The Line 6 Catalyst 100 

BTW, I just purchased the Catalyst 60, and no one tells you that they have the noise gate on as default. So if you get one and you notice your notes are fading away sooner than normal. It’s the noise gate. To get rid of it you hold the boost button down and turn the knob to the left.

Been playing 40+ years and owned a Katana the last five. Never owned a Line6 product until the Catalyst 60. I went in a doubter but within the first couple minutes it was obvious the Catalyst tones are far superior to what I considered to be best in class. Thanks to the team at Yamaha which bought Line6 for such a fantastic product.

Stellar demo, as always. This channel is my absolute go-to for accurate, objective demos and reviews 10 times out of 10. Also, really love how you showed your amp settings on the bottom while you were playing.

Thanks, Phil, this hits the spot as I enter my 4th year of self and RU-vid-trained guitar skills. I turn 60 soon and your channel has guided me through the purchasing decisions all the way. Much respect brother, PEACE TO YOUR FAM.😎

I have a good number of great handwired tube amps like the Tweed Deluxe, Bassman, Princeton, these are all amazing amps. I’ve purchased many digital / Solid State amps as well. Yamaha, Quilter, Fender, Marshall, Orange, and of course the Katana. I bought the Katana 50, 100, and the Artist, I couldn’t bond with any of those mentioned digital / solid state amps. They all were sold or returned. Of course my handwired amps aren’t going anywhere. Then I purchased the Line 6 Catalyst 60, don’t let the low price fool you, IMO this is the best sounding digital / solid state amp I have ever played. The tone character of this amp is very pleasing to the ear, not harsh and thin or trebly like it’s counterparts, especially the Katana. I recommend, just my opinion, that even if you have a digital / solid state amp, to give the Line 6 Catalyst a try, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Excellent video!! I own a Catalyst 60. Only use the high gain selection. Play it side by side with my Marshall DSL40 and they sound very close. I absolutely love that the Catalyst 60 only weighs 26 pounds!!

Really great and helpful review. Most reviewers think that showing an amp with blazing fast licks is what people want to see. I don’t care about some guys fast licks Your approach does a hugely better job of what the amp actually sounds like. You are a treasure to the guitar playing community. Thanks again

I've watched many videos demonstrating the Catalyst, and this is by far the one that the amp is really easy to hear, and it sounds absolutely gorgeous! Whatever you did, that's the way to do it. I even preferred it over the Bad Cat. The Catalyst sounds premium, with full, rich, big, balanced, high fidelity tones. On other videos, the bass seemed to be lacking. Good job Phil, that was awesome! 😎

I purchased a Catalyst 60 for home use. I found I only end up using the .5w at home and it sounds and feels great! Plenty of room to grow and didn't break the bank. Thanks for reviewing this Phil, I always appreciate your perspective.

This demo and review is very good, sounds were so good too. Other videos seemed to make it not sound that great, but I guess with your video here, the true nature and sound of this amp really shines. Thank you Phil! :)

Very nice playing in this video Phil. This amp looks to be a worthy competitor to the Katanas and Mustangs.

I played on a Catalyst today at Guitar Center. I was impressed by it very reasonably priced. I might pick one up for a traveling amp.

I watched at least 10 videos on this amp….. Phil, yours was the best. Hands down. You did a much better job of giving us the tones and the explanation of how those tones compare. Well done!!!!

This is a fantastic review. Great work Phil. I really appreciate what you do. This amp looks pretty cool

Thanks for the review/demo, Phil. You hit on the points I wanted to know about the amp. Very much appreciated.

I bought one immediately and I couldn't be happier. It sounds really great without a whole lot of dialing in. The 1x12 100w literally stood up to playing with my band and drums which was rather impressive. Alot of chunk too for a 1x12. It is versatile with out being too complicated. The app is much easier to use than the button pressing required to switch effects but honestly I got the amp to get a few good tones and that's it. I have many other rigs for dialing in effects but it's nice to know it's there if I need it. Overall I am 100% happy with it.

