New Amp Day - Katana 100/212

[Matthias]

After never quite getting what I wanted from a tube amp at low volumes (while still having something able to do odd gigs) I thought I’d try the digital route. I was looking at the Tone Masters and analogue options like Quilters but saw the Katana 100/212 and it looked like a good do-anything amp at much less money.

With the power control knob and gain/vol/master combination it really looked suited to most settings. And I wanted to try a 2x12 having only ever owned single speaker combos.

These digital amps have come a long way! Plugged it in and pretty happy with just the default sounds. The onboard effects are good but they definitely need some tweaking in the app. I’m sure they could replace a pedal board in some scenarios. What I didn’t expect was just how good a 2x12 setup is at lower volumes. Sticking it on “0.5w“ power setting is perfect for quiet practice and it still sounds so rich and present. I’m a convert to bigger cabs from now on.

Very happy. Nice to have something live up to the hype.

 

[ole6string]

I have a Katana artist. Great amp. Have played many gigs and recorded it a bunch. Always delivers. However, there is a huge difference between all the models. Comparing a Katana 50 to a 100 or even and artist is apples to oranges. Completely different beasts.

Enjoy your new amp.

 

[Matthias]

I have a Katana artist. Great amp. Have played many gigs and recorded it a bunch. Always delivers. However, there is a huge difference between all the models. Comparing a Katana 50 to a 100 or even and artist is apples to oranges. Completely different beasts.

Enjoy your new amp.

Thanks! Yeah, I gathered the differences from some comparisons. The MkI and MkII seem quite different too. I think the size of the cab really makes a difference. It’s one of the reasons why I went with the 212.

I compared it to my Blues Jr today and I think I’m going to keep that as my back-up/jamming-with-a-friend amp. I‘ve found myself constantly riding that spot between no volume/just loud enough for evening playing with any sort of gain, which of course isn’t so much an issue with a Katana. But the BJ‘s clean tone and fairly nice spring reverb are worth keeping around. I’ll try some tweaking in the app to see if I can get a closer to a Fender clean tone, as the stock clean tones on the Katana are a bit plain.

 

[bobio]

I have a Katana Artist and a Nextone Special, both GREAT amps
I have been wanting a head unit with a 212 though.
I am seriously thinking about selling my Nextone and picking up another Katana Artist, this time the head with the Waza 212 cabinet.

BOSS - KATANA-Artist MkII HEAD | Guitar Amplifier

KATANA-Artist MkII HEAD: Guitar Amplifier - Ultimate Katana Tone in a Powerful Amplifier Head

www.boss.info

BOSS - KATANA CABINET 212 WAZA | Guitar Amplifier Cabinet

KATANA CABINET 212 WAZA: Guitar Amplifier Cabinet - Special Edition Katana Cabinet with Two Waza Speakers

www.boss.info

 

[ASATKat]

I have a Kat M2 100, tone is great.

The best part is I get to use my fingers without thinking of the amp.

 

[brookdalebill]

Great stuff!

 

[OldTelePlayer]

I recently purchased a Katana MkII as well and find the Tone Studio app really opens up a world of possibilities.

I also thought the stock clean tone a bit on the plain side. Using the post-EQ I could get a bit better Fender-like clean tone. Not perfect though... but better. Still needs work.

All in all a great amp.

 

[Matthias]

Still impressed with this thing. I’ve got the GA-FC footswitch for it now and that’s really opened up the effects features. I have an expression pedal on the way too. I really like the fact you can get this thing working without reading the instruction manual. The only thing I missed at first were the small buttons to cycle through the effect banks. It’s weird thinking that the Mustang Micro sent me in this direction. It made me realise you could have a lot of fun with a bunch of “good enough“ sounds and the ability to play backing tracks.

The only things I have a real issue with is that lack of character on the default clean channel (I’m not sure who it‘s aimed at - maybe to take pedals?) and the aux in being somewhat muddy but might be just a fact of the speaks. I do prefer aux ins to have their own volume knob, too.

 

[tfarny]

I had a Kat 100 212 for a while, and gigged it a bit. It was interesting. I did a big mod, I made a lightweight 112 cab for it and I liked everything about it better then. My gripe, and it was a big one, was that I could dial in a great sound at home using the software and the "sneaky amps" thing, but at a rehearsal or a gig, if I needed to adjust anything on the fly, it was a nightmare. Big learning experience for me, and I'm wary of playing anything live that I cant just reach around and tweak now.

 

[MisterZ]

Enjoy your Kat! (Goodness knows I enjoy mine.)

 

[Brent Hutto]

I spent many happy hours in Tone Studio trying combinations of the modes (Clean, Crunch, their alternate modes) and fiddling with gain, EQ knobs plus the Tone Studio based parametric EQ. I prefer clean tone but it needs to be what I call "clean with some character" so that playing dynamics are reflected not just in the loudness but in the timbre of the amp.

In the end, there were some fun Crunch or Lead sounds but nothing I really wanted to hear every day when I sit down to noodle around, practice or play a few tunes. So for the past year (or nearly so) my Katana 100mkII just sits on a vanilla "clean pedal platform" setting with no post-EQ, no effects, just the Clean channel with Gain 27, Volume 100, Bass 36, Mid 50, Treble 60, Presence 8 and the Modern cab type.

