Boss Katana XL 100-watt Amplifier

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 5 May 2022 9:23 am

I have been using the Boss Katana amp and I like it surprisingly well. It took me a while to figure it out, but I muddled through. As for the internet download, I believe they could have made it a little more confusing if they tried harder. A real fiasco I think.

After a while, I got some really good sounds from it. I like the single 12" speaker lots. I need to set the presets so it returns to where I left it. I like the "clean" best. At $639 from Sweetwater, it is not a bad deal. Sweetwater ships very fast and checks to see if things are good. I think it looks good too.

I have not played out with it yet, only a jam session.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 5 May 2022 9:46 am

Bill, you must mean the Artist. I have the Katana MK11 100 model. It's a decent amp but not quite what I expected in tone. The Artist is nearly double the cost with a better speaker and some other upgrades. Anyway glad you found a winner.

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 5 May 2022 2:30 pm

Larry, you are right. It is the Artist. I was going back and forth between the models. The clincher was a review I read that said the standard 100 watt tended to get a little hairy at higher volumes than the Artist. There is a substantial price difference in them. Though I do not believe the Artist model is at very high price. Especially for the value gotten.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 6 May 2022 6:13 am

Bill, from the demos I seen and reviews I believe the Artist is money well spent. I am leaning more to new Quilter Mach 3. I have the Micropro combo and a early Quilter head. Both deliver great tone and simple design. In comparison to my Telonics TCA 500, I've had far more frustration dialing in a proper tone. I recently got a Sarno Black box which added a sweater response.

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 6 May 2022 7:25 am

Larry, so far I like the smoothness of this amp. The sound is more subdued than my Session 400. I had weight and portability in mind. I do not know that it sounds as good as my Session, but I do like the way it sounds. I have not taken it out yet, so I will see what happens. It is certainly worth the money and they did their homework with this amp.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 6 May 2022 5:25 pm

Bill, good to hear. Let me know how it works out. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.