N.A.D.: Boss Katana 100 2X12 Mk II

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grayngrayn Frets: 870
Went over to Promenade Music, in Morecambe this morning, my first visit there, since the lockdown.
I've recently joined a classic rock band and realised straightaway, that my Roland Blues Cube Hot is a tad small for the situation.
I wanted a solid state, 2x12 combo, so I went over to check out the ubiquitous Katana 100 and Fender's Champion 100xl.
I've heard a lot of very nasty and nice things, said about the Katana but I decided to try it out for myself.
It's a fairly low cost amp but Fender's Champion 100xl is cheap as chips.
The shop guy set them both up and I A/B'd them, going back and forth a number of times.
Build wise, there's no doubt the Katana 2x12 combo has a more solid feel and has metal jack inputs, the Champion's are plastic.
Infact the Boss was weightier than I'd imagined, which is a good thing, as I had the preconception that it may be a bit flimsy.
Basically I want the amp for 3 main sounds:  AC/DC style overdrive, Clean and a heavy overdrive, bordering on Metal.
The Fender did a very nice clean and a decent Metal tone but the crunch and heavy crunch settings, I didn't like at all.
The Katana is a more involved amp, with lots of easily accessible, knob operated, amp sounds and effects.
And I managed, after a fair bit of knob twiddling, to get the sounds I was after.
The amp testing room at Prom is quite small, so I asked if I could face the amps down the shop and crank them up.
Yes I could and I found that the Boss didn't sound as nice, far off, it seemed to loose some of it's body.
This concerned me and I went completely off track and tried a Marshall DSL40CR, valve combo.
No, I really didn't like that either.
So I went back to the Katana, with the distance testing and fiddled with the EQ.
Turned out that by increasing the bass knob, I got the sound I was after.
So I coughed up the readies for the amp and a GA-FC footswitch and brought them home.
Now all I need is the cover and I'm set.



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Comments

  • Nicey. I have the mk1 version 2x12 myself!
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • Congratulations ,I have 100 mk1 happy new amp day
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  • Benm39Benm39 Frets: 696
    Congrats! Got a Mk1 head here but really need to spend more time with it. 
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  • ive got the mk 1 100w 1by12 been gigging it for three years now, i fancy getting the 2by12 but as no gigs imminent at the moment im holding off for a while.
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  • DougDoug Frets: 172
    Excellent stuff!, Enjoy!, plug in/Blast, post a video  :)
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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    When I got this home, I'd been reading that the best sound from the Katana is when the Master control is up, way high.
    So I did this and got some cool sounds.
    Then I thought, let's check out what Boss have put in the tone settings memory.
    What I forgot was that the tone memory saves all the control settings, except the Master,
    So when I pushed the footswitch on the GA-FC, OMG, the volume was astronomical.
    I think it loosened one of my fillings.
    One ear splitting lesson learnt.
    At least I know the amp can get really loud, when needed.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    I never found setting the master vs volume made that much difference.
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  • A Promenade Music. Brings back fond memories of the two years I lived in Morecambe in the 90s. I remember getting a mate interested in playing guitar and we went and bought a Pacifica there. 

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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    I never found setting the master vs volume made that much difference.
    It's just something banded about on some videos and was supposed to have come from Boss.
    Something to do with working the power stage, over the pre amp stage.
    So far I've found as long as you have the Master above 9 o'clock, it sounds good.
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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    edited September 2020
    A Promenade Music. Brings back fond memories of the two years I lived in Morecambe in the 90s. I remember getting a mate interested in playing guitar and we went and bought a Pacifica there. 
    Yeah, I love Prom.  Not the same with all the restrictions and the main man, Gary, isn't back yet, either.
    We're lucky in the North West, having Prom, Sound Affects and Frets.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    grayn said:
    I never found setting the master vs volume made that much difference.
    It's just something banded about on some videos and was supposed to have come from Boss.
    Something to do with working the power stage, over the pre amp stage.
    So far I've found as long as you have the Master above 9 o'clock, it sounds good.

    Yeah, I think that might be people thinking it's a valve amp.

    If you put your settings in with the master pegged then you've got no way of adjusting the output at a gig!
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  • PhilW1PhilW1 Frets: 941
    I set my volume full on and adjust the master,
    I’m sure this was from a ‘Guitarist‘ mag video review and that they got the advice from the Boss rep, it’s also mentioned a lot on the Katana forum.
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  • goldtopgoldtop Frets: 6101
    I am tempted by this, but prefer the front control panel layout on the Artist model. Which is way more spendy - mostly for the "Waza" speaker, I think.
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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    grayn said:
    I never found setting the master vs volume made that much difference.
    It's just something banded about on some videos and was supposed to have come from Boss.
    Something to do with working the power stage, over the pre amp stage.
    So far I've found as long as you have the Master above 9 o'clock, it sounds good.

    Yeah, I think that might be people thinking it's a valve amp.

    If you put your settings in with the master pegged then you've got no way of adjusting the output at a gig!
    Totally agree.
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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    goldtop said:
    I am tempted by this, but prefer the front control panel layout on the Artist model. Which is way more spendy - mostly for the "Waza" speaker, I think.
    I was tempted by the Artist but was keen on having a 2X12 cab and I've noticed that Roland and Boss set up their 1x12 combos with speaker outputs but if you want to add cabs, then the internal speaker has to be disconnected.
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  • goldtopgoldtop Frets: 6101
    AFAICT, there isn't an Artist head, which would answer all of my questions (and be a whole lot cheaper without the Waza speaker).
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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    Just a mildly interesting update, on the practical use of this Katana.
    I've been rehearsing with the classic rock band, in a large, air conditioned studio, observing distancing etc.
    Anyway, I soon noticed that the sound settings I had sorted out in my music room, at low to low-mid volumes, didn't work.
    Far too toppy, especially on the AC/DCesque overdrive sound.
    This is a loud band and I thought the Katana almost sounded a bit "tizzy", at times.
    Very unhappy but after 3 rehearsals, I've finally got it sorted.
    On Crunch sound. the middle and bass controls are almost on full, at around 4 o'clock.
    The treble backed off to about 10 o'clock.
    Now that's more like it.
    No more tizz and plenty of body to the sound.
    I'm also using a really nice, clean with a tad of chorus, sound.
    And a thick, lead, overdriven tone, with some subtle delay, for solos or a more metal, chord crunch.
    This amp is plenty loud enough too, with plenty more head room available.
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    Glad you have made the Katana successful live.

    I've got a Katana 50 that's been used in everything from my living room to a small gig situation and it's never let me down.

    The real key to their success is that they are so versatile, light and cheap.  The 50 gets proper loud (I've often been told to turn it down, never up, in a room with a drummer, though I'm not a clean player, because I'm terrible and it would show) so the 100w 2x12 must be able to break windows at proper volume!
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • grayngrayn Frets: 870
    It is pretty loud.  I was just surprised at how much treble I had to take off and how much bass and mid I had to add, at higher volumes.  I've been thinking, that at some later date, I may swap out the speakers, for some higher end Celestions or something similar.  Any suggestions?
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  • I imagine they designed the Katana to sound good with 'normal' EQ settings at lower volumes as that's how most of their buyers will be using them. 
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