3 Reasons You Need A Boss Katana Amp

WE GIVE YOU 3 REASONS WHY THE BOSS KATANA AMP SHOULD BE ON YOUR LIST OF AMPS YOU NEED TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE! UPDATED WITH THE NEW KATANA MKII AMPS!

Since the BOSS Katana amp series exploded on to the music scene, they have become one of the go-to amplifiers for those who need exceptional tone that completely blows other solid-state amplifiers out of the water. Now with the new MKII update, you have even more reasons to love these now, industry standard combo amplifiers. The fact that this amp partners expressive tonal response via 5 original amp characters, with variations on each AS WELL as a world of effects makes it an impressive amplifier for professionals. Best of all the amps have remained at a price tag that appeals to players of all levels.

The BOSS Katana series, now updated to MKII, features an array of different amplifiers made for guitarists who want to be able to achieve more than tube-saturated tones, but create an entire live set with different amps and effects all through one amplifier. The BOSS Katana is essentially the swiss army knife of amplifiers, providing a world of tonality and expressive ability without becoming overbearing and difficult to use. Whether you're looking for a beginner amplifier that you won't have to upgrade or a new addition to your live set up - they're a great choice!

This is just a small part of why these amplifiers are so popular and why they’re constantly heralded as some of the best solid-state amplifiers ever created. So, we thought we’d look a little closer and offer up 3 reasons why you need a BOSS Katana amplifier in your life!

1. 5 ORIGINAL AMP CHARACTERS – THAT ACTUALLY SOUND GOOD!

We don’t necessarily want to play the same music every day, so why should we feel constricted by our amplifiers? We might like heavy metal AND country, we might love grunge AND blues, so we need an amplifier that can do it all. You have a lush Clean channel which is natural and transparent, allowing the tone of your guitar to breathe and really shine through. You have a Crunch channel which provides all the satisfying grit and distortion for Grunge fans, Metal fans and those who love to add some serious riffage into their sound.

The BOSS Katana 50 MKII Guitar Amplifier pictured above features a Lead channel which is perfect for those who want MORE from their distortion and offers up everything from fat lead lines to bone crushing riffs for the ultra-metal fans. You then have the Brown setting which is inherited from the Waza amp offering up the higher gain Southern Rock classic sounds and the California Brown sound! Finally, you have the Acoustic amp character which has been designed specifically for acoustic-electric guitars and really brings out the tonal qualities of your acoustic-electric – ideal for performing musicians! You’ve essentially got 5 different amplifiers at your disposal that actually sound good, which means you've got 5 amplifier settings that you can flick between and sculpt to your own specifications. This is like taking an entire studio’s worth of amps on tour with you, or just having them in your living room! Now, with the all new MKII update, you have the awesome Variation Button which adds 5 new amp sounds on top of the original Katana MKI sounds. This allows you to push your sound further!

2. THERE ARE 65 EFFECTS TO CHOOSE FROM

When you choose the Boss Katana MKII amplifier range you have access to 65 effects when you connect to the Boss Tone Studio via USB. This program allows you to select which 15 effects you want to load onto your amplifier and edit each effect to your exact specifications. You can even select which order you want your pedals to appear within the effects chain via the Boss Tone Studio for when you really care about your tone.

You have access to a massive range of distortion, delay and reverb effects as well as a huge array of powerful tone shapers like pitch shifting, ring mod and even new editions of SDE-3000 delay, Phaser 90E, and Flanger 117E effects. Thanks to the MKII upgrade you also have a range of of new effects in Poly-Octave and Pedal Bend (whammy).

The Boss KTN-100/212 Katana Combo Amplifier MKII is a 100 watt amp with 2 x 12" speakers pictured above. Best of all, you can control the effects via the amplifier or via the additional Roland GAFC Footswitch Controller which basically allows you to leave your pedalboard at home and gig/record with all your favourite effects. This makes it a LOT easier than carrying around a pedalboard for sure! The BOSS Katana essentially removes the need for a pedal board so you don’t have to fork out for patch leads and expensive guitar pedals – it’s everything you need in one place, well, at your feet!

3. YOUR FAVOURITE KATANA AMP SETTINGS AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON

One of the most powerful features within the BOSS Katana range is the Tone Settings feature. We don’t always want the same amp settings throughout an entire set, nor do we want to have to change the settings by hand should we want to make some tweaks for a song. With that in mind, the team at BOSS have created the Tone Settings feature which gives you the ability to store your favourite amp channel and effects setups for instant recall. If you have a song that requires certain distortion effects and high gain amp settings and the next track needs a cleaner tone but you don’t want to have to fiddle with the dials in between songs, this can really come in handy.

