Boss Katana Head MKII Guitar Amplifier Head 100W

I purchased this amp because i don't play live anymore and all my other amps are 100 amp heads.I use this with a quad speaker cabinet.I wanted a practice amp and it was between using the Peavey 6505 MH or this one. The Peavey was always out of stock everywhere, so I decided to purchase this one and just purchase the Peavey down the road. I have always used tube amps so solid state wasn't a purchase I have made before.After learning how to program this amp with 6 different settings, I was so impressed the Peavey is a for-thought now.This amp at .5 watts is almost as loud as a Marshall I have set at 25% of 100 amp watts.IT has incredible tone and is almost as good as a Kemper I own. It's ability to also module several different pedals from delays, to reverb , ... MoreI purchased this amp because i don't play live anymore and all my other amps are 100 amp heads.I use this with a quad speaker cabinet.I wanted a practice amp and it was between using the Peavey 6505 MH or this one. The Peavey was always out of stock everywhere, so I decided to purchase this one and just purchase the Peavey down the road. I have always used tube amps so solid state wasn't a purchase I have made before.After learning how to program this amp with 6 different settings, I was so impressed the Peavey is a for-thought now.This amp at .5 watts is almost as loud as a Marshall I have set at 25% of 100 amp watts.IT has incredible tone and is almost as good as a Kemper I own. It's ability to also module several different pedals from delays, to reverb , chorus, etc is a standalone benefit for the money. Purchasing these pedals (which is in itself quite expensive) places you well over the price of this amp.It was a great purchase and I would recommend to all to use live or for me, as a practice amp. And Boss has always made durable and solid products over the years.If i could give it 9 starts I would!!And of course AMS, has always delivered solid products and free shipping to boot, you cant go wrong.

This is the amp you never knew you always wanted. I've been onstage performing since 91'. I've owned a lot of amps in 30 plus years.I jumped on the Katana band wagon with the first generation. I would always get compliments on my sound from other guitar players. I had 2 of the 1st gen 100 watt amps. I really wanted to run them in stereo but it was cumbersome. When Boss announced the new features, one of them being stereo operation I knew I had to re-rig. I wasn't expecting Boss to make so many improvements. The 1st gen sounded amazing but this 2nd gen is even better. Better Reverbs, Better Delays, Better control layout of the footswitch. Yes I own 2 of these 100 watt heads running them in stereo and I completely dominate the sound spectrum. Every guitarist that I ... MoreThis is the amp you never knew you always wanted. I've been onstage performing since 91'. I've owned a lot of amps in 30 plus years.I jumped on the Katana band wagon with the first generation. I would always get compliments on my sound from other guitar players. I had 2 of the 1st gen 100 watt amps. I really wanted to run them in stereo but it was cumbersome. When Boss announced the new features, one of them being stereo operation I knew I had to re-rig. I wasn't expecting Boss to make so many improvements. The 1st gen sounded amazing but this 2nd gen is even better. Better Reverbs, Better Delays, Better control layout of the footswitch. Yes I own 2 of these 100 watt heads running them in stereo and I completely dominate the sound spectrum. Every guitarist that I persuade to try a Katan has absolutely thanked me. Most of the comments I get is how much better their playing has improved because they are now spending so much more time playing a truly enjoyable amp. Most all vendors have a liberal return policy. If you are considering dropping a grand or more on a tube amp because "Tubes are better" You owe it to yourself to break away from the "Group Think" and trust your ears over the name plate on that overpriced amp.

