Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In with Google

Become a Subscriber!

Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!

Read more...

Boss katana 100 mk1 sell? and buy a Positive grid spark 40 ?

What's Hot
mark123mark123 Frets: 1316
I have a mk1 Boss katana 100 with a Ga-fc foot pedal.

Always had trouble getting decent cleans and overdrive ,i can get okish ones, but never really good ones like the demos on you tube show .
I can't really be bothered with hooking it up to a laptop and using the Boss tone studio ( or is that my only way ? )

Some forums say dial master vol up and use other volume for levels then others say do the opposite .

I think the problem is i've always got it on 0.5 setting as my walls are thin and don't want complaints off the neighbours .
I'm thinking if it needs to go louder to get a decent tone  why don't i just sell it with the foot controller for £250 and buy the Posotive grid spark ? .
I'm not in a band or gigging so really don't know why i should keep the 100, might have a couple of jam's a year with my mate but thats it.

What's bugging me a bit is i'd be swapping an amp and pedal you could gig with for a little box with what looks like 2 car speakers in it worth £50 and the rest of the money is for the app for playing along backing tracks etc .

Should i keep the Katana? am i doing something stupidly wrong to be getting average tones out of the amp when everyone else raves about the tube like tone's out of there Katanas .

What would you do ? any Katana owners with tips ? 

0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«1

Comments

  • dazzajldazzajl Frets: 5654
    The Spark is a great little box and makes a good speaker for music too. I don’t think it’s very different as an amp from any of its peers, though I do like it a little more than the original
    THR10. 

    Whatever one box solution you choose is always going to be a compromise and a little box will never sound like a ‘proper’ guitar amp in its sweet spot. 

    A completely left field suggestion for you might be an AC15. Yes, I know..... both big and very loud but an AC does also tend to sound really good at its lowest volumes too. I have an 2x12 AC30 with no master volume that I use a lot foe late night noodling and it sounds amazing at that television type level. If you got a 15 with a master volume you could even have grit at that level too. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Or sell the Katana and get a better-sounding amp that you can still jam/gig with.

    But first, see what happens if you set the power up higher and turn the master volume down. I know that sounds counterintuitive because everyone 'knows' that you need low power for playing at home so you can crank the volume, but personally I've always found that it's self-defeating and that most amps sound better the other way round.










    However... (disclaimer, I know this is not a universal opinion)

    I'll admit to not having tried the Katana 100, but the 50 I did try is one of the worst-sounding amps I've ever played regardless of what anyone else says or Youtube demos (which also sound bad to me, for what it's worth). To me it sounded nothing like any decent valve amp at all - clean or dirty, there's something hard and fatiguing about the sound that can't be dialled out irrespective of the amp settings. I didn't try the computer editing.

    And don't buy a Blackstar ID Core either ;). Although the proper ID series are OK.

    "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

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • grungebobgrungebob Frets: 3299
    Get a Vox VT40x can be had for peanuts and they sound ace. 
    I had a katana 50 and thought it was awful. 
    I tried a blackstar ID 100 and silverline hated both but the vox just sounds great. 
    It doesn’t have great effects but their ok. 
    Clean, grit and high gain are all very nice. 
    Master volume and channel volumes so can be played quietly at night.  Don’t use the headphone out on it though as it’s rubbish. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • mark123mark123 Frets: 1316
    Cheers for the replys .

    The AC15 is above my budget.

    I might have the same "ears" as @ICBM ;

    I might have a look at the Vox VT40x 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I had a Katana 100 and didn't get all the love that seems to be out there for it, I now use an Orange Tiny terror head through a little 10" cab at home and when I'm at band practise (remember them?) i plug it into one of the cabs at the studio. It's plenty loud enough to keep up.

    I can't get enough of that Orange tone.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Would it be feasible to look into a small valve amp (maybe second hand) with a good clean sound which works well with pedals?

    I realise that ‘good clean sound’ and ‘works well with pedals’ are hugely subjective! 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960

    I now use an Orange Tiny terror head through a little 10" cab at home and when I'm at band practise (remember them?) i plug it into one of the cabs at the studio. It's plenty loud enough to keep up.

    I can't get enough of that Orange tone.
    But be aware that the *Micro* Terror is a very different thing, should you or anyone be tempted... it's nothing like the Tiny Terror at all, and in fact has that same sort of hard, fatiguing sound that the Katana does - only worse! Really remarkably bad.

    It can be improved by running it at 16 ohms not 8 or 4, and using a lower-gain valve also helps a lot, but it's still not even close to the sound of any of the bigger Oranges.

    The Rocker 15 is like a more versatile Tiny Terror and also has a very-low-power 'bedroom' setting, if that's useful to know.

    I'm also a big fan of the Vox modelling amps, if that helps - all the way from the Mini5 upwards, they all sound good to me.

