Roland Cubes were all the rage for starter amps when I was in school, glad the Boss Katana made it to your list, which is basically the Cube's replacement if I'm not mistaken. Great amps! But every guitarist will reach a point were they want a full size tube amp and cab, you cant avoid it haha
I have the katana mini version. Dude, the amp screams for what it is. Put it in crunch setting and its straight up rock n roll tone. They really outdid themselves on that amp. I play it with my Yamaha Pacifica 112V, great practice gear for not so much cash.
I have a Katana 50 MK1 and it's definitely a great recommendation for a beginner amp. Lots of tonal options and sufficiently loud for many situations. I had it as my "living room" amp for a while and it worked quite well in that role. The only reason I retired it was because I moved my Randall RG80-112SC into that role. Yeah, it's a loss for versatility but the tone simply can't be beat. 99% of what I play is high gain and with any boost pedal in front, it more than delivers the goods.
@@ripley7t429 With the treble knob pulled, it drops the volume quite enough to play without shaking stuff off the walls. I also just love the tone, it inspires me to play more than the Katana did.
lol I traded my Katana Artist for a Peavey Bandit as my practice combo because it felt more like a traditional amp. In a mix, it won’t matter. In my practice space it does because I’ll have to write music on it and it just isn’t inspiring to me.
I remember when Boss products first came out they were known to be very cheaply made, but through the years the quality has improved a lot, and this amp looks and sound really pimp for the price and loaded with a ton of features, very nice and thorough review:)
I actually just got rid of my Blackstar head, which was my main rig for years, for a Katana Artist. Absolutely love the Katana. With the software editor you can nail pretty much any tone you can think of.
I've had all kinds of rigs, including a full stack and combo amps. Right now i'm going ampero + pedal power amp into a cabinet. Allows you to bring your sound anywhere in a backpack, and if you need a portable speaker, you can get something like a 2x12. Personally i think the flexibility for a setup like this is really great. Cheap too!
Same here, ampero 2 stomp into a small bass head into a 412 krank cab. Pretty brutal and most of my rig fits in a backpack. 120 watt tube heads got to be too much.
It's a good rig, but imagine you are a beginner and know nothing about gear and guitar and are just looking to make sounds come out of something.. By the time you explain that you need to buy 3 things before you hear the first chug, it's already overwhelming. This is one thing, plug in and turn it on and rip... Or play smoke on the water...
The Katana system is just so good. Tons of features and tone effects. Easy as hell to use. High quality sound. I hope BOSS keeps these systems in production for many years to come
I used to own one of 100 watt mk2 heads. Never could get the tone I wanted out of it. Not a bad amp but just not a good fit for me. After that I got a Yamaha thr10x for my practice amp needs and that little thing does the trick. Sounds more like my tube heads than that katana ever could.
I absolutely love my mk2 katana head! I have and have had several amps both tube and solid state but one of my mainstays will always be my katana. They are just so versatile and they really do sound incredible. They sound even better when you take the time to really dig into the software and tweak it to what sounds best to your ears. Then you just save it to a channel and poof, done.
Well, you just taught my dumb ass how the panel of my Katana combo works. I'm very much the kind of player who wants an amp with a single knob on it that says "MORE" but the sheer versatility of the Katana is just unbelievable even without getting into the tone editor. That's my next frontier. It was the perfect amp for a player like me, I've been playing for a while but found myself without an amp and with a goal of writing and recording an album and maybe even having a full-on band in a few years' time. You can get any tone you want out of it, and it can handle any situation a guitarist is likely to find themselves in. Need something gig-worthy? Has all the power you need, and you can go in direct so you don't have to lug a cab around. Venue doesn't have that capability? It can drive a cab and get loud enough all on its own. Need an amp for the jam space? It weighs like 20 pounds so it's nothing to move around. After all that, when you're home, it's also your practice amp, even on full power. Get the urge to record something? Don't even need to buy an audio interface; the Katana has you covered. Well holy shit, it must cost thousands of dollars, right? $549 CAD. It even sounds good.