The Tone Setting memories have also increased from two to four (two banks of two), so you can instantly recall your favourite settings from the footswitch or via the amp!

KATANA SOFTWARE UPDATE VERSION 3 - AVAILABLE 21ST DEC 2018

Never a brand to rest on their laurels, the team at BOSS have introduced the Katana Sofware Update Version 3 which is available from the 21st December 2018. So what's new?

3 NEW EFFECTS TYPES

The Boss Katana series already has a massive array of impressive effects built-in, but there are now 3 welcome additions. You now get the Roland DC-30, BOSS GE-10, and 95E pedal Wah added allowing you to access these effects as soon as you update your amp. That's a LOT of different effects at your fingertips (and at your feet!).

ASSIGN FAVOURITES TO CONTROL KNOBS & PEDALS

One of the few things lacking from the Katana series was it's inability control expression pedals the way you would normally. Thankfully the team at BOSS have remedied this, ensuring the BOSS Katana can now control specific effects parameters from up to three of your favourite expression pedals connected via the rear panel. Best of all you can even use the optional GA-FC foot controller and enjoy the same control.

YOU CAN NOW RECORD WITH STEREO EFFECTS

The new Katana Version 3 update also improves on the USB capabilities within the amp. This update now provides true stereo sound with a wide range of the Katana’s modulation, EQ, delay, and reverb effects, including the newly added DC-30 Analog Chorus-Echo. This means you can record with the same stereo effects as you would hear them live - no more editing stereo pans in the mix!

BOSS KATANA FAQ'S

There are a couple of questions we get asked about the Katana amps quite often here at PMT. So, we thought we’d answer the most common questions.

DOES THE BOSS KATANA HAVE BLUETOOTH?

The Katana Air is the only Boss Katana amplifier that has Bluetooth. You can use the BOSS Tone Studio App via Bluetooth to control your amp sounds, shape your tones and even unlock exclusive effects. You can also stream music wirelessly through the amp via your Android or iOS device.

HOW DO I RESET MY BOSS KATANA?

In the unlikely event your Katana is acting up, the delay effects aren’t working or you just want to do a factory reset of your amp, follow these simple steps. Please note this is only applicable to the KTN-50, KTN-100, KTN-100/212, KTN-HEAD. Be warned though, as all your currently stored settings will be overwritten with the factory default settings. Factory reset procedure:

Set the POWER CONTROL knob to STANDBY.
Press & hold the PANEL button and turn the power on.
The BOOSTER/MOD, DELAY/FX, and REVERB indicators start to blink while the factory reset is being processed.
Release your finger.
It takes approximately 20 seconds to complete the factory reset.
When the PANEL indicator flashes, the procedure has been successfully completed.
Turn the power off.

WHAT FOOTSWITCH WORKS WITH THE BOSS KATANA

The Boss FS-6 dual button footswitch works with the Boss Katana 50 and allows you to change all four channels on the Katana 50. If you have a Katana 50 Amplifier, you need the FS-6. The Boss GA-FC changes all four channels on the Katana 100 and can also be used to switch between internal effects and turn the Effects Loop off and On. The Boss GA-FC is designed to work with the Katana Artist, Katana 100 1 x 12”, Katana 100 2 x 12” and the amp Head.

IS THE BOSS KATANA A MODELING AMP?

Technically, no. The Boss Katana takes inspiration from certain iconic sounds , but it's entirely it's own amplifier offering a world of different tones developed by the team at BOSS.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT BOSS KATANA AMPS AVAILABLE?

Now, there are 6 Boss Katana combo amplifiers, 1 speaker cabinet and one amplifier head. We’ll start with smallest to largest.

These are just 3 reasons why we think you need to get a BOSS Katana amp in your life! And with this new update - it's an even better deal! But don’t just take our word for it – check out a full range over at PMT online or call in to your local PMT store today top try one out for yourself.

UPDATE 2019 - KATANA MKII AMPS REVEALED!

The new range of Katana MKII (MK2) amps have been unveiled in October 2019. These new Katana MK2 versions have 5 extra amp sounds and a world of new features that guitarists will love! You can read more about the differences HERE. But in a nutshell these are the new features:

Variation Button - Adds 5 new amp variations on top of original sounds - Brown 2, Lead 2, Crunch 2, Clean 2 & Acoustic 2
New Dual Effects Pots - Individual control of each effect
Upgraded Effects Space - up to 65 effects on board
Power Amp In - dedicated power amp in feature
Stereo Expand (100 Watt Models Only) - Link 2 x Katana 100's together
New Editor - Edit your amps and effects via your laptop/PC
Full Control Via pedalboard - Take control of your amp using the GA-FC Foot controller
On-Board Cab Resonance Control - on board cab resonance control (head 212 versions only)