Boss KATANA-MINI Guitar Amplifier

Unbelievable. This is NOT my Vox AC30, and nor is it my 100W Katana. However, for a package that is powered by batteries and can, quite literally, fit into the palm of your hand, the Katana Mini is simply fantastic. The amp models are brilliant and the delay (reverb) function is an excellent feature. On "clean" settings the volume of the amp is perfectly adequate and will fill a room with no issues, and on the "crunch" and "brown" settings, the amp was more than loud enough to fill a large room at 2/3 volume. Whilst I personally think that this is not quite enough for an advanced/intermediate players sole amplifier, I would completely agree that for a beginner, they would need no more than this. Having tried options from Yamaha and other brands, this is firmly my ... MoreUnbelievable. This is NOT my Vox AC30, and nor is it my 100W Katana. However, for a package that is powered by batteries and can, quite literally, fit into the palm of your hand, the Katana Mini is simply fantastic. The amp models are brilliant and the delay (reverb) function is an excellent feature. On "clean" settings the volume of the amp is perfectly adequate and will fill a room with no issues, and on the "crunch" and "brown" settings, the amp was more than loud enough to fill a large room at 2/3 volume. Whilst I personally think that this is not quite enough for an advanced/intermediate players sole amplifier, I would completely agree that for a beginner, they would need no more than this. Having tried options from Yamaha and other brands, this is firmly my favourite battery powered micro amplifier for any level of guitarist and equipment, the tone is simply that good! The best way I can describe it is this - when I first plugged my PRS McCarty 594 into it, I was vaguely aware that I wasn't playing through my Vox. However, after five minutes or so, I had completely forgotten this wasn't a "real" amp, and had to keep looking down at the tiny box on the floor to believe it! Well done, Boss!

A rare, more than advertised product and good with an acoustic guitar as well

It's said a lot in many of the reviews of this product but it is the most concise statement about the Boss Katana Mini: This thing is NOT a toy. If you want to just cut to the chase that's all you really need to know. Buy it and you won't be sorry. For a change of pace I decided to get one of these to plug my 2006 Gibson J-50 into. It has the stock piezo pickup that came in it, which is nothing fancy or of real merit. I run the signal from the guitar into my 2013 Zoom A3 and then into the Mini with all the appropriate settings in the A3 set for a jumbo guitar and a piezo pickup. I've been having more fun with this setup than I thought possible. I mostly use the clean setting on the amp with the delay controls, time and level, all off. More on that in a minute. This ... MoreIt's said a lot in many of the reviews of this product but it is the most concise statement about the Boss Katana Mini: This thing is NOT a toy. If you want to just cut to the chase that's all you really need to know. Buy it and you won't be sorry. For a change of pace I decided to get one of these to plug my 2006 Gibson J-50 into. It has the stock piezo pickup that came in it, which is nothing fancy or of real merit. I run the signal from the guitar into my 2013 Zoom A3 and then into the Mini with all the appropriate settings in the A3 set for a jumbo guitar and a piezo pickup. I've been having more fun with this setup than I thought possible. I mostly use the clean setting on the amp with the delay controls, time and level, all off. More on that in a minute. This little amp handles all the the various effects available in the A3 with clarity and definition. In addition if I want a more electric guitar blues sound I switch the A3 to a condensor mic setting, switch the Mini to the first gain setting and get some great overdriven lead blues tones I never would have thought possible. So everything from a clean unadulterated acoustic tone up to a lot of usable electric guitar tones are available. My A3 eats batteries way, way faster than the Mini but if it dies during a session I run straight into the Mini and use the on-amp delay to sculpt the sound and it really is highly versatile and satisfying. So I have a rig now that easily fits into my medium sized bicycle messenger gig bag; amp, pedal, and two guitar cords that I can set up in about a minute that is a blast to take and play anywhere. Here's a tip: if you are playing and you start to get a terrible static-like noise with the gain even slightly boosted your amp is not defective. It's just that your batteries are about to die really soon. Put in fresh ones and things should be just fine.

