Katana Tones

Voxman

darthed1981 said:

Voxman said:

So its a real compromise nowadays to get a sensible balance between tone, volume, versatility, weight and budget. I actually think amps like the Katana do a pretty good balancing act.  But there's a serious issue with the 1x12 versions and it's the same for the Fender Mustang III and Blackstar ID60...they have no extension cab out.  What's needed is the ability to add an extension cab and have the option to connect this in addition to or in place of the internal speaker.  That way you could plug it into a 2x12 or 4x12 if there's one there or you could carry a lighter 1x12 extn cab with you to give you 2x12 fullness, push more air, and give you more spread in the mix.

This is a feature the new Katana Artist 1x12 100w has, though also an in theory much better speaker.

It occurs a good upgrade for a gen1 Katana 100 would be the speaker from an artist, especially if people start ripping them out and putting their favourite speaker in, and selling the originals on eBay.

Now that Artist looks more like it - however compared to the normal Katana 100 you're looking at 41 lbs weight as against 32 lbs, and £529 as against £299 (£249 Rimmers Music).  But to be honest at that price I'd have expected Boss to include the floor controller - that's what Fender did on its more expensive Mustang IV and V (even the III came with the 2-button pedal). Add another £85 for the controller and your Artist rig will set you back £614 - and lets face it, the Artist is likely to appeal more to gigging players who will need the controller on stage. 

You could probably find a tech to do the speaker out mod on the regular Katana for around £50 and pick up a used Vintage 30 or similar for £50. 

Danny1969

If you put a switched jack socket in series with the Katana's speaker then when unused things will operate as normal. When you plug in an extension speaker however it will break the switched contacts going to the Katanas own speaker to prevent too low an impedance



Connect the output of the amp to the right side of this socket and the amps own speaker to the left side as you see it here  

Voxman

Danny1969 said:

If you put a switched jack socket in series with the Katana's speaker then when unused things will operate as normal. When you plug in an extension speaker however it will break the switched contacts going to the Katanas own speaker to prevent too low an impedance



Connect the output of the amp to the right side of this socket and the amps own speaker to the left side as you see it here  

It's a limited solution that would only allow an extn cab to be added of the same impedance, but not (a) to give choice of having both internal & external speakers on, and (b) giving you impedance selection control. For that, you'd need a slightly more involved mod...and with any mod you'd have to be prepared to lose any remaining warranty.

TTBZ

I like the idea of a Katana but haven't been convinced by any demo videos for the kind of playing I do. I'd need to try one out to be sure but the high gain tones seem really fizzy and plasticcy. There's a Rob Chapman video Katana vs Drummer where it shows that it clearly has enough volume for rehearsals.

Danny1969

Ah I see, you want to use the internal speaker as well. That's possible but if the output stage isn't happy with a load below it's own speaker then it would mean the extension speaker would have to be in series and that would mean a volume drop, assuming a classic A\B linear output stage

If it were mine I would probably put a 100 watt module in the extension speaker and take a line out of the Katana ... if it has one. 

midlifecrisis

its about managing peoples expectations. I might have been guilty of raving about the katana but i was more than pleasantly surprised and it wasnt a honeymoon period. I have been regularly gigging it for nealy a year now.  I bought it 2nd hand as a cheap backup/jamming/rehearsal amp and was prepared to just sell it on if it wasnt sounding good. truth is, i took it to quite a largish (for us) venue 300 people ( i had my vc30 in the car in case it didnt work well/cut through etc.  It worked perfectly and has done since. I dont know how it compares to £1500 £2000 amps as ive never used them. It does sound good for classic rock covers and clean funk which is what i play. its loud enough unmicced and its small and lightish. Its more complicated than id ideally like but if you find the sounds you like you save themn and no need to mess about. 

darthed1981

Voxman said:

Now that Artist looks more like it - however compared to the normal Katana 100 you're looking at 41 lbs weight as against 32 lbs, and £529 as against £299 (£249 Rimmers Music).  But to be honest at that price I'd have expected Boss to include the floor controller - that's what Fender did on its more expensive Mustang IV and V (even the III came with the 2-button pedal). Add another £85 for the controller and your Artist rig will set you back £614 - and lets face it, the Artist is likely to appeal more to gigging players who will need the controller on stage. 

You could probably find a tech to do the speaker out mod on the regular Katana for around £50 and pick up a used Vintage 30 or similar for £50. 

I agree the pricing on the new Katana stuff, the Cab and the Artist, is plain and simply high.  They have taken their reputation and endorsements and are seeing if they can take them to the bank.  Makes me wonder if the Katana Gen 1 was much lower margin than most of it's competition.

The speaker mod is certainly a cheaper option.  I'd be intrigued as to what a Katana through a decent 2x12 sounds like?  How does it compare to the Katana 100 2x12 combo that can often be had for £350?

darthed1981

Danny1969 said:

If it were mine I would probably put a 100 watt module in the extension speaker and take a line out of the Katana ... if it has one. 

