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In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:15 am
by rfurtkamp
For $229, better than it has ANY right to be. Far, far better.

I dragged a Mk2 Katana 50 with me to the Mojave for a week of recording and ritual Work - was intending minimal just for the challenge ot it. I ended up being a little more minimal than planned as I forgot the bag with my Ebow and Pest Tattern, but I made do. i can say this much, I never felt a lack.

One desert, one guitar, one amp, one mic, one little 8 track recorder. I could honestly live with this and be happy (even if I'd want a little destroyer fuzz action in my soul) - the new firmware with the faux HM-2 made a good thing better.

It feeds back like a banshee musically in a way no solid state amp I've played does - and better than some tube monsters.

I didn't even bring a laptop with to edit the thing, the whole week was just with the effects I had programmed in before leaving. "Booster" was either a Rangemaster fake, the HM-2, or a Dist+ (I hate the real pedal, but..the one in the Katana and I get alone well?), and a phase/flange/trem in the modulation section. Reverse delay, fake Space Echo, or fake SDE-3000 in the delay section. Reverb either a spring or fake plate.

Mic was the classic and venerable Sennheiser 906, which is grand for a 'tiny pack' rig because it needs no stand and just drapes in front of the speaker/cab.

I brought my #1 Les Paul with, as much as I hate to travel with it - it went with to every hotel, and it was never unaccompanied in the car. No bad things ensued.

But the star of the show was the little Katana that could - it honestly isn't like using a digital amp at all when it's not hooked up to an editor. Gets louder than sin, and does everything I asked of it.

Sort of sad that it *could* replace a few thousand in gear all by its lonesome, and that's without using the fake Metal Zone that would undoubtably add $22 to the price if I turned that patch on!

But honestly, pound for pound, dollar for dollar, don't think I've ever played a better little piece of kit.

Obligatory recording in the tile corner (with the plants used to absorb a little of the reflection until I was happy) shot. I ended up using the Zoom R8 as a DI toy in a couple hotel rooms on batteries and once in the desert proper because I could, but the vast majority of my time was with the little Katana and in the middle of the desert miles from anything wished I could have been using it instead.

The thing that really astonished me though was how similar it sounded at the .5 watt setting versus the 50 in the right room - other than pure SPL, it recorded identically. I really only hit the 50 watt mode when I wanted to play with feedback, or shake the world because I could.

If you haven't played one or picked one up, you owe it to yourself to try one out, even if you never ever hook it up to a computer.

Image

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:17 am
by rfurtkamp
And for the record (and free as always, and I mean it), the end product.

https://rfurtkamp.bandcamp.com/album/ho ... muse-sings

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:42 am
by UglyCasanova
I approve of this thread! I got the 50W five years ago and I ended up selling my other amps and embracing the zen. Haven't looked back since. It takes pedals like a champ, is super versatile for anything from endless headroom JC-style to hot tube clip city. Good low end for a little drone and bass and the EQ is pretty damn solid. Weighs nothing. Idk, it's just a great amp for a great price. :snax:

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:50 am
by Dowi
Second'd!

I have the very same samp (50w MKII) and couldn't agree more. Since I bought it last year following UC's suggestion, it solved all of my low volume needs at home and at the same time I can carry it around easily at work and in (future) jam sessions. Admittedly It does not go loud enough to use it with my band but that's no problem, I have my main amp in our rehearsal room for that. :thumb:

I've just listened to a couple of tracks from your album and they sound really complete effect-wise. Honestly I have connected it to the editor and saved some effects once or twice during the first months after the purchase but never messed with those after that, as i almost always use it with some pedals.
The only effects I often use are spring reverb and tremolo, and they are legit. Plus I have saved a patch perfect for high gain chugga chugga but i totally don't remember what i've used.

:zen:

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:44 am
by Dandolin
that's 3 opinions right there i would give top level weight to.
does it have any of the wiggier boss effects like slicer, multi-overtone, tera echo? :idk:
do it ring mod? :snax:
multipole iterations? :snax: :snax:

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 8:05 am
by Paul_C
My only amp is a MKI Katana 50w combo - I've used it for all my Sonic Koalas recordings.

Clean channel, tiny bit of reverb and "one or two" pedals.

Now and again I contemplate buying a second one for stereo recording, but I haven't yet.

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 12:15 pm
by ibarakishi
ive often thought of getting the 100 watt one and calling it a day if any of my other amp gear breaks in the future. they seem amazing for the price and no nonsense

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:51 pm
by rfurtkamp
Dandolin wrote:that's 3 opinions right there i would give top level weight to.
does it have any of the wiggier boss effects like slicer, multi-overtone, tera echo? :idk:
do it ring mod? :snax:
multipole iterations? :snax: :snax:


The original Katana up to firmware version 4.0 (not the current Mk2) has Tera Echo. It's got ringmod and some things in the currents, the most current Mk2 firmware adds the HM2. When in doubt check out the PDF. The third party editor from Gumtown (Vguitarforum) lets you access a few things under the hood that aren't in the stock amp (since it's derived from the GT-100) as well, but I haven't used it since I have a GT-100 if I want Tera Echo and its ilk and automation and the full shebang.

It's interesting how it handles loading effects - there's a button for each (Boost/etc), with three colors, green/yellow/red and you can load any of the algos in the "slot' and swap them out at will with the editor, but if the amp isn't connected to it, it has whatever is stored.

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:59 pm
by friendship
sounds sick as hell. I was thinking about getting the Mini Katana so I can practice without the claustrophobic tyranny of headphones.

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:22 pm
by Dandolin
thx, rf

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 2:30 am
by univalve
Now i‘m curious. Every single suggestion of rfurtkamp worked in my context and was as described by him. I will order one. Thanks for the Review!

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:22 pm
by rfurtkamp
univalve wrote:Now i‘m curious. Every single suggestion of rfurtkamp worked in my context and was as described by him. I will order one. Thanks for the Review!
Hope she works well for you there, it's certainly a fine little Swiss Army Knife!

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:04 am
by oldangelmidnight
I liked using that Gumtown hack on my v1. I guess that's not available on v2? Do you have any impressions on the sound quality differences? Maybe it's worth having both?

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:30 am
by dubkitty
this piques my interest, even if i do already have too many amps.

Re: In praise of the lowly Boss Katana

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:45 pm
by rfurtkamp
oldangelmidnight wrote:I liked using that Gumtown hack on my v1. I guess that's not available on v2? Do you have any impressions on the sound quality differences? Maybe it's worth having both?
Some of them allegedly are for V2, I just haven't bothered - I have a GT-100 and GT-001 if I want the things in it.

As it stands, I like the simplicity and not being caught up in menu diving.