    "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

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • PhilW1PhilW1 Frets: 941
    edited January 2021
    My last valve amp was a JVM 205 combo-I loved it but it weighed a ton and I don't think I got the master past 3/4 at any pub gig we did. As the gigs died off I decided it was too over the top for the home although(in hindsight!) it sounded great at any volume as long as you didn't push the gain too much on orange channel. So I went the Katana 100 and ga pedal route for home and the odd gig. Then I also took a punt on a Spark.
    What I've found is that both the Spark and Katana sound better louder -which sort of defeats the object-(whichever method of Master/volume you use) but in both cases I go from thinking they both sound shit to both sounding great on different days(same settings) where as the JVM always sounded good and I wish I had kept it!
    So, basically Both the Katana and Spark have some good tones in them but could lead to lots of time programming first rather than just switching on and playing.
    Hope this meandering waffle helps some-one, and as always YMMV(hope thats the right acronym!)
    EDIT-forgot to add the Katana probably has the edge over the spark for me.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Ive done about 200 gigs with my katana 100 mk1. I believe its a great gigging amp, needs to be played at the 50 watt or 100 watt setting. At home playing at 0.5, although loud enough for home playing it just doesnt sound good. Gigging i always set it to 100 and use the master volume control.  Against what popular opinion says, i dont think its a good amp for home playing, but great for gigging.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    I've got Katana 100 combo, and it had it's uses for me in live settings, something cheap, loud and portable, but I also have the head version for home use.
    I like the small form, and speaker, I guess you struggle with trying to get anything to do everything.
    Katana was a great disrupter for amps, a lot of features at a low cost.
    I think stuff like the Spark will go down as well as the Marshall Code series, many features that can do everything, just not quite well enough.
    In the end, a 1x12 combo will sound better for some things than a small digital box, and vice versa.
    I think the trick is to work with what you have, make it work for you. The fact you have not looked into the PC software tells me you haven't quite got there with the amp yet.
    I would be tempted to try the headphone out through some smaller blutooth speaker to try getting more out of the Master / main volume settings, and at least you will be able to see how you like stuff sounding through smaller speakers.
    I'd try it  on something cheap and cheerful first, just in case anything blows.
    In short, I like the Katana, a lot, but it will never stack up against a good valve amp at a particular volume, same as can be said about valve vs valve amp really.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • mark123mark123 Frets: 1316
    andy_k said:
    I've got Katana 100 combo, and it had it's uses for me in live settings, something cheap, loud and portable, but I also have the head version for home use.
    I like the small form, and speaker, I guess you struggle with trying to get anything to do everything.
    Katana was a great disrupter for amps, a lot of features at a low cost.
    I think stuff like the Spark will go down as well as the Marshall Code series, many features that can do everything, just not quite well enough.
    In the end, a 1x12 combo will sound better for some things than a small digital box, and vice versa.
    I think the trick is to work with what you have, make it work for you. The fact you have not looked into the PC software tells me you haven't quite got there with the amp yet.
    I would be tempted to try the headphone out through some smaller blutooth speaker to try getting more out of the Master / main volume settings, and at least you will be able to see how you like stuff sounding through smaller speakers.
    I'd try it  on something cheap and cheerful first, just in case anything blows.
    In short, I like the Katana, a lot, but it will never stack up against a good valve amp at a particular volume, same as can be said about valve vs valve amp really.
    i've got a old soundbaar with a 3.5mm phone socket ,could i use that to the katana ?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I have the Kat 50 and it's a dreadful amp. It sounds much worse the more it's turned up. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I tried a Katana mk 1 in a shop when they first came out and didn't like it at all.

    Oddly, then, I later got hold of one of the new Katana 100 Mk2 amps, can't really even remember why to be honest.  Bought it a year ago in fact, but only used it once or twice until yesterday when I decided to give it a proper go.  After much experimentation I found some decent, warmer tones within it.  

    Not sure it's ever going to sound better than my blues junior iv for Fender cleans, but it's been resurrected in my house now, as I got tired of using pedals with the BJr when the Katana with GAFC foot controller is a more convenient route to something that's not all that much worse to my ears and takes up less space. 

    I've always been a home player only, so my experience is limited to just that, but the Katana was due to be sold and has avoided that fate, for now.

    Often you need to just experiment more, I think.

    For example, I also had all of the original Yamaha THR amps at one time or another, and loved them, but when the new wireless one came out I tried it and thought it sounded inferior.
    Then, many months later, I read about the firmware update and some other changes they'd implemented & decided to give it another go.  Initially it was still a bit disappointing, but after plenty of EQ and setting tweaks I'm now very happy with it indeed.
    It has even superceded my Vox Adio, my longtime favourite sounding  bookshelf modeller. 

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    mark123 said:
    I have a mk1 Boss katana 100 with a Ga-fc foot pedal.

    Always had trouble getting decent cleans and overdrive ,i can get okish ones, but never really good ones like the demos on you tube show .
    I can't really be bothered with hooking it up to a laptop and using the Boss tone studio ( or is that my only way ? )


    If you want decent cleans you really need to do this, so you can scoop the harsh upper midrange globally. 

