So today I finally tried a Boss Katana

TADodger

It seems to me that it is a case of each to their own for whatever individual reason drives that choice.

I bought a Marshall type equivalent, Code 25, for what I thought would be a one box jamming amp, but in reality, I’m much happier with my Rift Brownie 5 reverb and a ThorpyFX Peackeeper for most playing. 

But that is me and I wouldn’t get all bothered over whether others do or don’t like the Katana to be honest.

I’ve also got an HX Stomp, which I also really like but haven’t explored in even half of its full potential just to add another level of contention

YellowLedBetterMan

BeardyAndy said:

ICBM said:

You can easily pick up a Transtube Bandit for about £100 now.

I know, but my back isn't what it was!

To add to the discussion. I sold my Silver Stripe Bandit to get a Katana. I still don't know why, the Bandit was awesome.

If I ever got round to gigging and didn't want to spend a fortune, the Bandit would be top of my priority list.

noisepolluter

I bought one last week.
It’s just gone back.
After playing it at home and at a jam, and wrangling the various deep-editing EQ gubbins, I just couldn’t get along with the bright edge that the basic sound of the amp always seemed to have. Tried it alongside a red stripe Peavey Envoy and preferred the Peavey. 
Horses for courses I s’pose.

ennspek

Christ almighty for the price, think about it. Plenty of people don't want to trawl second hand ads for a Peavey or whatever. All your amps, all your pedals, all there.

Make it as complicated or as simple as you want.

I think we sometimes forget how good we have it now, or at least how good "beginners" have it now.

Honestly I think 90% of this thread is comments from people who are very far from the target market.
I don't have one by the way just saying.

brooom

Cols said:

Or you could ask Brian May why he has 12 AC30s on stage, but only ever runs 3 of them at once and has a switching system to click on to the next bank of three.

I think we all know the answer to that question... because he can!

olafgarten

I like the Katana because no other amp sounds as good at whisper quiet volumes, very useful when playing at home. 

darthed1981

TADodger said:

in reality, I’m much happier with my Rift Brownie 5 reverb and a ThorpyFX Peackeeper for most playing.

Mate, thats about £1200 worth of gear.  If it WASN'T quite a lot better than a Katana it would be a pretty poor lookout for both of our excellent local boutique makers!

ChuckManual

A mate of mine is in a semi-pro function band and needed a reliable back-up amp for gigs. He'd heard about the Katana and thought it sounded like exactly like the sort of thing he was after, so went went out amp shopping and he tried a 50. He hated it - but while we were waiting for something-else to be set up, he idly plugged-in to a 100 ...and bought it almost on the spot. The difference between them (for both of us), while not exactly being night and day, was definitely noticeable. The 50 sounded like the sort of amp that cost as little as it did - and the 100 sounded like Bargain Of The Century.

I had it round at mine to set up the software / footswitch / presets, etc - and I had a couple of fun days finding (to my ears, at least) some very usable sounds in there. He also lent it to another friend who's a full-time depping guitarist, who needed a versatile amp at extremely short notice (30 minutes to curtain up!) and he, also having previously tried a 50 and not got on with it at all, liked the 100 so much he went straight out and bought himself one the very next day.

What I'm saying is; the Katana is not the greatest amp I've ever heard - but you shouldn't judge the 100 on the shortcomings of the 50.

richardhomer

ennspek said:

Christ almighty for the price, think about it. Plenty of people don't want to trawl second hand ads for a Peavey or whatever. All your amps, all your pedals, all there.

Make it as complicated or as simple as you want.

I think we sometimes forget how good we have it now, or at least how good "beginners" have it now.

Honestly I think 90% of this thread is comments from people who are very far from the target market.
I don't have one by the way just saying.

Exactly - someone on here messaged me after the Huddersfield Jam who was in the room when I played - complimenting me on the tone I got.

I’m definitely not the ‘target market’ - but having played through one in a band setting, it worked for me. And I didn’t expect it too....

EricTheWeary

I watched a bit of Richard's video. It sounds like an electric guitar. Had I been in the room, been able to A-B it with another amp ya da ya da but it sounds like an electric guitar and seems to have been loud enough to be heard through bass, drums, other guitar. 

I've heard people playing with Spyders (?) and that kind of thing and it's mush in the mix which that clearly wasn't. It's a giggable amp for £260. I think there's a big desire for something you can use at home but also for a jam, open mic night, initial gigs that has some tonal flexibility as well. Not everyone  is in that TPS must own five different amps type of zone. Just ticks a lot of boxes. As MrsTheWeary would say what do you want, jam on it? 

Blueingreen

HAL9000 said:

Philtre said:

HAL9000 said:

...when a solid state amp fails it nearly always fails completely. Valves will often at least give some warning. 

