Pleasantly surprised at the Katana 50 for a clean jazz tone

[jzucker]

I had one of the original katana 50 amps. I played through it around the time when I had my kemper and thought it was cheap and toy-like.

Back-story - Around the same time, my dad retired from gigging on bass and decided to start playing guitar and I gave him the katana 50. Dad died in early 2021 from covid and my sister cleaned out his apartment and took possession of the katana. Last week I was in DC visiting my son and sis and she brought the katana.

I've been playing through a fractal FM3 and FM9 and using an EV Wedge 12 and/or Alto 10" FRFR cabs for gigs and practicing. The last week, I've been intermittently playing through the katana. I have only been auditioning the clean channel and the clean channel and the reverb sound very good. I like it better than some other name-brand jazz amps that I had recently tried. The open back cab and the speaker sound very natural to me and I can coax it into a grant-green like sweet gain if I turn the gain up to 10 o'clock or so. It's fairly loud too.

Unfortunately, boss missed the boat on 2 features.

1. No External speaker jack
2. line out disconnects the speaker

If not for these 2 features, I might consider switching from my fractal over to the katana. It's that good. I checked the Gen 3 that just came out and neither the 50 nor 100 have external speaker jacks. Nobody seems to know whether the line out disables the speaker. I noticed that the artist model has an XLR output which seems like it's possibly designed for FOH which presumably wouldn't disable the internal speaker.

Not sure what the diff is between the artist and regular models are...

[rolijen]

The artist is bigger and heavier with a better speaker and extension speaker jacks. I had a pair of the Mark II Artists running in stereo and it was a really rich sound but the Artist is just way too much amp for me. I sold one to a student and gave the other to my son.

What I ended up with was a pair of the non-Artist heads. I use them with my students so we are working with the same settings.

These Katanas are very versatile and I have my favorite jazz, blues, and rock tones in the presets. I tried various cabinets and settled on these Marshalls with V-Type Celestions. They are great grab and go heads/cabs. Not as easy as a Katana 50, but better sounding and still quite portable. The heads have a speaker jack for cabinets rated 8ohms or higher.

YMMV, but this setup works well for me.

[rolijen]

Oh, and I do not believe the Line Out in the 100 watt versions (or the newer K50EX) disconnects the speaker. The Volume knob on the amp affects the Line Out volume while the Master on the amp controls the amp volume. So, you can run the amp at whatever volume you want while using Line Out. I don’t have experience with Gen 3. Mine are MkII versions.

[teeps]

If all other aspects of the amp is perfect then adding a jack socket for an external speaker could be a simple solution.
If this also disconnects the internal speaker you could insert a dummy jack to disconnect the speaker when using the line out.
Et voilá !

[Skip Ellis]

I also had one of the early Katana 50s and used it in a short lived surf band as well as with my oldies trio and really enjoyed it. I think I only sold it after I found my Evans RE200 which is probably the best amp I've ever owned. Haven't tried one of the new ones.

[jzucker]

i wonder what speakers are in the 3 models (50, 100, artist) ? I actually like the speaker in the 50 a lot. Better than the Mesa Black Shadow I've been using which is super bright...

When you hear a modeler through a real, open back cabinet - even if the tech is not (arguably) as good as say fractal, it just sounds more warm and inviting than going through an FRFR with neo magnet. I've really soured on those...

[jads57]

I used to have the Katana 100 head a couple years back. Really impressive amp especially for the low cost. But to my ears my Quilter Aviator gen 1 combos and TB202 head have a more pleasing clean tone.

I Would be interested in trying the newer version to see if it’s improved. But I’m not gigging enough to warrant a new purchase at this time in my life.

[jzucker]

I used to have the Katana 100 head a couple years back. Really impressive amp especially for the low cost. But to my ears my Quilter Aviator gen 1 combos and TB202 head have a more pleasing clean tone.

I Would be interested in trying the newer version to see if it’s improved. But I’m not gigging enough to warrant a new purchase at this time in my life.

haha, i know you love the quilter. I just can't bond with their amps for some reason. Some upper midrange and treble shrillness that can't be dialed out. I've tried. I've owned 4 or 5 of their amps. I even made a little 1/4 jack with the .05 cap to ground which they've been recommending to tame the high end and it's better but still not to my liking...