I use a couple of always on pedals to give me the "with character" part of the sound. But I think the Katana matters in as much as I really like how full and nice it sounds even at living room volumes on the 0.5watt setting. I think the cabinet, speaker and basic amplification has a very neutral and pleasing sound without being harsh or boomy or boxy, etc.

It does seem kind of a waste to have all that DSP horsepower and prodigious amount of features built into the firmware and basically leave it all turned off in favor of the most basic mode the darned thing can operate in. But it was affordable, it's reliable and I've found the sound I want with the Katana and a couple cheap pedals (plus a couple expensive delays!).

P.S. I should in full disclosure mention that by "Katana" in the above I actually mean a stereo pair of them sitting across the room from each other. That was the final piece of the puzzle for getting a sound I love. Do it in stereo!

 

[bobio]

Still impressed with this thing. I’ve got the GA-FC footswitch for it now and that’s really opened up the effects features. I have an expression pedal on the way too. I really like the fact you can get this thing working without reading the instruction manual. The only thing I missed at first were the small buttons to cycle through the effect banks. It’s weird thinking that the Mustang Micro sent me in this direction. It made me realise you could have a lot of fun with a bunch of “good enough“ sounds and the ability to play backing tracks.

The only things I have a real issue with is that lack of character on the default clean channel (I’m not sure who it‘s aimed at - maybe to take pedals?) and the aux in being somewhat muddy but might be just a fact of the speaks. I do prefer aux ins to have their own volume knob, too.

If you like the GA-FC, you will really like the GA-FC EX. It adds even more features.
To go a step further, the Kat edition of the Xsonic Airstep offers even more flexibility.

As to the default patches, I deleted ALL of mine and recreated them to my liking.
I would also suggest checking out the BOSS Tone Exchange, lots of free patches there.

BOSS TONE EXCHANGE

BOSS TONE EXCHANGE is an online platform for sharing original Livesets created with compatible BOSS products and BOSS TONE STUDIO with users around the world.

bosstoneexchange.com

 

[Matthias]

Actually plugged it into a computer today and tweaked the EQ, installed the Sneaky Amps. The post-amp EQ definitely benefits from a high and low cut and the 2k area tamed. I’ve adjusted the effects a little to taste, too. I am a little sorry that it’s not possible to independently EQ and set up effects for the ”panel” amps (as far as I can see), just one configuration for all.

The Sneaky Amps are quite nice but I think my workflow would be to keep the presets for setting the volumes/setting default effects/fine tuning EQ for the stock amps and then saving those… I can see that being the way to approach your problem @tfarny but it does limit how much you can tweak the thing.

I’m not going to complain at the price and quality. Just things that would be nice.

 

[Brent Hutto]

The post-amp EQ definitely benefits from a high and low cut and the 2k area tamed.

I've gone back and forth about whether to engage a little 3dB cut in the 2k area.

Usually that cut sounds like it takes a little life out of the tone so normally I have the post EQ off. But now and then my ear gets focused in on the spikiness of my Telecaster right in that range so I'll go in the Tone Studio and turn it on for a day or two.

 

[TurtlesnTanlines]

I can’t seem to get on board with the Katanas, but I think it’s the really warm EQ of the amps coming from Fender Deluxe Reverbs. I’d have to try it after tweaking.
The prices ARE incredible and certainly beat the sound of my Peavey I grew up playing on!

 

[Matthias]

I've gone back and forth about whether to engage a little 3dB cut in the 2k area.

Usually that cut sounds like it takes a little life out of the tone so normally I have the post EQ off. But now and then my ear gets focused in on the spikiness of my Telecaster right in that range so I'll go in the Tone Studio and turn it on for a day or two.

I might go back and forth too… I’ve taken a little off the low mids too so there’s relatively more high mids and top-end like a Fender amp but that seems to accentuate a peak in the 1-3k range. I used a wide Q at 2k and it removed some of the lower end of the (perceptually) louder ice-pick tones and the 10k high cut warms it up. The high and low cuts are pretty steep. I’d rather they were more gentle. It’s easy to go too far and make things sound a little boxy. But it’s certainly a rounder, more vintage tone now. I‘m sure this isn’t the end of it. I get the impression you can go down a rabbit hole with this thing...

 

[Brent Hutto]

I might go back and forth too… I’ve taken a little off the low mids too so there’s relatively more high mids and top-end like a Fender amp but that seems to accentuate a peak in the 1-3k range. I used a wide Q at 2k and it removed some of the lower end of the (perceptually) louder ice-pick tones and the 10k high cut warms it up. The high and low cuts are pretty steep. I’d rather they were more gentle. It’s easy to go too far and make things sound a little boxy. But it’s certainly a rounder, more vintage tone now. I‘m sure this isn’t the end of it. I get the impression you can go down a rabbit hole with this thing...

It took me about 9-10 months, I'd say, to get to the point of "Visited the rabbit hole, got the tee shirt, now I'm back home".

 

[tfarny]

I can see that being the way to approach your problem @tfarny but it does limit how much you can tweak the thing.

I’m not going to complain at the price and quality. Just things that would be nice.

Yes if I had liked the stock sounds on the panel it would have been a different thing. I liked the "sneaky amp" tones a lot, but the only panel setting I liked was clean and that was just ok for me, not great. I do like real tweed amps when they're not full-out, but I've never cared much for anyone's clone of one, and the others are all indistinguishable metal sounds (to me).

Glad you're liking yours though! If you're happy enough with the stock tones, then it really is a great value amp and plenty loud for most live situations.