I don't have the Kat MKII 100, only the Artist. Waiting on a speaker cable to connect Monoprice to the Artist speaker.
Katana Artist - not the best speaker choice?
- Thread starter BrettFuzz
- Start date
Sound wise they’re basically the same, but the Artist has additional other features that some my want, others won’t.
They do not sound the same on their own; had both side by side for a while. Artist is much darker due to the different speaker and the larger/different cabinet. They would sound the same thru the same speaker cab, tho.
I wasn't very clear on that I guess. The basic amp models in the software are the same, it's other things that are different.
I finally succumbed to the craving, GC has Artists on sale for $499 right now. Have one on the way, should be here on Wednesday.
I have been pretty happy with the tones I get from my Katana Artist.
Everyone has a different sound in their head and what they want from an amp.
Interesting project, this thread has been a good read
I am actually looking at picking up a Waza 2x12 cabinet for my Katana Artist 100 MKII.
New is out of the question, keeping an eye out on Reverb for used Mint examples.
Actually, uses the same speaker as the Artist, but obviously two of them.
BOSS - WAZA Amp Cabinet212 | Guitar Amplifier Cabinet
WAZA Amp Cabinet212: Guitar Amplifier Cabinet - The Quest for Vintage Sound Breeds the Ultimate High-Gain Rock Tone
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Just to provide an update - I was able to test the Monoprice tube amp connected to the Waza speaker in the Katana and... it's the same dull, lifeless sound as the Katana thru that same Waza speaker.
So I am definitely not a fan of the Waza speaker. For me:
Katana thru the Celestion Seventy 80 = good, very close to the Monoprice tube amp thru the same speaker
Monoprice thru its own Celestion Seventy 80 = good, of course
Katana thru its own Waza = dull
Monoprice thru the Waza = dull, sounds the same as the Katana thru the same speaker
I always liked the Katana Artist as an amp but once I heard it thru a different speaker I like the amp even more but its Waza speaker way less (i.e. not at all, lol).
Since I WFH I leave my amp on all day and whenever I have 5 min thru the day I grab a guitar and noodle. So for me connecting the Katana to the Celestion is ideal - it sounds all but indistinguishable from the Monoprice and I don't mind leaving the amp on all day as I am not unnecessarily burning the tubes.
If you have a Katana Artist do yourself a favor and don't connect it to another speaker, you'll be much happier not knowing, lol.
So I am definitely not a fan of the Waza speaker. For me:
Katana thru the Celestion Seventy 80 = good, very close to the Monoprice tube amp thru the same speaker
Monoprice thru its own Celestion Seventy 80 = good, of course
Katana thru its own Waza = dull
Monoprice thru the Waza = dull, sounds the same as the Katana thru the same speaker
I always liked the Katana Artist as an amp but once I heard it thru a different speaker I like the amp even more but its Waza speaker way less (i.e. not at all, lol).
Since I WFH I leave my amp on all day and whenever I have 5 min thru the day I grab a guitar and noodle. So for me connecting the Katana to the Celestion is ideal - it sounds all but indistinguishable from the Monoprice and I don't mind leaving the amp on all day as I am not unnecessarily burning the tubes.
If you have a Katana Artist do yourself a favor and don't connect it to another speaker, you'll be much happier not knowing, lol.
fender4life
Friend of Leo's
The speaker IMO isn't the issue. I too have a modeler (GTX) and i love the thing in a lot of ways. But like u i also have a tube amp, also a small amp i designed and built similar to a marshall. And also like you the tube amp sounds better. I also had the katana artist. I much prefer my GTX to put it mildly and have tried other speakers in both. I find the speakers can change them a little or radically, but they never make them sound anything like a tube amp, and i know what the reason is. But the reason won't likely be agreed upon by others. However, i've long since come to believe it 100%. Top end....the treble region in modelers just never sounds or feels right like a good tube amp. No speaker change will do it and i also noted that with all of the 5 modelers i've had but one, they all had very bright speakers. If i put a normal typical guitar speaker in them he would sound and feel lifeless to one degree or another. The reason for that in my belief is that because modelers have a top end thats not right, they use a bright speaker in order to not have to brighten them in the digital realm which might just make the issue worse. That part is speculation on my part, but the belief that the top end is the issue i believe w/o a doubt. Top end is IMO the hardest thing to get right in tube amps too, but even when a tube amp's top isn't great it still sounds and feels much different than modeling.
That said, i still love my GTX and IMO the rest of the tonal spectrum is great and in some ways even better then modelers. I also never had a high end one like a kemper so maybe those have highs that sound and feel right, but i wouldn't bet on it, at least not that they are 100% there. But the higher processing power may get closer. In any case the speaker is IMO not the fix for any modeler you think has tonal issues. In one a speaker swap did help, but it didn't fix that issue it just helped a bit. So IMO when modelers finally get the highs right then tube amps are in trouble. till then no speaker swap is gonna get your modeler to sounds and fel like tubes, at least not a GREAT tube amp, because lest face it, there are some lousy tube amps out there. These days not nearly as many as in the past they they're out there.
