Fantastic amp for the price. I'm still exploring. I like it for the fact that I can plug it in and just play it without HAVING to get involved with all the software, although in the next while that will be an adventure. This amp cranks up a treat. Sounds better the louder it gets! The effects are pretty good. I will have to purchase a footpedal though. So far I am very happy with my new Katana 100 mk2. While it doesn't quite have the sparkle and overtones of a tube amp it does the job really well..and it's light to carry. I am amazed they put out an amp of this great quality for the extraordinarily low price. Extremely happy.

A beast in a little box !

I researched these type amps for some time and finally decided on the Katana the price was the clinch, a little complicated at first but not hard to understand after a few minutes or so, tones are a bit shrill but it's not hard to carve the edges off and actually the speaker has a pretty good set of balls in low ends, the string definition is awesome not all muddy like most solid state amps, then to have all these effects on board by a company like Boss, what a money saver ! Playing the amp is forever inspiring, you create as you experiment then with a push of a button it's saved for a later time. So many different tones hard to settle on a single one and say yeah, "that's my tone." The Equalizer is super responsive which it is also nice to have bass, middle and ... MoreI researched these type amps for some time and finally decided on the Katana the price was the clinch, a little complicated at first but not hard to understand after a few minutes or so, tones are a bit shrill but it's not hard to carve the edges off and actually the speaker has a pretty good set of balls in low ends, the string definition is awesome not all muddy like most solid state amps, then to have all these effects on board by a company like Boss, what a money saver ! Playing the amp is forever inspiring, you create as you experiment then with a push of a button it's saved for a later time. So many different tones hard to settle on a single one and say yeah, "that's my tone." The Equalizer is super responsive which it is also nice to have bass, middle and treble instead of just bass and treble like on a lot of newer solid state amps. I am a hobby player, no longer gig unless with some friends on the weekend, this amp can do all that as well with three power settings and headphone capable if you have really picky neighbors. At 100 watts it can cut through the loudest drummer I ever played with ! Its hard how to express how good it feels when you know for certain, your money is well spent ! Thanks for the Candy too Sweetwater !

Brilliant Amp

Brilliant Amp! this text box may not be enough to write about this amp - I can go on and on - dynamic response and feel as good as a tube amp. Mighty thrilled with the purchase. I compose ane write my own music - breeze to record and also looking at a few mates to start doing some gigs. Couple of rehearsals - easily stayed up with a loud drummer and also the tones at hand - outstanding. Having a bit of trouble with the tone studio but there are bucket loads of tones straight of the top panel so dont miss the tone studio at all. Get the Footswitch - opens up options in the amp even more. All in all brilliant amp

Disappointed

Forget the best access to the full functionality of this fantastic amp, if you don't currently own a laptop/ desk computer that is in excellent shape and no newer than Windows 10. Computer wise I've needed nothing more than my android smart phone for a decade.I bought this amp, and don't get me wrong, I do love the way it sounds and all it is capable of.... but there in lies the problem. For full functionality, and accessibility, you need to use the program Boss Tone Studio. BTS is not compatible with Windows 11, there is no required driver for 11. If you've got an old Windows 7-10 computer (laptop is best for portability) that is limping along, you MIGHT get by for a while... but I just bought this amp. Is it their fault my old windows 8 laptop has problems and ... MoreForget the best access to the full functionality of this fantastic amp, if you don't currently own a laptop/ desk computer that is in excellent shape and no newer than Windows 10. Computer wise I've needed nothing more than my android smart phone for a decade.I bought this amp, and don't get me wrong, I do love the way it sounds and all it is capable of.... but there in lies the problem. For full functionality, and accessibility, you need to use the program Boss Tone Studio. BTS is not compatible with Windows 11, there is no required driver for 11. If you've got an old Windows 7-10 computer (laptop is best for portability) that is limping along, you MIGHT get by for a while... but I just bought this amp. Is it their fault my old windows 8 laptop has problems and won't correctly run the BTS program? No it's not.What is their fault is not having the compatible driver for Windows 11 available on the day I purchased the amp. Or maybe as good, having a available app for my android. God only knows when the driver will become available, and I'm not interested in spending a couple thousand dollars on a computer for an amp, that I purchased because it saved me money that I needed to keep... only to learn for it to work I'd need to spend More money than if I'd bought the Fender amp I wanted but couldn't afford. So yes I'm disappointed.

