So today I finally tried a Boss Katana

What's Hot
2456713

Comments

  • I disagree completely, but that's fine! I have heard a few in rehearsals and live and they always sound really good. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Oh, I usually hear the 100 watter - maybe that has something to do with it? 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    I've found the 100 combo to be an absolutely fabulous sounding amp.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • merlinmerlin Frets: 6594
    edited June 2019
    Merlin:     I want to say one word to you ICBM. Just one word.

    ICBM:        Yes sir

    Merlin:      Are you listening?

    ICBM:        Yes I am

    Merlin:       Marketing. 
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • JayGeeJayGee Frets: 1254
    There’s probably a PhD and a shit load of money waiting for someone who can come up with an answer to why opinions can diverge so much on a piece of kit.

    I’m absolutely not arguing with the subjective experience of somebody who’s probably seen, played through, and spread across the bench a wider variety of amps than I’ve even seen but I imagine I’ll still be perfectly happy with mine the next time I switch it on, and that a lot of other players who haven’t played through one before and use it as a house amp at jams will continue to be perfectly happy with it, comment on how impressive it is for the money, and wish that kit like that had been around back in the day...

    And I really would love to know why...


    Don't ask me, I just play the damned thing...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    I've written at tedious length about my Katana tribulations and my experience out of the box was that I didn't just not like it, it was utterly unusable. 

    After weeks of experimenting with the software editor I managed to turn it into a good sounding, versatile practice amp, but without the dynamics or headroom to work in a band. 

    It's the only amp I've ever owned which could be both too loud and not quite clearly audible at the same time. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • GassageGassage Frets: 30826
    My only comment when I tried one was they were very directional in the sound. Like you could either hear it or not, if you were right in front of speaker

    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    merlin said:
    Merlin:     I want to say one word to say to you. Just one word.

    ICBM:        Yes sir

    Merlin:      Are you listening?

    ICBM:        Yes I am

    Merlin:       Marketing. 
    Exactly how do you mean? ;)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    You're being very unfair. It's common knowledge that with a few expensive mods, lots of upgraded components, a better speaker and a different cabinet the Katana can be made to sound acceptable. Spending the extra £500 on it can make quite a difference.
    8reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Modulus_AmpsModulus_Amps Frets: 2569
    tFB Trader
    I wonder if the settings internal had been adjusted to crap mode, can you factory re-set it?

    Never played one myself, but at the selling price I would be happy with any sound at all
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    I think people are, because of all the hype, expecting rather a lot from a £200 amplifier.  Opinions are obviously like assholes and there are other options in the same price range.

    As a simple and cheap practise amp you can also take to a jam or small gig, that doesn't weigh very much at all, the Katana is really good, IMHO.

    Boss would have sold a lot of these if they had come in at the £299 price point for the 50, and indeed they have priced the Artist, Air and Cab as if they had, so if essentially halving the price to get interest gave it an unfairly good reputation, at least it saved us all a lot of money.

    Most people looking at a Katana 50 would have been looking at Amps like the Marshall Code 25, or the Fender Mustang etc, and it compares pretty well to them

    Althought ICBM said the Line 6 spider was better and those get pasted in every comment on them I've seen, so maybe he is just having a little chortle to end the week... ;)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ennspekennspek Frets: 1626
    Jeez it's about £3.50 a watt. Cut it some slack!
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    ICBM said:
    I can only assume it was broken then.
    It appeared to be working fine, just sounded terrible.

    I would put it third on the list of the worst-sounding amps I’ve ever played, after the Orange Micro Terror with its overpoweringly fatiguing sound that literally makes my ears itch, and the Blackstar ID Core series with its oppressive inside-a-padded-cell spatial effect.
    See I've also played ID core amps which sound absolutely fine.  I must have the wrong sort of ears.  I don't have much experience of solid state but the katana sounds better than any solid state amp I've heard and even betters my THR5 in terms of overall usefulness which if you knew how much I rate the THR says a lot.

    I pretty much use the clean channel with varying drive and boost with a bit of spring reverb and some occasional tremolo.
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23918
    I really liked mine.

    So ner.
    4reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BranshenBranshen Frets: 1222
    I really liked mine.

    So ner.
    Perfect, We can now pit two of the highest-fret-number members against each other in a fight to the death!
    2reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952

    Althought ICBM said the Line 6 spider was better and those get pasted in every comment on them I've seen, so maybe he is just having a little chortle to end the week... ;)
    No :).

    "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
  • BeardyAndyBeardyAndy Frets: 716
    edited June 2019
    I know little of the Katana, although I'd pretty much been talked into buying one as my next amp but on the basis of this my head could be "re" turned. But is it possible, that if the Katana was a used one, that the previous user could have installed a bad amp model and it need's a re boot?

    Just seems odd that there's so much love for the range yet ICBM has so much hate for the poor thing? =)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    I know little of the Katana, although I'd pretty much been talked into buying one as my next amp but on the basis of this my head could be "re" turned. But is it possible, that if the Katana was a used one, that the previous user could have installed a bad amp model and it need's a re boot?

    Just seems odd that there's so much love for the range yet ICBM has so much hate for the poor thing? =)
    That's a very valid point, there's no way of knowing how the global EQ has been set by the owner without hooking it up to a PC with the relevant software. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • chotu495chotu495 Frets: 356
    I have a 50 as a home-practice amp, and it does a decent job given its modest price. 

    Probably (correctly) aimed at beginners like me, who are content with “near-enough” onboard effects and bedroom-player sound levels.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    Can we hijack this thread as a general "So I finally tried a ...." amp thread?

    So I finally tried an Orange CR60 (well, it was two years ago) and I sent it straight back. The dirty channel was fizzy and the clean was...meh. Not a bad amp, but nothing to write home about.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.