5 месяцев назад
i think the hughes and kettner switchblade and line 6 spider valve both sound pretty nice and are suuuuper cheap. the 6505 combo is crazy good, too and the laney vh100r is a gem too for not that much of money and then there is the harley benton 100 watt pedal poweramp für 80€ mix that with preamp pedals and a cab and it is suuuper cheamp and convenient
Brown channel on the katana is my favorite with my sd1 .I use the red boost type.For even cheaper I have a mark 1 50 watt. Not as crazy as the mark 2 100 head but it does all I need to do. I use it as my practice amp. And the half watt setting I can play it late at night and no one hears a thing.
I own the Soldano SLO and the Diezel VH Mini's (yes i know they are just the pedals with a 30W power section, i got them in a package deal) and although ive never tried the Bogner or the Friedman, I think they sound amazing for what they are, and i always think.. man, if i had one of these when i was a kid starting out... Yeah man, i think theyre perfect for beginners and anyone who cant afford the big boys, they are VERY reminiscent of their big brothers... 🤘
I'd get the 1x12 combo version instead. The speaker matching for this amp is VERY important. A beginner's gonna have trouble picking an appropriate cab (will probably end up w V-30's, which are a bad match).
Fender mustangs are good meddling amps in general, but for first Head amp I got a Randall Rx120h, literally everyone in Oklahoma was using one in 2018 haha
I use the katana head and I love them I got it chugging the katana has tube logic so it's as loud as a tube amp at shows and practice i never putnit past 50 watts
I have a Katana MKII. I freaking love it. The software is an UPSIDE. Who doesn't know how to use a computer with a graphical interface in 2023/24?? Without the software, the control panel would be huge and confusing.
lol I knew it was the Katana going in. Not just for beginners, great for people that need “one piece of kit to do it all” - live on stage, or quiet at home. A bit steep for a beginner, but worth it if they stick with it.
In my opinion, considering you have a decent laptop, buy an interface and headphones, and some amp sims. Great for home use and recording. Considering you want a super nice rig and pedals but lack the huge budget, Neural DSP offers all you need for like $100.
That's definitely one way to go, but if I'm making a broad recommendation I can't assume people have a laptop, headphones or audio interface. All of that is going to come in well over $300 and you still need to buy a plugin before you can make any tunes. I stand by this recommendation, it has everything you could need or want as a beginner. You can even record with the tones you've dialed as you progress into writing/recording your own stuff.
I think the boss katana could be a fantastic first amp , my only concern would be options paralysis , I could easily see myself doing more tone chasing and experimenting than practicing, and a new player probably only needs a clean sound and a distorted sound. Maybe new players would be disciplined enough to learn instead of fiddle with knobs and FX . I don’t understand why anyone would buy those katana air or katana desktop amps when you can get the 100 watt head for the same or in the ballpark. It’s a good question most beginner priced amps are modeler, so I really don’t know what I would suggest, the Katana is definitely the best 300 dollar modeler. Question what is the modern day equivalent to the old trusty Bandit ? You know an affordable decent SS 1x12 ?
I think that's the idea behind the front panel not having access to all the controls, it just gives you the quick over view. I don't think it's overly complicated for a beginner, it's not hard to turn knobs and figure out what you like. But the reason you mentioned is why I would never recommend an axefx to someone who is new to all of this. 😂
@@TaylorDanley yeah I guess that boss did a pretty good job of making the control panel very intuitive and familiar to conventional amps. That’s perhaps part of it’s success is it doesn’t have those multi function digital dials like the Vypyrs , by the way the Vypyrs . I’ve plugged into brand new katanas and wasn’t terribly impressed, but then I played through a used one that I imagine someone had done some dialing in and editing or whatever and it was awesome. You sure can’t beat them for the money and we didn’t have anything like that coming up lol, I had a Gorilla with an 8in speaker. My first “real” amp was a Marshall split fifty dual reverb 2x12 combo, my best friend’s parents bought for me and it still probably had the best clean channel ive ever had on an amp. I didn’t know anything about SS vs Tube amps it look a lot like my uncle’s 2x12 JCM800 and I was crushed when he wasn’t impressed with my Marshall .
The Boss Katana Air & Katana Air EX have stereo. Katana Air EX has a stereo line out. The Katana Air modified has speaker output jacks. They both have Wireless and apps that allow editing and automatic preset changes programming when audio or youtube is played.