That said, i still love my GTX and IMO the rest of the tonal spectrum is great and in some ways even better then modelers. I also never had a high end one like a kemper so maybe those have highs that sound and feel right, but i wouldn't bet on it, at least not that they are 100% there. But the higher processing power may get closer. In any case the speaker is IMO not the fix for any modeler you think has tonal issues. In one a speaker swap did help, but it didn't fix that issue it just helped a bit. So IMO when modelers finally get the highs right then tube amps are in trouble. till then no speaker swap is gonna get your modeler to sounds and fel like tubes, at least not a GREAT tube amp, because lest face it, there are some lousy tube amps out there. These days not nearly as many as in the past they they're out there.
ASATKat
Poster Extraordinaire
People are fascinated with guitar gear, GAS, to the point where it's more time consuming than actually playing. For some playing is just a means to get the string to vibrate so you can experience the GAS moment.
People know they will never be famous, but they can own their tone with authority, or that is the dream drive. "That tone, that mostly exists in the mind, just has to be in some gear somewhere". And the obsessed guitar player buys more and more, chasing the sunrise.
Fortunately, I was in it for the music, the playing. That's what started for me, The Beatles were the first electric band, I saw them on Ed Sullivan, and it was like a Lazer etched my brain, I thought "yes, this is the sh*t". So my listening and playing continued that way.
The Boss Katana 100 Mk2 has been great, always a usable tone. That means I can spend my time playing and creating music. I've got over 300 backing track recording of my #1 rig, which is the Kat and my ASAT Special or my PRS.
Now my GAS interest is more about the constant searching that this community is in. It's fun, but I don't get all personally gassed up anymore.
However I still like pedal GAS and I have my eyes on a couple pedals.
Regarding the speaker change. I see no need, all speakers have a larger tonal pallet than we would ever use, and from there we do a little eq knob turning to focus the tone to our liking.
Taking a step back I choose from a broad pallet of base or foundational tones, ie American, British, blues, metal. I go for a blues sound. This base is easily found in the Kat I think. From there I think of a Peter Green tone and like magic the eq, gain, and mode knobs just fall into place in a PG-ish sort of way. That's been true with a handful of artist tones, I choose mode, then eq and gain, then verb etc, done and back to playing. So in the end I have a handful of very usable tones and my amp GAS is no longer tugging at me.
I had a Kemper for a year and thought it sounded steller,, almost. I would get a decent tone, say a '65 Deluxe and for whatever reasons I would f*ck it up by way of deep editing. After a year I had ok patches but nothing I smiled at and saved. I sold if to pay bills. I've never experienced that with my Kat. I turn it off and the next morning I still like it, that never kappened with the Kemper. Too much good stuff I really didn't know how to use. So it's me and my Kat and my real cat of 21yrs.
People know they will never be famous, but they can own their tone with authority, or that is the dream drive. "That tone, that mostly exists in the mind, just has to be in some gear somewhere". And the obsessed guitar player buys more and more, chasing the sunrise.
Fortunately, I was in it for the music, the playing. That's what started for me, The Beatles were the first electric band, I saw them on Ed Sullivan, and it was like a Lazer etched my brain, I thought "yes, this is the sh*t". So my listening and playing continued that way.
The Boss Katana 100 Mk2 has been great, always a usable tone. That means I can spend my time playing and creating music. I've got over 300 backing track recording of my #1 rig, which is the Kat and my ASAT Special or my PRS.
Now my GAS interest is more about the constant searching that this community is in. It's fun, but I don't get all personally gassed up anymore.
However I still like pedal GAS and I have my eyes on a couple pedals.
Regarding the speaker change. I see no need, all speakers have a larger tonal pallet than we would ever use, and from there we do a little eq knob turning to focus the tone to our liking.
Taking a step back I choose from a broad pallet of base or foundational tones, ie American, British, blues, metal. I go for a blues sound. This base is easily found in the Kat I think. From there I think of a Peter Green tone and like magic the eq, gain, and mode knobs just fall into place in a PG-ish sort of way. That's been true with a handful of artist tones, I choose mode, then eq and gain, then verb etc, done and back to playing. So in the end I have a handful of very usable tones and my amp GAS is no longer tugging at me.
I had a Kemper for a year and thought it sounded steller,, almost. I would get a decent tone, say a '65 Deluxe and for whatever reasons I would f*ck it up by way of deep editing. After a year I had ok patches but nothing I smiled at and saved. I sold if to pay bills. I've never experienced that with my Kat. I turn it off and the next morning I still like it, that never kappened with the Kemper. Too much good stuff I really didn't know how to use. So it's me and my Kat and my real cat of 21yrs.
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Well, a different speaker sure did fix my modeler.
This has nothing to do with tube amp vs modelers; it's about Waza speaker in the Katana vs. Katana with another speaker.
Cool... so you understand what it feels like to prefer one piece of gear over another as you've been thru that yourself.
ASATKat
Poster Extraordinaire
Heck yeah, lots, too muchCool... so you understand what it feels like to prefer one piece of gear over another as you've been thru that yourself.
Ok, this is for anyone who might care or was wondering wtf I was on about. This video is an example of what I am hearing in the room playing the Katana Artist thru its own Waza speaker vs. an external Celestion speaker. This dude shows what the Katana Artist sounds like miced vs. using the line out. The sound of the Katana via the line out is very close to what I am hearing when playing my Katana via the external Celestion speaker compared to its own speaker. Hearing that kind of difference in clarity is what prompted me to wonder about Boss's choice of the speaker in the Katana Artist.
The video starts at the 10:46 minute mark.
The video starts at the 10:46 minute mark.
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