BOSS Katana-50 MkII 50W 1x12 Guitar Combo Amplifier

Most Liked Positive Review

The 50 is perfect for me...but go to the 100 for gigging

I am a long time Line 6 user and have had a Pod HD500 for several years. I had a Headrush FRFR to play it through but always found it complex to just dial in tones to play for fun. On a whim I saw the Katana and was intrigued to try it. These days I mostly play guitar for fun and with friends, so wanted something powerful enough to jam with as well as being simple enough to dial in tones. The Katana 50 Mk II does exactly what I wanted with a few limitations. Pros: - Amazing tone. It was super easy to dial in great tones on the fly. It isn't a tube amp, but close enough for my needs. Whether with a Les Paul or a Strat it is pick sensitive and can clean up or snarl with playing style or simple volume adjustments. - Love Boss Tone Studio - a much simpler way to connect the amp to your computer and adjust on the fly. I also found some very usable tones from their tone bank (although it is very limited). What I like here is I can either keep it simple or get complex (but complexity isn't required). I also love that I could change out the Boss effects controlled by each knob on the amp and then tweak the settings. So, when I want a compressor or overdrive I have it all preset and just dial in the amount with the knob on my preset. - Size and wattage - While I found the .5 watt really too little, it is great to use it at 25w and then jump to 50w if needed. Size and weight are perfect for my needs. great to grab and go. Cons: (note, these are really trade offs for getting the 50 vs the 100) - Footswitch options are really limited. No midi. All of these are available if you go to the 100w model. However, since I didn't by this to gig with I am ok with the FS-6 so I can change between the 4 presets. (Note the FS-6 is an additional purchase). - Firmware updating - I thought I was pretty handy with computers, but the process baffled me until I really went line by line and focused. Probably my ADHD, but this was a pain and took me 3-4 attempts to get it done. I figured it out, but it is a complex process that could be easier (like Line 6 Monkey...which also can be a pain). Note that I didn't ding them on number of amp models, etc. The reason for this is all the amp models in some other amps (cough...Line 6) really are overkill. If I were gigging this I might feel differently, but I get Vox/Fender cleans and a great Marshall JCM800 tone that covers my needs. All in all, this so totally fit my needs that I put the HD 500 in the gig bag and stored it, packed the FRFR to sell, and now just quickly plug in and play with a smile on my face! Boss really nailed it with the Katana's.