On the 100, it has a seperate line out for recording and phones and the (presumably exactly for this purpose) non-emulated line out as seperate jacks.

The Katana 50 just has the phones/emulated out.

Voxman

Danny1969 said:

Ah I see, you want to use the internal speaker as well. That's possible but if the output stage isn't happy with a load below it's own speaker then it would mean the extension speaker would have to be in series and that would mean a volume drop, assuming a classic A\B linear output stage

If it were mine I would probably put a 100 watt module in the extension speaker and take a line out of the Katana ... if it has one. 

Sadly, not even the Katana Artist allows full flexibility which is disappointing because although you can connect to an external 8 Ohm or 16 Ohm cabinet, it cannot leave the internal speaker on as once you input a jack into the 8 Ohm jack it cuts out the 16 Ohm jacks.  This means if you want to carry a lighter 1x12 extension cab to give you the option of using it in addition to the Katana's own internal speaker I don't think you can - but having said that I'm not sure how its wired and whether you can safely connect the internal speaker to the 16 Ohm 'A' output and then connect an extn cab to the 16 Ohm 'B' output.  The manual doesn't refer to this option though.  As I'm considering the possibility of selling a couple of amps and buying an Artist, I've sent a note to BOSS to try and get clarity on all the internal/external options here.
Conversely, the speaker out options in my all-valve Laney VC30-210 seem to be way more flexible. It has a 4/8 Ohm impedance switch and two speaker outs. This combination lets you can connect or disconnect the 8 Ohm internal configuration, and/or use an 8 or 16 Ohm cab either with or without the internal speakers on. 

olafgarten

Voxman said:

Danny1969 said:

Ah I see, you want to use the internal speaker as well. That's possible but if the output stage isn't happy with a load below it's own speaker then it would mean the extension speaker would have to be in series and that would mean a volume drop, assuming a classic A\B linear output stage

If it were mine I would probably put a 100 watt module in the extension speaker and take a line out of the Katana ... if it has one. 

Sadly, not even the Katana Artist allows full flexibility which is disappointing because although you can connect to an external 8 Ohm or 16 Ohm cabinet, it cannot leave the internal speaker on as once you input a jack into the 8 Ohm jack it cuts out the 16 Ohm jacks.  This means if you want to carry a lighter 1x12 extension cab to give you the option of using it in addition to the Katana's own internal speaker I don't think you can - but having said that I'm not sure how its wired and whether you can safely connect the internal speaker to the 16 Ohm 'A' output and then connect an extn cab to the 16 Ohm 'B' output.  The manual doesn't refer to this option though.  As I'm considering the possibility of selling a couple of amps and buying an Artist, I've sent a note to BOSS to try and get clarity on all the internal/external options here.
Conversely, the speaker out options in my all-valve Laney VC30-210 seem to be way more flexible. It has a 4/8 Ohm impedance switch and two speaker outs. This combination lets you can connect or disconnect the 8 Ohm internal configuration, and/or use an 8 or 16 Ohm cab either with or without the internal speakers on. 

Valve amps are a lot less fussy about Output Impedance, SS amps usually blow up when you get it wrong.

Legionreturns

darthed1981 said:

Voxman said:

Now that Artist looks more like it - however compared to the normal Katana 100 you're looking at 41 lbs weight as against 32 lbs, and £529 as against £299 (£249 Rimmers Music).  But to be honest at that price I'd have expected Boss to include the floor controller - that's what Fender did on its more expensive Mustang IV and V (even the III came with the 2-button pedal). Add another £85 for the controller and your Artist rig will set you back £614 - and lets face it, the Artist is likely to appeal more to gigging players who will need the controller on stage. 

You could probably find a tech to do the speaker out mod on the regular Katana for around £50 and pick up a used Vintage 30 or similar for £50. 

I agree the pricing on the new Katana stuff, the Cab and the Artist, is plain and simply high.  They have taken their reputation and endorsements and are seeing if they can take them to the bank.  Makes me wonder if the Katana Gen 1 was much lower margin than most of it's competition.

The speaker mod is certainly a cheaper option.  I'd be intrigued as to what a Katana through a decent 2x12 sounds like?  How does it compare to the Katana 100 2x12 combo that can often be had for £350?

If you listen to the recordings from the Huddersfield jam, my katana head was in use all day. Sometimes straight in using internal fx, sometimes with a board in front of it. It went through a Marshall 4x12 cab on the room and was mic'd up like the other amps. I didn't take it above 50w all day and it was on just over half volume on master and channel. 

Voxman

Legionreturns said:

I have the katana head, so I can't really comment on speakers. I've run it through a PA, a single FRFR, 2x12v30 cab, several 4x12s mostly Marshall and I genuinely think it sounds great through all of those. 

I'm sure it does. But the pricing of the head is less attractive at £349 although some stores are selling for £295 ... I've never understood why head prices are so disproportionate when there's less in them. Plus they could easily fit in a cabinet of half the size or even less, yet for looks and to make it look as if you are getting better value, and seem more macho they insist on using big cabs. It's a stupid approach imho...it only weighs 19lbs so there's not much in it.  But if you have a cab or cabs already, it's a good option and one I might consider if I see a used one with floor controller going for a good price.

p90fool

The Katana head has midi and an onboard speaker, it's better value than it first appears. 

