experience of other modellers is you spend two hours down a rabbit hole comparing the 64 Custom Deluxe, 74 Deluxe, 57 Tweed, 65 Twin, 65 Super, 68 Vibrolux and all of them are different variations of "almost, but not quite like a Fender". The Katana you bang it on the clean channel and play.

Sure an AxeFX sounds better, but most of the time I'm having fun jamming and playing riffs. If I'm recording I'll record dry guitar and reamp it through a load of plugins, but to me that's a totally different mindspace.

TTony

monquixote said:
As I may have mentioned on here before I've practically given up the guitar after leaving my previous band at the end of 2016. Buying the Katana has been the one thing that's got me interested in playing again.

Welcome back @monquixote.

monquixote

TTony said:

monquixote said:
As I may have mentioned on here before I've practically given up the guitar after leaving my previous band at the end of 2016. Buying the Katana has been the one thing that's got me interested in playing again.

Welcome back @monquixote.

Cheers @ttony I guess "Prevented me from giving up guitar" is about as good a review as you can give a product

midlifecrisis

i previously gigged with a laney vc30 212, which i still have. side by side the katana doesnt have the warmth but live gigging it cuts through better imho.  i have the 100 combo one speaker model. Its half the weight and size of the laney. my band reckons it sounds better. For versatility its great. I dont bother with seperate effects or multi effects now, they are all on board the amp.
But i will admit Ive never really used expensive high end or boutique amps so ive not had that to compare to. Maybe its a case of what youre used to and what  you expect. I managed to get mine used on here, half thinking il have it for a few weeks and flip it if i dont get on with it. but its now about 8 months and 30 gigs and im happy with it.

kennedydream1980

absolutpepper said:

I have 2 K50s which i'm currently running in stereo.  I have to say that I love them however I use them almost exclusively as a clean platform to put pedals on (which they take really well).  In terms of the drives, the crunch tones are pretty nice and imho they come reasonably close to a valve amp but they do lack that last little extra that you can only really get from pushing glass (the feel, responsiveness, etc).  That being said, they don't sound bad at all and so far appear super reliable. They also have a wealth of tones and effects if desired but without an obtrusive panel to give you option paralysis.  Mine, I've incorporated them into my rig as a main part but for some I think they'd make excellent backups to their gigging valve amp as opposed to a replacement.

They're insanely good value for money and I picked my second up last week as there seemed to be a bit of a price drop.  Just remember, the speakers need some time to break in but once they do the amps sound great on the whole...they just aren't a golden bullet that'll work for everyone equally.

I guess im saying its all about expectations.  If you go in expecting it to compete with a high end valve amp tonally you will probably be disappointed...however if you are looking for great tones in an affordable package that has both home and gig versatility then its brilliant.  Also, being SS, its going to be more consistent night after night sound wise, so if you try one and like the drives there is very little else to complain about.

PS, I would recommend them as a clean platform for anyone, i'm just conscious the OP is more interested in the driven tones.

I’m toying with going with this exact setup. Coming from an Atomic Amplifire 12 running Direct to a mixer running in Stereo. I’m loving running Stereo live, it sounds huge, but I’m missing the interaction between guitar and amp on stage.

I would be looking to run both amps clean with pedals. Getting my drive from a Carl Martin Plexitone and splitting the signal to Stereo via a Chorus/delay pedal. 

I dont think think I would be sacrificing much if anything tone wise switching to the Katanas, but I’m still unsure whether to make the change. 

When using the amps live do you find you have enough headroom on tap to get a decent volume boost for solos? Do you have any recordings or video clips of you using the amps live?

monquixote

kennedydream1980 said:

absolutpepper said:

I have 2 K50s which i'm currently running in stereo.  I have to say that I love them however I use them almost exclusively as a clean platform to put pedals on (which they take really well).  In terms of the drives, the crunch tones are pretty nice and imho they come reasonably close to a valve amp but they do lack that last little extra that you can only really get from pushing glass (the feel, responsiveness, etc).  That being said, they don't sound bad at all and so far appear super reliable. They also have a wealth of tones and effects if desired but without an obtrusive panel to give you option paralysis.  Mine, I've incorporated them into my rig as a main part but for some I think they'd make excellent backups to their gigging valve amp as opposed to a replacement.

They're insanely good value for money and I picked my second up last week as there seemed to be a bit of a price drop.  Just remember, the speakers need some time to break in but once they do the amps sound great on the whole...they just aren't a golden bullet that'll work for everyone equally.

I guess im saying its all about expectations.  If you go in expecting it to compete with a high end valve amp tonally you will probably be disappointed...however if you are looking for great tones in an affordable package that has both home and gig versatility then its brilliant.  Also, being SS, its going to be more consistent night after night sound wise, so if you try one and like the drives there is very little else to complain about.

PS, I would recommend them as a clean platform for anyone, i'm just conscious the OP is more interested in the driven tones.

I’m toying with going with this exact setup. Coming from an Atomic Amplifire 12 running Direct to a mixer running in Stereo. I’m loving running Stereo live, it sounds huge, but I’m missing the interaction between guitar and amp on stage.

I would be looking to run both amps clean with pedals. Getting my drive from a Carl Martin Plexitone and splitting the signal to Stereo via a Chorus/delay pedal. 

I dont think think I would be sacrificing much if anything tone wise switching to the Katanas, but I’m still unsure whether to make the change. 

When using the amps live do you find you have enough headroom on tap to get a decent volume boost for solos? Do you have any recordings or video clips of you using the amps live?

I used to use an Atomic Amplifire for live and had the same issue with feel.

