the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

[Gold star]

I notice Boss have released the MK2 series Katana amps. When the first Katana models came out, 2 years ago I believe, one guy in a music shop described them to me as 'the best thing since the invention of sliced bread'; not any more!. I didn't buy one. I guess many of the MK1 amps will soon be sold off cheap or eventually end up as garbage in landfill..as some predicted from the start. A very classic example of built in or planned obsolescence in order to stimulate interest in people to buy more as with so many products. Maybe we should welcome all this, that it's not all bad?

 

[Masta' C]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

There's a second voicing for each of the 5 existing amps on the panel and you can put 5 effects inline instead of 3. I don't see that as a big jump. I also noticed that they're not offering up a replacement for the "Artist", only the core lineup.

There's also the chance that the MK1 amps will gain some of the benefits of the MK2 models in future updates. Plus, there are plenty of other amps you can access through software on the MK1's. Either way, I'm not bothered nor swayed by this news.

If prices on the MK1 drop a bit, that's a huge win for players everywhere. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the current lineup and the MK1 amps are still very well supported, both by the manufacturer and the player community.

 

[Mincer]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

Has anyone compared the Katana to the Boss Nextone series? I am looking for a smaller SS amp for practice and occasional gigs about 30 watts or so.

 

[AniML]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

I just swapped my Vox AC4C1 for a Katana 50 a couple weeks ago.. walked in with a one trick pony and walked out with a versatile grab n go for under $100 out of pocket.

I've explored the onboard effects but other than reverb and delay I hardly touch them, so dont care much about the revision.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

This seems like a similar situation to when Fender released the Hot Rod Deluxe in '96 . . . remember all the hoards of people throwing out their old Deluxe Reverbs because a newer one came along? Me neither.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

Has anyone compared the Katana to the Boss Nextone series? I am looking for a smaller SS amp for practice and occasional gigs about 30 watts or so.

Do you need onboard effects, or just simple and sounds killer? If it’s the latter, check out the Orange Micro Dark.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

This seems like a similar situation to when Fender released the Hot Rod Deluxe in '96 . . . remember all the hoards of people throwing out their old Deluxe Reverbs because a newer one came along? Me neither.

:chairfall

As there’s been nothing but rave reviews of the Katana, it’s refreshing for me to see Boss continue to improve on a product rather than let it sit for a decade.

Whenever I get more time to play consistently, I’m thinking of picking up a little combo for practice. The Boss and Yamaha both are very tempting.

 

[ErikH]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

Has anyone compared the Katana to the Boss Nextone series? I am looking for a smaller SS amp for practice and occasional gigs about 30 watts or so.

I'm not familiar with the current Boss amps but go check out the Vox AV30. You like lightweight rigs, this amp fits the bill. It sounds killer and works in so many different situations. It's a WSIWYG analog amp with different amp voicings. An analog modeler so to speak.

 

[Gold star]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

hi..tell me, when you download digital amp models to these units , what are they actually like- and are they permanent? I assume patches are the effects downloads? essentially The katana is a computer with an amp section that can drive large speakers...

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

I'm not familiar with the current Boss amps but go check out the Vox AV30. You like lightweight rigs, this amp fits the bill. It sounds killer and works in so many different situations. It's a WSIWYG analog amp with different amp voicings. An analog modeler so to speak.

I read this as “AC30” and was like “WTF... oh, AV30” :chairfall

 

[ErikH]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

I read this as “AC30” and was like “WTF... oh, AV30” :chairfall

You're not the first person to have that reaction. :chairfall

There is an AC30 setting on it and I must say, it's pretty damn convincing. Nice and chimey, beautiful when overdriven. I like the Plexi setting a lot and have been using that as of late. With my Boss OD-3 out front, it's a thing of beauty.

 

[Cdwillis]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

hi..tell me, when you download digital amp models to these units , what are they actually like- and are they permanent? I assume patches are the effects downloads? essentially The katana is a computer with an amp section that can drive large speakers...

I've got the Katana 50. I never really considered the amp settings models, but I guess they are. If you plug it in to your computer via USB you can tweak and change which effects your using in the different effects slots, but you can't change amp models. Sounds pretty good to me, but I also did just buy another tube amp (Vox AC15C2), so I guess the battle between tubes and solid state goes on.

 

[Mincer]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

Do you need onboard effects, or just simple and sounds killer? If it’s the latter, check out the Orange Micro Dark.

Thing is, I have no need for a distortion channel, which the Orange is geared toward.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

The Katana cleans are killer...lots of options. And once you tap into the Tone Studio software, not even the sky is the limit!