Yes, yes they do. Why, only yesterday the 6L6 in my HRD left a note at the bottom of the amp for me, it said "Hey Phil, just a heads up, I'm going to fail next Tuesday, so better get a spare in."

The only two times I've had problems with a valve amp (a Marshall 50W combo many moons ago), it gave some indication that all was not well. Volume loss one time, and strange sputtering noises the other time. So yes, some signs but no catastrophic failure.

The first "proper" valve amp I had was a Selmer head.  I used it happily for a while and then bought a Marshall at which point I sold the Selmer to our singer, who played a bit of rhythm.  First gig he used it, it spontaneously combusted.  Smoke all over the stage.  Absolutely no warning. 

darthed1981

Blueingreen said:

HAL9000 said:

Philtre said:

HAL9000 said:

...when a solid state amp fails it nearly always fails completely. Valves will often at least give some warning. 

Yes, yes they do. Why, only yesterday the 6L6 in my HRD left a note at the bottom of the amp for me, it said "Hey Phil, just a heads up, I'm going to fail next Tuesday, so better get a spare in."

The only two times I've had problems with a valve amp (a Marshall 50W combo many moons ago), it gave some indication that all was not well. Volume loss one time, and strange sputtering noises the other time. So yes, some signs but no catastrophic failure.

The first "proper" valve amp I had was a Selmer head.  I used it happily for a while and then bought a Marshall at which point I sold the Selmer to our singer, who played a bit of rhythm.  First gig he used it, it spontaneously combusted.  Smoke all over the stage.  Absolutely no warning. 

The singer spontaneously combusted?

ICBM

Blueingreen said:

The first "proper" valve amp I had was a Selmer head.  I used it happily for a while and then bought a Marshall at which point I sold the Selmer to our singer, who played a bit of rhythm.  First gig he used it, it spontaneously combusted.  Smoke all over the stage.  Absolutely no warning.  

Probably not a valve failure. And solid-state amps can do that too...

Greatape

Sounds pretty good to me...

The other guitarist in our 12 piece sounds pretty decent through one. It cuts through, is small and inexpensive...

ICBM

Greatape said:

Sounds pretty good to me...

It sounds like it's in a tin bath - horrible honky metallic sound.

If that's you playing I apologise, but it really does!

kennedydream1980

ICBM said:

Greatape said:

Sounds pretty good to me...

It sounds like it's in a tin bath - horrible honky metallic sound.

If that's you playing I apologise, but it really does!

I think that is the guitarist in Mike and the Mechanics.

I gigged with 2 Katana 50 combo's for about 9 months running in stereo with pedals on the clean channel, (I posted a video on here on another thread) it sounded great to me and cut through nicely in a live band. I only moved them on as I switched to a Helix. 

YellowLedBetterMan

I have a Katana, and while it doesn't sound like Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, or like Clapton's Bluesbreaker days, or like John Mayer's thick clean tone l, I don't think that's the point. It's not trying to imitate a valve amp. The Katana is very much it's own thing and thing is variety, ease of use and a bunch of sounds that are usable. For someone who needs lots of sounds from an amp, or doesn't know exactly what amp they want, the Katana does a job at covering a range of sounds and pointing you in the direction of the sounds you like. If I was in a covers band, the Katana would be nigh-on unbeatable for its variety of tones and built-in effects.

No, it's not a plexi into a 4x12. No, it's not a 60s handwired AC30. No, it's not a vintage fender set to that mystical "on-the-edge" sound. What it is is a Boss Katana, and if you need the vibe of those amps, a bunch of effects and maybe some more, but don't have the car space, stage space or bank space to get the real deal, the Katana is your friend.

munckee

After recently buying the katana I have played that at home loads lately.  Its currently lent out as mentioned above.  I played my THR5 last night which had been dormant since the katana arrived, I think it maybe sounds better at very low volume than the katana - in fact I would say its probably as good as you can get at no louder than the tv volume.

monquixote

ICBM said:

Greatape said:

Sounds pretty good to me...

It sounds like it's in a tin bath - horrible honky metallic sound.

If that's you playing I apologise, but it really does!

I think you have very specific ideas about how a guitar should sound that are quite different to a lot of guitarists.

I have almost a 100% hit rate of liking different stuff to you.

ICBM

monquixote said:

I think you have very specific ideas about how a guitar should sound that are quite different to a lot of guitarists. 

I don't think so - I like most classic recorded guitar sounds.

monquixote said:

I have almost a 100% hit rate of liking different stuff to you.

I don't deny that - what I find odd is the number of people who think it sounds like a good valve amp. It doesn't, at all.