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...?
You are the dreamer, and the dream...
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I'd be interested to know any hints and tips from others though,as I'm a complete dunce with the laptop tone tweaking side of things, so feel that I'm probably not getting the most out of the amp.
I'm giving it this weekend for a last tweak session then deciding what to do with it.
I did change the various effects that were available on the panel mode though. So there's a wah there, a tube screamer too. Also made the third reverb a delay/reverb - if I want to be able to have a modulation but still have some delay.
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youIt's not uncommon and I remember the same thing happening with the original Blackstar ID60/100 with its as loud as valve promise.
I can't help wonder why this phenomenon seems to exist. Is it a case of 'the emperor's new clothes' in that the initial euphoria is from bedroom usage players. Or is it a genuine limitation in that once the volume goes up in a band mix that tonal problems become apparent? Or is it merely some users are struggling to adjust these amps for live playing and are using settings that sound great at home but are getting lost in the mix?
I'm reminded years back of a technical article on Fletcher Munson curves that Line 6 had on its website highlighting the need to adjust modelling amps by raising mids to help punch through the mix because they couldn't tonally adjust automatically with volume in the way that valve amps do. In essence settings that sounded great at home sounded poor in a live mix at volume, and settings that worked well live sounded dreadful at home. Is it all down to experience relating to setting live EQ I wonder?
Can get all the sounds I need now at very low volumes but if I can get the chance to turn the volume up to say TV levels I’ll plug my Orange dual dark 50 in.
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youI'd love an AC30 but I literally cannot lift one with one arm, weakling that I am, and none of them are exactly lightweight. Plus I only play at home and the odd jam so it would be like buying a sports car to get shopping.
The Katana can do home use really well, it does practices and jams, and lots of people use it successfully for small gigs.
Some people don't find it effective for gigs, but for really good reasons to do with the dynamics that a decent valve amp has that a Katana doesn't. The allure of the weight and convenience seems powerful enough people really try to make them work.
So it's horses for courses really surely?
It doesn't really surprise me. To start with people seem to think the 50 or 100 somehow relates to the RMS wattage which is plainly ridiculous if you look at the maximum wattage drawn from the mains which is printed clearly on the back of the amp. I suspect the number relate to peak wattage. RMS wattage will be half that. So basically you're trying to compete with a drummer and bass player with a 25 watt solid-state amp.
A Katana is like a boutique amp by comparison, I'd have no hesitation using mine live (though haven't yet). There may be a backlash, but this is one fabulous amp. We've never had it so good with multipurpose amps like this.
I think a big issue with the Katana and many other current modelling amps is the speaker which is built to a budget. But the moment you stick in a good heavy magnet speaker like a Celestion Vintage 30 or Creamback etc you've added to the weight and cost and that doubles up if you go 2x12. And if you need a bigger sound in a band mix you really need more than a 1x12 which will always sound boxier by comparison.
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.
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youIt 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.
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youI’m actually giving serious consideration to pulling the electronics out of my 2x12 and turning it into a head/cab setup - if nothing else it’ll make using it as a backup for the big Blackstar easier...