@@Durkhead yeah man really good for the price I have been gigging with it active for a year I play drop A drop G shit it greatbandni have the boss katana 212 cab as well it's sturdy and sounds great
60 Watt Catalyst for everything but modern metal. Yes, I have owned the others. Yes I have owned the real amps too. I agree on the mini's. SLO for example. If we got into tube combos, it would be endless.
Yeah, that's why I had to say "really any combo is a good beginner amp, but they all have pros and cons...". I haven't tried a catalyst, but I could see that being a good contender, especially since I think the spider head would be a good substitution for this amp for the same reasons. But this is a bit more compact, which is why I recommend it. Most beginners (I assume) don't have a gear dungeon yet.
Best kind of practice amp that i want so Bad is : joyo Jackman II, its a mini amp head, 2 footswichable chanels an Marshall JCM style sounding little beast, size of luchbox and 20 Watt 😮 sound is huge when blug Oy on 2x12 or 4x12😮😮😮
No, the spider is solid even though people talk so much trash about it. But I think the boss is better due to it's size and options. I DO like that you can USB in to the spider to edit though, boss could take some notes on that feature...
Beginners will be ok with this setup. But when it comes to high gain ecstasy, noise gated, boosted, and with a couple of effects like reverb and delay, you're going to spend between $1500 and $2000 to get there or more. Its just the way it is. Cascaded gain stages, chugs, and palm mute addicts pay an unfair premium for the tone we desire, and I haven't even gotten into pickups and guitars with compound radius yet ! I've dicked around for a long time at the alter of the metal gods, and I still haven't owned a full stack yet. Its been 40 years plus, and still desire this stuff??? Don't get me wrong, I have some very dope gear, like 2 x Port City Oversized 2x12 horizontally ported cabs loaded with EV12L 300 watt speakers, and I've gone through Marshall hot rodded JCM 800 in the 80s, Carvin X100b (miss that one) in the 90s and 2000s, and currently a Hughes & Kettner. But I still lust for a new amp, perhaps a Mezzabarba M1 overdrive, ENGL SAVAGE/Founders Edition/Steve Morse, HiWatt High Gain 50, Wizard MTL MK2, Bad Cat Lynx 50 watt, dr.z caz 45, RD Amplification Dualist XL!!! Anything handwired, or German (because quality), but handwired is my fetish because generally it holds its value, has ease of maintenance, and generally a more robust build. But if you chug and palm mute, you are most likely after a tone that is in your head, and you are now on a life long quest to satiate that grail tone, that sets you apart from players with a sterile amplifier and a pedal board, destined for the banquet halls and wedding bands of a parallel soul sucking universe.
Annnnnnnnnnd once you save the NS into one of the presets. Great! All good right? Nope! The second you go to adjust the mids, bam, NS is gone. Gotta load up the software again and reconfigure the preset. That is literally why I sold mine, the functions I wanted and which are cool become completely useless in regular amp operation. It's sad, Boss could have done much better with that aspect but failed. Could have been such a great amp, sadly
As awesome as the Katana can be... I found it to be a NIGHTMARE to get it to sound good for metal. Once I solved that issue I'm Now struggling with ridding it of noise... The built in noise gate isn't sufficient for me and with regular amps I have a gate in front AND behind the preamp. I've tried this on the Katana but it doesn't behave the same and I can't get rid of the noise. Yes I enabled the loop and select / adjust the chain to have the built in gate in the correct position while trying a real gate pedal in front and tried it behind while adjusting the chain correctly and it just doesn't work as it should. Any ideas? Yes I also tried parallel and series... Upping the built in gate definitely cuts out my signal so that is not an option. It's not a deal breaker but it is friggin ANNOYING to hear background noise while chugging away lol. Hmmmmmmmmm?
Everyone argues with me but aesthetics is very important. I had a guitar that played and sounded amazing but I hated how it looked. So, I never played it. Anyway, great list!
I think aesthethics of the guitar is the most important thing, because of that reason exactly. I for one cant stand the classic les paul and ES335 looks. They are simply boring to my eyes and playing them I feel boring.
