Katana 50 impressions please?

What's Hot
HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9552
Thinking about getting one of these and just wondered what other people think? I know nearly all the initial magazine and music shop reviews were very positive, but what about in the real world?

I know @ICBM wasn't overly impressed with the gain sounds and the reliability of the Roland Cube amps, and wondered whether the Katana was really any better or just a repackaged evolution of the Cube series?
I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«13

Comments

  • LooseMooseLooseMoose Frets: 908
    I rate them very highly, however I'm going back to the 'rev the tits off a tiny valve amp' mindset.

    If you can wait till tomorrow, I should know if I can shift my Katana 100 - just need to check my running repairs to my Champ have worked ;-)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • LegionreturnsLegionreturns Frets: 7965
    100 is class, mainly because of the foot controller. Unlocks the door to awesome functionality. 

    My Trading Feedback    |    You Bring The Band

    Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    I've got the 50w.
    I paid £189.00

    I think it's an awesome amp.
    It's dead easy to carry and surprisingly big sounding for something so compact. The speaker is great and on 50w it's easily loud enough for a gig but on 0.5w it's perfect for a small room. Mine does 25w too which is still useable at home but obviously not up at full volume.

    The EQ section is very good.
    The amp 'Models' are more like 'Categories' really, it's not as much Faff as a Vox VT+ but it's a ton easier to get a good sound out of. The sounds it makes on each setting are frankly amazing considering there are no valves in it and the quality of the amp sounds and the feedback is very realistic, it's honestly very good.
    The effects are modelled on the actual stompboxes and on the laptop screen it's incredibly easy to go through them and find the right combination to store on the amp.
    You get to store 3 drives, 3 Modulations, 3 delays, 3 FX2's and 3 Reverbs, all recalled from the buttons on the top panel.
    On mine, I only get 2 user slots (They call them Channels) to save patches to or you can have panel mode. On the 100w you get 4 slots to save patches too.
    I've already got a Boss Latching footswitchI use with my GT100 for remote tuner access so I can use that or the other Latching single button footswitch to toggle between Patch 1 and 2 but I'm not sure if that'll work with the 100w or it's just a happy accident with my 50w because I only have 2 of them. It will pull the amp out of panel mode and then toggle the patches but it won't put it back into panel mode, I have to go back to the amp and do that Manually.

    For what it cost I'm really happy with it and as a backup to my Blackstar S1 200 it's certainly worthy plus it's a great practice amp for home when I can't be bothered firing up the big rig and setting up the GT100.
    Interestingly though, the GT100 sounds GREAT through the Katana and the effects on the amp go very well with the GT so it's certainly an amp that likes pedals being in front of it.

    I'm trying very hard to stop myself buying another one and running the 2 Katana's in Stereo with the Blackstar in the middle as a W/D/W set up but for now, I'm very happy with it for what I need from it.
    The ability to record to the laptop straight from the amp without the GT100 involved really nails it for me because I can document each practice session and monitor how that's going.
    Music playback / play-along sounds great through it, headphones sound great and all round it just screams quality.
    Some very clever people have really thought this amp through and I'm nothing but impressed with it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11677
    I'm sorry I'm a guitarist, I don't do impressions...

    It's great - just stunning for the money and for an SS amp - YMMV of course. :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    edited July 2017
    My mate had one and really rated it (loud enough for small gigs, versatile, good-sounding and lightweight) but for a few quid more, the 100 offered some really useful additions and he's moving the 50 on and he came to that decision pretty soon after he bought it. I'm semi-interested in the 50 but the lack of a speaker out on it is a shame.

    I know it's the 50 you're asking about but the following might prove useful

    http://www.tdpri.com/threads/boss-katana-50-and-100-combo-the-differences.709998/

    EDIT: See further down for my initial thoughts as it's now in my possession
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    I did my first full, loud, rock band gig with my Katana 50 this week.  I usually use an all-valve Marshall combo but I can't carry that on the bus!  Seriously, the light weight of the 50 is a huge bonus for me - as long as the sound is up to scratch.