Best of both worlds

How many powerful amp heads have you ever seem with a built in small speaker for home practice use?This is the best combination of powerful performance amp head and practice home amp that I've ever found.When used as a traditional amp head, it's 100 watts with tons of output jacks for external speaker cabinets, effects loops, Stereo in/out jacks, midi jack, foot switch jack, expression pedal jack, usb out, etc. It also has a power switch to go between 100 watts, 50 watts, 0.5 watts, or standby mode.When used at home with the internal speaker, it has a great quality speaker built in, and automatically lowers the output to 30 watts max. More than loud enough to annoy your neighbors, or keep the volume low for personal practice enjoyment. And if you really need ... MoreHow many powerful amp heads have you ever seem with a built in small speaker for home practice use?This is the best combination of powerful performance amp head and practice home amp that I've ever found.When used as a traditional amp head, it's 100 watts with tons of output jacks for external speaker cabinets, effects loops, Stereo in/out jacks, midi jack, foot switch jack, expression pedal jack, usb out, etc. It also has a power switch to go between 100 watts, 50 watts, 0.5 watts, or standby mode.When used at home with the internal speaker, it has a great quality speaker built in, and automatically lowers the output to 30 watts max. More than loud enough to annoy your neighbors, or keep the volume low for personal practice enjoyment. And if you really need it quiet, you can even go down to a half a watt.Additionally, it has a upper simple control panel, buttons of options such as 10 different amp styles (acoustic, clean, crunch, lead, and brown and a variation option for each), 3 different cabinet emulations (vintage, modern, deep), and controls for presence, gain, volume, master, EQ, and three pedal variation options for each of the Boost, modulation, FX, delay, and reverb knobs, and 8 quick preset profile buttons.And if that's not enough options for you, you can also plug it in to a computer and customize all of the pedal settings for a seemingly limitless amount of options.That is insane value for only $350. Oh, and it sounds fantastic as well!Honestly, the only thing I can think of that it doesn't have is Bluetooth built in so you can use it with the Tone Studio app wirelessly, with an iphone/iPad, rather than having to plug into a computer with a cable.Short of that one drawback, it's nearly perfect.

Fantastic

I strongly advise buying the Sonic Airstep pedal which unlocks the full potential of this head. I have created tones that compare favorably with my Mesa Boogies Mark V 90, and this is so much lighter and configurable and the build-in effects are superb (Boos pedals). I added a GA-FC as well so I can control channels and effects with a single step. Finally, I paired it with an amazing cabinet that looks like it was designed for it. It was a pairing from heaven. It's the DV Mark Jazz 208. Don't be fooled by the Jazz or the 2x8" speakers. It has an amazing tone, intoxicating, 300W of power, also super sensitive, amazing frequency response range - lower than a Celestion and hight too - and so compact and light, matching the width of the Katana head. The two are now my ... MoreI strongly advise buying the Sonic Airstep pedal which unlocks the full potential of this head. I have created tones that compare favorably with my Mesa Boogies Mark V 90, and this is so much lighter and configurable and the build-in effects are superb (Boos pedals). I added a GA-FC as well so I can control channels and effects with a single step. Finally, I paired it with an amazing cabinet that looks like it was designed for it. It was a pairing from heaven. It's the DV Mark Jazz 208. Don't be fooled by the Jazz or the 2x8" speakers. It has an amazing tone, intoxicating, 300W of power, also super sensitive, amazing frequency response range - lower than a Celestion and hight too - and so compact and light, matching the width of the Katana head. The two are now my preferred amp set up and sound just amazing for everything from acoustic to jazz, funk, and rock, metal. The bass handling is of course superb. You can put your bass through this (it a MarkBass product and the speakers are the bomb). It looks super cool. And ideal for home, to large gig with PA. You need to tweak the graphic eq on board to get the most out of it but I drool over the sound I now get. The Xsonic provides a smartphone to tweak all settings unwired and so easily. Total cost of the entire setup - less than $900. The GA-FC provides dual expression extensibility so worth for that too. If you are short on cash, you can punt on the GA-FC but get the AirStep.

I was going to return, but..

I bought this amp for guitarist who came over to jam could use and would sound decent. To be honest, out of the box I hated this amp and was wanting to return it almost immediately. Still, from seeing all the glowing reviews from every website I knew something had to be amiss. The main reason - the global eq. Default settings are beyond terrible and make the amp sound awful, imo. Guitar amp frequencies doesn't go to 20khz to begin with.. After some tweeking - THIS IS MY FAVORITE AMP!, and this is coming from someone who has the Kemper and Quad Cortex. I seriously play this amp more than I do both of the others, just for the fact that both take a while to boot up and this one starts playing right away and sounds so good. If you're like me and have a riff in your head ... MoreI bought this amp for guitarist who came over to jam could use and would sound decent. To be honest, out of the box I hated this amp and was wanting to return it almost immediately. Still, from seeing all the glowing reviews from every website I knew something had to be amiss. The main reason - the global eq. Default settings are beyond terrible and make the amp sound awful, imo. Guitar amp frequencies doesn't go to 20khz to begin with.. After some tweeking - THIS IS MY FAVORITE AMP!, and this is coming from someone who has the Kemper and Quad Cortex. I seriously play this amp more than I do both of the others, just for the fact that both take a while to boot up and this one starts playing right away and sounds so good. If you're like me and have a riff in your head that needs to get out you don't want to wait 30 secs for things to boot up. For recording, both the other amps are of course better and more versatile, but for live the Katana actually sounds more in your face like a real amp, again IMO. In all honesty to say something bad about this amp for this price point would be crazy and would tell me that somehow you got a bad unit or you don't know what you're doing.