Finally- a great Solid-State amp!

Based on a friend's recommendation, I purchased a new Boss Katana 100 MK 2 in June 2021. The first thing that impressed me was it's power...it seemed to be a real 100 watts in a portable and lightweight package. I was able to dial in some useful tube-like tones right from the start with the clean channel. The Katana warmed up quickly to single coil or hum bucking pickups. The tone "variations" are also very useful for dialing in the right sounds to your liking. The delay adds the right amount of sparkle to your overall sound...very cool! Unfortunately, I was not able to get much help from the Boss Tone Studio when I downloaded it to the amp. (The response was: "Amp not connected"). Another disappointment is no Boss Tone Studio for iOS users...really guys? The ... MoreBased on a friend's recommendation, I purchased a new Boss Katana 100 MK 2 in June 2021. The first thing that impressed me was it's power...it seemed to be a real 100 watts in a portable and lightweight package. I was able to dial in some useful tube-like tones right from the start with the clean channel. The Katana warmed up quickly to single coil or hum bucking pickups. The tone "variations" are also very useful for dialing in the right sounds to your liking. The delay adds the right amount of sparkle to your overall sound...very cool! Unfortunately, I was not able to get much help from the Boss Tone Studio when I downloaded it to the amp. (The response was: "Amp not connected"). Another disappointment is no Boss Tone Studio for iOS users...really guys? The required Boss foot switch is another issue...look online to see pedal "hacks" that use standard one-button or two-button formats. (Save a few bucks with a regular pedal).All in all: I'm very pleased with the amp. The line-in is a great feature to use with backing tracks along with the headphone jack for late night practicing. The basic amp tones has a realistic tube texture that reminds me of Marshall, Fender or Vox models.

Great for learning about tone and related terms

I'll definitely rank myself as a novice when it comes to electric tones and I've only been experimenting with electric for about a year. I've gone through several amps and have mostly transitioned away from the Katana to an Orange 35RT, for its considerable tone spectrum relative to its simplicity. That being said, I appreciate the Katana for both tone and versatility. As others have said, the degree of versatility can be overwhelming but I found the Boss Tone Studio quite effective to shape my own tones as well as come to better understand the general effect of certain types of pedals and the settings that are related to those pedals. It's kind of like putting a name to a face except you're putting a sound to a name, and this learning comes in one included software ... MoreI'll definitely rank myself as a novice when it comes to electric tones and I've only been experimenting with electric for about a year. I've gone through several amps and have mostly transitioned away from the Katana to an Orange 35RT, for its considerable tone spectrum relative to its simplicity. That being said, I appreciate the Katana for both tone and versatility. As others have said, the degree of versatility can be overwhelming but I found the Boss Tone Studio quite effective to shape my own tones as well as come to better understand the general effect of certain types of pedals and the settings that are related to those pedals. It's kind of like putting a name to a face except you're putting a sound to a name, and this learning comes in one included software package instead of a great expense of actual pedals. I watched many online demos, on loop, before purchasing the Katana 100 and that is the only source I have for this comment (as I've never so much as heard the Katana 50 played in person), but the great majority of those demos were for the 50 watt version and in every single one of them I simply could not understand the hype. Then I found a couple specifically covering the 100 and I got it, as I wasn't then distracted by what I was hearing as a thin and raspy sound from the 50. My 100 never leaves the 0.5 watt setting and doesn't lose anything tonally that I can tell. That being said, even though it is digital, you do still have to turn it up a reasonable amount to get the speaker to behave ideally to produce a quality tone.

