Boss Katana....

[Mike Kowalik]

Anyone in Forumland use a Boss Katana as their steel amp? If so, what are you using and why.

[Bill Davis]

I use 2 Katana. One is the MK100 and the other is an rehoused MK50 head taken out of an MK50 combo amp. Our band is mostly amp less so the MK50 head gets used most (with in ears) VERY light and no pedal board needed.

I like the editing software for PC. I play mando and banjo thru them too so there are enough foot switch enabled patches to do a show. If I change settings for a certain venue, I can save that venues settings on the PC when I get home and load them into either amp when I play there again. I also have a Fender Super 60 (like a twin but only 1 twelve) which I love for practice but with adding a pedal board and the amp's weight, it's not gig efficient for a 72 year old like me.

[Landon Jarrel]

Yes, I have a Katana 50 MKII, and it is so good that it has been my ONLY amp since early 2022. In addition to what Bill has said, the tone presets are very useful, as is the auxiliary input jack, which turns the amp into a speaker and allows you, among other things, to play along with backing tracks through the amp. For steel, I employ a multi-band EQ pedal because I find the sound a bit too shrill when going straight into the amp.

[Larry Ball]

I listened to one of our great Steel Players “John Lacey” who was using the MK100 at a show. I had the opportunity to speak with John about the amp mentioning to him that I was looking for something to replace my “Peavey Nashville 112. I love my Nashville 112 but my ailing back sometimes wants a little relief when I am playing too much. The Boss Katana MK100 is now my second go to amp after speaking with John about settings etc. I use it for band rehearsals and small venue gigs..

GREAT AMP..great price…light weight

[Larry Dering]

I have one but it's not my favorite by a long shot. They seem to need an additional eq pedal to get close to a good tone. I use the software with a tablet but I'm not finding that sweet tone. Playing a Justice Judge SD10 4x5 with a 705 Lawrence pickup. But I have tried it on a couple other steels too.

[Mike Kowalik]

Thanks for the replies!

[Tim Whitlock]

Use the Forum Search button and enter Katana. There are numerous threads about this amp.

[Fred Treece]

Regarding EQ on the Katana -

In Tone Studio or FxFloorboard, there is a global system EQ and there is a preset patch EQ with your choice of parametric or graphic. You can also choose to run them in front of the preamp model or after.

I believe the MkII and MkIII Tone Studio settings can be accessed via Bluetooth app on your iPhone, so you can make adjustments on the gig without hauling a computer around.

There are also a couple of settings in the System menu for choosing Line Out mode and cabinet resonance, which is basically another EQ that is particularly useful when using headphones or running the line out to PA.

I have been the king of the Boss stomp box world, and all I can say after owning the Katana Mk1 for 3 years now is, leave all that junk at home. Now I grab my guitar and the combo with the GA-FC pedal packed in the back and head out the door.

[Bill Duncan]

I have a hate love relationship with the Katana. I first bought a 100 MKII head and could never get what I wanted from it. I became very frustrated with trying to download the Tone Studio. After several months my grandson saw it in my studio and asked about it. I told him it was worthless and I could not download the Tone Studio. After 10 minutes or less he had the Tone Studio downloaded, up and running.

After using it off and on I began to understand the eq and other settings. Then I got the Katana Artist 100, installed a TT12 speaker. I have since learned to appreciate the amp.

My grandson gave me a Katana 100 combo for Christmas and as luck would have it, my wife bought me a Katana 100 version III for Christmas as well.

So, I now have four of them. I have TT 12 speakers in two and plan to put either a TT12 or a PF 12 in the other.

To me, the Artist has an edge on sound. The bottom has more sparkle. However, I like the smaller Katana 100's too. The smaller Katanas are lighter and easier to travel.