The Boss Katana was SHOCKING. 

Gonna turn into Marty now

When the katana came out I remember being super skeptical due it being the "new" thing to hype. But after a friend and I walked into the local shop and plugged into one with zero expectations, we were both pretty blown away. Now it's one of my main amps that I use; super versatile and really easy to dial in a very usable tone no matter what you're after!

Thanks for this… I bought two katana MKII 100s (for stereo) about a year ago. I’m 65 years old -played professionally most my life right out of high school-including a couple tours with Bob James and Kirk Welham…bla bla bla lol… I’m just completely blown away by the boss katana. It is a modern masterpiece.

I have fond memories of my Katana. Pretty good tones, very customizable, light but loud, definitely got the job done. Was perfect for my apartment and light jamming sessions back in the day I sold it and went back to big tube heads ever since moving back to my own house but I’d definitely own one again if circumstances called for it.

your joy for the guitar is infectious

I'm listening to RU-vid through my Boss Katana Air right now. I LOVE that I can just plug in and play along at any time just sittin' here at my desk. The built in effects are an excellent bonus. I love it so much that I just got the 100W HEAD to use on my 2x12! This should be fun :)

I like that first lick you played. It was really smooth and relaxing. Like a lullaby, in a good way.

Absolutely enjoyed your take on the amp , looking forward to your posts from now on 🎸

I purchased a Kantana 100MKII 2 weeks ago and it's one of my best buying decisions. The acoustic setting is warm and the sounds coming out of this amp are amazing and live up to the hype.

I have two Katanas and owned three. I have a 50w and an Artist, both MKII. I sold my Artist MkI. I love these things and play them live often. I honestly don’t spend too much time on the Tone Studio, getting my desired tones almost always directly from the amp interface. I don’t have any external tone pedals (just a tuner, wireless and the Boss board). Parked a lot of amps and simplified my life with these. Great video

Katana 50 MkII user here. Great jazz amp. I’ve set up a channel with the Clean amp type, with the tone controls essentially flat. Works great with my carved spruce top archtop. I’m using it with the AirStep KAT, and I’ve configured three separate Booster effects for it. One is treble boost, the other two clean boost. The effects are subtle, as I want them. Just a bit more single line definition on one, and actually a drop in treble to make the sound darker on another. And then of course the Solo function can be used to kick each of them up a notch. I run the Volume knob up about 75%; this makes the sound full and rich.

I love owning this amp, plus I grabbed a Tone pack from a talented tone creator a couple years ago. Endless practice fun for my room. Also not sure if you tried the variation button just above the amp type selector, I prefer it on with some of the choices. Brings some of them to life. Happy New Year Mike.

awesome! Since the Katana is entry/mid level priced AMP you should do a video of what guitar would go along well with it. Fairly priced but amazing sound! Keep up the good work!

thank you Mike!! - really useful/helpful and focused on the points/areas that really matter👍👍

I bought mine in 2018 and still can't get over how awesome it is. They really nailed the feel of a tube amp

I'll be picking up mine later today and I'm super-excited to get started learning and discovering everything I can do with it.

Just picked one of these up a couple weeks ago. Quite impressed, I’ve got a couple different tube amps that aren’t getting used like they used to. Just feels more simple to use. Great vid!

I've been using a Katana 50 v1 for quite a while now (4-5 yrs maybe). It's plenty loud and takes pedals really well. I rarely use the drive settings (crunch, lead and brown) and have used numerous drive and distortion pedals to get that kind of sound. For an amp in that price range, it's the one to get, especially if you are on a budget.

I don't think you can beat them for the money they cost, and the number Boss have sold since they brought out this amp tells it's own story. They hit pay-dirt with this little masterpiece. I'm a fan!

Happy to see you have your Katana, man! I have an MKII 100 because of the send/return effects loop. I rarely use the Tone Studio because I have a lot of analog and digital pedals. Also, I would recommend getting a Boss GA-FC footswitch for easy switching from all the banks/patches you made from the Tone Studio.

I have a first generation Katana head and yeah, it’s pretty great! I have the four switches set up to simulate the channels of my hugging Marshall JVM 410 head and am quite happy with it to get the same footswitch practice when rehearsing songs at home

My favorite Katana sound is a clean one with a touch of modulation, lots of reverb, and a bit of delay. Works really well with my jazzmaster’s rhythm circuit.

