A few questions about the Boss Nextone amp

[fender4life]

1- is it basically like a katana but much more classic rock voiced ?
2- how real and good is the touch response compared to the katana?
3- any thoughts on why it hasn't gotten a lot of attention compared to the katana or even GTX?

 

[Leonardocoate]

I have had both. I wish I still had the Nextone. It is more of a platform amp that can take external speakers. It is more versatile. By that I mean it can be used for direct to PA or recorder. You can also gig with it effectively enough. You might prefer a different speaker for that. Kantana is more of a modeling amp. It has a pro audio speaker that mimics well but doesn’t take on any character of its own. What you hear is exactly like it sounds through a pa or monitor. That’s a plus. Kantana is a good amp and Nextone is a great amp. If you want to keep using your pedals the Nextone has an fx loop. You can use your pedals on the Kantana but there is no loop. I plan on getting my Nextone back. It is better for me. I hope this helps. Nextone is better for gigs

 

[fender4life]

I have had both. I wish I still had the Nextone. It is more of a platform amp that can take external speakers. It is more versatile. By that I mean it can be used for direct to PA or recorder. You can also gig with it effectively enough. You might prefer a different speaker for that. Kantana is more of a modeling amp. It has a pro audio speaker that mimics well but doesn’t take on any character of its own. What you hear is exactly like it sounds through a pa or monitor. That’s a plus. Kantana is a good amp and Nextone is a great amp. If you want to keep using your pedals the Nextone has an fx loop. You can use your pedals on the Kantana but there is no loop. I plan on getting my Nextone back. It is better for me. I hope this helps. Nextone is better for gigs

Thanks. How does it do at 65 deluxe tones? Can you get close and if so, does it take a clean boost for over the top gain of does that cause it to fart out like it does with my GTX deluxe? (and in the older 2 mustang iterations too) The GTX does a superb 65 deluxe but it;s a bit finicky in the bass and as i said i can't get much drive boosting it w/o the signal dropping like a badly designed tube preamp with blocking distortion happening. (no, the TMDR won't do it for me because need a loop)

Still wonder tho....if the NT is a "great amp" and better then the katana, why is there literally probably 1% as much interest as the katana? By the way, had a katana but the type of tones it does didn't do it for me and i started to notice the touch response didn't feel right to me after a time with it.

 

[archtop_fjk]

I have a Blues Cube Artist for gigging but a friend has the Nextone Stage amp and it sounds just as good as my Blues Cube and has more effects on board. I may consider upgrading at some point, but I wonder if Boss would consider making a head version (like the Katana head). Then I’d have the option to go straight to PA or to the cab of my choice.

 

[brookdalebill]

I think of the Nextone as a Katana without as many effects.
I had a Katana, and I liked the Nextone I tried out.
Neither could replace my Cube 80XL.
I kept the Katana for a few months, and gigged with it a few times.
I also had the Blues Cube Artist.
Same story, great amp, just not as great as the 80XL.
The Cube does the most stuff, and has my preferred closed back, built-in tuner, and looper.
I think almost all Roland/Boss amps sound great, and are ultra dependable.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

I think of the Nextone as a Katana without as many effects.
I had a Katana, and I liked the Nextone I tried out.
Neither could replace my Cube 80XL.
The Cube does the most stuff, and has my preferred closed back, built-in tuner, and looper.
I think almost all Roland/Boss amps sound great, and are ultra dependable.

I love Boss/Roland products - built like Russian Trucks, yet deliver nice sound.
Ever thought @ the Blues Cube Artist?
They deliver 80 Watts maxxed out, similar to the Cube 80.
I absolutely love my Blues Cube Stage (60W).
I get all kinds of groooovy Fender-ish tone, along with useable reverb and OD.
If you want really good OD, get a pedal, always, but ...
Plus it sounds just as swell at "room" volume as cranked (try that with a pricey tube amp).
Just my two cents.

 

[Leonardocoate]

Touch response on the Nextone and Kantana are very good. Both use the Roland tube logic circuitry

 

[Leonardocoate]

Thanks. How does it do at 65 deluxe tones? Can you get close and if so, does it take a clean boost for over the top gain of does that cause it to fart out like it does with my GTX deluxe? (and in the older 2 mustang iterations too) The GTX does a superb 65 deluxe but it;s a bit finicky in the bass and as i said i can't get much drive boosting it w/o the signal dropping like a badly designed tube preamp with blocking distortion happening. (no, the TMDR won't do it for me because need a loop)

Still wonder tho....if the NT is a "great amp" and better then the katana, why is there literally probably 1% as much interest as the katana? By the way, had a katana but the type of tones it does didn't do it for me and i started to notice the touch response didn't feel right to me after a time with it.

I can’t give a good answer about the 65DT question. I have never owned one. I can tell you NT holds up well to clean boost without clipping or farting. I’m mostly a clean to crunch player which NT served well. I can’t attest to dirt sounds. The lack of interest in the NT is probably due to price and market position My guess is the Blues cube is more attractive at NT pricing. Not enough perceived value

 

[fuzz guy]

The Nextone is nothing like a Katana. It's best to think of a Nextone as a traditional two channel amp, but one where you can completely customize the sound of both those channels.

I have owned a Nextone Stage since they first came out. They are very versatile amps, but to get the best from them you really need to use the editing software. They feel and respond very much like a tube amp, and mine takes pedals just like one would too.

I don't think they are very popular because of the settings from the factory. Most people who try one in a shop won't get the proper idea of what they can do. Also most people turn the Power Amp selector knob and expect to hear the sounds of classic amps, like an AC30 or Twin Reverb, but they're not properly setup to do that from the factory. Once you get into the editing software you can make them sound like anything you want, and if you're not keen on doing that there are places where people share settings.

 

[NiceTele]

I had a Nextone- a very good workhorse amp and very gig worthy. I also have a Kat 50 and used to have the Kat 100...all used as straight amps with pedals in front- they all sound different. I got frustrated with the Nextone as I found myself fiddling with settings and software so much, that I almost went nuts trying to get the holy grail tone. I now have a Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb blonde which does one thing very well, as it was designed to do- turn it on, plug the guitar in, add pedals of choice, and away you go.