They don't know what they're talking about. If aesthetics weren't important everyone would still be playing those hideous early Gibson shapes that were basically slim acoustic guitars.
i sold my katana mkii 50w combo, i dont like digital amps, and dropped down to a joyo zombie. im using an orange ppc108 right now but looking at 8ohm 2x12's. its perfect for me. i use an eq in the loop and boost up front with a turd screamer, tube screamer clone. i found a marshall mg412 cabinet close by but im trying to slim down. its super tempting for 100 bucks lol.
Those are cool and sound good, but only one channel (mk2 has 2, but still) no effects loop, no built in speakers, and they aren't that loud. Very cool for a very specific thing though!
@TaylorDanley I have a zombie 2. I'm not playing live and if I do ill worry about it then. Throwing it through a 1x12, or maybe a 2x12, will help. I can use it to practice with drums and record. I could always use the PA and in ear monitors also. Been looking at the boss 2x12 and monoprice 1x12 with vintage 30. I'll likely grab the monoprice so I get that 20w instead of 10x10.
I'd say for a "beginner", a Katana combo would be much more appropriate. The head specifically wouldn't be so great because what parent is going to buy not only an amp HEAD but a cabinet to go with it for someone who is just starting out ??? A 1x12 or 2 x 12 would be way more budget friendly than a seperate head and cab.
@@TaylorDanley I suppose I should have been a bit clearer in that the 'mini heads' might not be a great idea for beginners. The speaker in the Katana head is a nice feature but a combo with a 12" speaker would still sound SO much better.
I have a Mesa Boogie MkV:25…. My Boss Katana MKII can get 95% of the way there. Close enough and cheap enough that I prefer it at live gigs. It’s a ridiculous value for money. Re. Diculous.
I had aktana MK2 head 100w with internal speaker. The board died on me just right after manufacture warranty expired. Had to spent 200 USD to get it repaited, so I old it as is. A part from that while amp is good if it does not break, modelings are very weak. Never used any of their effects. Modelings are even worse that blew 200 USD modelers. Spark had better sound and speaker IMO. I would never buy another Katana.
Probably the Boss Katana 50w MkII Combo, I have a Boss Katana Artist and I'm not a fan of how the distortion sounds but the Boss Katana is still great for a practice amp, just probably not as a studio or gigging amp unless you get the head and use an external cab
I'm not sure what you mean, like using it as an audio interface? I've never tried 🧐 I'm sure it works the same as any other interface though... and I'd never use the built in cab simulation on anything because it's always pretty bad lol.
@TaylorDanley it's supposed to have a built in audio interface. I was wondering cause I have a behringer um2 and it's terrible. I wana upgrade and this would be cool cause I could kill 2 birds 🐦 with 1 stone
I can't speak for the MK 2 but the interface on katana MK 1 is on par with the behringer you have now. I gave up on fighting with it and got a focusrite gen 3 solo and it works so much better than my katana mk 1 or my behringer.
“I need an amp for a beginner” “Yes no problem, here’s a hundreds dollars big ass amp with 100w” A beginner doesn’t need that power. Just get an entry level amp for 100$ and have fun guys.
I thought the Katana sounded adequate but it felt and sounded cheap and I was not impressed with the construction either. To many options that were just "ok". Bought the girlfriend's kid the Orange super crush 100 combo instead. Cost more than the Katana but sounds way better and build quality is superior.
You microphone is crapping out on internal speaker and on 4x12, making everything sounding much worse than they truly are. Then again you could point the microphone little better too.
The best beginner amp is not an amp actually. For home use - just buy a small interface and use free plugins or paid ones. On the other hand, if you want to go to band practice - get any of the budget floor modelers and plug it into whatever sound system you got at home/rehearsal. The days of dragging amps are over.
a beginner should not spend 650 on an amp. many beginners give up. all the gear in the world won't change that fact. before you throw down that kind of cash and invest in playing, you should stick it out long enough to see if you're actually going to bother to learn and continue to play.
@@metaldemonseanknels cheap doesn't mean low end. You're in the wrong century. FYI, The Katana 50 watt combo could be had for 250 bucks all day long used or 300 new. A fraction of the price for the same features as this.