Nice runthrough and thoughts. The fact that the thing has an analog front end, and a couple different preamps to switch between makes this thing so solid. like you get that sae feeling of a non modeled amp for the most part and you can hit the front with different dirt pedals with so many good results. the tone exchange has some great profiles and I have two fender and two Marshall settings. Throw my swollen pickle in front and thats my jam rig when out and about.

I remember when this came out. I was skeptical, especially because the only other amps like this at the time were like Line 6 Spiders (which we all remember those). Like they weren't bad amps, but they weren't made especially well. That was the, and still is, one of my top criteria for amps. The quality of construction and materials make a huge difference for me. The Katana proceeded to blow away my expectations.

I am envious you found guitar so young. I am 46 and just started playing. But I am definitely hooked now.

I have a first issue 50w 1x12" combo. I use it for all gigs and with a footswitch, I can get four distinct, useable channels that my sound guy just loves out front. A 57 mic and I'm set! The tone and feel are great and the fact it weighs a small fraction of the stuff I used prior is a real cool plus. I was going to change out the speaker but changed my mind. The stock one is killing.The key to loving the Katana is as simple as hooking up to your computer and getting busy with Tone Studio. All the answers are in there and after setting up your channels, hook up the proper footswitch for your model and start melting faces. Everything from jazz to country to pop and hard rock are easily doable. My other guitarist picked up the 2x12" 100w combo and says his metal tone is sick! I believe him. Enjoyed the video! Rock On!

As the second amp I've ever owned I can confirm the hype is real! I wish I had one of these when I first started learning guitar. Boss Tone Studio is also god-tier such a priceless feature! "A gamechanger" I completely agree Mike. For the price the amount of value you are getting is unreal.

Great video Mike! Check out the various modulation effects: the different styles with precise calibration through a laptop make this a bargain amp for studio work. The DC 30 is my favorite and you might like it based on your playing style.

i also have the Katana and it's freakin awesome, love the Vox tones you can get from it

I have a Boss Katana MK II 100 watt. I gigged with it last week. Definitely got the job done. I don't get too overloaded with settings. I downloaded a nice warm rich clean, A crunchy tone for rhythm and a distorted tone for some leads from the Boss Tone Central. That's all I really need. It way loud enough enough and the stock speaker is based on the Celestion Greenback. It's a fabulous amp. You can't go wrong with it.

Your channel is growing fast man

At first it sounded like a Guitar Center tryout. But it got better after you hopped on to the Les Paul. Congrats !

Man Mike it is a great video and everything but man you were born to do this lol. Set goals but not limitations my friend and you’re gonna go far! I had that very amped and had to sell it to get the next one unfortunately. I think more people use that for gigs than people realize. Sounds great

Excellent review Mike!! I like that you really play!!! I've got a MKII 100 watt and I gig with it! They're great little amps!!!

For my small, portable, versatile, rig I'm using an old EV-5 expression pedal and HX Effects + Catalyst 100 in 4CM and MIDI to change the amp channels and turn the amp channel boost on/off. Works great. Cost under $1K new, with discounts. The HX Effects works great in front or in the loop of my Marshall Origin 50C, another compact rig...but I prefer the 50C without pedals (except an occasional EQ pedal).

As an old guy, I like the Katana because it is smaller, fairly light, and puts out a decent amount of power. Oddly, I rarely play it at home where a use lower wattage tube amps and a stupidly large array of pedals. I've got the 50 watt model and I got it when they first came out. To me it's jack of all trades that I use if I play out or (more often) in church every week. I find it a bit sterile and I find the the effects sectiion a bit limiting. However, it does pack condiderable punch which makes it a great grab and go amp.

yeah, got one for christma and it' amazing. Used to own a Yamaha THR5 until now and it was fine, but the speaker was rather too small to handle really distorted sounds. The great thing about the katana is you can play it at a really low volume and it stil preserves most of the sound.

That’s actually a really great sounding amp. That Les Paul Tribute sounds really great through it. I’ve no need for one, but I’m a sucker for a maple necked Les Paul.

