BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby Hank2k » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:12 pm

Its all really straight forward. You dont even need to use the tone studio if you dont want to. I use mine as a conventional amp most of the time setting the treble bass and mid depending on the gig and venue but you can also set up a 10 band graphic eq in the tone studio for the very early vintage type sound. Even the tape echo is more than acceptable for the shads stuff but i use my hall and collins in front.

You can save a sound you are happy with just by pressing and holding the patch button. And all of the amps have power scaling with 0.5 watt, 50watt and 100watt (100w models) or 0.5w, 25w and 50w (50w models)

I have the head and use it at home with the built in 5 inch speaker for jamming and then when we gig i put it through my 2x12 vox cab.
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby sixtiesman » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:24 pm

Hi Steve Thanks for your reply. So when you save a "sound" does that include the volume?
So you can have different volumes for different channels?

Best regards

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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby GrahamH » Wed Dec 26, 2018 2:01 pm

Over the years I've used an AC30 (can't lift one now!) a Mesa Boogie MK3 and a Session Acetone. After Dave's recommendation I bought the Katana single-speaker 100 watt and, believing in keeping things simple, a few tweaks to the tone controls on the clean channel gave me the best sound I have ever had by a distance, in conjunction with a Zoom G3X
with Ross Hall's patches.

With its light weight and even lighter price (a snip at £270) to me it's a winner - if only it had existed 20 years ago! So thanks Dave for the tip.
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby dave robinson » Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:17 pm

I'm always happy if something I come across or recommend can help make life easier for people, so I'm delighted with all these reports of success with the Katana range of amps.
I use my 2 x 12 most of the time and it is covered in the Vox livery for aesthetic reasons as 'the look' is expected at our retro theatre shows. I do still have my Vox AC 30/4 replica by Rod Jenks and it is fabulous, but it lives in my studio and I get enjoyment from rehearsing with it. At our age trying to carry Vox AC 30s is a recipe for disaster and I've suffered one disaster with throat cancer and lived to tell the tale, so from now on I intend to keep it as easy as possible, hence my purchase of th Fender Rumble 3 bass amp that doubles perfectly as a lead amp and gives me Hank tones as well, whilst weighing literally nothing. :)
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby Gruntfuttock » Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:56 pm

I’m seriously considering purchasing the Boss Katana Head Amp. Before I take the plunge could anyone give me ideas on how to dial in a reasonable Shads sound? Also would it be reasonable to assume that apart from the echo (H&CSE) I could eliminate other external effect pedals?
All advice gratefully received.
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby dave robinson » Fri Feb 08, 2019 2:55 pm

Gruntfuttock wrote:I’m seriously considering purchasing the Boss Katana Head Amp. Before I take the plunge could anyone give me ideas on how to dial in a reasonable Shads sound? Also would it be reasonable to assume that apart from the echo (H&CSE) I could eliminate other external effect pedals?
All advice gratefully received.
Dave


I would say hand on heart that it is possible to do a Shads sound. I will try it instead of my Helix pedal at the pub next week.
There's echo, reverb, chorus, tremolo and distortion that can be set up on four different switches and I did set it up when I first bought it and it works. I then bought the Helix so that gets used instead because the multi head echoes are on there. :)
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby Gruntfuttock » Fri Feb 08, 2019 3:12 pm

Hi Dave. Many thanks for your reply. As you might remember , I also have the Vox MV 50, (Clean) but whilst it delivers a reasonable Shads sound, I think it lacks a little something with the bass. I’m hoping the Katana will A) Give a fuller sound and B) Allow me to use less auxiliary effect pedals.
Thanks again.
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby dave robinson » Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:32 pm

Gruntfuttock wrote:Hi Dave. Many thanks for your reply. As you might remember , I also have the Vox MV 50, (Clean) but whilst it delivers a reasonable Shads sound, I think it lacks a little something with the bass. I’m hoping the Katana will A) Give a fuller sound and B) Allow me to use less auxiliary effect pedals.
Thanks again.
Dave


That isn’t a problem that I have come across with my MV-30, I get a perfect Shads tone with it using either my 1 x12 Boogie cabinet, or my 2 x 12 Neodog cabinet. I haven’t noticed a deficiency in bass at all.
However, if you feel you want to buy a Katana, it does give you those options previously discussed.
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby Vincent » Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:42 pm

RUSSET wrote:I don't regret following Dave's recommendation of the Boss Katana. I have the 100w combo & have downloaded the Boss Tone Studio app. & found it to give a really pleasing Shads Lead tone, after experimenting with the EQs & Echoes. I mainly play Rhythm, & am glad for the 'Acoustic' amp model, which is super with an electro-acoustic guitar (Epi Hummingbird) . But it is great when I play Lead on the three or four Shads tunes that I know.
For the price you pay, the Katana range is all I'll need for most of the sounds I want. OK, it might give up the ghost after 8 years, as suggested, but I'll have had my monies worth by then. I'll bet it is more reliable than any valve amp, & more consistent & lighter in weight too.
I also have the Roland 'Blues Cube' Artist model, which is rather more expensive, & more like the 'Newtone' model, but without the choice of simulated valves, which aren't really there. ;) It's another great amp from Roland. They have got it right with all these recent models, following on from the older 'Cube' series, & have a good reputation for reliability, if you look after them.

Tony.
One thing Roland are good for-and other solid state amps, are clean sounds.which is why so many Jazz players like them..
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Re: BOSS Katana amps-the next best thing?

Postby David Martin » Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:01 am

One of the fascinating things about Shadows' music is that there isn't just one great guitar sound but many - from different eras and even different recordings within them. Ponder the differences between Back Home, MoM, FBI, The Warlord, Chattanooga, Now That You're Gone...

The Katana gives you the facility to emulate all of these - on the fly - in a performance situation using Version 3 software and the GA-FC foot controller. Using thus you have access to all 8 channels at the push of a switch, but more... Within each channel you can add separate, foot switchable, reverb, boost/distortion, rotating speaker, compression, and much more. (Remember, not all Shads tracks are clean... though the distortion is usually subtle - listen to the tracks again!) But the crowning glory of Version 3 software is the graphic eq, which can be saved with different settings for each of the 8 channels, so through Tone Studio you can carefully tailor the sound of each channel to replicate the Hank sound you want. And, of course, you can back up all these sounds to your computer for safe keeping...

Be brave, get in there and dig deep into Katana... it pays great dividends.
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