    Long story short - it worked fine, and I'm going to be using it again in the same context.  I use it solely on the clean channel, with a touch of spring reverb, and use pedals for everything else including drive.  I have *one* caveat - it's possible to overload the front end if your signal is too hot from overdrive pedals.  Whereas a valve amp will break up and compress slightly but still retains its core tone, the Katana can get a bit muddy, woofy and compressed if your input is too hot.

    I was using the full 50w mode on the clean setting with gain, channel volume and master all on 12 o'clock.  I have a rehearsal today and I'm going to increase the master and reduce the gain to see if I can increase the headroom, but having said that I do quite like the slightly hairy clean tone with the gain on half so we'll have to see how that pans out.  The volume was easily loud enough even with all the controls on half - it was mic'd up but it was loud enough to hear on stage direct from the amp, over the volume of the drummer, bass and vocals.

    For this gig we were the support band, I sat the Katana on top of the main band's Blackstar/Marshall stack.  It looked like a pea on a drum, but mic'd up it sounded great.  People couldn't believe the sound was coming from such a small amp and it does  make the concept of needing a stack and multiple valves burning away rather ludicrous.

    And I still haven't explored the USB and software control side of the amp, with all the built-in effects just waiting to be explored.  So you're getting a full multi-effects unit, USB interface, acoustic amp, multi-channel amp loud enough for gigging, in a small, cheap, lightweight package.  These are a total no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

    And I know this might sound like an oddball thing to say, but the portability factor is my favourite part.  They really are very light, so this is the first amp that sounds good enough to gig with that I can actually bring on public transport.  Which means I don't have to drive to every gig that requires an amp, which means I can have a drink before/during/after the gig and properly relax and enjoy myself.  A huge, huge bonus, because music should be about fun after all.

    I've got a gig video from the other night which I'll upload in due course.  It shows how a Katana performs in a real-world band situation.  I'll update the thread with a link when it's up.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    They are very light, aren't they..?! And on the half watt setting in the house, blooming loud!
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    Great review @modellista ! I'd love to see/hear your video, and I'm interested in how you got on with your headroom experiment :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11677
    I was using the full 50w mode on the clean setting with gain, channel volume and master all on 12 o'clock.  I have a rehearsal today and I'm going to increase the master and reduce the gain to see if I can increase the headroom, but having said that I do quite like the slightly hairy clean tone with the gain on half so we'll have to see how that pans out. 

    Not sure if this helps, but apparently Boss advise you to max the master volume and control with the channel volume, I'm sure I read that somewhere.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    I was using the full 50w mode on the clean setting with gain, channel volume and master all on 12 o'clock.  I have a rehearsal today and I'm going to increase the master and reduce the gain to see if I can increase the headroom, but having said that I do quite like the slightly hairy clean tone with the gain on half so we'll have to see how that pans out. 

    Not sure if this helps, but apparently Boss advise you to max the master volume and control with the channel volume, I'm sure I read that somewhere.
    Hi, thanks for that, I was trying to remember where I'd heard that, and which way round it was - full channel or full master.  Seems a bit daft, why would you put a control just to advise people to keep it on full?  Anyway, see below, I tried it and didn't like it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    clarkefan said:
    Great review @modellista ! I'd love to see/hear your video, and I'm interested in how you got on with your headroom experiment :)
    The video's uploading now.  The practice went well, I can say with absolute certainty that the Katana sounds a world better than a Tiny Terror through an Orange 2x12.  One was in the rehearsal room.  It was a total piece of cack and no clean headroom whatsoever.  Who buys those things?  I see it got five stars in Music Radar - never rely on a review for honesty.

    Bear in mind when I talk about headroom on the Katana, I am being *very* picky indeed.  These are loud volumes and I'm expecting clean cleans.