Ordered mine today following this review - thanks Phil!

you're getting some great sounds out of that thing Phil!

I didn't realize that was your kiesel. I saw the painted headstock and was confused. Great product review. I enjoy the fender gtx series. I am looking forward to trying this amp series!

I bought mine about a month ago and took it out on it's maiden voyage at practice this week. My DSL40 and Katana 100 MK2 combos are on Craigslist now. Great grab and go combo and takes pedals really well. Pairs up very nice with the Line6 HX Effects for MIDI control and all the HX goodies.

This review just solidified what I thought I have been hearing in my own experience and on all the youtube reviews. I got rid of my Katana because it sounded shrill and brittle. I think the Catalyst has a better speaker than the Boss product. I'm pretty sure that is what is making all the difference in making it sound much more "full". But I do have a Helix and I really like it, so personal bias could be a thing too.

As always a great demo, i have spent my hard earned money, after watching your demo videos....Thank for always being kind and Honest.

I spent 2 hours in GC over the weekend going back and forth between the Catalyst and Katana, honestly it was a coin flip, they both sound great. I just dug the crunch tones out of the Katana slightly better. I'm sure you can dial in the Catalyst tone in software as well but given its wide support in terms of patches, online community, support, etc, I went home with the Katana 100W and I'm really loving it so far. I really could of gone either way and been happy, they're both great sounding amps for their price.

Have to agree with you about what the Catalyst offers to my needs/wants compared to the Katana. Will keep my KTN100, but am getting the Catalyst.

One thing I noticed immediately is how well the Catalyst trails. It's genuinely like a tuber, especially on the boutique setting! I still prefer the Katana (slightly more) but Line 6 is on the mark with this one!

That crunch little riff followed by the dynamic Satch style melody dude diggin these riffs!!

Actually thought it was clearer through the Catalyst. Nice, but I won't be dumping my Katana. Would love to see a 5w table top version

Nice review! I think the Catalyst sounded great.

Thank you for these great videos, just what I was looking for! 😊

Perfect timing with the current tube situation.

Nice sound with the silver sky.

the distortions sound much better on the Catalyst

These amps are great for someone new in or as a step above something like a microcube - but to go from a katana to this is just throwing money away for an incremental change at best. For home use saving up for a to something like a Carr Raleigh or Tone King Gremlin to me makes a lot more sense than buying a fourth or fifth modeller or entry level tube amp. People might baulk at the extra expense but in the long run you will be saving money and spending more time playing than twisting knobs.

Thanks Phil this video answers all my questions. Great demo!

I love the tones of the catalyst it’s by far the best for tones and the video is awesome great job Phillip

Okay I'm getting one of these. Don't know if I'd gig with one, but to have this quality sound at your fingertips like this at home or for recording in a pretty simple combo. It's amazing how these things keep advancing. That clean and boutique definitely have the edge over Katana.

I played a Line 6 Flextone III Plus with the extension cabinet and short board for 15 years. I returned to tube amps 3 years ago. Best decision I’ve ever made.🎸🇺🇸

I love the new high definition on your videos and the new production that you put into them! I really appreciate your videos and reviews!

I have 2 Katanas and a Spyder V. The Spyder is excellent as a resting spot for beer cans.

I love my new 200 watt Catalyst I am glade I went with the 200 watt I play with a 6 piece Band and this Amp sounds Awesome I use the XLR cable direct to the PA and I get nothing but compliments I use the clean sound of the Amp with my Boss ME-80 and it sounds killer my Mesa Boogie is now sitting in my closet Cool Video 😎🎸🤟

I have never had a line 6 product yet that I have been happy with . Boss for me every time .