That things blazes bro.. I plugged into it at a jam session one time.. was shocked! 🔥

Nice playing. I was too senile to figure out all the little buttons on the Boss Katana but I know people who make them sound amazing. I think you’d need to mic it through a PA to use it in a big room

I recently got a Fender Mustang GTX 100, I used to be a tube amp purist (I've owned vintage Fenders and Magnatones, no Marshalls) but with the different amps, the effects, no cables or power supply for pedals, less noise from the signal chain, this thing does a pretty good job. And I can control it with my phone. I would rather have a $10,000 rig but that's not in the cards, and this is really easy on the back (try lugging a Fender Twin with JBLs around) and mostly I use clean tones anyway so, yeah, I recommend it. And the footswitch is great, seven buttons, very well designed. For $500, you can't go wrong.

Great Topic! I feel like every pop/rock guitarist has a relationship with the Katana.

Highly recommend the Katana Head. If you don’t plug in a cab, it has a small speaker built in for practice that sound great at low volumes ✌️

Hey Mike, cool little rewiew. Are you gonna do some more stuff arround the Tone Studio, showing step by step what the different settings and effects will do and how to get the Tone you want? I'm pretty new in Electric Guitars and struggleling a bit to get the Tone I want.

Great review. I was a hard core Deluxe reverb guy. Got a Katana 50 for home. Skip to today, sold my deluxe reverbs (prices were crazy) use my Katana at many gigs now and not regretting it. Now I won't say it sounds just as good but no one at my gig can tell except maybe me and the gear nerd in the corner.

Love my 50s. I have the 50 MkI and the 50 MkII connected via Radial Big Shot ABY for wet/dry glory and it’s awesome.

Great video! Thank you!

Dude, I’ve probably owned about 6 different amps my whole life and I just got the Katana and it has been *overall* my favorite amp. I have owned a couple of tube amps including a marshall and some modeling amps and I am blown away by this katana. It sounds pretty organic to me for a digital amp, the reverb is great and I love all the bells and whistles. I also have yet to fiddle with the online presents, however I’ll be doing that soon. I’m so glad I didn’t spend an arm and a leg for something that sounds pretty amazing for the price! My only critique so far is that the distortion isn’t as “hard” as I’d like it to be, however I am playing a standard tuning Fender Tele Player and Fender Pro 2 Strat. That’s one of the reasons why I want to fiddle with the online customization and see if I can get some pretty hard distortion for some metal playing and trying my buddies Ibanez.

I've had the Katana 100 MkII head with 2x12 cab for about 3 years and I am still blown away with the tones I am able to pull out of this thing. There's also FB groups and many other resources to get patches to download that people have created to get very specific tones like Van Halen '78, various Metallica tones, clean tones for Pink Floyd etc. Overall it's an insanely fantastic amp that I can see me owning for years to come.

I got one for my grandson for Christmas this year - it's a very impressive amp.

I got the first katana 50 almost a year ago and love it , finally hooked up the boss tone studio app and good lord I had no clue!!! You can totally change all the parameters on the amp and write them in!!

Bought mine a couple monts ago (100 MkII). And its fantastic! For the price, unbeatable. BTW I love your playing.

Great video! I almost purchased one of these but I ended up getting a line 6 Catalyst which is an amazing amp as well :)

Great Review Thank You So Much 😊

“I never “insert different play style here” but here goes” is the beauty of the Katana

For the past 5 or so years any "serious" gigging that I do is with the L6 Helix - but for any quick "grab-n-go" type jams and such it's my Katana 50mkII. Plenty of great tones in a reasonably priced box. Btw I do not use Tone Studio, opting instead for the Katana Librarian app on Android. Works great.

I have the Katana 100 mk2 and Katana Artist Mk2 and a 1965 Fender Twin Reverb tube amp. The Fender is getting dusty, as the Katana sounds so good (after you dial it in through the Boss Studio). If you use 2 of them in stereo, you will bang your head in on the wall that you didn’t do that earlier.

I bought a boss katana 50 mkii for practicing in my apartment. But the real selling point was the acoustic guitar amp mode. I needed an amp for my acoustic, and this thing sounds great for both acoustic and electric guitars.

I got the kat50mk2 and love it, honestly made me feel like I dint need tube amps. I have a small head and cabinet setup for my band but I could easily (and have) gigged my katana

Enjoyed this-Thanks! Two Katana II heads in stereo is hard to beat.

Appreciate the shoutout! You made the amp sound really good. My personal preference for lead tones is to use the clean or crunch amp with the Blues Driver (I believe that's the red button for the booster) or the DS-1 (orange button), rather than using the higher gain amp models. Also, I prefer pretty much all the amps with the variation switch on. Regardless, though, the number of great tones in here is absurd - especially for the money

Very good demo. I am looking for small amp with effects for mostly home. I was going to cheap out with Fender Champion 20 but for another 100 bucks the Katana is so much more (25/50 watt and 12”speaker alone) and small gig worthy.