Remarkable value

I bought the Katana head after watching my son, a student and working musician, gig with an MKI Katana 100 combo for more than a year. He uses that amp as one of this two main gigging combos since it allows him to easily move between electric and acoustic-electric. I wanted a unit that could be used as a practice amp as well as a backup to my main gigging setup (a Helix) and potentially as a gigging amp in the future. The Katana head is perfect. As a practice unit, I find the Katana more flexible and every bit as good (tone-wise) as the Yamaha THR series. The only place the THR wins is battery power (if that is something you need). But the small THRs can't double as a powerful gigging head. The Katana's 5-inch speaker is plenty loud for practice without an external ... MoreI bought the Katana head after watching my son, a student and working musician, gig with an MKI Katana 100 combo for more than a year. He uses that amp as one of this two main gigging combos since it allows him to easily move between electric and acoustic-electric. I wanted a unit that could be used as a practice amp as well as a backup to my main gigging setup (a Helix) and potentially as a gigging amp in the future. The Katana head is perfect. As a practice unit, I find the Katana more flexible and every bit as good (tone-wise) as the Yamaha THR series. The only place the THR wins is battery power (if that is something you need). But the small THRs can't double as a powerful gigging head. The Katana's 5-inch speaker is plenty loud for practice without an external cabinet, and it sounds remarkably good. But ... you can also use the head to power your favorite cabinet and easily work into any gigging environment. If this amp isn't loud enough for where you're playing you should be running through the PA anyway. I love the fact that you can also get credible acoustic-electric sounds. If you are really picky about your acoustic-electric sound, you will probably find that you get your best results into a preamp and then the PA. I think my Helix is a better solution purely for acoustic guitars. But ... most audiences aren't going to debate the subtle nuances of acoustic-electric tone. So, if you are looking for a one-solution amp that can handle your solid bodies and acoustics, this is a dream unit. Obviously, I am not a tube snob. Since I gig almost weekly, weight and portability make a difference. I love the tones I am getting from the Katana. I can't think of another amp that is as versatile, light and affordable. This is a giggable head that can cover any venue for less than $400. It also gives you the amp-in-the-room feel that is hard to obtain with something like the Helix. It is the way to go if you want a traditional amp and haul your own gear.

Review of Boss Katana 100 MkII Guitar Amp Head

Everything I needed to dial in, I could do on the panel.Easy yo use, great sounds. I'm using this as a practice amp but also as a back up to my katana artist model.I like using the head, its got a great sound. It's a lot lighter than a katana artist, little bit of weight to it through, but it's easier to carry and store. Great tone and less likely to dislocate my shoulder.

The Peavey Windsor of This Generation

This thing is a sleeper amp, not only for it's sounds but the versatility. I tried a few Katana combos and while pretty good, their cabinet and speaker are their weakest link. Put this through a good cabinet though and it's fantastic! I setup all the midi controlling with my Helix and run it 4 cable method x2 (I don't know how else to describe it...) with my 6505+ so I get the best of all of them. It was a major pain to figure that all out at first, but once I got rolling it all came together.I love my 6505+, but I can do things with this and the Helix I can never do with that. Does it sound as good? No, but it's not far off either. Us tone snobs will hear it, but the average audience member won't. They'll just know they liked how it sounded. I find I get more out ... MoreThis thing is a sleeper amp, not only for it's sounds but the versatility. I tried a few Katana combos and while pretty good, their cabinet and speaker are their weakest link. Put this through a good cabinet though and it's fantastic! I setup all the midi controlling with my Helix and run it 4 cable method x2 (I don't know how else to describe it...) with my 6505+ so I get the best of all of them. It was a major pain to figure that all out at first, but once I got rolling it all came together.I love my 6505+, but I can do things with this and the Helix I can never do with that. Does it sound as good? No, but it's not far off either. Us tone snobs will hear it, but the average audience member won't. They'll just know they liked how it sounded. I find I get more out of it every time I plug it into the Tone Studio software and do deep edits. Once you get all that set to your liking you don't really need it anymore and can just use this like any other amp with knobs.One of the most important things is the feel is there when you play. I don't really notice much difference compared to my 6505+. It's really cool to be able to switch directly between this, my 6505+ and amp models by changing a snapshot on the Helix. The power amp in is an excellent way to drive the Helix through a cab too!

