I Gigged a Boss Katana - Now I Feel Stupid

If anything, you should feel silly for the opposite reason. If it works and sounds good, it is good. Who cares that it 'shouldn't be as good' according to the stupid guitarists' mythology about tubes blah blah blah

All studios would have recorded with this if it existed then. Literally lives up to the hype. The sneaky amps are highly unnecessary.

great videos and content as usual. Curious if you've run your HX STOMP through the Katana and then a non powered cab?

my story !! probably similar to a lot of guitarists stories ,, is as follows ! I was a total tube snob and with good reason. I had tried probably a dozen different SS amps and found each and every one sucked. that was then and this is now ,, they've figured it out !! I went to the philippines not planning on coming back so I unloaded all my gear which at that time included a carvin v3 micro and a soldano. things didn't work out so I had to come back and having no gear I bought a used katana 100 for $300 canadian to use till I could get a real amp. well that was in 2018(before the world lost it's mind) and I'm still using the katana 100 and bought a couple more for backups although I don't think I'll ever need it ,, boss is indestructable ,, practically. not sure why you would use it as a pedal platform when it's loaded with all those effects already ?? but hey , to each their own. I don't !! I have bank A set up with two crunch rhythm channels and two for clean settings. bank B is all set up for leads so any time I need a lead tone I just switch to bank B. that's it !! I'll never have another tube amp !! unless of course someone wants to give me one ???

I use my Kat head M2 as backup for my Kemper Stage and Power Kab. It has few patches that are similar to the Kemper. The built-in speaker works miced up with an SM57. Also me to have guitar feedback speaker scream albeit at a lower volume.

Clickbait title, start with ad, some noodling and irrelevant clips, and ANOTHER ad insert at 4 min while still nothing was said on topic.
Maybe this video informative and helpful from that point, but I'll never know. I'm not supporting this level of cancer.

i use the boss mk2 100w and its enough to shake a small venue without being mic'ed up, plugging a 4x12 cab into a katana is just a win/win situation.

I bought a fancy ambient reverb recently. I got it at home and it just didn’t speak to me. I wasn’t feeling $350 worth of inspiration. A friend of mine who has known me for years happens to work for Roland said you know what’s great? the Katana MKii 100. It’s like 30 more dollars than that pedal. So I made the trade/ purchase. Zoinks! The Katana kills.

Yep, I run @ 50 watts, clean channel, a bit driven, touch of verb, through a Celestion Vintage 10" 60-watt spkr (Mojotone cab). I use a Nobels OD, an SD1 for solos, and I'm good to go. I have a few other effects pedals for variety, not worth mentioning. I do recommend the head, not a combo. It gets the jobs done without much fanfare.

How do guitar players who can play like you play on your right knee? Try the left knee and if you can be better, you will be 97% better than you are (if possible)

Oh, and thank you, but no on the Katana. Yes on tube amps.........

People who hate on the Katana just don't get it, and their egos are getting the best of them, including the guys from That Pedal Show. They won't touch one. Mick told me he or someone he knows tried one for a few minutes and wasn't impressed. LOL I bet if it was $4k he'd give it proper time. Yes, it won't replace his Two Rock but FFS...TRY ONE.

The only "gig" I do is every other Thursday a local club has an open mic night. The owner doesn't care what you do, as long as it's entertaining and last up to 15 minutes or so. Most will karaoke, some do a stand up comedy bit or whatever they want. So I took my Line 6 Amplifi 150 with the Shortboard Mk II in with me and did a 3 song set. The nice thing about that amp is it's 100% controlled by a Bluetooth app and has all my backing tracks in it. Literally all I do is plug it in, wait for it to boot, select the song I want to play over and place the PA mic in front of it. Done. Just three 12 bar blues backing tracks and I sing/solo over them. It sounds great. No one gives a shit that it's digital, no tube driven tones or it's not a $10k Klon pedal or any of that crap we have convinced ourselves we have to have. When I am finished, I get a round of applause from the half dozen customers and the bartender gives me a free drink. Last Thursday four women got up and danced with the waitress. That's the best feedback you can get! lol. The owner is a cheap ass and makes me pay for all my other drinks, but oh well. It's a gig!

I gigged my Katana 100 MK2 for a week at Tootsie’s in Panama City Beach back in September with all effects from the amp. I had no problem playing New/Old Country or Classic Rock. We did choose to Mic it.

