Boss Katana

A fantastic guitar amplifier! – The Boss Katana-100 MkII is a versatile and powerful guitar amplifier and works great for home and stage use. One of the first things I noticed on using the amp was its impressive power and sound quality. With 100 watts of power, this amp is more than capable of handling larger venues and delivering a rich, full-bodied tone. This can be dialed down to 0.5 watts for home use, without compromising on sound quality. The amp comes with five unique amp types, including Brown, Lead, Crunch, Clean and Acoustic (including alternate tones for each), making it suitable for everything from folk acoustic songs to heavy metal. The variation in amp characters provides access a diverse palette of sounds without the need for purchasing additional pedals.

The customisable effects is another highlight. There are a number of simultaneous effects categories (boost, modulation, effects, delay and reverb), that players can experiment with different combinations to shape their sound

The Boss Tone Studio software that comes with the amp provides further enhancement of the amp’s features. It allows you to create, save and even download effects to the amp. It also provides further sound customization options, which brings it up a few levels.

The amp feels solid and well-constructed, making it a reliable workhorse.

In conclusion, the Boss Katana-100 MkII is a remarkable amplifier that delivers on its promise of versatility, power, and tone. Whether you're a gigging musician or a bedroom player, the wide range of tones and features make this amp a standout choice in its class.

Amazing amplifier! – Two years ago I ordered a Marshall DSL100 but it was out of stock. My interest then turned to the Positive Grid Bias Amp mini. But before I ordered it, a guy in the music shop was flabbergasted, yes, even annoyed that I did not want to buy a Boss Katana. The sales person claimed that it was the best amp in the world. Ha, ha, there is no such thing. I challenged him to demonstrate these marvelous sounds (this amp is supposed to reproduce popular amp sounds). Well, the amp sounded horrible, like a guitar blowing through a plastic pipe. So, I stuck with the Positive Grid Bias Amp mini. Two years later, a friend of mine wanted to learn guitar and asked what amp he should get. The Boss Katana is, despite my initial horror, an extremely well developed amp with great tones. The guy who demonstrated it two years ago didn't know how to use it. The online reviews had since convinced me that the amp was perfect for a beginner.

I ordered the amp for my friend. When it arrived, I was impressed with the sounds (5 amp models and a variation button that adds high mids and treble) so that I bought one for myself for $359. It has high quality Boss pedal effects (e.g. reverb, delay chorus etc) and a USB and line out. A lot of half decent amps fail because of poor quality speakers but this amp has an excellent sounding speaker based on a Celestion Vintage 30. However, when putting the amp through my Celestion Greenback cabinet, the amp roars. So, I added a speaker output to the amp. In hindsight, I should have bought the 100 Watt head but, oh well, it's very loud anyway and quite compact.

Apart from the amazing almost realistic tube sound, it responds almost like a tube amp. It has compression, fizzy overtones and it sounds quite pleasant regardless of whether a clean or overdrive sound is used.

You can store 4 programs that can be accessed via the top panel or the optional foot switch. The line out and USB sounds are really, really convincing. My only gripe is that when using the line out feature, you cannot disengage the speaker emulator. I wished I could because when I ran the amp through a valve power amp, it roared even more.

So, whether you're a professional or just starting out, this amp has a lot to offer. Seriously, the sound is very good. Of course, if you want the original fizzy Marshall sound or the Engl or Mesa Boogie sound, you might want to buy those amps. But honestly, for your day-to-day stuff, this amp just sounds good. In recordings, you will not hear the difference between a tube amp or this one. Nowadays, you just can't tell the difference.