Voxman

p90fool said:

The Katana head has midi and an onboard speaker, it's better value than it first appears. 

It's only better value if you want/need those - I want/need neither MIDI nor the on-board speakers. 

p90fool

Voxman said:

p90fool said:

The Katana head has midi and an onboard speaker, it's better value than it first appears. 

It's only better value if you want/need those - I want/need neither MIDI nor the on-board speakers. 

Well you could say that about anything!

FWIW I take back every little niggle I had with the Katana. I was asked to sit in with a band last night with borrowed gear, a 2x12 Fender Mustang. It was the worst piece of shit I've ever played through, really really terrible. I would've killed for a Katana tbh. 

darthed1981

Legionreturns said:

darthed1981 said:

Voxman said:

Now that Artist looks more like it - however compared to the normal Katana 100 you're looking at 41 lbs weight as against 32 lbs, and £529 as against £299 (£249 Rimmers Music).  But to be honest at that price I'd have expected Boss to include the floor controller - that's what Fender did on its more expensive Mustang IV and V (even the III came with the 2-button pedal). Add another £85 for the controller and your Artist rig will set you back £614 - and lets face it, the Artist is likely to appeal more to gigging players who will need the controller on stage. 

You could probably find a tech to do the speaker out mod on the regular Katana for around £50 and pick up a used Vintage 30 or similar for £50. 

I agree the pricing on the new Katana stuff, the Cab and the Artist, is plain and simply high.  They have taken their reputation and endorsements and are seeing if they can take them to the bank.  Makes me wonder if the Katana Gen 1 was much lower margin than most of it's competition.

The speaker mod is certainly a cheaper option.  I'd be intrigued as to what a Katana through a decent 2x12 sounds like?  How does it compare to the Katana 100 2x12 combo that can often be had for £350?

If you listen to the recordings from the Huddersfield jam, my katana head was in use all day. Sometimes straight in using internal fx, sometimes with a board in front of it. It went through a Marshall 4x12 cab on the room and was mic'd up like the other amps. I didn't take it above 50w all day and it was on just over half volume on master and channel. 

We used my Katana 50 all day in Northampton and it did really well as well.

They won't be everything to everyone of course.

AdamHarkusBlog

BOSS have pulled off one of the most successful marketing campaigns I've ever seen. They convinced a lot of people to dump their valve amps (including me) and get gigging for less than £200...

... 2 months on and, I have to admit, my K50 isn't cutting through at all, that's with the recommended max volume + master on the clean channel (using an ME-80), controlling volume with the gain.

It's got one last chance, gain at noon or more, and controlling the volume between the master and volume.

If that doesn't work, there's no way I'm messing about with software etc just to boost mids to do whatever I can to make it fuller sounding....

.... I'll just get another valve amp and job done.  

At the end of the day I've only spent £160 and had a lot of fun. I could still use it for home/practice use.

Marktigere1

Legionreturns said:

@Voxman I think it's more that as people make noise about them being excellent at what they do for the price (which they are), more people go out of their way to try one but then compare them to thousands of pounds of boogie gear... 

This.

The Katana 100 combo has performed brilliantly (for the money) for my Son's originals band.

I have been in the audience and it has sounded as good and punched through as well as any amp would (for the money) and stood up to the analog drum kit, second guitar, Keyboards and bass very well (for the money).

Gear bashing is the curse of any forum and I believe comparing the Katana to equipment costing much more shows just how good they are (for the money).

I would, however never claim they were the second coming in terms of sound, and you would not get me trading my valve amps for one, but they do sound good (for the money) and are an excellent backup (for the money).

Just my 2p.

p90fool

I'm comparing it to gear which costs much less, and it fell very short for me. 

It depends largely on your playing style to be fair.

I got called 'old school' last night for touching the guitar volume by a guy whose modelling amp I'd borrowed, when in fact NOT using the guitar volume is 'remedial class' to me. 

MagicPigDetective

darthed1981 said:

Whilst the forum has rebelled against them a little bit recently, I'm still the proud owner of a Katana 50...

I'm looking for a thread where people share their settings for them, for purely selfish reasons, I want to really learn how to really get the most out of it.

I'm thinking, what settings do you use for a nice woody-bluesy tone, one for an alt rock crunch?  What do you all recommend?

I'm guessing these could apply across the board as well, the best tones, where to dial the EQ, and what FX to turn on or off, what pickup to use...?

Going back to the OP's purpose for this thread, sharing settings -  I have a 100; I need time to play around with the setting and Tone Centre. I do like the crunch channel, but last night I was getting a fantastic AC/DC tone on the Lead Chanel with the gain backed off to 9/10 o'clock, with a Vintage Lemon Drop. Between the crunch and the lead channel, there's a lot of ground covered. Going to try the RAT and Muff next.