The trick I did was to have the 20w Jet City head (which can be had for about £120 SH) fed from an output of the Atomic with speaker sim switched off and run it into a cab. The cab wasn't miced and the PA sound came from the direct. It worked very well, but you lost the advantage of not having to run an amp.

Comparing the Atomic and the Katana I'd say the modelling on the Atomic is a bit better, but the Katana is much more fun to use and much easier to dial in. I ended up buying the MBritt pack for the Atomic because I hated programming it so much.

You could also run the Atomic into the return of a KT50 and use it as a monitor and back up which would be a pretty good rig.

kennedydream1980

monquixote said:

kennedydream1980 said:

absolutpepper said:

I have 2 K50s which i'm currently running in stereo.  I have to say that I love them however I use them almost exclusively as a clean platform to put pedals on (which they take really well).  In terms of the drives, the crunch tones are pretty nice and imho they come reasonably close to a valve amp but they do lack that last little extra that you can only really get from pushing glass (the feel, responsiveness, etc).  That being said, they don't sound bad at all and so far appear super reliable. They also have a wealth of tones and effects if desired but without an obtrusive panel to give you option paralysis.  Mine, I've incorporated them into my rig as a main part but for some I think they'd make excellent backups to their gigging valve amp as opposed to a replacement.

They're insanely good value for money and I picked my second up last week as there seemed to be a bit of a price drop.  Just remember, the speakers need some time to break in but once they do the amps sound great on the whole...they just aren't a golden bullet that'll work for everyone equally.

I guess im saying its all about expectations.  If you go in expecting it to compete with a high end valve amp tonally you will probably be disappointed...however if you are looking for great tones in an affordable package that has both home and gig versatility then its brilliant.  Also, being SS, its going to be more consistent night after night sound wise, so if you try one and like the drives there is very little else to complain about.

PS, I would recommend them as a clean platform for anyone, i'm just conscious the OP is more interested in the driven tones.

I’m toying with going with this exact setup. Coming from an Atomic Amplifire 12 running Direct to a mixer running in Stereo. I’m loving running Stereo live, it sounds huge, but I’m missing the interaction between guitar and amp on stage.

I would be looking to run both amps clean with pedals. Getting my drive from a Carl Martin Plexitone and splitting the signal to Stereo via a Chorus/delay pedal. 

I dont think think I would be sacrificing much if anything tone wise switching to the Katanas, but I’m still unsure whether to make the change. 

When using the amps live do you find you have enough headroom on tap to get a decent volume boost for solos? Do you have any recordings or video clips of you using the amps live?

I used to use an Atomic Amplifire for live and had the same issue with feel.

The trick I did was to have the 20w Jet City head (which can be had for about £120 SH) fed from an output of the Atomic with speaker sim switched off and run it into a cab. The cab wasn't miced and the PA sound came from the direct. It worked very well, but you lost the advantage of not having to run an amp.

Comparing the Atomic and the Katana I'd say the modelling on the Atomic is a bit better, but the Katana is much more fun to use and much easier to dial in. I ended up buying the MBritt pack for the Atomic because I hated programming it so much.

If I went with the Katana’s I would need to move the Atomic on first due to lack of funds. Its one or the other so it’s a bit of a gamble switching to the katanas.

For what it’s worth I also downloaded the M Britt presets and didn’t get on with them at all. I’ve had much better success dialling up my own presets using the Celestion IR’s.

Its a bit of a dilemma because listening back to a recording of our New Years Eve Gig the Atomic sounded fantastic, totally blew the other guitarists Marshall JVM combo out the water tone wise. I’ve invested alot of time and effort getting the Atomic where I’m happy with it, I wouldn’t want to be immediately back to square one with the Katanas. Is it a struggle to get them dialled in or is it a case of plug in, tone controls at 12 o’clock and go?

monquixote

The Katana is pretty easy to dial in. You may want to tweak the global EQ to knock the high mid back, but other than that you are away.

I'd stick with the Atomic if you've got it dialled in, they really do sound good. I never had so many compliments about my tone as when I was using one.

Maybe get an old Peavey Bandit and go into the FX return to give you some stage feel. That should set you back only about £50.

NelsonP

I tried a Katana for an hour or so before I bought my Amplifire. I was looking for something that would allow me to play at low volume at home.

The Katana was very impressive but personally I thought the Amplifire is much better. The Katana felt flatter, more 'solid state like' to me. Not saying it was bad at all, and for the money it is amazing.

I also tried a Blackstar HT5 and a Fender Bassbreaker 15. Conclusion: still no substitute for tubes, but Amplifire gets pretty close.

@kennedydream1980
Katana 50 doesn't have an effects loop so you'd need to go for a 100w in order to run the Amplifire into the FX return. It could be a good interim solution, if you have funds i.e. buy a single Katana now and see how you get on. If you don't like it you can always flip it. And if you do then just buy another and flip the Amplifire. I'd also look at tube amps though.

The alternative would be to put an FRFR on stage - something like that Alto TS212 would do the trick.

There's a new Helix podcast out now. In the first episode they answer a question about using Helix with amps vs FRFR. The response is interesting. They basically say that you should use your modeller in the way that you prefer to hear guitar. So if you are used to hearing an amp on stage then run it into the FX return of an amp with no power amp or cab model enabled. If you're used to hearing the sound of a mic'ed cab (e.g. a studio musician who usually sits in the control room) then FRFR is probably best for you.

Last thought - you said "the Atomic sounded fantastic, totally blew the other guitarists Marshall JVM combo out the water tone wise". If it ain't broke? Maybe FRFR is the route to go?

PS I also tried MBritts presets and also found that they weren't the one-stop solution I'd hoped for. I now make my own presets, with a bit of help from the Singtall Warm, Line 6 Allure and Celestion IRs. Singtall still the best presets I've tried.