So today I finally tried a Boss Katana

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    is it based on COSM amp modelling? That always sounded awful on the Vg88 and vg99, my conclusion was that the Roland guys have some different idea about what sounds good

    It appears to be based on a GT-100 internally which would suggest yes but I found the modelling on the GT-100 to be unusable compared to anything including an original POD. The Katana is clearly not as good as line6 or atomic but is certainly a step up from what they had before.
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9549
    edited July 2019
    is it based on COSM amp modelling? That always sounded awful on the Vg88 and vg99, my conclusion was that the Roland guys have some different idea about what sounds good

    It appears to be based on a GT-100 internally which would suggest yes but I found the modelling on the GT-100 to be unusable compared to anything including an original POD. The Katana is clearly not as good as line6 or atomic but is certainly a step up from what they had before.
    Ah, that might explain why the different 'models' all sound like a Boss BD-2 being turned up more and more.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • TenebrousTenebrous Frets: 1332
    This might be of interest to some folks here.


    I still have a love/hate relationship with my Katana Artist. It does some things really well, then the next day I just won't want to play through it at all. It does way too much for me to sensibly consider selling it (although I would swap for a Katana 100+ cash for sure), but I think I am going to be on the lookout for an Orange CR60 when the time is right.

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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9549
    Tenebrous said:
    ...but I think I am going to be on the lookout for an Orange CR60 when the time is right.

    I owned a CR60C for a time, and while it's a great amp, I found it could be quite fiddly to dial it in properly. I recently moved mine on and replaced it with a Blues Cube Stage which, IMHO, is better in every way (as long as you like that Fender Bassman type sound).  
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    edited October 2019
    Tenebrous said:
    This might be of interest to some folks here.


    I still have a love/hate relationship with my Katana Artist. It does some things really well, then the next day I just won't want to play through it at all. It does way too much for me to sensibly consider selling it (although I would swap for a Katana 100+ cash for sure), but I think I am going to be on the lookout for an Orange CR60 when the time is right.

    Subscribed to Dave Simpson, an excellent video, an excellent player and he talks sense. 

    Apart from his opinions on the Mk1 v Mk2, his opinion on the Katana generally as a superb-sounding amp I completely agree with. “One of the best amps of all time”.  Spot on. 

    I have a hope that the Katana 50 can singlehandedly inspire a new generation of young guitarists who can get pretty much any tone they like out of one unit, not to mention a palette of effects, and not have to worry about spending a fortune or using crap gear like back in my day. 
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  • TenebrousTenebrous Frets: 1332
    Agreed 100% on Dave. The dude can seriously get a great sound out of anything.

    HAL9000 said:
    Tenebrous said:
    ...but I think I am going to be on the lookout for an Orange CR60 when the time is right.

    I owned a CR60C for a time, and while it's a great amp, I found it could be quite fiddly to dial it in properly. I recently moved mine on and replaced it with a Blues Cube Stage which, IMHO, is better in every way (as long as you like that Fender Bassman type sound).  
    Interesting. I remember looking at the Blues Cube & really liking the sound of them, but I'd just have to wait to find the right deal second hand to give it a go, I think. The only reason I ended up with the Artist was because I found it in like-new condition £140 discounted from Guitarguitar =)
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  • Bluebeard said:
    I have a Katana 100w 1x12 combo and its a great amp
    It's a hateful box of wank

    Any katana is a hateful box of wank
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6625
    Hateful Box of Wank sounds like a new metal amp model.
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12253
    soma1975 said:
    Hateful Box of Wank sounds like a new metal amp model.
    Great name for a band. 


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  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    edited October 2019
    Orange CR60? Bought one once, it was like eating dry Ryvita with nothing on it. Dull, dry, boring, characterless. In fact, a hateful box of wank
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    There are a couple of CR60s in the practice rooms I use - to me they’re OK, but not great. They do sound a bit generic and boring - not positively bad, just a bit ordinary... a little disappointing after the initial excitement of seeing a new analogue solid-state amp that’s well-made and not just being sold as cheap.

    The overdrive in particular was just a bit flat and uninspiring. I’ve also found that the clean channel - although it sounds quite good by itself - can sound scratchy and fizzy with pedals... but the overdrive channel sounds much better, if you turn down the gain just far enough that it’s completely clean - it then takes pedals really well.

