BOSS Katana 50 Guitar Amplifier Review – One Of the Best Guitar Amplifier in 2022
There is a factor that every string requesting below $500 amp recommendations is people saying “Boss Katana 50” over and over and over. First presented in 2016, the Katana line not just seemed better compared to all its rivals. It also offered a huge range of sounds. Thank you for having 5 various settings and Boss’s whole pedal range integrated.
2019 brought the 2nd version to the schedule, and Boss Katana 50 MkII didn’t a lot recreate the wheel as give it more options. Each of the 5 settings currently has a “variant,” effectively giving you 10 settings. Additionally, you can now select up to five pedals rather than simply 3.
Those are simply the headings changes. Of course, there’s much more taking place under the hood – improved speakers, lighter amps, and improved prices.
We’re most likely to stroll you through everything you need to know about the Boss Katana 50 MKII. Is it still the very best budget amp on the marketplace?
Only if you’re looking for the very best sound quality and tone, and if you’re not willing to spend a lot of cash.
Boss’s top-end budget amplifier is the Bosss Katana 50 MKII. The amp has a ton of power and versatility, with five settings controlled by footswitches.
It’s one of the most expensive budget amps, but if you need a ton of power and versatility for under $500, this is the amp for you. Boss Katana 50 MKII has a built-in speaker, so you won’t need to spend a lot of cash on a speaker cabinet to get a good sound.
Who can consider Boss Katana 50?
The Boss Katana MKII 50 is for each guitar player looking for a great, stage-ready tone on a budget plan. The amp is popular with people that want to downsize their big tube rig while still preserving great sounds.
Boss Katana 50 amp is for people who want a ton of power and versatility and don’t want to spend a lot of money. Boss Katana 50 MKII is Boss’s most affordable amp with a built-in speaker, and it’s packed with a ton of features.
What does it sound like?
Boss Katana 50 MKII has five settings, including High, Mid, Low, Mid+, and Low+, controlled by footswitches. You can switch between the settings quickly and easily, and you can switch the footswitches to the pedalboard as well.
Appearance
The Boss Katana 50 has a unique streamlined design. The appearances of the amp are very minimal, which means you could easily walk previous this in a songs store – but it’s so popular, the chances of that happening are pretty small.
The cupboard of Boss Katana 50 is made of quality MDF timber. It is very sturdy yet light. The main cab is protected in a plastic skin reminiscent of tolex, other than a lot harder and smoother.
The face of the amp is made of a harsh, black cloth that will withstand some misuse. A steel ‘Boss’ logo design is put on the cloth, with the ‘Boss Katana 50 Mark 2‘ logo design listed below it.
The handles are located on the amp, slightly recessed into the cupboard. Most of the handles are simple round handles, and there’s one chicken-head design handle.
There is also a useful bring handle on top of the amp. The handle is made of a sturdy rubber material.
Overall, not exactly overwhelming. Fortunately, what is important is how it runs and sounds…
Features
The Boss Katana 50 MKII has a 5-channel tube-amp design. This means it has a full range of gain, a power amp, a distortion amp, and a separate speaker cabinet for the preamp and the power amp.
The Boss Katana 50 MKII has a 1,000-watt, dual-channel power amp. It is not uncommon for a budget amp to have a power amp with a 1,000-watt range, so this is a great feature. The power amp is a standard 1×12″ combo with a 12-inch speaker.
The preamp has a 3-band EQ, gain control, and master volume control.
Afterward, come the effects. There are 2 switches: ‘booster’ (overdrive/distortion) and ‘mod’ (inflection effects like chorus and flanger). The second set of switches has an ‘FX’ and ‘delay’ area. These do exactly what they explain. The FX are effects, same with the mod handle. However, this consists of more compressors and a 2nd EQ area.
The last switch in the impacts area has the reverb storage container. There are many different types of reverbs, like electronic, analog, and modulating reverbs. All these sound very nice and responsive.
Performance
The ‘acoustic‘ channel is meant for acoustic guitar, and it’s a mix between the clean channel and the direct sound of the guitar. Many people prefer using this channel for electric guitar with pedals, and others say it eliminates the tone.
The ‘clean’ channel is exactly as advertised. It is very clean at a reduced gain and thick at a greater gain. This channel can be used for everything from twangy nation tones to glass, funky John Frusciante tones. This channel also works very well with pedals, as does the ‘acoustic’ channel.
The ‘crunch’ channel is a bit thinner seeming compared to the clean, and it’s the very least great seeming channel, in my opinion. This does not imply it is bad, but it’s not as outstanding as the remainder of the networks.
The ‘lead’ channel is like the crunch channel, other than a bit thicker and more gain. This channel is great for crunchy tones at a reduced gain and a real shredder at high gain.
The ‘brown’ channel is meant for the ‘brown sound,’ an extremely thick, high gain sound. This channel has a little more gain than the lead channel, and it’s a little bit boomier.
The Effects are excellent seeming. The analog effects sound very all-natural, and the electronic effects are excellent. The complete list of impacts is long, and there are variants between the same impacts. There is a springtime reverb, plate reverb, modulating reverb, etc. And there is an electronic chorus, and keyboard chorus, and multiple ways, flangers and so on. The list is very extensive. Most of the impacts are based upon Boss’s pedal, but pedals like the ProCo Rat or the Ibanez TS9.
It sounds well at low volume also. Also, at the most affordable feasible setting on the 0.5-watt setting sounds pretty darn great. This amp is easy to dip into bars and even small/medium-sized halls.
Also, the direct-out sounds great. There is a setup in the Tone Workshop to set the ‘feel’ of the direct out. There is ‘rec’ which has an integrated cupboard simulator for tape-taping. The cupboard sim is excellent, but you can use the ‘live’ setting if you want to use your personal. There is also a ‘blend,’ which it says: a mix in between both.
For tape-taping, you can plug the earphone out into your sound user interface, or you can go direct with USB. Both sound excellent, but the indicator will be very quiet if you use the USB, which can be a problem.
Final Words
Overall, the Boss Katana 50 sounds very excellent. This is one of the most vital parts of an amplifier, and Boss knocked it from the park with this.
There is simply one thing… Boss makes numerous variants of the Boss Katana, and every among them is a bit various.