I have a fender twin reverb 65 re-issue on a second set of tubes five years old. I have a vintage fender course 80 twin 12 that I want to retire. You have convinced me that I need to take a serious look at this line 6. Note, I do play through a line 6 helix instead of a paddleboard which I love. But I do want to hear this amp in person live before I invest even though it’s not a lot of money. I don’t want to take up room in my studio if I don’t like the app. So I want to hear it for myself. But you have convinced me that I need to do that. Thank you enjoy your program

To me, my Katana Artist is the best choice. The Waza speaker is fantastic. However, I don't like the idea of diving deep into the software to make changes. It can take a long learning curve to understand how to get the tone of choice, that's why I spent some cash with Juca Nery on his tone settings. I couldn't be happier now with all major amps and artist tones in my library. If I had to do it again, I'd really have to consider the natural sound of the amp without having to spend copious amounts of time dialing in a preferred tone. There are just too many options to choose from which can take away your time away from playing guitar.

As a powered cab that also has awesome built in amp sounds, this seems like a great product.

I can't get over how good this thing sounds!

Very interesting option. Thank you for sharing opinion regarding the sounds that you hear in the room and not just what is share in the video. Kelp the gray job Phill👋👋👋

Phillip, I have had a Helix Jr (Helix LT, hahaha) for about 5 years now...I play in a couple of cover bands, and because of the diverse song selections, various tunings, needing to go from one song to the next without changing guitars because of the need to keep things moving, I exclusively use a JTV 89F in conjunction with my Helix...we recently went the in-ear direction, and all of us have gone in-ear except for our vocalist, because she just can't get used to it...me, I took to it just fine...I use the JTV because of the need to go from a Strat sound, to a LP, to a Tele sound...I mean we could go from doing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" to Boston's "Foreplay/ Long Time" to "Raspberry Beret" from Prince...not sure if it was a video of yours, but I recently watched a video showing that using the High Cut in the Speaker Cabinet section is a must when doing the direct in thing, and I recently went through my song presets, and by using that High Cut I eliminated all that harshness that I was getting by going direct with my Helix, and it is now sounding way closer to really good...but listening to my Helix direct into my in-ears doesn't sound as good as listening to you play through that $400 amp mic'd up through the same pair of in-ear monitors....and I'm pretty deep into the Helix...I use Snap Shots on many songs, one particular, as an example, is a preset I use for Hotel California...I have a 12 string Snapshot for the beginning and the verses, a Joe Walsh snapshot for the licks that are in the first chorus, and then a higher gain snapshot for the leads in the 2nd chorus, and for the ending solos...and the snapshot for the 12 string stuff is virtual capo'd different than for the solo snapshots...just giving that as an example to show I kind of know how to get around in the pedal...I'm probably never going to use any IR's that didn't come with the unit...just don't have the time to experiment with a never ending perfect tone search...but at the same time, if there is some step that is one of those "that made a huge difference" steps that I may be missing, I am always good to find those things out and try....anyway, if you have any "When all you have is the Helix going direct into the house, using the house monitors or in-ears, with no Power Cab...just direct in from the Helix" videos, I'd really appreciate you directing me to them...thanks again and hope you and yours are well.

This is probably the first digital amp I've heard that's actually sounded okay to my ears. Is it enough to make me want to dump my tube amps? No. If I had to settle for one of these, though, I'd be okay.

If you wanted Blues and Rock tones on the Katana you can't just use the preamp settings, you have to load 'pedals' from the software into the Boost selector, you can choose Blues Driver, Tube Screamer, Fuzz ... even a Marshall Gov'ner overdrive that sounds great for classic rock.

Great review, as always. I've also watched Anderton's and Henning's Catalyst demos. Henning seemed to like it but was surprised that you couldn't have more than to effects on, especially as he said, "don't tell me that Line 6 don't have a Katana in the office" to compare sounds and features, he also said there were some spikes in volume between the various settings. It's a shame the footswitch isn't more comprehensive like the Katana's, but perhaps this will happen with the next iteration. I think I will stick with my valve amps for now and see what Line 6 do to improve the Catalyst on their MkII. I do want to get a transistor amp but for now the only one I'm leaning towards is the Katana Artist because it sounds the best out of the range, but I'm not keen on the price, so will carry on waiting and watching.

Best demo of this amp! By far!

