Boss Katana or Fender Mustang GTX100 or ...?

pmbomb

yeah I'm sure it's been done to death ....

I have a small valve amp that I don't particularly like, I find messing about with pedals largely a time sink, it's hard to keep it all consistent. I have to be super quiet at home as my family whine at anything louder than a sparrow's fart so can't really get a good set up (can't do it at bedroom volumes), in a band practice there isn't time to mess.

I also have a Boss Waza Air (the headset thing), I like the tones I get from it so that's made me think about a Katana Mk2 100. Keep it simple, be done and actually spend my guitar time playing guitar.

or maybe one of these Fenders ... or ...

thoughts appreciated - usage is band practice, small gigs, I need a bit of versatility but am mostly in the power chord crunch zone, think 70s ACDC, up to the harder end of classic rock, bit of classic punk, but not hyper-gain 'modern metal', I'm not a complex player I just like to rock a bit. needs to be reasonably lug-about-able, work on a cramped stage,  great if it can plug into a PA too.

thanks.

pmbomb

 couple of + points for the Fender are it has the foot switch board included (it's extra for the Katana, and out of stock), and the set up app can connect via Bluetooth (it seems to be USB only for the Katana).

I seem to get the feel the Katana has more 'presence' though.

McToot

Hey Matt! As you know I have just the Marshall Origin plus a load of pedals so I'm probbly not he best placed to comment but a couple of observations:

I had one of the smaller Fender modellers a few years ago and while it was fine for the glassy cleans my experience was that it sucked on the crunch and gain models. The Katana that we used up at the Huddersfield jam seemed to be good enough and cover lots of bases. 

A bit old skool, but what about a Marshall valvestate combo?

Or a Bluguitar 1

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pmbomb

McToot said:

Or a Bluguitar 1

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hey buddy, oh - I take it that needs a cab too tho. (oh £700!!). I'm currently unwaged!!

McToot

I was thinking second hand for both the unit and a cab. The £700 is for the most recent 'Mercury' and 'Iridium' editions... I'm sure the original could still be had...

I'm fairly sure it can be used with headphones at home?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255192768007?hash=item3b6aac9e07:g:gQAAAOSw8uthaumH

monquixote

I've owned a Fender Mustang and a Katana. 

I found the Mustang was good for sparkly Fender cleans (as you would expect), but the drive tones were disappointing. 

The Katana is good for the money although a few people have mentioned that what can sound good at home can disappear in the mix live ( @p90fool wrote a lot about this) so expect to spend some time on this. They are the most plug and play modeller as well which is a plus.

If you don't use effects you might be better off with something really simple (and possibly better sounding) like a Blues Cube, Bandit, Orange Crush, Marshall MG

joetele

Bandit etc is a good shout. I've owned a Katana as well and it served me brilliantly for 3 years. As you've said, it's more immediate - it doesn't sound modelled like some of the Fender ones, it's just a straight up amp with a proper power amp section etc. The FX are there if you want them, but it's simple to use. I used to play the 100w Katana with a loud drummer and it sounded great. The drive channels are great too. 

pmbomb

ta both - the Fender wins on paper (looper, Bluetooth, foot switch) but drive is my thing at the end of the day so may go big K. I like a sparkly clean too but it's once in a blue moon I actually use it.

Strangefan

I only got the gt100 yesterday and even though its in the honeymoon period I have to day its a great amp plenty louf enough and the range of tones shouldn't be allowed on an amp at this price, 

pmbomb

Strangefan said:

I only got the gt100 yesterday and even though its in the honeymoon period I have to day its a great amp plenty louf enough and the range of tones shouldn't be allowed on an amp at this price, 

good to hear - what styles do you play?

ESBlonde

On a budget the Boss digital combos from a few years ago. Compact but very gigable and they sound nice. 

Sync

The current fender mustang gtx100 is a vast improvement over the previous versions especially on the drive tones. 

Very much personal preference here though, as the gtx100 delivers the fendery vibey jangly tones that I love better than anything else on the market in this all-in-one modeller amp segment and price range in my opinion. The inclusion of the pedal is useful too.

If you are after heavy rock and metal tones you need to try the katana etc though esp the 2x12 version. 

pmbomb

Thanks all, I bought a Katana on the grounds I wanted an amp, for rock, rather than an emulator. On paper this is a bad deal, the Mustang is way better VFM. Time will tell.

Having to use a computer connected by USB to edit tonez is a pain.

Sounds ok tho.

Voxman

Fender Mustang III v2 100w 1x12 combo - stonkingly good, goes from whisper quiet at home (or headphones) to really loud - more than loud enough (with room to spare) even in a band mix with a heavy handed drummer! 12" decent speaker, footswitch controllable, good modelling, good UI, good effects, sensible weight at 36lbs.  Much better than the newer versions. The other guitarist in my old band had one & it sounded really good.  It has a Celestion G12T-100 12" speaker, and stereo XLR outputs too. Typically circa £100-175 used.  It should come with the standard 2 button footswitch but there's also a more versatile optional 4 button switch that you can use with the 2 button for excellent floor control.