Is that Katana 50 or 100?

Sounds like shit out of the box and is one of the noisiest amps i have heard,and it was the amp,not the power,not the cord,not the amount of gain,it was the amp and if I need a “tone studio “ I don’t need an actual amp in the first place

You're a terrific player. So, to be fair, you're gonna make just about any amp sound pretty darned good.

The Katana has that recognizable Boss/Roland sound. Which is a good sound. I personally really like Boss gear. It's reliable and has a clear sound (unlike the majority of gear out there in the world). Also, unlike vintage tube amps, one unit sounds very much like the next. Even new tube amps vary somewhat from unit to unit. Old ones vary a lot! So it's easy to be disappointed after spending big $$$ on your dream Marshall/Vox. The great ones tend to be gone over with TLC by a highly talented amp tech. You're better off getting a boutique new build, imo, for a reliable gigging amp that sounds the way you want. Either way, it ain't cheap and easier said than done. Katanas are popular for a reason.

You make an excellent point about the speaker cabs. With any amp, upgrading the speakers is the easiest and a reasonably priced option to improve the sound. No exception here. I understand that's Katana Artist model comes with a better speaker.

My feedback on your sound is that, regardless of amp, you need a hair more clarity / treble when you solo to pop out from the mix just a bit. You don't need to hide behind the mud or reverb! Leave that to the rest of us :--)

i really like our way of noodling

Firstly…great playing. Secondly…good video. Your tube amp rigs sounds killer! What is it out of curiosity?

I just got an older Les Paul Studio, that I tried through a few really nice tube amps... and the Katana, and ended up taking the Combo 100 Katana with 1 12" speaker home at the same time... (it was so inexpensive, and sounded Great!) A lot of flexibility in there! Super happy with it, and have gotten quite a few comments about my tone. I added the Fuzz Face type sim in the Katana and tied my expression pedal to the drive on it, and am really happy with the way it cleans up in heel down, and sounds like a roaring amp with the toe down... Really Love your playing man!

i gigged one out of necessity when my tubes blew.. got so many compliments. strange world we live in...🙃

I've played tube amps for 20 years now. A diehard if you will. I've dabbled in digital setups like the headrush, etc. Though they sound good and are super convenient, they always lacked the dynamics and never responded like a real tube amp. I took a chance and bought a katana artist mkII, and it blew my mind! Everything is there. The dynamics, the warmth, and the response you get from a real tube amp. It cleans up just like a tube amp as well. For the first time, when I play the katana artist mkII, I don't feel like I'm missing something. It's much lighter than my tube amps, and it has endless great sounding effects. Paired with the boss ga fc foot controller and the boss 500h expression pedal, it has everything I could possibly ever need. I love that amp, and I'd very highly recommend it to anyone from beginners to pros alike.

I love my Boss spirit amp from like 1979 (tiny but bites hard) - so I'd surely be happy with this it sounds lush.

I wish I was your drummer - I'd be happy with the guitarist for once LOL

I played a gig a couple weeks ago at a solid venue with good sound. The opening band's lead guitarist played a Katana, and pairing that up with an acoustic rhythm guitar it didn't cut through. It was miced up and the PA had plenty of power still it sounded flat and got lost in the mix with drums, bass, viola, acoustic guitar and 1 lead vocal. Unless the sound guy really pushes there are specific frequencies that a cranked tube amp produces that a solid state amp does not. I've had this problem myself. You don't need a half stack but no matter how sweet the tone is, tubes have presence in a live situation that solid state amps don't have.

They're great if you want to sound like everybody else.

Dude.
Your playing is insanely good.
Glad to find your channel.
Godbless!

You're a part owner of BOSS? Nice.

I paired my Katana 50w 2nd Gen combo with the AirStep KAT. It’s a match made in heaven

You switch modelers every other minute. You abandon amps one minute and bring them back the next. You run thru equipment at a frightening pace. Line 6 or Fractal? I’ve lost track. Frankly, your reviews and opinions are of limited value.

