Tried a Katana today...

Maynehead

I’ve been meaning to try one for a while after hearing all the hype, so I popped into PMT Bristol today and asked to have a go on one. They grabbed a Katana 100 combo and stuck me in a private room with a nice Charvel pro mod SSH and left me to it.

After about a good half hour of knob twiddling and playing everything from classic rock to heavy metal, I left with the realisation that I couldn’t get a tone I liked out of it!

The main issues for me were:

• A honky midrange that I couldn’t dial out unless I turned the mids all the way down, but then I’m left with a mushy, grainy tone that wouldn’t cut though.
• Lack of top end. Even with the presence all the way up and treble around 2 o’clock, I can’t get any of the searing highs that I’m used to with my current amps. It’s almost like the whole audio spectrum needs to be shifted up a few kHz.
• Flubby low end. Perhaps related to the previous issue, I found the low end too overpowering and difficult to control. The bass control never made it past 12 o’clock the whole time.
• A hard, mid heavy in your face attack. As soon as I played the first chord I noticed that attack was something I wasn’t used to. It was like all the mids just jumps up and slaps you in the face. If you think a Marshall Plexi had a punchy attack, this has even more!

I think all in all, the character of the amp can be described as a mushy bass heavy tone, with a jab of mid range honk and lack of high end sizzle. This seems to be a general character of the amp that applies to all amp modes, and one that I can’t seem to change much with the tone controls or the integrated boosts. I suppose some of it could be attributed to the speaker choice, but it’s hard to imagine a different speaker could fix all the issues.

I think for the price, it’s a useful and versatile piece of kit, and I would be happy to use it at rehearsals due to its convenience. However, for gigging, I’m probably too spoilt by my current amps to consider using the Katana instead.

I must admit, I’m slightly disappointed after hearing all the good things about them, as I had grand plans for the Katana head as a one amp to rule them all, but I guess I wasn’t as disappointed as the sales rep who set everything up for me 

dbphoto

Considering the price I quite liked mine, and compared to some other amps of the same cost for me the simplicity is great, but I don’t think the hype is anywhere near what it deserves.

Compared to the awful Marshall Code 100 2x12” that I traded in against the one I had it was great though.  (I took the Code in a trade against an equally bad Line 6 Spider Jam, which was traded for god knows what...)

in fact, a few months later and they still have my old Code for sale:

https://www.kennysmusic.co.uk/marshall-code-100-with-pedal-pre-owned

Maynehead

I would also add that just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean it’s a bad amp, it’s just not for me. I’m sure there are plenty others who likes what it does.

monquixote

It depends what you are comparing it to.

The thing it's best at is clean with pedals.

soma1975

Yep not a fan here either. Every time I get told how far amp modelling has come in the last couple of years I try something and am constantly underwhelmed. 

ICBM

I found exactly the same with the 50. It was that ‘hardness’ of the sound I couldn’t stand more than the EQ - just a horrible playing experience.

It was not quite the worst-sounding amp I’ve ever heard but there aren’t many I’ve disliked as much.

darthed1981

The Katana isn't displacing all other amps at every price point any time soon.  I've personally found it's an incredibly versatile and portable amp for praccy, small jams and so on.

However, it isn't going to compete with 40w valve amps at gigs, it goes mushy and vanishes at high volume, if you use a JCM800 and a 4x12 normally it isn't going to compete with that "tone".

It is still staggering value for money at £190 though and it's all most home players ever need.  It's only real competition at that price is not using an amp, but using software and monitors etc.

soma1975

Definitely good value for money. 

But so was a Zoom 9002 and try listening to one of those now!

lysander

monquixote said:

It depends what you are comparing it to.

The thing it's best at is clean with pedals.

That’s interesting, because I only tried one in a shop exactly in this way and I thought it sounded pretty good and took the pedals really well.

ICBM

You can get any number of plain old analogue solid-state amps that sound better clean and take pedals well for much less than £190.

monquixote

ICBM said:

You can get any number of plain old analogue solid-state amps that sound better clean and take pedals well for much less than £190.

I don't really agree.

You would probably say a Bandit would do the job better and it might, but a Bandit is £299 at Andertons whereas a Katana 50 is £190. Yes you can probably pick up an ancient Bandit for a load less, but that's not really a fair comparison.

Once you take into account that the Katana has loads of good quality effects, 4 channels and USB recording it's not a very fair comparison at all.

In terms of a box you could gig with (and people do) for £200 it's pretty astonishing value.

Given the couple of threads recently I just dug mine out. Next to the Origin it's clearly outclassed, but with the Veteran, or White Atom in the front it's still very much a grin inducing experience that I'd get away with at a gig in a pinch.

What I also tried today that I've been meaning to do for a while is stick the line out of the Origin into the Katana with the delay and reverb on as a wet / dry rig. I must say that sounded brilliant and if I had the space I'd probably leave it set up like that all the time.

darthed1981

ICBM said:

You can get any number of plain old analogue solid-state amps that sound better clean and take pedals well for much less than £190.

