Masta' C
Well-known member
As many of you know, I'm a big fan of the Boss Katana amps. I still believe the tone-to-price ratio is unbeatable on these things. Since first trying the original KTN-50, I moved up to a KTN-100, and eventually to a Katana Artist, which is top-of-the-line in the series and an upgrade I recommend to anyone serious about the Katana series. I have REALLY enjoyed my investment in the Artist...until now.
First, let me say that the amp appears to function fine and still sounds great. At a glance, everything seems to be working as it should. The problem is...the amp is shocking me!
Not sure why, but it has begun to leak an electric charge. If I don't touch anything for 20-30 seconds while the amp is on, I get a small, but highly uncomfortable electric shock when I touch any metal part of the guitar. And this isn't happening on just a single guitar...it's happening with all of them! Same with the amp itself...if I wait a few seconds and then touch one of the bolt heads on top which support the chassis inside, I experience the same shock!
For initial trouble-shooting, I tried swapping the instrument cable for a brand new one. No luck. I tried swapping the removable power cable out for a new one. No luck. I tried it on different wall outlets and even in different rooms known to be on separate circuits. No luck. Still, concerned that something might be up with the home wiring that I couldn't evaluate so easily (note: I don't have this issue with any other electronic device in the house), I bought a fancy socket tester with a digital voltage readout and everything in the house has tested out fine, yet the shocks remain. Probably an internal grounding issue, but who knows.
What irritates me is that I'm outside of warranty on this thing, so I'll likely be out-of-pocket for any repairs. I'll contact Boss to verify that, but I find this incredibly upsetting for what should be a flagship product at a premium price. Thought others might want to know.
First, let me say that the amp appears to function fine and still sounds great. At a glance, everything seems to be working as it should. The problem is...the amp is shocking me!
Not sure why, but it has begun to leak an electric charge. If I don't touch anything for 20-30 seconds while the amp is on, I get a small, but highly uncomfortable electric shock when I touch any metal part of the guitar. And this isn't happening on just a single guitar...it's happening with all of them! Same with the amp itself...if I wait a few seconds and then touch one of the bolt heads on top which support the chassis inside, I experience the same shock!
For initial trouble-shooting, I tried swapping the instrument cable for a brand new one. No luck. I tried swapping the removable power cable out for a new one. No luck. I tried it on different wall outlets and even in different rooms known to be on separate circuits. No luck. Still, concerned that something might be up with the home wiring that I couldn't evaluate so easily (note: I don't have this issue with any other electronic device in the house), I bought a fancy socket tester with a digital voltage readout and everything in the house has tested out fine, yet the shocks remain. Probably an internal grounding issue, but who knows.
What irritates me is that I'm outside of warranty on this thing, so I'll likely be out-of-pocket for any repairs. I'll contact Boss to verify that, but I find this incredibly upsetting for what should be a flagship product at a premium price. Thought others might want to know.