LOVE IT

I have the MKII 100 watt 1x12. Ive been playing for over 30 years. Ive done it all. This amp I purchased in store after listening to it. I wanted an amp that i could just plug and play at my gigs, but was loud enough to cut through the mix, or mic'd. I honestly was too sure about the tube situation (war in Ukraine) so i kept my tube amps at home. I purchased the amp, and within 5 mins had the sound i wanted and started gigging with it. 1. loud! 2. Quality sound 3. No brainer! for this price point and i got mine before the price went up, i should have bought two. Its built like a brick. Im extremely impressed. I play all kinds of music from country to Rock, this amp will provide ANYTHING you need. Listen to me, if you are a first time buyer go ahead and get it, or ... MoreI have the MKII 100 watt 1x12. Ive been playing for over 30 years. Ive done it all. This amp I purchased in store after listening to it. I wanted an amp that i could just plug and play at my gigs, but was loud enough to cut through the mix, or mic'd. I honestly was too sure about the tube situation (war in Ukraine) so i kept my tube amps at home. I purchased the amp, and within 5 mins had the sound i wanted and started gigging with it. 1. loud! 2. Quality sound 3. No brainer! for this price point and i got mine before the price went up, i should have bought two. Its built like a brick. Im extremely impressed. I play all kinds of music from country to Rock, this amp will provide ANYTHING you need. Listen to me, if you are a first time buyer go ahead and get it, or the 50 watt version. If you are a gigging musician and dont want your tube amps to wear and tear, then get this thing. You cannot be disappointed. If you are, then maybe you have bigger issues. This amp (Boss) has knocked out of the park!!! wayyyy out there. Great thing about this amp, if it craps out one day, i will simply go buy another no questions asked. Like i stated before this is just a no brainer. Prices are high on everything, but Boss is keeping this price point incredibly reasonable. They are making alot of money not on price point but on qty sold. Thats the way to do it! your product is on all the stages, sounds incredible, keep it up Boss!!!

Perfect stage amp

I've had this for 8 months now and it has become my go-to amp for live work. It has great stage-friendly features with a good array of inputs, outputs, and settings. I don't use the convoluted Tone Studio system, and in fact I use this primarily as a pedal platform amp with the clean channel only. I like that it has on-board effects if I need them, but they're difficult to use unless you buy the overpriced GA-FC foot controller. Otherwise, the on-board reverb is quite good and I use it frequently. The acoustic mode is nearly useless but it'll do in a pinch, and I also don't care much for the other dirty gain settings (crunch/lead/brown). I don't use this for studio work as the tone does not match that of my tube amps, but again it's perfect for stage work where most ... MoreI've had this for 8 months now and it has become my go-to amp for live work. It has great stage-friendly features with a good array of inputs, outputs, and settings. I don't use the convoluted Tone Studio system, and in fact I use this primarily as a pedal platform amp with the clean channel only. I like that it has on-board effects if I need them, but they're difficult to use unless you buy the overpriced GA-FC foot controller. Otherwise, the on-board reverb is quite good and I use it frequently. The acoustic mode is nearly useless but it'll do in a pinch, and I also don't care much for the other dirty gain settings (crunch/lead/brown). I don't use this for studio work as the tone does not match that of my tube amps, but again it's perfect for stage work where most will not notice or care about perfect tone in those settings anyway. In my opinion, the best feature of this amp is the power control selector that lets you chose between 0.5, 50, and 100 watts. Truth be told, I have used the 0.5 watt setting the most, as it's honestly loud enough in small venues, plus it really tames your dynamics. If I'm in a larger venue playing against acoustic drums, only then does the 50 or 100 watt setting become useful. I wish all amps had this feature!

Review of Boss Katana 100 MkII 1x12 Guitar Amp Combo

Been looking at a Katana for a while, ever since trying a guitar through one at Andertons.After checking out reviews and You Tube videos, I decided I was going to take the plunge. But which one? Both the 50 and the 100 did what I needed, and an Airstep pedal meant that I could do all the switching I needed on either.In the end, I decided that the effects loop and additional presets on the 100 gave me better future proofing, in case I ever want to take it out of the bedroom.I think I have made the right decision, despite not setting it beyond 0.5W so far.All I have left is to learn how to shape the sound myself, without relying on other people’s patches. And work on that 4th chord