Amazing sound and portability

Looking to get more daily guitar playing in, I started searching for a tiny battery powered amp that I could keep in my living room or take outside to play around a bon fire that actually sounded like a guitar amp. I have the Marshall MS 2 micro amp which has a great esthetic design but really sounds horrible, making it more of a novelty item and not something I can tolerate playing through for more than a few minutes. After a bit of research and demo video watching (be sure to check out the extensive video by Dave Simpson on YoutTube as well reviews from Ola Englund and Andertons in the UK), I picked this little amp up and was immediately blown away by the sound. The tones this amp is capable of capable of and its versatility are top notch. A true analog input ... MoreLooking to get more daily guitar playing in, I started searching for a tiny battery powered amp that I could keep in my living room or take outside to play around a bon fire that actually sounded like a guitar amp. I have the Marshall MS 2 micro amp which has a great esthetic design but really sounds horrible, making it more of a novelty item and not something I can tolerate playing through for more than a few minutes. After a bit of research and demo video watching (be sure to check out the extensive video by Dave Simpson on YoutTube as well reviews from Ola Englund and Andertons in the UK), I picked this little amp up and was immediately blown away by the sound. The tones this amp is capable of capable of and its versatility are top notch. A true analog input stage means it reacts to your picking style and guitar volume/tone settings just like a full size amp making it very versatile for any style of playing. The output stage is using a form of power amp and cabinet simulation that allows it to drive the little 4 inch speaker at full gain and volume with out clipping, like most tiny combo amps. Plug in the headphone/line out jack into a powered speaker or mixing board and it sounds even fuller. Every guitar I've run into this sounds amazing - from several 6 strings to my active pickup 8 string, they all sound awesome through this amp. The delay effect sounds really nice and can provide a reverb like effect if you turn the delay level all the way up and delay time all the way down. While this little amp lacks the built in fx and USB connectivity of its larger siblings, it makes up for it in simplicity and price. The sounds level is just right for most applications and if you want to crank it louder, simply plug the line out into a higher powered speaker, mixer or home audio system. If you're looking for a highly portable, small amp that gets a great variety of usable tones that you'll want to play for hours at a time this the amp for you.

An ideal practice amp. Tidy piece of kit.

This is a perfect practice amp. Super portable (1.1kg with batteries), simple to set up and use, good amount of sound output sufficient for practice purposes. Auxiliary input for backing track etc and head phone output. Three distortion settings go from totally clean to mashed hard. Tone control is easy peasy three band bass/midrange/treble type. Delay effect feels a bit limited, only generating a single echo which gets lost in anything but the most staccato phrases. Needs good quality feedback to create reverb which is tricky to achieve (for me) without howling. Despite this, I think the Boss Katana Mini is a very tidy piece if kit.

Convenient, compact and ready to go.

Great small amp. I live in a condo so I’m really being kind to my neighbors by not blasting my Tele. This little amp is perfect for sitting around my place. It’s just enough for me. It’s loud enough to jam with others but in a band situation it’s not quite enough to keep up with the big boys. It’s as light as a feather and amazing how loud it can be. Great little amp. I certainly recommend it.

Decent practice amp

Decent practice amp.Maybe I had developed unrealistic expectations from all the prior great reviews, but I was a little disappointed in the tone. The physics limitations of size and materials simply can't be overcome. There are no miraculous technology breakthroughs here. It is still just a plasticky and thin sounding practice amp, with very little bass or nuance to the tone. The delay effect gives it a little more spacious sound, but it still sounds cheap. The delay is the most basic version of delay possible and is not detail adjustable... Just time and volume.Still, it is a convenient and reasonable sounding practice amp, so I am not dissatisfied. I enjoy using it, and after playing on it for a while you forget what a real amp sounds like and so it starts ... MoreDecent practice amp.Maybe I had developed unrealistic expectations from all the prior great reviews, but I was a little disappointed in the tone. The physics limitations of size and materials simply can't be overcome. There are no miraculous technology breakthroughs here. It is still just a plasticky and thin sounding practice amp, with very little bass or nuance to the tone. The delay effect gives it a little more spacious sound, but it still sounds cheap. The delay is the most basic version of delay possible and is not detail adjustable... Just time and volume.Still, it is a convenient and reasonable sounding practice amp, so I am not dissatisfied. I enjoy using it, and after playing on it for a while you forget what a real amp sounds like and so it starts sounding "pretty good". It is definitely a step up from the toy-like mini-amps like the Twin replica, which I also have.For reference, I also have a Fender Mustang V2 that I think sounds fantastic, so it is not as if I am a boutique tube amp snob. But, of course the Mustang is much bigger, with a 12" speaker and 100 watts.Any common 9V AC power supply that can produces at least 370 mA current will work with it, so most guitar players might already have a spare like that around. No need to buy the Boss version.So, in summary, I would recommend this amp, but with all the proper caveats about not really expecting too much. If you really want tone, you may opt to get a slightly bigger practice amp. This one excels in light weight and portability.