I'm not sure I agree with that, as you know.

But also the Katana includes about 60 effects you can try, including boosts you can put in front of it, and so someone starting out can also try out lots of different options without spending an extra penny, which adds even more to the VFM.

kennedydream1980

That honky mid range you describe is exactly what will get you heard in a live band mix. I said on many threads on here I like the Katana, I gigged 2 50 combos in a stereo rig running clean with pedals for around 6 months. They sounded great and sat really nicely in a dense band mix running a click track.

TeleMaster

soma1975 said:

Yep not a fan here either. Every time I get told how far amp modelling has come in the last couple of years I try something and am constantly underwhelmed. 

I wouldn’t judge modelling on a Katana. It’s literally the lower end of the category. Plug a Kemper into a guitar cab and see. 

soma1975

That's a valid point to be fair. 

I feel the same way about Line 6 stuff too but never tried Kemper. 

dazzajl

My first play through one was last month at Andertons. They are now a fixture in all the practice rooms and dotted about the showroom too. If they think they sound good enough to tempt us to buy guitars, that has to say something surely?

I didn’t like it personally and asked for something different but I accept thats just personal opinion. 

As a one box does it all in a pick up and go format I much prefer my Fender Mustang iii V2. Without a computer connected it’s an annoying and fiddly interface to dial anything in but it’s possible and the programs are easy enough to scroll through. It also has far too many options but given that your four amp voices and few pedals that you stick to aren’t going to be the same as mine, they need to all be there. 

The bottom line is that to me, it sounds better. 

monquixote

dazzajl said:

My first play through one was last month at Andertons. They are now a fixture in all the practice rooms and dotted about the showroom too. If they think they sound good enough to tempt us to buy guitars, that has to say something surely?

I didn’t like it personally and asked for something different but I accept thats just personal opinion. 

As a one box does it all in a pick up and go format I much prefer my Fender Mustang iii V2. Without a computer connected it’s an annoying and fiddly interface to dial anything in but it’s possible and the programs are easy enough to scroll through. It also has far too many options but given that your four amp voices and few pedals that you stick to aren’t going to be the same as mine, they need to all be there. 

The bottom line is that to me, it sounds better. 

The clean sounds on the Mustangs are really nice, but I found it hated pedals which is why I moved the one I had on.

peteri

Funny I played one recently - Guitar Guitar at Camden plugged me in to demo a Strandberg.

In fairness the whole demo experience was pretty poor, actually one of the worst I can remember - in terms of sneering disinterest.

But the amp only emphasised that, it's the first time I've actually refused to demo a guitar through an amp - it was the Katana 50 combo, and just had this hard digital edge that (to me), just didn't actually sound like an amp - yes it made the guitar louder, but just no musicality to it.

Was amazed, was expecting to like it - but reminded me of a Spider from back in the early 2000s

Maybe the bigger combos are better, maybe it was a bad amp (it was certainly a bad experience) but a surprise to me

munckee

I had one for a couple of months, you can dial in some great sounds for playing at home, does require some messing about with but they are definitely there.  As an amp you can take out to jam with without a pedal board it is adequate and loud enough to play with a drummer.

I played it next to @lovestrat74 who had a fender vibrochamp which is similar idea but with valves involved and the katana did not compare very well I thought, hence I sold it and bought a super champ x 2 to take to jams and I much prefer it.

dazzajl

monquixote said:

dazzajl said:

My first play through one was last month at Andertons. They are now a fixture in all the practice rooms and dotted about the showroom too. If they think they sound good enough to tempt us to buy guitars, that has to say something surely?

I didn’t like it personally and asked for something different but I accept thats just personal opinion. 

As a one box does it all in a pick up and go format I much prefer my Fender Mustang iii V2. Without a computer connected it’s an annoying and fiddly interface to dial anything in but it’s possible and the programs are easy enough to scroll through. It also has far too many options but given that your four amp voices and few pedals that you stick to aren’t going to be the same as mine, they need to all be there. 

The bottom line is that to me, it sounds better. 

The clean sounds on the Mustangs are really nice, but I found it hated pedals which is why I moved the one I had on.

That makes a lot of sense. I first got one because I get bored faffing with pedal boards  and I don’t ever use more than a nice side order  of crunch. 

Modulus_Amps

peteri said:

Funny I played one recently - Guitar Guitar at Camden plugged me in to demo a Strandberg.

In fairness the whole demo experience was pretty poor, actually one of the worst I can remember - in terms of sneering disinterest.

But the amp only emphasised that, it's the first time I've actually refused to demo a guitar through an amp - it was the Katana 50 combo, and just had this hard digital edge that (to me), just didn't actually sound like an amp - yes it made the guitar louder, but just no musicality to it.

Was amazed, was expecting to like it - but reminded me of a Spider from back in the early 2000s

Maybe the bigger combos are better, maybe it was a bad amp (it was certainly a bad experience) but a surprise to me

Guy goes into shop to try out an expensive guitar, guitar shop plugs him onto cheap digital amp... LOL