[rolijen]

The Katanas really wake up when you go in and tweak the pre and post EQ curves. Since doing that I use the Katana the most (my ‘better’ amps are jealous). My presets incorporate these tweaks. Worth the effort.

[Stringswinger]

haha, i know you love the quilter. I just can't bond with their amps for some reason. Some upper midrange and treble shrillness that can't be dialed out. I've tried. I've owned 4 or 5 of their amps. I even made a little 1/4 jack with the .05 cap to ground which they've been recommending to tame the high end and it's better but still not to my liking...

I find that Quilter amps can be overly bright to be sure, but in a real world gigging situation, I don't seem to hear the brightness (while in my living room, I sure do) and they do seem to "cut" through the usual muddy sound that a crowded venue has. I have also found the following:

Combined with a Raezer's Edge cabinet (which tend to be very dark), a Quilter head sounds great (better than any other head I have tried with a RE Cabinet) ; and

Quilters are very touch sensitive (just like a real tube amp) and they are warmer if you play with a light touch and they get brighter when you dig in.

[Jim Soloway]

I think you're looking at this the wrong way Jack. A Katana 50, especially used, sells for so little and takes so little space that it shouldn't really matter if it's missing some features that would make it work for a larger space. Just use it for what it is: a good, small, open back combo for home and small venues. It doesn't need to replace anything to be good value.

[jzucker]

I think you're looking at this the wrong way Jack. A Katana 50, especially used, sells for so little and takes so little space that it shouldn't really matter if it's missing some features that would make it work for a larger space. Just use it for what it is: a good, small, open back combo for home and small venues. It doesn't need to replace anything to be good value.

I can look at it multiple ways. If it had the external speaker jack and they fixed the line out issues I'd sell my fractal and gain a couple thou$and!

Apparently the artist model has both features and the 100w version has the line out issue fixed. I may try one at GC and see if it'll work for me.

[pingu]

1343943[/URL]]The Katanas really wake up when you go in and tweak the pre and post EQ curves. Since doing that I use the Katana the most (my ‘better’ amps are jealous). My presets incorporate these tweaks. Worth the effort.

im interested how you set the
pre and post eqs
would you share your settings ?

not exact , just a rough idea really

[rolijen]

im interested how you set the
pre and post eqs
would you share your settings ?

not exact , just a rough idea really

I'll try to hook up my computer and snag the settings in the next few days, but to get to them, you connect your computer to the amp and launch the Boss Tone Studio app.

On the main screen, click on "Chain" (near the left side of the row of buttons, iirc. You want to use Chain 2 because it lets you put your FX after the Amplifier Section. You'll then use your Mod button and select an EQ (I use the 10-band Graphic EQ for pre amp). Then after you like what you hear, go to the FX button and select another EQ (I use parametric for post amp). I like to drop a couple db around 100hz and also around 800hz just to reduce boom and smooth things out a little. I do most of my tone shaping in the Graphic EQ pre amp. But, I like to run my Gain up at around 50 on the Clean channel so I need a little post EQ to smooth things out a bit more. Be sure to save your presets after you've adjusted the EQs to your liking.

Keep in mind if you don't need various preset sounds, you could just go right to the Global EQ section in 'Settings' (one of the top menu items in Boss Tone Studio). There are 10-band and Parametric options there too. No need to save Global EQ once they're set, they'll stay until you change them again. Quite a few folks have made a few tweaks to the Global settings and felt like it really opened up their Katana.

I hope that helps and is not too confusing.

[jads57]

Funny you mention going in and tweaking the parameters via a laptop,computer,etc. I guess I’ve found if I can’t get a good tone via the old fashioned way of tweaking the simple knobs, I’m not that interested in pursuing much further.

I Have tried outboard tone shapers like the Xotic Sweet Boost and T.C. Jauernig Luxury Drive. But they are fairly simple.

[rolijen]

Funny you mention going in and tweaking the parameters via a laptop,computer,etc. I guess I’ve found if I can’t get a good tone via the old fashioned way of tweaking the simple knobs, I’m not that interested in pursuing much further.