I just ordered the 200. Price drop is just too good an offer. I tried a catalyst and katana, the last yime i was at a guitar store and preferred the catalyst tone. I know both can be configured a lot, but when i have time to play, i want to play... not spend forever messing with software.

Glad that you mentioned liking amps that only do two or three things. I'm glad that some amps have a bunch of programmable settings, but I like clean, dirty, and reverb. Anything else I'll use a pedal for

it is really weird that when gear is compared i almost always like the cheaper one better. Even my ears are tuned to my wallet.

Loving my Spider V 240 combo and am looking forward tk getting a Catalyst 200 and HX Stomp soon. Line 6 has been killing it. 🤘🤘

I sold my Katana and bought a Line 6 Spider V60. I like the choices.

Here is what I’ve been told by two amp tech guys. “ the Boss katana” the Catalyst “ fender Mustang “ and any other modeling amps are Disposable Amps! After about 4or5 years , things start breaking and the cost to fix them is almost the cost of the amps.

Hi Phil. Interesting. The amp sounds great, but I don't think I'd sell my Katana. I love that thing.. I love the high gain channel which is where I live. I even boost it to tighten it up and it sustains for days and sounds great.. As a matter of fact I'm going to buy the Roland Blues Cube as I think it feels and sounds like a real tube amp and like it better than the Katana.. Great video though sir.

I just bought one of these. I thought it sounded better than the Katana and, I agree, that Boutique setting is sweet. I got lucky and go a fantastic deal on it.

Phil, as always a great, clear review!

These remind me of the vox valvetronix amps. Those were highly underrated amps. Id like to check these out

Another great show Phil! I really liked the Catalyst and I have a Katana50, but I'll just keep playing my old Peavey Bandit Red Stripe. It's old, heavy, loud, and has killer tones. Very simple!!

Love this amp. I just bought a katana 50mkii about four months ago, wish I knew this was out. Amazing tones!

What the line 6 lacks, the katana excels in. What the katana lacks, the line 6 excels in. Both are good for the price but meh

Great review as always Phil! This sounds really good, as a line6 fan I plan on maybe getting one. Line6 dropped the ball huge though, almost EVERY retailer is still waiting on their shipments. Looks like GC may have got a few today. Why have everyone drop their videos over the past few weeks when nobody has stock? People will easily forget and move on to something else. I understand everything is in shortage right now, but Line6 made a big mistake by not waiting. Guess they thought they would build hype, but it doesn't work like that these days any longer.

Of the two amps shown,.. from the RU-vid listening aspect on a Boston Dynamics speakers,.. the Catalyst sounded much better of the two. Surprisingly so! With the boost it reminded me of an old Peavy Tube amp a friend had in 70s with a 4x12 cab. Very full, bright and nicely saturated the airwaves dynamically and clear. Very impressive!

I've owned a Katana for a few years now, and I've never liked the overdriven settings, not even the crunch. I use the clean setting with pedals to get the sound I want. It sounds like the Catalyst has those sounds already built in. Now if I can only find one to try out!

Well, if nothing else, this should distract my "guitar GAS" in favor of some "amp GAS" (which is a little less costly at least) ha! Great vid, Phil!

Only one additional effect with the reverb is disappointing. Maybe not a deal-breaker but, certainly a shortcoming. The lack of a external cab out is another one. Still, seems to have a lot going for it. Definitely worth a look. I am looking for a lightweight solution for jam sessions and impromptu gatherings. Thanks Phil.

Thanks Phil, best Catalyst review I've seen. My Katana is looking worried

Love that thumbnail 🤣, who keeps un ringing my notifications bells???

This reminds me of the Power Cube but with some basic amp models thrown in. Cool idea, especially if you're running a pedalboard. I wouldn't give up my Katana for this, the Boss effects are really its selling point (IMHO), but I'd for sure consider this for a working stage rig. It's perfect in that role.

The Line6 Flexitone is a wonderful amp. My original one broke down so I bought a Katana. Since then another second hand Flexitone. It does everything and sounds much better than my Katana - but it's heavy as hell. Combined with the floorboard it is perfect. Doesn't need external pedals.