    But I still much prefer the Peavey Transtubes.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Fender deluxe 112 for the win

    Might just be a fond memory but at the time of ownership (admittedly over a decade ago) I loved that thing
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • TenebrousTenebrous Frets: 1332
    Fender deluxe 112 for the win

    Might just be a fond memory but at the time of ownership (admittedly over a decade ago) I loved that thing
    Hehe, well, I'll be picking up my first repair job on that very same amp if all goes as planned :+1: Really looking forward to it.
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4941
    Tenebrous said:
    This might be of interest to some folks here.




    Though I am not in the market for a guitar amp, I checked out the video that @Tenebrous posted.

    Interesting but..

    * The guy can play guitar but was the first few minutes of endless wailing necessary?

    * Comparing a new combo amp to an old one is not a good idea if the new amp has not been properly broken in.  I don't think that a few days is enough breaking in time.  In the case of hi-fi speakers >100 hours use is the bare minimum.  Guitar speakers may require less but I think it ought to be >50 hours usage.

    * Placing combo amps on top of speakers is not typical of their usage and might affect the sound output.  It might have been better if the 4 * 12 speaker cabs were turned to face the wall where any possible effect they may have is reduced to the minimum.  

    * The recorded tests should have BOTH amps sitting in exactly the same place.  And using the same power cable to power both.

    FWIIW, I thought the MK1 amp sounded good and was easily the better of the two amps on test.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • ModellistaModellista Frets: 2039
    Anybody hearing the "atrocious, grainy, harsh, hard sound with no life, sparkle or depth to it" in the above video?  Me neither.
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11669
    Anybody hearing the "atrocious, grainy, harsh, hard sound with no life, sparkle or depth to it" in the above video?  Me neither.
    I've actually tried to dial that in, and can't...

    Still sounds to me better than any other amp in it's class, and with a billion times more flexibility.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    Anybody hearing the "atrocious, grainy, harsh, hard sound with no life, sparkle or depth to it" in the above video?  Me neither.
    A bit - but it's amazing what you can hide with Youtube sound quality. Stand next to them in the room and they don't sound like that at all.


    Still sounds to me better than any other amp in it's class, and with a billion times more flexibility.
    Yes, but you also like the Blackstar Cores, which are even worse :). They avoid having as much of the harshness by burying it under a pile of blankets.

    Some of us just hear things differently I think.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11669
    ICBM said:

    Still sounds to me better than any other amp in it's class, and with a billion times more flexibility.
    Yes, but you also like the Blackstar Cores, which are even worse :). They avoid having as much of the harshness by burying it under a pile of blankets.

    Some of us just hear things differently I think.
    I like Blackstar cores for what they ARE - little boxes of fun which sound OK at proper home volumes, and give lots of tones, they make me want to plug in a guitar and play it for fun.  They are top beginner amps.

    Now I actually think the Katana sounds proper good, and there I actually agree, not everyone looks for the same thing in a sound they consider "good".

    I'm sure we would both agree, when looking for an amp, people should always try and hear them themselves, and make their own mind up, regardless of what we say :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71950
    edited November 2019
    darthed1981 said:

    I like Blackstar cores for what they ARE - little boxes of fun which sound OK at proper home volumes, and give lots of tones, they make me want to plug in a guitar and play it for fun.  They are top beginner amps.
    For me they sound absolutely dreadful at any volume and if that was what all amps sounded like, would make me want to stick to acoustic guitar...

    ;)


    I'm sure we would both agree, when looking for an amp, people should always try and hear them themselves, and make their own mind up, regardless of what we say
    Yes - but also importantly, regardless of what internet reviewers and 'popular wisdom' have to say. I've heard £150 solid-state amps that I prefer to £1500 valve amps, and I'm not afraid to say so... but it's easy not to trust your own ears when you think you're not an expert.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5325
    Having just spent another weekend surrounded by a mix of Katana's and much dearer/more traditionally desirable stuff, I have to say they sound fine to me, certainly in a band context.

    I can get how they might not be universally popular - after all there are many genres and styles of music because people have different tastes - but they categorically can't be described as objectively shit. They demonstrably aren't. They're also not the best thing in the world, but there's a place for them in the world, and it's not at the bottom of landfill. 
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