    Anyway, the Katana was great again.  I could find *some* fault over and above my Marshall, maybe to do with sharp high end transients but it's close.  Very close.  The flabby bass seems to only happen when I'm using a vibe pedal on the neck pickup, which puts out a lot of low end, so this could be maybe to do with the speaker.  At all other times the Katana is clean as a clean thing.  I was using -17dB earplugs against a drummer and decent size bass combo and I could hear the Katana no problem.  The 100 must be a loud beast!

    I take it back about the drive pedals pushing it too hard - I don't think it's the drives as such but clearly this is going to be more likely to flub over unlike a decent clean tube amp if you put in a signal that's way too hot.

    I did try fiddling with gain, channel, and master volume, but nothing seemed to make much difference, except of course if you push the gain the clean gets hairier.  The master on full seemed if anything more compressed, so, as you would expect, keeping all the knobs in the middle of their travel gives the best headroom.

    And back to my favourite bit - we were rehearsing in one of the rooms in Newcastle University, and the nearest public car park was about 10 mins walk away.  With a valve Marshall combo that would be one painful walk with frequent stops for relief.  As it was, I could carry everything in one go without thinking.  Brilliant.  I'll put up with the occasinal sharp transient in exchange for no sharp pain in my back!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9552
    Thanks all. At the moment my main amp is an Orange CR60C which very nearly fulfills everything I want in that it is as simple as can be. Doesn't come with all the effects and models that SS amps normally come with, no tuner, aux in, USB, etc. Only really let down by its weight (44lb), plus it would be nice to have a more Fender-y tone available - its core tone is very much that Orange slightly breathy sound which is great but a bit more variety would be good. Will certainly try a Katana in the future - the portability is very appealing.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DulcetJonesDulcetJones Frets: 515
    I've had mine for  several months now and can agree with @modellista   and @Alnico .   I've gigged it a few times , most recently last night at an outdoor event.  Concerns about a 50 watt being big/loud enough for some venues are not valid IMO, bigger venues and last nights outdoor gig had a soundman on site putting mic's on everything.  I rigged up a footswitch for the channel function and only use a distortion pedal and volume pedal.  I use a Les Paul most of the time, and a Godin solid body electric nylon string for a few songs.  I've experimented with using the acoustic setting with the Godin but it makes little difference, if I keep the tone/EQ  settings on the guitar backed right off it sounds great. 

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DulcetJonesDulcetJones Frets: 515
    BTW,  great vid  @modellista 

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    edited July 2017
    I've been watching Katana demos and been doing some research on these. Couple of practical observations.

    1. The 50 doesn't have connectivity to the Katana floor pedal...vital imo if you want to use it live
    2. None of the Katana combos have an extn cab out.

    For these reasons I wouldn't buy the 50 as I'd want it for rehearsals and gigging.

    Its annoying that neither the Fender Mustang III v2 nor the 1x12 Katana 100 have an extn cab out. The 1x12 Katana weighs 32lbs, but the 2x12 is 50lbs which is too heavy for my needs ( bad back and getting on).

    Although the Katana 100 has a good heavy magnet speaker, any 1x12 has sonic limitations and a 2x12 or 4x12 will always push more air and sound fuller.

    The lack of extn cab out is why I passed on the Mustang III ...looks like I'm going to have to pass on the Katana 100 for the same reason. I'd want a 1x12's lightness and power but with the option to plug into a larger cab.
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    edited July 2017
    Installing a speaker jack should be straightforward, might be worth looking into at least?

    Edit - thanks @modellista for the extra thoughts and video, sounds great! :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Arktik83Arktik83 Frets: 431
    I've had a Katana before and always moved it on because it just lacked something but Mark (Photek) bought my old one and said if you maxed the master volume and adjust the actual amp volume to taste it fills out quite nicely and he was 100% right in my opinion. 

    It sounded boss (no pun intended) with the Master maxed and that's not to say you need to dime the channel volume so can still be a bedroom levels.  However I foolishly returned it, I would have cancelled the return if I didn't have to pay for the return myself!  Out of the modelling amps around they're the best in my opinion.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    Definitely an amp to be used in an old school fashion, cranked up and controlled by the guitar volume control
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.