Unreal how good this is

Wow!I cannot think of any amp head that gives you as many great features and tones as this thing does for less than $350.And on top of all the amazing tones and effects and profiles it offers, this is the only amp head that I have ever purchased that has a built-in speaker for practicing at home!Honestly, I don't know why anyone would buy a small practice amp anymore, such as a spark, or even the little Yamaha. For just a few dollars more you can get this 100 W amp head, that is more than powerful enough to gig with at any venue when paired up with a decent cabinet.But it's small enough on its own that you can also use it by itself at home without blasting the neighbors, by using the built in speaker in either a 30 watt or 0.5 watt mode, or with ... MoreWow!I cannot think of any amp head that gives you as many great features and tones as this thing does for less than $350.And on top of all the amazing tones and effects and profiles it offers, this is the only amp head that I have ever purchased that has a built-in speaker for practicing at home!Honestly, I don't know why anyone would buy a small practice amp anymore, such as a spark, or even the little Yamaha. For just a few dollars more you can get this 100 W amp head, that is more than powerful enough to gig with at any venue when paired up with a decent cabinet.But it's small enough on its own that you can also use it by itself at home without blasting the neighbors, by using the built in speaker in either a 30 watt or 0.5 watt mode, or with headphones.The built in effects sound outstanding, are simple to use, and if you plug it into a PC, the Tone Studio software gives you hundreds more to choose from.You honestly cannot go wrong with this thing for the price. It's a slam dunk recommended purchase.

Very impressed by the functionality and sound and footprint

I wanted something lighter than my Mesa Boogie rigs- cabs, combos and heads. Mark V 90 and 35. They are the goldStandard. I love them. Nothing is better sonically. But the Katana Head Mk2 comes pretty close, has it's own sweet sounds, has really professional grade Boss effects built and is so well designed and usable and configurable. But it's so light and portable and has Boss build quality and sound and I'm tired of the fragility of tubes and the utter heft of the big Mesa heads. But I took a risk and bought a DV Mark 208 Jazz cabinet. It's also incredibly compact and wonderful quality. They are a marriage made in heaven. Forget the "jazz" - it has an amazing tone and volume. It's range is higher and lower than my Mesa cabs and can even handle bass and at 300W ... MoreI wanted something lighter than my Mesa Boogie rigs- cabs, combos and heads. Mark V 90 and 35. They are the goldStandard. I love them. Nothing is better sonically. But the Katana Head Mk2 comes pretty close, has it's own sweet sounds, has really professional grade Boss effects built and is so well designed and usable and configurable. But it's so light and portable and has Boss build quality and sound and I'm tired of the fragility of tubes and the utter heft of the big Mesa heads. But I took a risk and bought a DV Mark 208 Jazz cabinet. It's also incredibly compact and wonderful quality. They are a marriage made in heaven. Forget the "jazz" - it has an amazing tone and volume. It's range is higher and lower than my Mesa cabs and can even handle bass and at 300W can take anything you might throw at it plus being so sensitive, efficient and such a detailed gorgeous sound. It's size is a perfect match for the Kat Head. Finally you must get both the GA-FC and the XSonic AirStepKat and use both. Together they open up all of the features of this great head. It's easy to hang off eg volume pedals from the GA. The Airstep enables a killer smartphone app to tune and configure and observe the head while you are playing. It enables access to multiple versions of effects hands-free. The combination of devices is super compact and incredibly full and beautiful sounding. The cleans are to die for while the modeling is unbelievably accurate and sensitive. It feels like a tube amp when you are teeaking the settings for each channel. Get them all. You cannot go wrong... you can even double it all up for a stereo rig. All for very modest coin.