    I wouldn't go to the hassle of selling and buying a replacement until you've tried this unless you're bored and want to anyway. 

    I battled with one of these amps for dozens of gigs because of its finicky EQ and unpredictable reaction to venues and band mixes, but it was always a great home amp once I'd sorted out the global EQ.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I've got a Katana MK1 100 combo. Recently I started using it with my pedalboard. Crikey this thing loves dirt pedals.

    I'd say rather than get a new amp, get a dirt pedal you really like and use that with the clean channel of the Katana. Much less expensive option. 

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • MudcrutchMudcrutch Frets: 323
    edited January 2021
    I’ve had a Boss Katana 100 Mk2 and pedal since lockdown started last year and love it to bits.
    Its a brilliant amplifier once you get to know how to use it with the shed load of tone options.
    It also loves pedals.
    I hope one day I get to play it at full volume.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11673
    I've got a Katana MK1 100 combo. Recently I started using it with my pedalboard. Crikey this thing loves dirt pedals.

    I'd say rather than get a new amp, get a dirt pedal you really like and use that with the clean channel of the Katana. Much less expensive option. 

    The other thing is to change the default pedal options in the tone studio.

    If I recall correctly the defaults are a blues driver, od-1 and ds-1 models, but hidden away you have a RAT model, a TS, loads of fuzzes etc.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I've got a Katana MK1 100 combo. Recently I started using it with my pedalboard. Crikey this thing loves dirt pedals.

    I'd say rather than get a new amp, get a dirt pedal you really like and use that with the clean channel of the Katana. Much less expensive option. 

    The other thing is to change the default pedal options in the tone studio.

    If I recall correctly the defaults are a blues driver, od-1 and ds-1 models, but hidden away you have a RAT model, a TS, loads of fuzzes etc.

    Yes I've changed mine. You only need to do this once if you don't want to faff about with a computer. Just find the three you like the most then your done.

    I have the Guvnor set as one of my three now rather than the default.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • andy_kandy_k Frets: 818
    mark123 said:
    andy_k said:
    I've got Katana 100 combo, and it had it's uses for me in live settings, something cheap, loud and portable, but I also have the head version for home use.
    I like the small form, and speaker, I guess you struggle with trying to get anything to do everything.
    Katana was a great disrupter for amps, a lot of features at a low cost.
    I think stuff like the Spark will go down as well as the Marshall Code series, many features that can do everything, just not quite well enough.
    In the end, a 1x12 combo will sound better for some things than a small digital box, and vice versa.
    I think the trick is to work with what you have, make it work for you. The fact you have not looked into the PC software tells me you haven't quite got there with the amp yet.
    I would be tempted to try the headphone out through some smaller blutooth speaker to try getting more out of the Master / main volume settings, and at least you will be able to see how you like stuff sounding through smaller speakers.
    I'd try it  on something cheap and cheerful first, just in case anything blows.
    In short, I like the Katana, a lot, but it will never stack up against a good valve amp at a particular volume, same as can be said about valve vs valve amp really.
    i've got a old soundbaar with a 3.5mm phone socket ,could i use that to the katana ?
    It won't hurt to try, be aware if you are trying to recreate tones you have head on demo's, they will not be the true tone, but captured through mic / pre-amp / DAW. or line out / DAW, and pushed through YT.
    I think I understand the tones you are looking for, and there is a mix of amp tone / speaker tone involved.
    At least with the Katana, it is an easy process to save patches as presets, which can then be compared via different speakers.
    Using smaller speakers via the HP out, may allow you to find the volume sweet spot on either channel or master vol, and I would expect you can get where you want to be, the stock Katana speaker is adequate, and is at it's best after a few hours of break in, this might take considerably longer if it never gets to working volume.
    I would give it more time, and there is masses of info out there for this amp.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I've got a Katana MK1 100 combo. Recently I started using it with my pedalboard. Crikey this thing loves dirt pedals.

    I'd say rather than get a new amp, get a dirt pedal you really like and use that with the clean channel of the Katana. Much less expensive option. 

    The other thing is to change the default pedal options in the tone studio.

    If I recall correctly the defaults are a blues driver, od-1 and ds-1 models, but hidden away you have a RAT model, a TS, loads of fuzzes etc.

    Yes I've changed mine. You only need to do this once if you don't want to faff about with a computer. Just find the three you like the most then your done.

    I have the Guvnor set as one of my three now rather than the default.
    Still experimenting with mine, but am I right in thinking you can set the three boost options to whatever you want for EACH preset?
    Can't be bothered to rig the laptop up to it again tonight to check, but if I recall correctly, you could have, say, a tube screamer, blues driver and Guvnor on any given patch, but then have different 'pedals' on another patch, eg three flavours of fuzz pedal.....


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.