I love my Katana. Don’t forget about the librarian and premade patches. I don’t think I’ve used the actual amp sounds in forever.

Man I want that Boss Katana MKII! Great video as usual. I did just get a Positive Grid Spark Mini to hold me over. Wouldn't mind to get your thoughts on that one someday if you get the chance.

Super vidéo ! What mix are you using ?

Your channel is really great. 🙂

I tried both Katana and the Catylst at GC recently, then bought the Catylst 100w from Sweetwater because it was $70 off on sale. I have Mesa, Fender and Vox tube amps but I wanted something more versatile with an user friendly PC interface.

I bought my MK2 100 when they first became available. I'm completely incapable of loading the tone studio so I can't do updates or load any of the cool effects that are available, instead I run a small pedal board in front of mine. I have an Echo Sex delay and a line 6 Verbzilla that go into the effects loop. A Keeley 4 knob compressor, Wampler Equator eq and an EH Soul Food go into the front of the amp. I must say, it sounds exceptional and (feels) great to play. I'd put my tones up against (almost) anything. I like the light weight and compactness of the amp. It has also has allowed me to get rid of a few amps I had taking up space (some of them tube amps.) FYI, I never got the right feel out of the amp until I ran the external compressor. it's the first thing I plug into. Amazingly, most all products these days sound amazing as there is no room for or excuse for inferior tones or products. Digital has really improved to a point I would have though impossible not long ago. I really enjoyed the video.

The tone studio download was maddening for me too. Lots of people complain about it. They should maybe address that because once you get it going, it's dope. I use a Nextone but it's similar in software madness.

I'd like to hear your take on the Fender Champion 20 amp. I'm in my mid 50's and now have the time and patients to learn guitar. Thanks for all the great videos!

Massive fan of these! I too was sceptical! Now own amp head and the 100w mk2 100 with speaker! Blown away!

The katana is my backup amp for gigs if my valve amp goes down just plug straight in and it’ll get me through. For a home amp there’s not much better especially for the money, my guitar teacher pretty much tells all his new learners to get a Pacifica and a katana 100, even when you get new better gear both will still be useable

Go to the booster settings....scroll down and apply the marshall guvnor style booster. Fantastic sound

I use my Katana 50 mk1 at open mics. It's loud enough for the rooms we play in, sounds good and is light. The built in effects aren't bad either. I've often found myself writing songs with it and then using it for the scratch tracks. Good amps, worth the hype.

I 've been playing guitar since I was 13. At 15 I was in a band and working clubs and all I wanted was a 100watt Marshall with two 4x12 cabinets - I ached for one - but the price - about 360 pounds then - was unreachable. Now I am 67, I can afford one, but wouldn't be able to carry it around and I'm not famous enough to have a roadie. I went through the Marshall combo experience - first the solid state, then the valves , but these could not be clean enough for some of the music I was playing - the answer was a Blackstar HT60 - which could go from acoustic glass clean to AC/DC - but - with two 12" speakers - was a bit hard on my hernia so it went and I played through the PA for a while. But I missed standing in front of an amp - so I bought a Katana 50 - best amp I've ever owned - all the tones I need, plus the programmability of it make it special. I had to modify the headphone socket to get a DI from it , but that little feller is a big beast in a tiny box and worth every penny paid for it.

When I got back into playing electric after a couple years I had to buy new gear and the Katana was what I bought for an amp and I have not upgraded. I'm just a hobbyist, but it does everything I need it to do. Great amp

Nice review, Mike. I only wish the Katanas came out when I started playing way back when...as in 'way back'. When the MK I's came out a few years ago I bought a 50 (still have it) and loved all the capabilities it had, even back before the MKII came out. A couple years ago I bought a Kat 100MKII 1x12 and use it often. Including the panel setting, I set up 5 channels using the GA-FC, ranging from clean to about as heavy as I could get, and have always been impressed with the tones, but love the idea that I can use an amp that can do pretty much everything in a lightweight , non-back breaking package. It can take pedals well, but I normally don't bother as every effect I'd want to use is already inside the thing. Funny thing is I have never used to Tone Studio as for some reason neither one of my computers could download that site. I know the TS would give me more than I could get from the amp itself, but I've found I never really needed it. It's just a great amp to have in the collection. With all the tube amps I've owned over the years, the Katana is an amp I will never sell.