Sounds good...thanks for demo-ing this amp...

Nice review, Phillip, thank you... Best, Pete.

Great video great audio guitar 🎸🔥so sounds

Glad to hear that line 6 finally got rid of the dark sound I always associated with their amps. They also always sounded a bit off to me.

I am a die hard 4 hole marshall tube, anti IR smelly mystic hippy but that is a killer combo! Audio engineers are getting close.💪🎸

Thanks for this video. I've been intrigued by the idea of a Line 6 version of the Katana since I really enjoy my HX Stomp. But on paper, the Catalyst seemed unimpressive. I've been wanting a solid state amp for when I travel to see my parents. Maybe this is the one.

I own a Fender Mustang GT 200 and the Katana MK2 200. Both excellent amps. I really like them. Both. May have to add a Catalyst 200 to the selection, especially for a warmer blues ock note. Thanks

Very nice sounding in the boutique mode. Can't beat a scooch of reverb and a scooch of delay. Just my opinion. Eart Guitars makes really nice affordable guitar, for sure. I own one.

Nice review. I have a Catalyst 60, and I think compared to the Katana 50, it's by far the superior amp. I play a lot of high gain and there's a little bit of funkiness to the sustain and character to the heavier tones, but I'm shocked just how great the low-mid gain tones are. For blues and classic rock fans, this is the lightweight, powerful, and cheap amp you always wanted.

Great review , I like this , the sounds , the looks ,I only use a few tones myself , I like simple ,I’m assuming this would be a great gigging amp might pick this up

Surprisingly great sounds! A Line 6 you won't be seeing in the classifieds too much. The used Spyders are a dime a dozen, but this one sounds like Line 6 did it right.

Catalyst sounded better then the two rock to me,i like most of the tones you got out of the catalyst!

I was really excited when I originally heard about this amp. I watched several RU-vid videos on it. The Catalyst seemed to have it all. I went to Guitar Center as soon as they had them in stock. I plugged in and started playing and was underwhelmed! The sound was very flat and dark. I wasn't impressed with the speaker. I also noticed the knobs were made of cheap looking plastic. I bought a Fender Champion 100 instead. I felt it sounded much better than the Catalyst especially when it came to the clean tones.

Nice amp for the price point. Lots of nice features also. I am sure it is a good one to own.

Phillip love all the vids and podcast. It sounds fine for what it is. If someone has never pluged into a valve amp will be fine, or just for noodleing will work but then again just another moddler that most ppl already have by now. Srry to say just more of the same, not really standing out. BUT We are getting there. Ty

This is the perfect low gain combo amp for recording too!

My first real amp was a flextone III and used it for many years. It looked and sounded awesome except for heavy rhythm tones. These new amps seem like a definite upgrade

All I want out of an amp is country twang, jazzy clean and maybe a little Robben Ford through his Dumble.

No one has mentioned that the Catalyst has an amp-in mode. Awesome!

I honestly would like to have both if im in a mood for one amp or the other. I got a Boss Katana 50 MKII and thought it would be a nice addition.

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great demonstration, really good sounding amp, really surprised how much better it sounded than the two rock

Nice demo Phil. I like my Katana a lot and won't be selling it, but the Catalyst seems nice. Cheers!

I picked up the Catalyst 100, its a nice amp for the money

Thanks for the Awesome video Phil you Rock I am getting ready to buy my me a brand new 200 watt Catalyst I am thinking it will work for any gig that do I can't wait to get plus I won't have to lift my Mesa Boogie Mark 2B anymore this Amp is a beast and I have a bad back and I'm hopeing the 200 watt Catalyst will work for me so I can retire my Mesa Boogie Mark 2 B in my closet thanks for the video 😎🎸🎙🎵🤟

PRS Silver Sky thru Catalyst sounded amazing

nux mighty air is a decent sounding tiny little amp, obviously not even close to this powerlevel or volume, but for it's size. it's really great.