I Have tried outboard tone shapers like the Xotic Sweet Boost and T.C. Jauernig Luxury Drive. But they are fairly simple.

I was of the same opinion until I saw how simple it was to use Tone Studio. It’s really nice to be able to dial out a little boominess or shrillness in the Global EQ and from there on out use only the knobs on the amp. It’s kind of like being able to mod/personalize your amp to your liking without have to clip a capacitor or change a resistor value.

[m_d]

I can look at it multiple ways. If it had the external speaker jack and they fixed the line out issues I'd sell my fractal and gain a couple thou$and!

Apparently the artist model has both features and the 100w version has the line out issue fixed. I may try one at GC and see if it'll work for me.

I saw on the Boss site that they have an "EX" version of the 50 Gen 3, where they mention a better speaker and a line out - not sure about the specs though.

I was once told by a tech how good they were, but did not pay attention. Then a while ago in a guitar store a guy was playing some really good funk/pop stuff, with a truly excellent sound. I thought it would be a fancy amp but it was a simple Katana.

The ability to EQ is a really interesting feature. I've learned to use it on audio gear, with some headphones and speakers it can really transform the listening experience. No doubt it can be useful on guitar speakers.

[rolijen]

Update: I went into Tone Studio this morning and grabbed screen shots of my Jazz patch for Katana MkII. I was mistaken and while I had previously messed with post EQ, I had later turned it off. The following screen shots show the knob settings I'm using for this patch as well as the Graphic EQ (which I am using in the MOD slot) and Reverb settings. I use this patch with various archtops and the EQ helps avoid low end rumble/woofiness and a bit more low-mids. It's not perfect, but I was going for a Burrell type tone and settled on this. Sounds good with my L-5.

[jads57]

Thanks for the explanation,but too many options for me as a guitarist of years past is not a Good Combination,Lol!

[rpjazzguitar]

I'm intrigued by this report of how good the Katana is.

When I've heard other players use Quilters, I've found them to be quite bright. I've never tried one myself - maybe I could dial in what I want, but maybe not.

One thing I'm curious about is how easy it is to make the adjustments you need on the fly at a gig on the Katana. Say you find your tone too trebly, or the opposite, are you going to need a laptop? Phone? Are the physical knobs likely to be adequate to the task?

My old JC55 always seems to sound good, with minimal tweaking from one venue to another. My retired Boogie Mk III could sound like a chorus of angels, but it was a struggle to get it dialed in.

[rolijen]

Yes, the physical knobs work just like any other amp. The editor is for fine tuning your amp (clean/crunch/lead/etc.), your effects and EQ to create tones for your various songs/genres. You can save tones in preset slots--the Katana 50 has 4 preset slots, where the Katana 100 1x12, 100 2x12, 100 Head, and Artist all have 8 preset slots. The slots come with various tones from the factory but you can overwrite them with your own tones. You can create tones using the knobs as well (no software) and assign them to a preset. So you don't really need to hook it up to a computer. It's super handy to be able switch all amp settings and effects with the touch of a button or foot switch. I have mine set up with 4 main tones -- clean Jazz, edge of breakup, driven, and cranked plexi. That way, my footswitch is easy to remember-- 1 to 4 = clean to heavy.

If you don't want to spend any time on presets, or if you want to create a new preset or just run the amp the traditional way, press the 'Panel' button and your amp works just like any other amp where your knob settings are what you hear.

[rolijen]

I'm intrigued by this report of how good the Katana is.

One thing I'm curious about is how easy it is to make the adjustments you need on the fly at a gig on the Katana. Say you find your tone too trebly, or the opposite, are you going to need a laptop? Phone? Are the physical knobs likely to be adequate to the task?

Absolutely. On the fly adjustments are just like any other amp. If you need to roll back Bass for example, just grab the Bass knob and roll it back. Dead simple.

[pingu]

thanks for the infos !
looks good

[KRosser]

One of the colleges I work for, Santa Monica College (out here in So Cal), has Katana 50s for practice amps so I use them all the time with students while I'm there. This is really my only experience with them but they sound good to me and hold up fine for combos and even big band applications.

[rolijen]

That and the fact that the Katana MkII are now very affordable—used 50s are going for $150, 100s for $250. Lots of amp for a low price.