Boss Katana Artist leaked....

dindude

Musicman20 said:

Still good value, but I'll be keeping my Katana 100 1x12 which was less than £250!

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/boss-katana-artist-100-watt-combo-amplifier

And it has "Performance Enhanced Sound Design", so must be worth it.

I must be the only one who doesn't gush over the Boss stuff and find their increasingly sparse info replaced by marketing guff highly annoying, I can't help but feel like a victim every time I read their blurb.

If it's got a cab made out of plywood instead of chipboard for the regular Katana, just say so rather than "ultra solid construction".

midlifecrisis

I bought the katana 100 as it seemed a cheap viable option to me usual gigging rig. I must say it exceeded my expectations on all counts but i cant see myself about to spend twice the price (£500+) on the latest incarnation.

p90fool

andyoz said:

https://www.facebook.com/BOSSUKLTD/videos/1355321141241065/?fref=gs&dti=261830273868589&hc_location=group

Marvellous video.

It perfectly encapsulates the Katana's forte of layering half a dozen expressionless, droning guitars in a swamp of flabby tedium, exactly like every other digital modeller going back twenty years. 

It's a shame they always highlight that stuff, as even though I sold mine because it didn't really suit me, the Katana really is WAY better than that. 

darthed1981

£529?  You can get loads of valve amps for that.

Even as a fan of the Katana I think I'd just play my Oasis tunes (yeah I love playing Oasis ) through an AC15 with a tubescreamer for the same money.

Will keep my Katana 50, barely turn the bugger on anyhow at the minute!

Voxman

Musicman20 said:

Still good value, but I'll be keeping my Katana 100 1x12 which was less than £250!

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/boss-katana-artist-100-watt-combo-amplifier

Good value?  No way, not at that price.  A standard Katana 100w 1x12 is £239 plus GA-FC £79 = £318.  At £429 it might be reasonable value for the upgrades although £399 (sub £400) is what I'd really expect, but not £529...not no way, not never!!  I guarantee that price will come down ...and quickly.... because for a digital amp that is simply not sustainable.  

darthed1981

I really can't see someone going to a shop with £500-ish for an amp, rejecting the Fender HRD, the Vox AC15 and so on and going "I'd love a slightly modified version of an amp I could get for £165"...

At £350 they may well have something though.  I guess it could also turn out to be genuinely better than all other £500 amps, after all no-one has heard it yet, outside of Boss (and probably Chappers).

p90fool

darthed1981 said:

I really can't see someone going to a shop with £500-ish for an amp, rejecting the Fender HRD, the Vox AC15 and so on and going "I'd love a slightly modified version of an amp I could get for £165"...

At £350 they may well have something though.  I guess it could also turn out to be genuinely better than all other £500 amps, after all no-one has heard it yet, outside of Boss (and probably Chappers).

A Fender Hotrod Deluxe is £849. 

andyoz

Jesus, in real money terms compared to say 25 years ago...they are all bargains

monquixote

I'm a really big fan of the Katana, but I wouldn't be interested at that price.

If I was gigging the options they already have cover anything I'd need. If I wanted to be more "pro" I'd get the head and a good quality lightweight cab.

darthed1981

p90fool said:

darthed1981 said:

I really can't see someone going to a shop with £500-ish for an amp, rejecting the Fender HRD, the Vox AC15 and so on and going "I'd love a slightly modified version of an amp I could get for £165"...

At £350 they may well have something though.  I guess it could also turn out to be genuinely better than all other £500 amps, after all no-one has heard it yet, outside of Boss (and probably Chappers).

A Fender Hotrod Deluxe is £849. 

I forget which one it was sorry, it was one I played through at the Northampton jam, were being sold around £500 in a couple of places at Christmas, might have been a Blues Deluxe.

Point stands, at £529 you are well into valve amp territory so why pay the extra over a bog standard Katana 100?

p90fool

darthed1981 said:

p90fool said:

darthed1981 said:

I really can't see someone going to a shop with £500-ish for an amp, rejecting the Fender HRD, the Vox AC15 and so on and going "I'd love a slightly modified version of an amp I could get for £165"...

At £350 they may well have something though.  I guess it could also turn out to be genuinely better than all other £500 amps, after all no-one has heard it yet, outside of Boss (and probably Chappers).

A Fender Hotrod Deluxe is £849. 

I forget which one it was sorry, it was one I played through at the Northampton jam, were being sold around £500 in a couple of places at Christmas, might have been a Blues Deluxe.

Point stands, at £529 you are well into valve amp territory so why pay the extra over a bog standard Katana 100?

I totally agree, especially having just lost 2/3 of my money on a Katana in three months. 

The problem for me isn't that they cost £529, it's that they'll be retailing at £350 by April and £220 by October when the new one comes out.  

Now that doesn't matter if you love it and have the space, but the moment you want out you'll end up swapping it for a wah pedal and a packet of Haribos. 

monquixote

darthed1981 said:

p90fool said:

darthed1981 said:

I really can't see someone going to a shop with £500-ish for an amp, rejecting the Fender HRD, the Vox AC15 and so on and going "I'd love a slightly modified version of an amp I could get for £165"...

At £350 they may well have something though.  I guess it could also turn out to be genuinely better than all other £500 amps, after all no-one has heard it yet, outside of Boss (and probably Chappers).

A Fender Hotrod Deluxe is £849. 

I forget which one it was sorry, it was one I played through at the Northampton jam, were being sold around £500 in a couple of places at Christmas, might have been a Blues Deluxe.

Point stands, at £529 you are well into valve amp territory so why pay the extra over a bog standard Katana 100?

It's a bit apples and oranges though because a valve amp usually doesn't have an emulated output, fx, patches and easy to control volume.
If that's important to you then a digital amp wins. I've had a valve amp but gigged a modeller before.

darthed1981

Fair points all.

I'm basically saying I personally think they brought out the best-value home use amp, well, ever, with the Katana 50,I suspect the Katana 50 will sneak under £150 in sales now this new range is coming out.  The rest of the range was also superb value.

But now, £529?  Wow!  The cab they released was £319!  Seems a very cynical use of the Katana's reputation to me.

midlifecrisis

Katana pricing structure always felt a bit strange to me. The  50 and the 100 combos seemed excellent value, the head was strangely dearer than the combo, the 212 jumped up a reasonable amount but the 212 cab seemed very expensive, now the artist even more so. maybe they are trying to create an even spread of prices up to the waza amps.

darthed1981

midlifecrisis said:

Katana pricing structure always felt a bit strange to me. The  50 and the 100 combos seemed excellent value, the head was strangely dearer than the combo, the 212 jumped up a reasonable amount but the 212 cab seemed very expensive, now the artist even more so. maybe they are trying to create an even spread of prices up to the waza amps.

Probably dividing the endorsement fees for Chappers and Bea by the number of Artists they think they will sell, and adding it to the price!