I, too, gig a Katana but mine is an older first issue 50w combo and yields four channels. Two banks each with two channels. I have a clean, a clean lead, a crunch and an all-out lead. I run a fifty seven on it and use in-ear monitors and my sound guy is very happy with low stage volume but killer tones just the same. I have more guys coming up saying how they've been loving their Katanas as well and my other guitarist just got the 100w combo. At first I wanted to trade out the stock speaker for a Celestion or similar but I've grown to love the one in it for now anyway. I love the fact it is so light in weight yet has such great tones and a very compact footprint on stage. Almost comical sitting next to a big drum kit but will keep up with it no problem. I have stopped using my pedalboard. Now it's just a two button switcher. The little rig has been bullet proof, so far, and all my tube rigs sit in the studio. It was a treat to hear you and your band is great! You're an excellent player, man and I enjoyed the video very much! Cheers!

...I think you'd sound good through a potato... A.I.R.D. ROX. I use the GTK

I have the KATANA mk2 50 watt 1x12 combo and is a great practice amp. Pretty loud even at 25 watts. Haven’t played out with of course it’s to small. For the money it’s the best practice amp for the money. Anyway the Boss KATANA series is just great stuff for a great price especially if you’re new to guitar. Great review and doesn’t surprise me that looks like a Sire Tele sounded that good at your gig through the KATANA AMP.

That wide strap you used in the Katana gig looks real comfy, who makes it ? 😂

I've been running a Katana MkII Artist Combo (Waza) for months now. I'll never go back. It's light (43 lbs with that killer speaker) and has KILLER tone (s) and the presets are a Godsent. I set it up with the tone studio and use the GA-FC. It's easy and works perfectly. I only wish they would have made the Tone Studio bluetooth. They also should have made the effects pedal on off on the pedal. Once you put in wah you can't shut it off. It stays in wah mode through the preset. That's the ONLY differences I'd really like to see changed. The effects pedals are high quality. You can also add a cabinet for a 2 or 312 cab. It's an amazing amp. Don't see anything passing it up anytime soon. And at <$600 you just can't beat it. SUPER high quality and reliability. I'm done with tubes....had way too many failures on stage and they're heavy as hell.

Can you just use the amp by itself to go directly to FOH? No cab at all, just the Katana Head > Line Out (TRS cable) > Mixer > PA, and that's it? Does it sound good?

I let anyone play with my equipment. I really try to encourage new musicians. Even if they are really drunk or just bad. Ill say the katana is durable and easy to use. Got it 3 years ago it has been around cold beers and extreme heat. Desert sun and harsh wind and deserts. It’s unfazed.

The 50w is good and beefy but the 100w setting is too thin. If you are looking for a katana and you think you probably don’t need the 100w (you probably don’t) but if you do just use the line out and get a 50

I think the head is the way to go since that allows you to use better quality speakers, which is probably the limiting factor on the combos.

I have a Boss Katana 100 head I pair with a 2X12 cab loaded with Celestion vintage 30's and the sound is great. It has become my primary gigging amp.

Just did a first gig with a Katana mkll head i picked up used. Paired with a 50w anthem speaker in a closed back cab. Very happy with sounds... articulate, highly tweakable, optional foot switch adds a lot of flexibility for live use.

I went in to a music store looking for a cheap strat to essentially strip apart and customize myself. I plugged in to a Katana because it was just the amp closest, and I fell in love with the amp and probably played around with the amp for 30 minutes and forgot about the guitar. I’ve had your traditional tube amps and massive pedalboards and played in arguably the most gear snobby environments (church) and I truly believe if people just get over themselves there are good options out there like the Katana. I’ve recommended this amp to everyone I’ve come across for a solid practice amp/starting amp that will keep up with the times and your growth as a musician.

Playing bars and restaurants does not require a great amp. I’ve used some nasty amp setups live and still there’s always someone who says it sounds good. Nobody else cares cause you are just background entertainment.

You would sound amazing even if you were plugging your guitar into a rotten pumpkin. Amazing John!!!

I gig with a Peavey Bandit often. Noisy pub or wedding it works fine, and I'm a good enough player that people will hear that

From my POV you're very poor on rhythm guitar and your leads are generic, so not supporting or even leaning towards the songs. This has nothing to do with your gear and everything with your playing.

Honestly, your audience wouldn't have a clue, nor would they care, as long as it sounds at least decent and your playing is good.

the most important thing to me is that i like the sound i am hearing amd it makes me play as well as possible because the feel is pleasing. the audience will likely never notice the difference between a dumble and a $500 amp. most of the sound of an electric rig to me is the player, not the gear.

Nothing wrong with the Katana. It just works. Has plenty of power, loads of effects, good tones and lightweight. I gigged one for a couple of years before going to Helix.