Great for me

We travel around with our travel trailer and are often gone for 2 or 3 months at a time. I got this amp to throw in my backpack and play my electric guitar with other musicians that I meet along the way. Most I meet in the rv parks and campgrounds travel with acoustics. I also travel with a Fishman Loudbox mini Charge; which is hands down the best battery amp on the market. But this little Boss has its place. It's not meant to be your ONLY amp. While the Fishman is fantastic, its heavy and if you're just sitting by a campfire jamming with acoustic players, you don't need that much amp to be heard and keep up with the dreadnaughts. I also like that I can plug in the phone and headphones into the back and jam with my music without waking up the house.I picked it up ... MoreWe travel around with our travel trailer and are often gone for 2 or 3 months at a time. I got this amp to throw in my backpack and play my electric guitar with other musicians that I meet along the way. Most I meet in the rv parks and campgrounds travel with acoustics. I also travel with a Fishman Loudbox mini Charge; which is hands down the best battery amp on the market. But this little Boss has its place. It's not meant to be your ONLY amp. While the Fishman is fantastic, its heavy and if you're just sitting by a campfire jamming with acoustic players, you don't need that much amp to be heard and keep up with the dreadnaughts. I also like that I can plug in the phone and headphones into the back and jam with my music without waking up the house.I picked it up today at my local G.C. after watching lots of YouTube video reviews last night. As I was unboxing it, I was absolutely positive I would be returning it tomorrow. I even used my own batteries instead of the included shrink wrapped ones so it would be perfect and "as new" when I returned it. I kept thinking; "A 4" speaker? Why did I get this? It's going to suck!" I plugged in my Les Paul and played around with the clean settings. Once I dialed it in, I kept saying to myself; "A 4" speaker? How did they make it sound so good?" My guitars have humbuckers (Gibson Les Paul and Epiphone 339) so I don't know how it would sound with single coils.This amp is perfect for someone who travels a lot and wants something to use in the hotel or at a campfire. If you want a practice amp to take to your friends house or to keep in the bedroom there are many great 20w - 40w, feature rich amps for not much more money. This is a great little amp for my needs. I highly recommend it.

It's small and loud.

I pretty much decided not to buy this but there was such a good deal I bit. I already had the boss cable for this so I really didn't pay much. The sound is thin, really lacking any type of bass. I have bookshelf speakers the same size as this that put out tons of bottom end so I wasn't sure if that was going to be a problem with this. It's mostly just screeching treble. Playing with the EQ can help a little bit but there's only so much a speaker and box this size can do. I found a couple sounds on the brown channel that don't sound too terrible. If you're actually going to put batteries in this and take it in the woods or to the beach or someplace where there's no power source, it might be something to consider. But if this is just an extra amp for a man cave or a ... MoreI pretty much decided not to buy this but there was such a good deal I bit. I already had the boss cable for this so I really didn't pay much. The sound is thin, really lacking any type of bass. I have bookshelf speakers the same size as this that put out tons of bottom end so I wasn't sure if that was going to be a problem with this. It's mostly just screeching treble. Playing with the EQ can help a little bit but there's only so much a speaker and box this size can do. I found a couple sounds on the brown channel that don't sound too terrible. If you're actually going to put batteries in this and take it in the woods or to the beach or someplace where there's no power source, it might be something to consider. But if this is just an extra amp for a man cave or a spare room or especially as a first practice amp you're sooo much better off just buying an 8-in 15-20ish watt practice amp for about the same price after you buy the cable. In comparison, this thing sounds and feels like a toy.

Light, Well Made Amp with Good Features

For the money I doubt you could do better. It's not as good as the hype from the Guitar Guru channels but it does do what the ads claim. It's a good "practice in your room" amp, and something you could take to a campfire singalong. On an Acoustic/Electric the delay and reverb have little effect but volume for its size is quite good. It would be enough for a very quiet small bar but that's about it. In a group setting, if they could hear you well without an amp, they could hear you VERY well with the Boss Katana. And that's a lot from 7 amps. It almost feels too light, but for it's intended purpose that's not a bad thing. It's a focused product. I like mine.

ideal solo amp

I use it primarily as a practice amp at lower levels, but I'd feel confident doing coffee house gigs with it, and maybe smaller clubs too. It sounds warm and rich at low volumes, and the EQ is effective. All three voices are useful and I'm not left wanting.I have to make special mention of the delay. I adore reverb (including and especially spring reverb and gritty, trashy reverb of all kinds) but a simple delay circuit is way more useful in this amp. Doubling, slapback, echoes. The treble roll-off and fixed feedback are well-tuned. If you're using this for busking or other guerilla performance, you will suddenly realize that a single delay is worth more than a thousand reflections, because those reflections sound godawful* against naturally-occurring ... MoreI use it primarily as a practice amp at lower levels, but I'd feel confident doing coffee house gigs with it, and maybe smaller clubs too. It sounds warm and rich at low volumes, and the EQ is effective. All three voices are useful and I'm not left wanting.I have to make special mention of the delay. I adore reverb (including and especially spring reverb and gritty, trashy reverb of all kinds) but a simple delay circuit is way more useful in this amp. Doubling, slapback, echoes. The treble roll-off and fixed feedback are well-tuned. If you're using this for busking or other guerilla performance, you will suddenly realize that a single delay is worth more than a thousand reflections, because those reflections sound godawful* against naturally-occurring surfaces.*maybe awesome in a sound design way though