Masta' C
Well-known member
So, my Katana 100 showed up a few days early and I got a rare chance to mess around on it for a couple hours yesterday. All I can say is...WOW!
This amp is pretty much what I had hoped Yamaha would have done with their THR series...same ease of use and straightforward interface with high quality voicings and effects, but a bigger speaker and more output than their desktop amps. Of course, Yamaha still might surprise us, but Boss is currently beating them at their own game with this Katana!
Straight out of the box, I dialed in great sounding, completely usable tones in mere minutes. Everything from ZZ-top overdrives to EVH-like brown tones are just a couple knob turns away. Granted, the "Brown" channel needs some deeper tweaking to get to believable EVH territory, but it sounds quite reasonable out of the gate! The drives and effects are wonderfully organic and touch response is really nice. And the clean channel is killer! It responds very much like a proper amp should...no funny business and nothing that screams to the player "oh, this must be digital". I can't wait to try it with pedals.
I was a big fan of the Peavey Vypyr Tube 120 a few years back and this amp easily blows that out of the water. It has the same depth and warmth that I loved about the big tube-powered Peavey, but the Katana yields a more crisp response, even more believable amp voicings, life-like effects and no overactive noise gate killing the fun like the Vypyr's did, all in a smaller, lighter package.
Also, much like the Boss/Roland CUBE series before it (I have owned both the mid-size 40XL and the big-boy 80XL), the quality and volume of sound that comes out of this Katana's moderate size enclosure is incredible! I wouldn't expect it to be able to take a beating like the older CUBE amps could, but it does a good job of carrying on the CUBE's spirit in a more "boutique"-esque guise and I think it sounds a bit more "open" and realistic than the CUBEs did, as well!
I tried the different wattage settings (0.5, 50 & 100) and I'll definitely be keeping it on the 50 watt setting when no one is home
Still, sound quality and responsiveness doesn't disappear when you go to the lowest wattage setting, which I feel is important. I think the 50W definitely breathes a bit more for general use and practice, but I could set the initial volume lower and crank the master volume on the 0.5W setting and practice in a bedroom setting with absolutely no complaints about "tone" or feel!
I'm definitely glad I got the 100 1x12 combo to start. The added presence control alone makes a convenient difference when swapping between guitars. Also, the better speaker (compared to the Katana 50), as most reviews have already pointed out, is spot-on...makes everything that comes out the front sound great! I don't foresee needing to change it.
Overall, just a really great sound in nearly every mode. The speaker and enclosure deliver plenty of cut and exceptional balance for the size. The bass response is huge, but not boxy, the midrange is very clear and the highs are full with plenty of snap when you want it.
So far, I have tried 3 different guitar/pickup combinations through it...the new Duality (more on that later) in a superstrat, a Custom Shop Holdsworth model in a superstrat and another custom pickup that's essentially a high output A5 designed for '80s metal tones in my Jackson Rhoads. The character of each of these combos really shined through. Each guitar/pickup kept its own voicing and nuance when played through the same amp settings and the differences in output of the pickups had a distinct effect on the responsiveness of both the amp models and effects. So any worries about the amp "coloring" the signal too heavily (i.e. making every guitar sound the same) are largely unwarranted.
I have yet to enter the "deep" editing options using a PC, but I know that anything I've been able to do thus far directly on the amp will only be enhanced with the software. I can't wait to check it out.
Lastly, I know this type of amp isn't for everyone, but, for the price, there's really no reason NOT to get one if you're in the market unless you have drastically different wants/needs. Furthermore, this amp should be the default recommendation for today's "beginners". It's very easy to dial in out of the box, has multiple output levels to handle every setting from bedroom practice to gigging and lots of room for personalizing/customization, all at an incredible price point!
I'll update this as I continue to tweak and play on it more, but, so far, it is living up to my expectations after reading/watching all the internet hype. I'm very excited!
This amp is pretty much what I had hoped Yamaha would have done with their THR series...same ease of use and straightforward interface with high quality voicings and effects, but a bigger speaker and more output than their desktop amps. Of course, Yamaha still might surprise us, but Boss is currently beating them at their own game with this Katana!
Straight out of the box, I dialed in great sounding, completely usable tones in mere minutes. Everything from ZZ-top overdrives to EVH-like brown tones are just a couple knob turns away. Granted, the "Brown" channel needs some deeper tweaking to get to believable EVH territory, but it sounds quite reasonable out of the gate! The drives and effects are wonderfully organic and touch response is really nice. And the clean channel is killer! It responds very much like a proper amp should...no funny business and nothing that screams to the player "oh, this must be digital". I can't wait to try it with pedals.
I was a big fan of the Peavey Vypyr Tube 120 a few years back and this amp easily blows that out of the water. It has the same depth and warmth that I loved about the big tube-powered Peavey, but the Katana yields a more crisp response, even more believable amp voicings, life-like effects and no overactive noise gate killing the fun like the Vypyr's did, all in a smaller, lighter package.
Also, much like the Boss/Roland CUBE series before it (I have owned both the mid-size 40XL and the big-boy 80XL), the quality and volume of sound that comes out of this Katana's moderate size enclosure is incredible! I wouldn't expect it to be able to take a beating like the older CUBE amps could, but it does a good job of carrying on the CUBE's spirit in a more "boutique"-esque guise and I think it sounds a bit more "open" and realistic than the CUBEs did, as well!
I tried the different wattage settings (0.5, 50 & 100) and I'll definitely be keeping it on the 50 watt setting when no one is home
Still, sound quality and responsiveness doesn't disappear when you go to the lowest wattage setting, which I feel is important. I think the 50W definitely breathes a bit more for general use and practice, but I could set the initial volume lower and crank the master volume on the 0.5W setting and practice in a bedroom setting with absolutely no complaints about "tone" or feel!I'm definitely glad I got the 100 1x12 combo to start. The added presence control alone makes a convenient difference when swapping between guitars. Also, the better speaker (compared to the Katana 50), as most reviews have already pointed out, is spot-on...makes everything that comes out the front sound great! I don't foresee needing to change it.
Overall, just a really great sound in nearly every mode. The speaker and enclosure deliver plenty of cut and exceptional balance for the size. The bass response is huge, but not boxy, the midrange is very clear and the highs are full with plenty of snap when you want it.
So far, I have tried 3 different guitar/pickup combinations through it...the new Duality (more on that later) in a superstrat, a Custom Shop Holdsworth model in a superstrat and another custom pickup that's essentially a high output A5 designed for '80s metal tones in my Jackson Rhoads. The character of each of these combos really shined through. Each guitar/pickup kept its own voicing and nuance when played through the same amp settings and the differences in output of the pickups had a distinct effect on the responsiveness of both the amp models and effects. So any worries about the amp "coloring" the signal too heavily (i.e. making every guitar sound the same) are largely unwarranted.
I have yet to enter the "deep" editing options using a PC, but I know that anything I've been able to do thus far directly on the amp will only be enhanced with the software. I can't wait to check it out.
Lastly, I know this type of amp isn't for everyone, but, for the price, there's really no reason NOT to get one if you're in the market unless you have drastically different wants/needs. Furthermore, this amp should be the default recommendation for today's "beginners". It's very easy to dial in out of the box, has multiple output levels to handle every setting from bedroom practice to gigging and lots of room for personalizing/customization, all at an incredible price point!
I'll update this as I continue to tweak and play on it more, but, so far, it is living up to my expectations after reading/watching all the internet hype. I'm very excited!