My suggestion is to buy the KTN-100 at minimum, even if you're considering a smaller wattage amp. You can access 100W/50W/0.5W power levels with the turn of a knob, both the 100W and 50W are similar in size/weight and you get a much better speaker on the KTN-100.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

You're not the first person to have that reaction. :chairfall

There is an AC30 setting on it and I must say, it's pretty damn convincing. Nice and chimey, beautiful when overdriven. I like the Plexi setting a lot and have been using that as of late. With my Boss OD-3 out front, it's a thing of beauty.

I had a Vox VT-80+ for a while. Great sounding amp, except I felt the cab was a little small for the 12” speaker.

I had a friend’s AC-15 at my house for a while, and the AC-15 patch on the VT was dead on.

Ironically I mostly used the Marshall patch.

Now I have a Marshall Code 100. Great amp, but I liked certain things in the Vox more. It had better built in effects.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ErikH]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

I had a Vox VT-80+ for a while. Great sounding amp, except I felt the cab was a little small for the 12” speaker.

I had a friend’s AC-15 at my house for a while, and the AC-15 patch on the VT was dead on.

Ironically I mostly used the Marshall patch.

Now I have a Marshall Code 100. Great amp, but I liked certain things in the Vox more. It had better built in effects.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I used to have a AD50VT (the generation before the VT80+ was in) before this one. Only reason I sold it was because I wanted a lighter rig. That AD50VT was heavy as the Marshall head I had. It didn't help that I put a Celestion Classic Lead 80 in it. The AV30 weighs half as much and even with its stock 10" speaker, it is loud!

The delay in the AV30 is great. It has that analog delay sound and the trails get warmer as they fade out like the good old delays do. The only digital in the amp is the effects, and that's chorus, reverb and delay (with tap tempo).

 

[devastone]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

Has anyone compared the Katana to the Boss Nextone series? I am looking for a smaller SS amp for practice and occasional gigs about 30 watts or so.

Not to be "that guy", but what the heck, they are modeling amps, not SS. Although yes, they use SS components but how they generate the tone is very different, you can hit the front end of a SS hard like a tube amp, may not always sound as good depending on the amp, but it will work similarly, modelers don't like to be overloaded and can cross into digital distortion which is ugly unless you are Trent Reznor. Not saying one is better than the other, I use a modeler, just saying they are different.

I haven't tried either, except I used to use a GT-100 which the Katana models are based on. From everything I've seen, I would think the Nextone would be better suited for your stuff Dave, although I really like the reviews/vids I've seen of the Katana Artist, I don't see either replacing my GT-1000 (although I'm still eyeing a Fly Rig).

 

[donaldr]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

Has anyone compared the Katana to the Boss Nextone series? I am looking for a smaller SS amp for practice and occasional gigs about 30 watts or so.

Katana and Nextone are two different implementation of the same thing. They both are hybrid amps (SS front-end, digital preamp/effects, SS power amps). I don't have the Nextone but I have the Katana 50 (tried the Katana 100 but returned it: too big, too loud for my needs). For practice it's really nice at 0.5w and for occasional jams it's a perfect grab&go solution (25lbs) with a 2-button footswitch (for recalling 4 presets). So you need a pedalboard with the Nextone but you don't with a Katana (reported to sound pretty good with a pedalboard also).
The Katana 50 is a good little amp for the money, the Katana 100/Head/Artists are better for every week gigs. Katana is a SS amp but react (I didn't say sounds) the same as a tube amp, it has its own sound that you like or not (as any other amp).
The clean is good (but I added a Blues Driver, no gain, using the software) as is the crunch channel. I even managed to get a good acoustic guitar simulation (with internal effects and using the software) using my electric for the one or two songs where I need it. If you cannot get a good sound out of the Katana, it's not the amp fault, but don't compare it to a $2000 cranked tube amp with a $2000 pedalboard.
V2 add 2 concentric pots for OD/Mod and FX/Delay and a power amp input.
I don't regret my Katana, best $250 I spent on music gear and wish I had one when I started 30 years ago.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

...although I really like the reviews/vids I've seen of the Katana Artist

I moved up to the Katana Artist from the KTN-100 and have zero regrets. It's amazing. I've been downsizing my rig and it's the only thing (amp-wise) I'm set on keeping.

The only thing that could sway me to upgrade at this point would be an "Artist MkII", but even then, it better be spectacularly different, because this is the best combo amp I've owned and that includes some killer tube combos!

 

[devastone]

Re: the new BOSS -same as the old BOSS ?

I moved up to the Katana Artist from the KTN-100 and have zero regrets. It's amazing. I've been downsizing my rig and it's the only thing (amp-wise) I'm set on keeping.

The only thing that could sway me to upgrade at this point would be an "Artist MkII", but even then, it better be spectacularly different, because this is the best combo amp I've owned and that includes some killer tube combos!

Cool, good to know! I was quite impressed by the review/comparison of the Artist to the regular Katana by Chappers and the Captain. They both sound good, but the Artist definitely seems to take it up a notch.