I too wish I would have found this thing years ago. I've been boss pedals left and right for my fender amp and they're all built in. Great amp

I have the Katana head and it makes my shitty marshal cab from the 90s (it was the cheapest model then) sound fantastic. It does 7 string down tuned stuff well. It does e flat punk stuff well. Cleans. Dirties. Takes pedals like a champ. It's a killer unit.

Great video thanks 👍

Haha true either the entry level stuff or the super boutique builders , no middle ground…the shop I worked in closed down last year you year got me thinking back on that place ….

IMO, the best tones are found using the Clean, dialing up some gain to edge of breakup, and adding Boosts (blues driver, etc.) to push it further. I'm not a huge fan of the default tones of the other channels. Using the clean channel and builtin effects and/or drive pedals in front is where it's at its best.

I own the MKII head, and it's nothing short of incredible. Loud AF and sounds great. Get an Xsonic airstep footswitch and you can throw away (sell) the rest of your rig. It's just fantastic.

You can dial in some legitimately great tones with the Boss tone studio software. Hell I use it to this day for live performances 🤷‍♂️

Hi Mike! Looks like you have the MK2, which is definitely the one to have - I particularly like the 2nd clean channel, which goes into a nice chimey overdrive if you crank up the gain. Cheers from the UK!

I have the Katana mini. Such a small battery powered awesome amp 👌 perfect

Had the Artist I for a couple years. Able to get great tones…sold it last year and picked up a GX-100 running thru a QSC. My back is thanking me every time!

I'm on my third Kat. Started with the 100 mkII, sold it, kicked myself, then got an Artist in trade for a guitar I made. Sold that, kicked myself again because I thought I'd stay with the Boss GX100, also a great device, but missed that Kat. Now selling the GX100 and sticking to a Katana MKII Head and the GAFC-EX foot switch and an expression pedal as my main rig. Simple and sounds fantastic.

I just brought one the other day..and I love it.. highly recommend..🤙🤟

I thought they were overrated at first but I tried one at a guitar center and it changed my mind. Now I have the head and matching 2x12! Sounds awesome and super reliable and easy to use!

I don't know why you did it, but I love that John Mayer reference at the end.🤣 John is the man. We lost SRV, but at least we have John to carry on his legacy, but in his own unique way.

I picked one up used and the driver update was also the problem. Thank God for RU-vid videos. Sounds really good though.

Love my Katanas. I have a 100w 1x12 combo mk1 and a 100w mk2 head. I love the mk2 so much more than the mk1. I always used the mk1 on the crunch setting set kinda clean and used pedals in front of it, but with the mk2, I am tempted to buy the ga-fc and gig it by itself

After hearing about them for a year or 2 I just bought the 100w MK2. Its really great and easily loud enough to gig with.

i have the 100 mkII. i actually got feedback, nice harmonic feedback not screeching, out of the thing. i've never heard that from a digital amp before. cool.

Would love to watch you check out a Fender Mustang GTX 100.Great video and I'm now a subscriber.

You should demo those victory pedals that be awesome to what tones you get with amps you have

I owned a katana for a minute. I was initially blown away by the versatility/features for the price, and at lower volumes, the stock tones didn’t sound too bad. Over time though, I became frustrated with the (imo) flaws of this amp, namely the EQ. I found that if I set the EQ to eliminate harshness from the drive sounds, the cleans were dull and muddy. If I set up a brighter clean sound, the crunch/lead modes sounded shrill and unpleasant. So, my experience with the amp added up to a bunch of fiddling with EQ knobs and messing with the tone studio to get the sounds I wanted. This eventually got too frustrating, especially compared to the effortlessly good sounds I achieved plugging into my Bugera V22, or even my little 90s Fender frontman, let alone my more expensive Mesa Boogie. YMMV, of course, and I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but for my needs, the katana really didn’t cut it, which is a shame, because the built in effects, attenuator, size and weight were all major benefits.

Just found your channel. This was a pretty interesting take on the Katana. I would love to see your reaction to the Monoprice Stageright 5-watt tube amp. they vary in price but I got mine on sale for $99.

I have a katana mk2 myself. My personal favourite setting is the clean channel with the variation switch in and putting gain to around 3/4. It responds really well to pedals and changes in volume from the picking hand